[78-L] Mills Blue Rhythm

Mon Feb 2 21:43:04 PST 2009

Taylor
I will keep it short as possible on both subjects
some MBRB records I like:
"Futuristic Jungleism" (1931, Ed Anderson's killer solo, and I like that period composition), "Sugar Blues" (fav version, great trumpet solo, and I have the rarer take on 78 that NEVER get's reissued BTW),"Heebie Jeebies" (1931, all the last 3 have good vocals by George Morton, who also does a good "Minnie The Moocher"), an incredible "Blue Flame" and "Red Devil" (both 1931, I really love the 1931 band, the nice trumpet solos, the McCord brothers etc) "The Growl" (1932 I prefer for I like the Holmes alto, and the dance groove is KILLER, the 1934 Bluebird is really FAST),the atmospheric "Heat Waves", "Wild Waves" and the hot "White Lighting" (all 1932, feat Holmes, Anderson, Wethington et all), "Jazz Martini" (1933), "Harlem After Midnight" (either version) and "Feeling Gay", but my favorites are thew late 1934/5 era of the band. You have Red Allen, J C Higginbotham, Buster Bailey, Tab Smith and Willie Humphries all coming in and out of the band on such
 recordings like "Dancing Dogs", "Keep The Rhythm Going", "Harlem Heat", "Yes Yes" (the clarinet on that is Willie Humphries BTW), "Swinging In E Flat", "Spitfire", "Merry Go Round" and "St Louis Wiggle Rhythm" (all 1934/5). I do feel the band started to decline in 1936, the 1937 records have a different drummer and pianist, I, for one, just don't feel it's the same party without Spencer and Edgar Hayes.
   Personally, I like all the records they made, even the ballads, through 1936 (I feel the decline starts at about the time Tab Smith joins the band, though NOT because of Smith's alto and arrangements, both I like quite a bit, the rhythm starts changing and it's just not the band that does that sort of lighter swing feel as well as the groovy Harlem dance thing), I like the suspended chromatically descending arrangement on "Until the Real Thing Comes Along", where the melody is actually a half tone away from the chords, and it comes off very nice and suspended feeling, also "Once To Every Heart" has that wonderful sonic structure, rather like a dark chocolate bar, rich deep sororities, made to slow dance , now can I find a band to sound like that so I can dance....
  note: great Vitaphone short made of this band in around 1933, really great, they even do a hot rumba/biguine in "Tony's Wife"

Finally
RE: BRYANT "Ride Red Ride"
is that stock arrangement Joe Haymes or Spud Murphy? Great record (the arrangement trick at the end is on a Haymes record), does not even sound like the same song,it is so different, but the trumpet on the end is fantastic,the forgotten Jacques Butler (and BTW Taft Jordan is backing Bryant on the vocal), and didn't Charlie Frazier have the biggest sound on tenor, he was second only to Elmer Williams for the forgotten big toned players at that time in Harlem. The Bryant band was an excellent band, that could make good on stocks like almost no other band (good solo roster AND excellent readers), like Paque, Russell, Butler,Jordan, Horton, Hsughton, Battle, Wilson, Ramirez et all very much, and they even had Carter and Webster grace them for a session or two. The 1938 Decca's are NOT as good, but I DO have them...
all the best
Yves

PS I brought along (on cassette tape) the MBRB "Dancing Dogs" when I was 13 to demonstrate the music I liked so as a teenager

--- On Mon, 2/2/09, Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com> wrote:

