New York Style (vol. 9)

1. ORIGINAL MEMPHIS FIVE: Sweet Lovin’ Mama (2:50)

2. CALIFORNIA RAMBLERS: Sweet Man (3:34)

3. RED and MIFF’S STOMPERS: Stampede (4:35)

4. WILD BILL DAVISON: Eccentric (2:21)

5. YANK LAWSON: Yank’s Blues (2:31)

6. MUGGSY SPANIER: Muscrat Ramble (2:36)

New Orleans Revival (Vol. 10)

1. KID ORY: Weary Blues (2:40)

2. BUNK JOHNSON: Make Ma a Pallet on the Floor (3:48)

3. GEORGE LEWIS: Careless Love (5:00)

4. LU WATTERS’ YERBA Buena Jazz Band: Antigua Blues (3:04)

5. BOB HELM: Dawn Club Joys (2:50)

6. DIXIELAND RHYTHM KINGS: St. James Infirmary (2:41)

　　　That portion of the vast body of jazz that can properly be designated as “classic” makes up a rich and glorious musical heritage. It stretches over many years and much geography: from the work songs and Negro church music that preceded jazz; through ragtime and the early blues; through the great formative years of New Orleans jazz and the “Golden Age” of jazz in Chicago; embracing elements as diverse as barrelhouse “boogie woogie” piano and the music of the white Chicagoans; on through the romping rent-party piano men of Harlem; the birth of big-band jazz; up to present-day Dixieland and the “revivalists” who re-create and adapt the earlier styles.

　　　All of this is copiously represented on records – but in many cases on records that have long been obscure, virtually unobtainalbe rareties. Riverside has, through its: Jazz Archives” series of reissues, made available much of this great traditional jazz. The History of Classic Jazz is in a sense the culmination of this unparalleled reissue program, using outstanding examples of the work of the greats (Louis, Basie, Bix, Fats, Jelly Roll and many others) and of numerous less famous but highly significant figures to build a vital panorama that reaches from pre-jazz to the present.

　　　Each of the five LPs that make up the History is complete in itself, containing two unified “volumes.” But those who find this album a valuable and enjoyable listening experience will surely want to include in their jazz libraries its four companion LPs –

Backgrounds / Ragtime (Vols, 1 & 2): Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, etc. (RLP 12-112)

The Blues / New Orleans Style (vols. 3 & 4): Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, etc. (RLP 12-113)

Boogie Woogie / South Side Chicago (vols. 5 & 6): Jimmy Yancey, Meade Lux Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Freddie Keppard, etc. (RLP 12-114)

Chicago Style / Harlem (vols. 7 & 8): Bix Beiderbecke, Muggsy Spanier, James P. Johnson. Fats Waller, Duke Ellington (RLP 12-115)

　　　*The original edition of the History of Classic Jazz is still available as a single complete five-LP unit, in a sealed, deluxe album package – Riverside SPD-11 – which also contains jazz histoiran Charles Edward Smith’s 20,000-word essay; “An Introduction to Classic Jazz.”)

New York Style:

　　　ORIGINAL MEMPHIS FIVE (“Ladd’s Black Aces”): Sweet Lovin’ Mama. Probably Phil Napoleon (tp) Miff Mole (tb) Jimmy Lyttell (cl) Frank Signorelli (p) Jack Roth (drs) New York; Dec. 20, 1922 (Gennett 5023; mx.no. 8154)

　　　CALIFORNIA RAMBLERS: Sweet Man. Red Nichols, Bill Moore (cnt) Tommy Dorsey (tb) Jimmy Dorsey, Arnold Brillhardt, Freddy Cusick, Bobby Davis (cl, saxes) Adrian Tollini (b-sax) Irving Brodsky (p) Tommy Fellini (bj) Stan King (drs)

New York; mid-1920s.

　　　RED AND MIFF’S STOMPERS: Stampede. Nichols (cnt) Mole (tb) Jimmy Dorsey (cl, as) Arthur Schutt (p) Vic Berton (drs) New York; early 1927

　　　The first influence on white New York jazz was the early impact of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band; after that there was the general aura of the “Jazz Age” and its speakeasies. Typifying the music of the period was the work of the large, highly jazz-tinged California Ramblers dance band, and of the many recording-studio groups led by Red Nichols and by Phil Napoleon (with trombonist Mole a frequent co-star with both).

　　　WILD BILL DAVISON: Eccentric. Bill Faciso (cnt) Jimmy Archey (tb) Albert Nicholas (cl) Ralph Sutton (p) Danny Barker (g) Pops Foster (b) Baby Dodds (drs)

New York; July 26, 1947 (Circle 1023; mx.no. NY-43)

　　　YANK LAWSON: Yank’s Blues. Yank Lawson (tp) Brad Gowans (tb) Pee Wee Russell (cl) James P. Johnson (p) Eddie Condon (g) Bob Haggard (b) Tony Spargo (drs) New York; 1944 (not issued by Signature; originally issued on Riverside RLP 2509).

