[78-L] Kardos, Starr, Rollins, Haymes...everybody!

[Charles Bihun]

Below are links to articles about Kardos.  Neither mention a connection to Todd Rollins, but it is thought this was a pseudonymn for a studio band, so, who knows?    One interesting tidbit is a song attributed to Todd Rollins and Chick Bullock (who was a real person, mainly vocalist),  "The Boogie Man," Jass Records (?), 1929. 

http://www.parabrisas.com/d_kardosg.php

http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/drinkingsongs/mp3s/1930s/1930s-gene-kardos-and-joel-shaw-(CD)/vol-1/index.htm

ChuckB




________________________________
From: Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 4:41:48 PM
Subject: [78-L] Kardos, Starr, Rollins, Haymes...everybody!

> =============
> Taylor,
> Any idea who the vocalist is on Gene Kardos's version of "Don't Let Your
> Love Go Wrong" on Vocalion 2717 and the reverse "Moon Country"?
>
> It's the only Kardos session where they sound like the Todd Rollins
> band, which was supposed to be Kardos anyway?
>
>      Julian Vein


I played it and haven't a clue for either side.  The first side guy is a 
sort of breathless hipster-dude and the Moon Country guy is a rather 
phlegmatic and Vaughn Monroe-ish tenor with a large dollop of The Ole' South 
in his delivery...guess that's appropriate for the tune,  but Pee Wee Hunt 
does it better w/ Casa Loma  on Brunswick.

Yeah,  I keep hearing that stuff about Rollins being the same as 
Kardos...but when you listen to a bunch of Rollins they don't sound like 
Kardos to me.  There may be a few sides issued as by Rollins which are 
Kardos but I don't think most of them are.  Any Kardos record have a passage 
of orchestra stop-time backed by frantic bass slapping/plucking,  like on 
the  Rollins of "Sweetie Pie"?  It's such a cool trick I'd think it would 
pop up on some GK records if the bands are the same.

BTW in flipping through the file drawers to get to Kardos my fingers 
accidentally touched a couple of olde diskes by Art Kassel...why do I have 
any of that crap?  That's the one sweet band I totally loathe.  The 
Columbias are awful and the Bluebirds make the Columbias sound good.  I even 
have a Vogue Pitcher Rekkid of Art but have never played it.

Also,  Julian,  I think the Haymes pop stuff from '34 is usually as good and 
often better than that of Kardos.  Better arrangements for one thing,  and 
more interesting solos.  Even when the songs are suspect,  the results can 
be fantastic, e.g. Oh Leo,  It's Love where  Bud Freeman just tears it up 
after the vocal.

Please don't tell me you don't like Bud's playing...as far as I know he 
never recorded with Sinatra,  Fitzgerald or Garland!


Taylor


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