Punch Miller in 1944

Ernest "Punch" Miller (1894-1971) was one of those New Orleans trumpet players of around Louis Armstrong's age who were only a step or two behind Armstrong in terms of technique and improvising ability. (Others were Red Allen, Lee Collins, reportedly Kid Rena, who only recorded when past his prime, and supposedly Buddy Petit, who never recorded at all.) Punch (so nicknamed because his sister was Judy) left New Orleans in 1926 and made Chicago his home base for the next 30 years, although he frequently performed with traveling shows. He was no stranger to the Chicago recording studios in the 1920s, appearing on records with Albert Wynn, Tiny Parham, Jimmy Wade, and others. The Chicago nightclub scene kept him busy, and he made a few more recordings in the next couple of decades before returning to New Orleans in 1956.

With the second "New Orleans revival" of the 1960s and the opening of Preservation Hall, Miller became a much-loved elder statesman of traditional jazz, although his trumpet playing during this period was no match for his more youthful performances. His session for the 1962 Atlantic Jazz at Preservation Hall series is a lovely recording, but the trumpeting is far from the fiery near-Armstrong style Miller exhibited earlier in his career.

One mid-career session by Punch has proved to be elusive on reissues - his 1944 date for the Session label. I remember seeing these tracks on a CD at the Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans, but I was confused about what session they came from, and thought that I already had them. By the time I realized that I "needed" those tracks, the CD was gone. But a year or so ago I got the two 78s from the session at a very reasonable price, so I'm able to present the music here.

Session was a small Chicago jazz label that operated from 1943 to about 1946. (The definitive website about the label is here.) The surfaces of my records are pretty quiet, but the Miller session is not well recorded. The sound is thin and pinched, and there is hardly any low end. I worked on the sound and boosted the bass a little, but you can't boost frequencies that just aren't there. The records have noticeable inner groove distortion, and one of my records has a slight warp which causes an audible "bump" for a few revolutions at the beginning of "West End Blues."

But it's a nice little session, with a quintet made up of mostly fellow New Orleanians. (I've always assumed clarinetist Artie Starks was from Louisiana, but I can find little information about him - surprisingly, since he recorded so frequently.) Miller's playing is strong without being spectacular, the rhythm section is solid, and Artie Starks is, well, himself - his playing always had at least a touch of what they used to call "gaspipe" style. I'm presenting the music in the order in which it was recorded, but "West End Blues" and "Boy in the Boat" were paired on Session 12-014, and "Sugar Foot Stomp" and "Muscle Shoals Blues" were on Session 12-015 - both 12" records. As noted earlier, Artie Starks (spelled wrong on the labels) is on clarinet, Richard M. Jones plays piano, John Lindsay is the bassist, and the drummer is Clifford "Snag" Jones. These sides were recorded in Chicago on June 12, 1944.

West End Blues

Sugar Foot Stomp

Muscle Shoals Blues

Boy in the Boat