　　　MUGGSY SPANIER: Muscrat Ramble. Muggsy Spanier (tp)  George Brunies (tb) Nicholas (cl) Luckey Roberts (p) Barker (g) Cy St. Clair (b) Dodds (drs)

New York; April 5, 1947 (Circle LP L 423; mx.no. CL-57)

　　　Latter-day phases of the music generally called “Dixieland” (a term of confusingly many application) have largely, though of course not exclusively, been based in New York. This jazz, in which Chicago names like Condon, Russell, Spanier remain most prominent, tends to combine veterans of several ‘schools’ – Chicago, New Orleans, Harlem, etc. – in still-spirited, largely solo performances. That’s the case with these three examples, each sparked by an outstanding trumpeter. (Except for the number by Lawson, a one-time Bob Crosby star, these are taken from the “This Is Jazz” network radio series of 1947.)

New Orleans Revival:

　　　KID ORY: Weary Blues. Andrew Blakeney (tp) Kid Ory (tb) Joe Darensbourg (cl) Buster Wilson (p) Bud Scott (g) Ed Garland (b) Minor Hall (drs) Hollywood, Cal.; August 9, 1947 (Circle; mx.no. LA-4) Ory, a star in New Orleans and Chicago (where he recorded with Armstrong and Morton), emerged from retirement, in the mid-‘40s, to become a leader in the present-day resurgence of traditional jazz.

　　　BUNK JOHNSON: Make Me a Pallet on the Floor. Bunk Johnson (tp) Jim Robinson (tb) George Lewis (cl) Alton Prunell (p) Lawrence Marrero (bj) Alcide “Slow Drag” Pavageau (b) Baby Dodds (drs) New Orleans; Feb. 2, 1945 (originally issued in U. S. on Riverside RLP 1047; mx.no. T3).

　　　GEORGE LEWIS: Careless Love. Lewis (cl) Purnell (p) Marrero (bj) Pavageau (b) New Orleans; Sept. 25, 1953 (originally issued on Riverside RLP 2512).

The “New Orleans revival” first gained impetus with the reappearance on the scene of the almost legendary Bunk, who proved able to recreate the aura of the good old, old days. After his death, Lewis, a sensitive old-style clarinetist, went on to become perhaps the most popular of “revival” musicians.

　　　LU WATTERS’ YARBA BUENA JAZZ BAND: Antigua Blues. Lu Watters, Bob Scobey (cnt) Turk Murphy (tb) Bob Helm (cl) Wally Rose (p) Harry Mordecai (bj) Dick Lammi (tu) Bill Dart (drs) San Francisco, Cal.; August 16, 1947 (originally issued on Riverside RLP 2513)

　　　BOB HELM’S RIVERSDIE ROUSTABOUTS: Dawn Club Joys. Everett Farey (cnt) Bob Helm (cl) Hank Ross (p) Bill Stanley (tu) Bob Thimpson (wbd) New York; Oct. 7, 1954 (originally issued on Riverside RLP 2510) Watters and his colleagues, who began in about 1940 to return to the music of Oliver and Morton for their direct inspiration, were the spearhead of the revival interest among younger jazzmen in the traditional-jazz forms. The Helm selection features “second generation: followers of the Watters pattern (a young West Coast cornetist and East Coast rhythm section) along with an original Yerba Buena star.

　　　DIXIELAND RHYTHM KINGS: St. James Infirmary. Bob Hodes (tp) Charlie Sonnanstine (tb) Joe Darensbourg (cl) Robin Wetterau (p) Jack Bastine (bj) Gen Mayl (tu, leader) Dayton, Ohio; Dec., 1953 (originally issued on Riverside RLP 2505) The “D.R.K.”, all still in their twenties and influenced by the Watters band and also directly by original early-jazz recordings, offer high-spirited evidence that the music represented in the earlier albums of this history remains valid, interesting and challenging to musicians as well as to listeners.

LP produced by BILL GRAUER and ORRIN KEEPNEWS

Notes by ORRIN KEEPNEWS

These recordings from source material either owned by Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. or exclusively controlled by special arrangement

Tape editing by RAY FOWLER. Re-mastered by Reeves Sound Studios

(The slight surface noise audible on several of these selections is due to the limitations of early recording processes; it has not been entirely removed in order to preserve highest fidelity possible and to give more faithful reproduction of original tone qualities.)

Cover designed by PAUL BACON

RIVERSIDE RECORDS are produced by BILL GRAUER PRODUCTIONS, Inc.

553 West 51st Street New York 19, N.Y.