[78-L] The Hill Darn Thing's For You

[yves francois]

Al, I could not agree with you more. Yes the Hill performance (and the other sweet title from the session that I like even more "When Love Knocks At Your Heart") are different BECAUSE of the phrasing. Yes, black bands played sweet, but, since most of the bands (Eddie Deas, Russell and Sam Wooding, Willie Lewis, Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Lunceford, Webb, Willie Bryant - "I'm Grateful For You" is a great example of a totally sweet record, yet the phrasing is just different, and a nice vocal by Jacques Butler to boot - Leon Abbey, Maceo Jefferson - I could list dozens of bands here, even inc Cliff Jackson's records made under a pseudonym) - regardless if it was recorded here or in Europe - were full of jazz musicians, the phrasing is different. In a top notch band it is very noticeable IMHO, and, sometimes, bands like the Mills Blue Rhythm Band were used as studio bands to back up vocalists as well. Notice that certain white bands that have a larger than
 average jazz contingency by about 1930 eg Ted Lewis sweeter records from circa 1932, with a Goodman, Dorsey or Long, Brunis and Spanier, or a Ben Pollack or even certain Ray Miller's (from later 1928/9) will also have more "lift" than the sweet bands, due to the jazz contingency, even when not playing "jazz" material.
Yves Francois

PS I prefer the Hill 1935/6 recordings from the 1937, funny for the first 2 sessions have the same personnel as the 1936 Vocalion's, anyone else feel that way, just curious (I do like the wonderful, yet slightly flawed solo by Frankie Newton on "Where Is The Sun", wished there was at least 16 bars, would have made it a great record, i play it like many Whitemans for the moment of Bix, Bunny or Teagarden)


--- On Mon, 4/13/09, simmonssomer <simmonssomer at comcast.net> wrote:

> From: simmonssomer <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] The Hill Darn Thing's For You
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Date: Monday, April 13, 2009, 9:06 PM
> What sets this Teddy Hill performance apart from that of a
> "sweet" band is 
> that every note is consistently played just a fraction
> ...behind the beat. 
> Sweet bands don't/can't play that way. It's one
> of those subtle trademarks 
> of the realy good swing era, jazz inflected bands.
> There's more solid brass in the melody statement than
> in the usual "sweet' 
> band which  likes to deliver muted triple tongue effects,
> soppy tenor lead 
> exposition,
> novelty sounds like "tick-tock" or slurping
> champagne through a bubbly 
> straw. Admittedly bands like Anson Weeks didn't stoop
> to these effects but 
> his ensemble sound left a whole lot to be desired. Check
> Dick Jurgens to see 
> how it should be done by a "sweet" band..
> Although the Hill performance is subdued  it has the same
> rhythmic 
> philosophy as did the Lunceford band which was not a
> "hot" band as such, 
> but had a relaxed tempo that swung like mad.
> 
> Al S,
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Taylor Bowie"
> <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
> To: "78-L Mail List"
> <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 12:56 PM
> Subject: [78-L] The Hill Darn Thing's For You
> 
> 
> > Al is right...it's all in the sound...but (to
> return to the original 
> > record
> > which started this discussion) I think the sound of
> the Teddy Hill record 
> > of
> > Got Me Doin' Things IS a  "sweet band"
> sound.
> >
> > In my dictionary,  a sweet band or a sweet band
> arrangement is not a
> > pejorative description,  and the band does not have to
> be playing in the
> > style of the more "over the top" sorts of
> groups like Blue Barron or Ray
> > Pearl.
> >
> > Something bouncy and peppy,  and even with an
> occasional lightly jazzy 
> > solo,
> > can still qualify as a "sweet band" style
> performance.  Many of the Anson
> > Weeks records could be described that way,  as well as
> those of Freddy
> > Martin esp. in the 30s.  And I think that's the
> "category" of this
> > particular record,  not that we need to put it or
> anything else into a
> > category in order to enjoy.
> >
> > Taylor
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "simmonssomer"
> <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
> > To: "78-L Mail List"
> <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> > Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 8:27 AM
> > Subject: Re: [78-L] Good post from fnarf
> >
> >
> >> Jeff  et al...I am aware that the black( and
> white) bands played waltzes
> >> and
> >> novelty numbers...but that did not make them
> "sweet" bands.
> >>
> >> You see folks...it's all in the sound...not
> the type of songs.
> >>
> >> Al S.