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

Jerry Jerome Trio with Teddy Wilson

Well, it's been a while. Since my last post, I moved to the other side of the United States - from Atlanta to Bellingham, Washington. In the process, I sold or gave away two-thirds of my 78 RPM record collection.  

But I've still got plenty of good records left, and plan to keep posting, now that I'm settled in. Today's music is from a three-record jazz album from 1945. It's not that "important," and not mind-blowingly spectacular, I suppose, but it's excellent music, offering a glimpse of a little-known recording session by a major jazz musician.

That musician is pianist Teddy Wilson, who is identified on the album cover and labels as "Fingers MacDigits." (Mr. Wilson was apparently under contract to another label at the time.) The bandleader is Jerry Jerome, a talented journeyman tenor saxophonist who put in stints with the Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller big bands before settling into a long career in the New York studios. Jerome (1912 - 2001) was an excellent musician - never a big jazz name, but always highly regarded by those in the know.

The third member of the trio is drummer Gordon "Specs" Powell. Again, Powell was never a really big name in jazz, but was respected by his colleagues, and was the first Black musician to be hired by CBS.

This album, on the Stinson label, is excellent jazz, and shows how modest Jerome could be. The music is under his name, but he gives Teddy Wilson at least as much solo space as he takes for himself - more on the first side, "What is There to Say."

This album has not been reissued in full. "Emaline" and "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" appeared on the Jerome retrospective album Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and three previously unissued titles from the session showed up on Something Old, Something New. But here are all the originally-issued sides. Stinson, like its sister labels Asch and Disc, was not known for the quality of their pressings, which tended to be noisy. I used a little more noise reduction than usual, but tried not to degrade the sound of the instruments. I've included the album notes from the inside of the cover - click the picture for a larger view.

So here's the Jerry Jerome Trio, with "Fingers MacDigits."

Jerry Jerome - tenor saxophone

Teddy Wilson - piano

Specs Powell - drums

Recorded in New York, June 6, 1945

Stinson album S-359

What is There to Say

Emaline

Callng All Cats

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams

Sunday

You're Lucky to Me