[.ca] 1929-1930 Mature Talent Of Th

The end of a Legend : tragedy and majesty:
1929.Jazz music was recorded for a very few years.And everything was going so fast.Armstrong was already a star,and Duke was too;younger aces were coming,Jabbo Smith,Red Allen,Benny Carter,Hawkins,...But the 1929 crisis destroyed some of the roaring twenties' greatest stars: Freddie Keppard,Fletcher Henderson (who led one of the most talented bands in jazz),and others.And,among them,Joe Oliver.Poor ol' Joe.At the beginning of the century,he was sacred as "King" after a crazy night in New Orleans,when he decided to take the place of FreddiE Keppard,Emmanuel Perez and Buddy Bolden as the greatest trumpet player in New Orleans. Poor ol'Joe.Born in Louisiana,1885 (the date is unknown),he started as a trombone player,then switched to cornet.Between 1908 and 1917,he played with the Magnolia Band,the Onward Brass Band,the Eagle Band,the Olympia Band,the Original Superior Band and Henry Allen Sr's band.Then,he played with Kid Ory,Richard M.Jones and Lawrence Duhe,before going to the Windy City and leadind his own band.In this legendary orchestra were Johnny and Baby Dodds,Johhny StCyr,Bill Johnson and Louis Armstrong.The glory was here.But for a couple of years,only.When these recordings were waxed,King Oliver was sliding into his downfall.His music was too old;he was probably too old,too;he was accabled by teeth troubles and couldn't play anymore;but death had mercy on him,and it was the worse present ol'death could give him.After a dramatic tour in Mississippi and Georgia,King Oliver went to Savannah ,and worked as a lift-attendant and a grocery seller.He wrote several tragic letters to his family,explaining that he was saving up money to buy them a railroad ticket to come to Savannah,but he never could.He died in Savannah,April 1938,after some years of extreme poverty.One of the greatest jazz musicians died as a hobo;he was a very very old man then;a very very old man ,aged only 53. These last recordings by King Oliver and his orchestra were recorded between January 16,1929 and September 19,1930.Don't look for an exceptionnal trumpet player here;just as in Freddie Keppard's recordings,there are only a few moments that can make you realize how great this man was.Of course,there are great trumpet solos: "sweet like this","what you want me to do","Frankie and Johnny","Stingaree blues","Nelson stomp","I can't stop loving you",and some others;but,most of all,there are very great bands,including the "hall of fame" of these years:Louis Metcalf,Punch Miller,David Nelson,Red Allen,Bubber Miley,tp,Jimmy Archey,Clyde Bernhardt,tb;Charlie Holmes,Teddy Hill,Greely Walton,Hilton Jefferson,Omer Simeon,saxes;Luis Russell,Henry Duncan,Don Frye,James P.Johnson,piano;Freddie Moore,Paul Barbarin,dms;Carroll Dickerson,vln.And there are magical moments: first,an absolute masterpiece,a terrific version of "Saint James infirmary",with demented solos by Bubber Miley (one of the greatest trumpet player in the jazz history)and Oliver;a great version of "west end blues"by Metcalf (how difficult it must have been to play this tune after Armstrong!!!);and many other marvelous,and sometimes pathetic,moments that I let you discover in this set.Of course,the music has weaknesses sometimes,but there are so few recordings by the King that you can forget them;just listent to King Oliver's music,the music of a major founder of jazz,of a major player;listen to it just as you listen to Billie's,or Lester's final records,with indulgence ; and you'll discover treasures.

Don't miss this one!:
I've been meaning to buy some more King Oliver to complement the few Gennett selections I've got on LP, but I had always put it off. Now that I've bought this set, I wonder, what took me so long!? These later sides by King Oliver are much underrated. Of course, they're not the classic 1923 sides with Louis Armstrong, but they are still quite a treat! The jazz is hot, and it's been wonderfully preserved. Unlike the tinny, crackly old acoustically-recorded Gennett recordings that he is famous for, these sides were recorded by Victor Records in 1929-1930, and are newly remastered here by John R. T. Davies. These records have rich, full-bodied clear sound with minimal surface noise, and of course, NO digital artifacts. The notes contain a complete discography of the selections with recording dates, personnel, and matrix numbers. If you're remotely interested in early jazz, get this set! You won't be disappointed.

• West End Blues - King Oliver,
• I've Got That Thing - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Freakish Light Blues - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Call of the Freaks - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Trumpet's Prayer - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Can I Tell You? - King Oliver's Orchestra
• My Good Man Sam - King Oliver's Orchestra
• What Do You Want Me to Do? - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Sweet Like This - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Too Late - King Oliver's Orchestra
• I'm Lonesome, Sweetheart - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Want You Just Myself - King Oliver's Orchestra
• I Can't Stop Loving You - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Everybody Does It in Hawaii - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Frankie and Johnny - King Oliver's Orchestra
• New Orleans Shout - King Oliver's Orchestra
• St. James Infirmary - King Oliver's Orchestra
• When You're Smiling - King Oliver's Orchestra
• I Must Have It - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Rhythm Club Stomp (Curwiship Glide) - King Oliver's Orchestra
• You're Just My Type - King Oliver's Orchestra
• West End Blues - King Oliver,
• I've Got That Thing - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Freakish Light Blues - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Call of the Freaks - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Trumpet's Prayer - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Can I Tell You? - King Oliver's Orchestra
• My Good Man Sam - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Everybody Does It in Hawaii - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Frankie and Johnny - King Oliver's Orchestra
• Edna - King Oliver,
• Boogie Woogie - King Oliver,
• Mule Face Blues - King Oliver,
• Struggle Buggy - King Oliver,
• Don't You Think I Love You? - King Oliver,
• Olga - King Oliver,
• Shake It and Break It - King Oliver,
• Stingaree Blues - King Oliver
• What's the Use of Living Without Love? - King Oliver,
• You Were Only Passing Time with Me - King Oliver,
• Nelson Stomp - King Oliver,
• Nelson Stomp - King Oliver,
• Nelson Stomp - King Oliver,
• Stealing Love - King Oliver,