Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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

Thursday, August 23, 2012

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


Tuesday, August 14, 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        12th 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

Wednesday, August 8, 2012


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

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

Tuesday, August 7, 2012


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