> From: Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Mills Blue Rhythm
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 9:28 PM
> Hi,  Andrea,
> 
> All additions/comments/suggestions welcome.  Actually those
> are two I have 
> and already know...but now I will replay them and give
> 'em another chance, 
> knowing your enthusiasm...thanks!
> 
> I'll throw in two cents for what I think is a great
> version of Ride,  Red, 
> Ride,  which is the Willie Bryant Orch. on Bluebird...I
> love Willie and his 
> band.
> 
> Taylor
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Andrea Walsh"
> <petquality1 at gmail.com>
> To: "78-L Mail List"
> <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 7:23 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Mills Blue Rhythm
> 
> 
> > Oh Taylor, If I might interject and stick my nose in
> here, one of the
> > funkiest, most swinging records I own, and which (Yves
> will probably agree
> > with me) was ever recorded is "Keep The Rhythm
> Going" by MBRB!  Also You
> > MUST hear "Ride, Red, Ride" and "Red
> Rhythm".  OHH now you guys have made 
> > me
> > want to go play all my MBRB 78s.  COOL! :)
> >
> > Andrea
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 6:26 PM, Taylor Bowie
> <bowiebks at isomedia.com> 
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I'm sure you were no odder a child than I was,
>  Yves.  When I was in
> >> kindergarten (1957-58) we had one day a week where
> we could bring records
> >> from home to play in class.  All the other kids
> who brought records 
> >> brought
> >> those little yellow plastic disks,  probably by
> Frank Luther or Irene
> >> Wicker
> >> or some such...but I brought my new 45 of The
> Playmates doing "Jo-Anne"
> >> which was  a plodding,  lumpy-dumpy white doo-wop
> thing.  The teacher was
> >> sort of shocked,  and  the rest of the kiddies
> didn't know what to make 
> >> of
> >> it...glad I didn't bring Short Shorts by the
> Royal Teens,  which was
> >> another
> >> fave when I was that age....along with my
> dad's Bud Freeman Bluebird of
> >> I've
> >> Found a New Baby.    Hey,  what did I know?  It
> was all new to me...I
> >> myself
> >> was pretty "new."
> >>
> >> All that crap aside...I was curious if you could
> list a few other sides 
> >> by
> >> the MBRB which you really like.  I ask because
> it's a band which 
> >> generally
> >> leaves me,  if not cold,  then at most cool.  But
> I enjoy having my ears
> >> opened to new sounds,  so give me some ideas!
> >>
> >> Taylor
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "yves francois"
> <aprestitine at yahoo.com>
> >> To: "78-L Mail List"
> <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> >> Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 6:17 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [78-L] Wild Waves
> >>
> >>
> >> > LOL LOL LOL et all
> >> >
> >> > ps i have to say when i say "Wild
> Waves" I got very excited, since I
> >> > thought we were going to talk about the
> record by the Mills Blue Rhythm
> >> > Band, I am just CRAZY about that record, it
> was the first song I ever
> >> > learned on a trumpet (guess I was a weird
> chap, liking the Mills Blue
> >> > Rhythm Band's record of "Wild
> Waves" at age 11, so much so, I even 
> >> > wrote
> >> a
> >> > song - much later in life I might add -
> called "Tashkent" with the 
> >> > growl
> >> > trumpet intro from the MBRB record ...)
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --- On Mon, 2/2/09, Taylor Bowie
> <bowiebks at isomedia.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> From: Taylor Bowie
> <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
> >> >> Subject: Re: [78-L] Wild Waves
> >> >> To: "78-L Mail List"
> <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> >> >> Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 8:04 PM
> >> >> I now realize that "Fair and
> Warmer" is a direct
> >> >> slam on  women in menopause
> >> >> having hot flashes...
> >> >>
> >> >> "I'm Following You"  is
> clearly about a
> >> >> stalker ("Wherever you go...whatever
> >> >> you do...I want you to know...I'm
> following you"
> >> >> Scary!).
> >> >>
> >> >> "You're Driving Me Crazy"
> makes fun of mental
> >> >> illness.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Little Girl" and "Oh,
> Baby"...just
> >> >> variants of kiddie porn.
> >> >>
> >> >> If someone is determined to be offended, 
> they will find a
> >> >> way.  Let us be
> >> >> of good cheer and try to avoid all the
> judgmental pitfalls
> >> >> through which we
> >> >> demonize others.
> >> >>
> >> >> It's not my intent to start a thread
> of
> >> >> misinterpretations of song lyrics,
> >> >> as I know any of us could come up with a
> hundred of them in
> >> >> an instant...not
> >> >> to belabor, but my point is that almost
> anything can be
> >> >> twisted around if
> >> >> there is someone anxious to do the
> twisting.  Let's use
> >> >> our energy for
> >> >> something more constructive.
> >> >>
> >> >> Taylor B
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> >> From: "David Weiner"
> <djwein at earthlink.net>
> >> >> To: "'78-L Mail List'"
> >> >> <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> >> >> Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 5:21 PM
> >> >> Subject: Re: [78-L] Wild Waves
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I do know the lyrics to "Little
> Lady Make
> >> >> Believe," and have sung it
> >> >> > often.
> >> >> > It's closely associated with
> Bing Crosby, who
> >> >> recorded it for Decca around
> >> >> > 1937 or so, and is about a man's
> little daughter
> >> >> who discovers her
> >> >> > deceased
> >> >> > mother's clothes, and tries them
> on.  It really a
> >> >> sad song, and I can't
> >> >> > understand why anyone could possibly
> be offended by
> >> >> any of the lyrics.
> >> >> > But,
> >> >> > there are all kinds of nuts in the
> forest.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Bud
> >> >> >
> >> >> > -------
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The complaint on this song is that
> "Daddy is a
> >> >> sick voyeur" - and now, I
> >> >> > kid
> >> >> > you not, things are heating up on
> the cast record list
> >> >> on whether songs
> >> >> > like
> >> >> > "I Enjoy Being a Girl" are
> disgustingly
> >> >> sexist.  Oy vey ismir....
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Dave W/
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> _______________________________________________
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> >> >>
> >> >>
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> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> _______________________________________________
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> >>
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> 
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