Louisiana Five - Odd Sizes and Rarities

I have expressed my fondness for The Louisiana Five, that early recording jazz band, elsewhere in this blog, when I posted their Edison Diamond Disc sides. My warm feelings for this band are, as I stated earlier, are possibly out of balance with the actual musical value of the ensemble. But, again, my admiration for New Orleans clarinetist Alcide "Yellow" Nunez makes me rate this band very highly. 

The Louisiana Five recorded for several labels - most extensively for Emerson, but also for Columbia, Edison, Okeh, and probably for Little Wonder. The two sides made for Okeh are probably the band's rarest recordings. At the time they recorded for Okeh, in May, 1919, the label was still issuing records in the vertical "hill and dale" format to avoid violating the Victor / Columbia lateral record patents. Luckily, my turntable will handle vertical records as well as the more common lateral format. Of course, Okeh issued their two Louisiana Five sides on two different records backed by different bands. I have only been able to track down one of these issues - but here is "After All," an extremely rare track by the band. It is available elsewhere on the internet, but I think my transfer is better. The song is 1919 pop offering written by Lee Roberts and Will Callahan. The section the band plays from 1:15 to 1:59 sounds like a different song. Record companies often had their artists interpolate unrelated songs into their recordings as medleys; I'm guessing that's what happened here, but I don't know what the interpolated song is.

Most of the Louisiana Five's records were made for Emerson. Victor Emerson's label issued records in a variety of sizes, apparently adopting a "let's throw a bunch of stuff against the wall and see what sticks" attitude. So we have Louisiana Five Emerson records in 7", 9", 10", and 12" formats. The most well-known LP reissue of Louisiana Five's Emerson recordings (on the Fountain label) features eight of the 9" records, including take two of "Heart Sickness Blues." I have included take one of that tune from the 78 RPM record. It's quite similar to take two, but I thought it might be of interest for folks to hear the alternate take.

It also might be interesting to compare the 9" version of "Heart Sickness Blues" to the 7" version. Nine of the Louisana Five's sides were issued on unusual 7" size records by Emerson, with a playing time of about two minutes per side. I've included three of them here. For whatever reason, the seven-inchers were issued under the name Frisco Five. 

Emerson also issued one 12-inch record by the Louisiana Five. One side features "Yelping Hound Blues," which they also recorded around the same time for Edison. The other side is another then-current ragtime/pop song which the band did not record elsewhere. Each side interpolates a second tune, as shown below. Again, these sides can be found elsewhere on the web, but they are still rare enough to make it worthwhile to post them here.

Finally, we have a recording for the odd Little Wonder label, the first "budget" record label. As I have explained elsewhere in this blog, Little Wonder made five-inch, one-sided records which sold in dime stores for ten cents. Little Wonder's recordings were invariably made at Columbia sessions, and it is thought that "Hello Hello" was recorded at the session which produced "Slow and Easy" for Columbia - the only Louisiana Five session on which they added a cornet.

The personnel on all cuts is:

Alcide "Yellow" Nunez - clarinet

Charlie Panelli - trombone

Joe Cawley - piano

Karl Berger - banjo

Anton Lada - drums

On "Hello Hello," Doc Behrendson is added on cornet.

After All (Okeh 1200 [vertical]) - recorded c. May, 1919

Heart Sickness Blues (Emerson 9150 [9" record]), take one - recorded c. December, 1918

Heart Sickness Blues (Emerson 7481 [7" record]) - recorded c. December, 1918

A Good Man is Hard to Find (Emerson 7481 [7" record]) - recorded c. December, 1918

Church Street Sobbin' Blues (Emerson 7517 [7" record]) - recorded c. March, 1919

Yelping Hound Blues introducing "Foot Warmer" (Emerson 501 [12" record]) - recorded c. September, 1919

High Brown Babies Ball introducing "Ming Toy" (Emerson 501 [12" record]) - recorded c. September, 1919

Hello Hello (Little Wonder 1234 [5" record]) - probably recorded December 16, 1919

Louisiana Five on Edison

The Louisiana Five is a band which I love far more than they probably deserve. Compared to the New Orleans jazz bands which recorded a few years later, they were stiff - bouncy rather than swinging - and there was little real improvisation on their records. Their ensemble sound was sometimes kind of hollow, since they didn't use a bass (just the pianist's left hand) and only used a trumpet (or cornet) on one of their recording sessions. But the clarinet lead, by Alcide "Yellow" Nunez, was strong and piquant, and imparted a real New Orleans flavor to the music. And if he didn't really improvise freely in the manner of later jazz musicians, Nunez used plenty of embellishment, and understood the blues. The music of the Louisiana Five is somewhat dated, and was left in the dust of history by what came after it, but Nunez's clarinet is reason enough to listen to these sides today.

Over a one-year period beginning in December, 1918, the band recorded nearly 50 sides for Emerson, Columbia, Okeh, and Edison. (And Little Wonder? More about that in a later post.) I've heard most of them, and they're remarkably consistent. The Columbias are perhaps the weakest, since the company had the group insert current pop tunes into their jazzy originals to create medleys. But for the most part the music of the Louisiana Five shows demonstrates a sure vision, even if the scope of the band was narrow.

Nunez was, as far as I can determine, the only New Orleans musician in the group; he came north with an early version of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Drummer Anton Lada was the leader, and Joe Cawley on piano and banjoist Karl Berger completed the rhythm section. Nunez's front line partner was trombonist Charlie Panelli, perhaps best known as one of the two alternating trombonists in the Original Memphis Five a few years later.

The band visited Edison's New York studios twice in 1919, and each session resulted in two issued sides. Here they are in chronological order: "Foot Warmer" and "B-Hap-e" from April 14, and "Clarinet Squawk" and "Yelping Hound Blues" from September 12. All were issued in cylinder form as well as on Edison Diamond Discs; my transfers are from the latter. "Yelping Hound" was probably their best-known tune, and the Columbia version was a minor hit. It's not nearly as dire as the title suggests; in fact, the bluesy quality brings out the best in the band.

Foot Warmer

Be-Hap-e

Clarinet Squawk

Yelping Hound Blues