This week, let's honor Spencer Williams - not the actor who appeared on TV's Amos & Andy show, but the songwriter who was born in New Orleans Louisiana on October 14 1889 and passed away in Flushing New York on July 14 1965. This remarkable  man composed quite a number of early jazz standards. The dramatis personae for our little hour of vintage recordings includes Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith. I want to acknowledge Morris "Pete" Brown for inspiring the feature this time around.

Face the Music WCBN 88.3 FM - 8.30.12 - Songs by Spencer Williams

Arkansas Blues

James P Johnson

Careless Love

Albert Nicholas & Art Hodes

Basin St. Blues

Fats Waller

Church Street Sobbin’ Blues

Eddie Lang

You’ve Got to Give Me Some

Bessie Smith

Georgia Grind

Thomas Morris & his Seven Hot Babies

Snakes Hips

The Cotton Pickers

Skip the Gutter

Louis Armstrong & his Hot Five

Mahogany Hall Stomp

Louis Armstrong & his Savoy Ballroom Five

Just a Crazy Song (Hi-Hi-Hi)

Blanche Calloway & her Joy Boys

I Ain’t Got Nobody

Fats Waller & his Rhythm

What a Pretty Miss

Fats Waller & his Rhythm

Everybody Loves My Baby

Fats Waller & his Rhythm

Pent up in a Penthouse

Fats Waller & his Rhythm

When Lights Are Low

Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra

Tishomingo Blues

Duke Ellington & his Orchestra

Royal Garden Blues

John Kirby Sextet

I’ve Found a New Baby

Lester Young Trio

untitled, unidentified, obtuse & obscure delights

This week's core sample seems to be composed of obtuse & obscure delights,
with an emphasis upon untitled pieces and unidentified artists.



Face the Music WCBN 88.3 FM - 8.23.12

Unlabeled Test Pressing Medley
Unknown Flexo Disc Orchestra - c. 1930

At a Georgia Camp Meeting – Cake Walk
Unidentified Swedish band, unlabeled brown wax cylinder  -1899

Bill Simons
Unknown banjoist  - 1908

Who?
Group identified only as Orchestre, Belgium – 1920 or ’21

Oh Donna Clara
Anonymous German tango orchestra – 1930

Strike Up the Band rehearsal sequence/Mademoiselle Song
George Gershwin, Clark & McCullough – film soundtrack -1929

Keep Smiling at Trouble
Alistair Cooke announcing over swing jam session
Live broadcast from the St. Regis Hotel - c.1938

I Surrender, Dear in the form of a washing machine commercial
Bing Crosby – film soundtrack – 1931

Tests
Big Eye Louis Nelson DeLisle & band – 1949

Organ Tests
Fats Waller – unissued V-Disc – 1943

House Blues
Unknown band – c. 1940s

Untitled Boogie
Unknown band – c. 1940s

Untitled Ammons Original
Albert Ammons – 1939

Untitled Lewis Original
Meade Lux Lewis – 1939

Haven’t Named It Yet
Lionel Hampton – 1939

Where Monk & Mingus Live/Let’s Call This
Roland Kirk – 1962

self portrait arwulf arwulf 2012

You might want to listen carefully to this week's broadcast as it could contain all or much of what's listed here.

In addition to a rare example of an instrumental Rudy Vallee record, the mix combines comparatively obscure one steps, shimmies, waltzes, novelties, scat workouts and a rather bizarre configuration which can only be described as a human calliope. Note that "12th Street Rag" will be performed by the man who composed it: Euday "Eudie" L. Bowman.There is also a rural component which is expected to mingle nicely with the steadily morphing countryside. For those who are in a position to glimpse anything resembling a countryside.

Face the Music                     WCBN 88.3 FM www.wcbn.org                        Potentials for 8.16.12

1933        Nagasaki                                                                                                Rudy Vallee & his Connecticut Yankees

1920        Japanese Sandman                                                                              The Versatile Three

1917        Oh How She Could Yacki-Hacki-Wicki-Wacki-Woo                     Ciro’s Club Coon Orchestra

1923        West Indies Blues                                                                               Esther Bigeou

1924        The Calliope                                                                                          Seven Musical Magpies

1938        12^th Street Rag                                                                                       Eudie L. Bowman

1928        Madison Street Rag                                                                             Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers

1922        Stuttering                                                                                              Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds

1930        Sunset Waltz                                                                                        Mississippi Mud Steppers

1929        Evening Chimes Waltz                                                                        Herve Duerson

1928        Hutchison’s Rag                                                                                  Frank Hutchison

1929        Arnold Wiley Rag                                                                                Arnold Wiley

1929        Be Ba Da Boom                                                                                    Scrapper Blackwell

1937        Oh Zee Zaz Rag                                                                                    Blind Boy Fuller

1934        Skoodle Um Skoo                                                                                 Papa Charlie Jackson

1926        Skeedle Loo Doo Blues                                                                       Blind Blake

1931        Regal Stomp                                                                                          Jimmy Blythe & Charles Clark

1944        Thou Swell                                                                                            Tut Soper & Baby Dodds

• ‎7PM ET, 6PM CT, 5PM MT, 4PM PT in the US.

  
  

  This data graciously assembled and provided by Solstis School co-founder Kay Wilder.

This list was cobbled together intuitively on Sunday evening

The actual broadcast coordinates might well resemble what you see here

Pat Flowers was a Fats Waller follower who was based in Detroit

Alligator Crawl was written by Thomas Waller - this version resonates wonderfully

Rosa Henderson will make a reference to "cake eaters" - coded language for effeminate men

The Norfolk Jazz Quartet was usually just billed as the Norfolk Jazz 

They also cut a lot of spirituals and gospel recordings as the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet

The arrangement used on Duke Ellington's Cotton Club Stomp may create a disturbance in your mind

Shanghai Shuffle is a masterpiece of restlessness that first erupted during the middle 1920s

Jimmy Yancey's use of bass line rhythms always suggests to me a subtle Afro-Caribbean influence

Speaking of which: Barbados might well be one of charlie Parker's most attractive melodies

For this reason I look forward to putting it across for you on Thursday evening 

face the music 8.09.12                                   

Blue Danube                                                    Pat Flowers                                                      1945

Alligator Crawl                                                 Louis Armstrong & his Hot Seven                     1927

Ain’t Got No Mama Now                                Four Pods of Pepper                                        1929

Michigan Water Blues                                      Clarence Williams                                            1930

Muddy Water Blues                                         Jelly Roll Morton & his Orchestra                   1923

Shreveport Blues                                             Clarence Williams Blue Five                            1923

Congo Love Song                                            Omer Simeon & his Dixie Rhythm Kings         1929

Gator Wobble                                                  Memphis Jug Band                                          1934

Driftwood                                                        Fletcher Henderson & his Orchestra                1924

Can’t Be Bothered With No Sheik                   Rosa Henderson & James P. Johnson              1931

Get Hot                                                            Norfolk Jazz Quartet                                       1921

Wa Da Da                                                        Bix Beiderbecke & his Gang                           1927

Duet Stomp                                                      Jones & Collins Astoria Hot Eight                    1929

Cotton Club Stomp                                          Duke Ellington & his Cotton Club Orchestra     1929

Shanghai Shuffle                                               Fletcher Henderson & his Orchestra                 1934

Bechet’s Steady Rider                                      Sidney Bechet’s Blue Note Quartet                  1940

Janie’s Joys                                                      Jimmy Yancey                                                 1939

Barbados                                                         Charlie Parker All Stars                                   1948