Description
Release Date: 2016
Label: Jazz Oracle
Track List
1.Roberta Dudley–Krooked Blues
2.Roberta Dudley–When You’re Alone Blues
3.Ruth Lee, Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra–Maybe Some Day
4.Ruth Lee, Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra–That Sweet Something Dear
5.Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra–Ory’s Creole Trombone
6.Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra–Society Blues
7.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Mistreating Daddy
8.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Frankie And Johnny Blues
9.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Who Will Get It
10.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–If You’ll Come Back
11.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Nobody’s Sweetheart
12.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Down On The Farm
13.Unknown Artist–No One Knows What It’s All About
14.Unknown Artist–Mean Blues
15.Reb’s Legion Club Forty-Fives–Steppin’ High
16.Reb’s Legion Club Forty-Fives–Sheffield Blues
17.Reb Spikes Majors And Minors–My Mammy’s Blues
18.Reb Spikes Majors And Minors–Fight That Thing
19.Dick Lucke & His Arcadians–Suite 16
20.Freddie Carter & His Orchestra–Eccentric
21.Lake Arrowhead Orchestra–Everything Is Hotsy-Totsy Now
22.Lake Arrowhead Orchestra–Deep Henderson
23.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Mistreating Daddy (Alt)
24.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Frankie And Johnny Blues (Alt)
25.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–If You’ll Come Back (Alt)
26.Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four–Down On The Farm (Alt)
Notes
The Jazz Oracle label can always be depended upon to reissue and repackage excellent hot jazz from the 1920s.
Quite a few New Orleans jazz musicians moved to Chicago during 1915-25 in search of better work conditions, making Chicago the jazz center during 1917-27.
However other areas of the United States were also important in the beginnings of jazz. Jelly Roll Morton (who spent much of 1915-22 in San Francisco and Los Angeles) and Kid Ory moved to California early on.
While Morton was not documented until 1923 when he was in Chicago, in Los Angeles Ory led the first African-American New Orleans jazz group ever to record. After cutting two numbers apiece accompanying vaudeville singers Roberta Dudley and Ruth Lee in April, 1922, the following month Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra recorded “Ory’s Creole Trombone” (taken faster than most later versions) and “Society Blues.” Those two numbers are the only ones that feature cornetist Mutt Carey in his younger years.
West Coast Jazz 1922-27 reissues those six selections along with hot jazz from Harvey Brooks’ Quality Four (ten performances including four alternate takes), Reb Spikes, and other obscure bands.
The Quality Four sides, dating from Feb. 1924, make the case that Paul Howard (later leader of the Quality Serenaders) was an important pioneering tenor-saxophonist, sounding more advanced at the time than Coleman Hawkins. Reb Spikes’ Majors and Minors fare well on two songs from 1927 but much rarer are two songs by Reb’s Legion Club 45’s along with titles from Dick Lucke’s Arcadians, Freddie Carter’s Orchestra, and the Lake Arrowhead Orchestra.
Overall the musicianship is higher than that heard on many of the Midwest territory bands of the time, the solos are heated, and the ensembles are full of spirit, making this an enjoyable collection filled with rarities.
