[78-L] Buster Bailey [was Pre-bop [was Five Faves]]

[Julian Vein]

yves francois wrote:
Julian
will check for a mono copy @ JRM.
re: Crawford, good drummer, better ones were available in NYC 1958, 
could be Dance (and also George T Simon) both having a penchant for 
Crawford have something to do with his choice - think the Lunceford feel 
is rather different than the more free swinging Henderson feel. IMHO 
Walter Johnson would have been a better choice - could have been 
available (was w Tab Smith for much of the 50's) - certainly more suited 
for the Henderson style swing than Mr Crawford - as would have Jo Jones. 
Agree on the reunion LP, too many soloists - get tired listening to a 
string of solos - do we really need the 1934 arrangements, would of 
loved to hear "Chinatown My Chinatown" for instance - or "Somebody Loves 
Me", "Henderson Stomp" or maybe see what Hawkins would have done in 1958 
on "Strangers" - a personal favourite recording of mine by the 1932 band.
  re: Waller, Waller was not as good of a singer or bandleader as Allen 
(but the 1929/30 Waller sides are very good jazz IMHO), even with the 
likes of a Cecil Scott, Chu Berry or Allen himself the records would not 
have been as good as Allen's, for except the more arranged titles on the 
big band sessions (could the terrific 1935 session really be seen as a 
Charlie Turner's band?) and perhaps some of the earliest sessions 
(Whitted, O'Brien and Coleman grace a session or two) - and listen how 
much better the 4 sides Sedric recorded for Vocalion without the 
commercial pressures ...
================
Yves,
I'm familiar with Walter Johnson's work with Henderson, but not his 
later stuff. I'm sure I have him with Tab Smith--will dig them out. 
Another suitable drummer I can think of would have been Bobby Donaldson, 
who hardly seems to register with critics or the listening public.

I divide drummers into three main groups:
1. Pushing (Sid Catlett, Buddy Rich, Specs Powell).
2. Following (many "modern" ones like Art Blakey, Art Taylor, Dennis 
Charles & Max Roach).
3. Neither--just on the beat, like Crawford and Mel Lewis--they neither 
help nor hinder.

Waller's singing (like Calloway's) is down to personal taste. His 
defenders argue that he treated poor material with the contempt it 
deserved. Unfortunately he often treated the better material in the same 
way! As I recall, Sedric played some excellent clarinet on one of those 
1944-45 private recordings with Don Byas, issued on Caete LP-2.

      Julian Vein