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Saturday, January 8, 2011
Lee Morse......a one of a kind voice.........
Always a fave..........there's no one else who ever sounded quite like her........ :)
The California Ramblers..........
From: http://www.redhotjazz.com/caramblers.html
by Hans Eekhoff
(from the liner notes of The California Ramblers 1925 - 1928 on Timeless Records)
In the first few years after 1917 the Original Dixieland Jass Band had begun to make its famous series of Victor discs, popular music was mostly recorded by small (usually five-piece) groups playing in the Original Dixieland Jass Band tradition. In the early 1920's, however, it became apparent that there was a growing demand for jazz-flavored dance music and the record companies in New York were looking for somewhat bigger orchestras that could capably handle the "Latest Hits". In November 1921 a nine-piece group assembled in the Vocalion recording studio to wax two titles, The Sheik and Georgia Rose, which were issued as '"Played by The California Ramblers". The name was chosen in true fashion of the day, slightly exotic and definitely non-east coast, which seemed to indicate that their music was totally new and unconventional. (There were also the Original Memphis Five, Original Indiana Five, and Tennessee Tooters, Arkansas Travelers and many more, strictly New York based bands.) The Ramblers were mostly a studio outfit and for almost ten years they recorded for practically every company, although by about half of them they were labeled "Golden Gate Orchestra".
In the first few months of their existence the Ramblers' personnel varied somewhat but by April 1922 it included trumpeters Bill Moore and Frank Cush, trombonist Lloyd Olson, reedmen Freddy Cusick and, above all, Adrian Rollini who were to form the nucleus of the band for several years to come.
From the beginning the band was managed by Ed Kirkeby who, born in 1891, had been a record promoter for Columbia and was extremely well-connected in the New York music scene. Kirkeby arranged several hundred recording sessions for the California Ramblers (and its smaller units The Little Ramblers, The Goofus Five, The Five Birmingham Babies, The Vagabonds and the Varsity Eight) and booked them for long residencies first at the Post Lodge in Westchester and later at the Pelham Inn, The Bronx, re-christened the Ramblers' Inn because of the band's reputation. At these clubs the band needed a front man to announce, wave a baton (or a bow) and generally make the whole affair slightly more presentable so violinist Arthur Hand was appointed "stehgeiger".
The Ramblers adopted a slightly different playing style for the various labels they recorded for, thus enabling the record companies to have their own "sound". It wasn't until the development of electrical recording in 1925 that the true depth of the Rambler music became apparent and especially the Columbia company with its superb recording technique and smooth-surfaced records managed to capture the band in full glory. Although only one microphone was used and long before the days of dubbing, artificial reverb and stereo, the recorded sound has a tremendous perspective that even today baffles the listener. Also, these Columbia recordings were rather jazz-orientated, allowing for plenty of improvised solos and for what may already be described as "swing". By the time, Ev'rything Is Hotsy-Totsy Now, was recorded, trumpeter Bill Moore had left the band to join Ben Bernie's Orchestra and was replaced by Red Nichols (staying for only two months, no doubt because of lack of time as he was probably the busiest musician in the entire USA) who plays the wonderful trumpet solo followed by an equally impressive Jimmy Dorsey on alto. At least three hands can be heard in the piano solo; pianist Irving Brodsky aided by Adrian Rollini who obviously takes quite a while to get from his bass saxophone to the piano and back. The trombone solo is of course by Tommy Dorsey, at the time still heavily influenced by Miff Mole (on casual listening it could be mistaken for Miff, but as the saying goes, "If you have doubts it isn't Mole".
Sweet Georgia Brown, played in the same relaxed tempo as the previous tune starts, after the intro, with a slightly improvised trumpet lead, typical for Red Nichols. After the verse, Tommy Dorsey sounds again almost like Miff and is followed by Jimmy Dorsey and a brief solo by Rollini on his bass sax before the end.
Adrian Rollini, originally a pianist and xylophonist, began to pioneer the bass saxophone and introduced this extremely difficult-to-play instrument to the Ramblers in 1922 as an alternative to double bass or tuba. Apart from providing the bass notes during the numbers, Rollini also took breaks and solos on his instrument that were in a class of their own. As this gave the Ramblers such a characteristic sound, many other reed players tried the bass sax as well but mostly with little success. (The great tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins used it briefly with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra but he couldn't compete with Rollini; the latter was simply a natural born bass sax player). In late 1927 Rollini went to Europe for a little over 5 years and was temporarily replaced by his protege Spencer Clark, probably the only one who could satisfactorily follow in the master's footsteps.
The next session saw a few changes of personnel and Show Me The Way To Go Home, in spite of being a rather corny drinking-song with an obligatory hung-over vocal, is treated very well by the band with fine solos by the little-known but nonetheless excellent trombonist Herb Winfield, trumpeter Frank Cush and the much underrated Bobby Davis on alto.
There are more solos by Davis on soprano and clarinet, Roy Johnston, and the fabulous trombonist Abe Lincoln (who was only nineteen when he briefly joined the band) on I'm Just Wild About Animal Crackers.
Me Too is most noted for its solos by Davis (on alto and Hawaiian guitar imitation on soprano), and Troup. Before Spencer Clark replaced Rollini for a longer period beginning in September 1927 he had already participated in a few sessions. On She Knows Her Onions Clark (then also nineteen years old) is clearly present, playing with a somewhat lighter tone than his mentor. His timing and excellent breaks nevertheless prove how well this young musician could fill Rollini's shoes. Towards the end of the 1920's Clark went to Europe where he played with several American and European bands. In the 1930's he was back in the US but left fulltime music in 1939 to work for 15 years in aviation. He picked up the bass saxophone again around 1955 and played at jazz clubs and festivals until well in his eighties.
Another out-and-out jazz piece is Jack Pettis' composition Stockholm Stomp and this version by the Ramblers is particularly outstanding. From beginning to end the tune truly swings, beautifully arranged and brimful of solos by Chelsea Quealey, Bobby Davis, Sam Fink and Rollini.
Yes She Do has humorous lyrics sung by Kirkeby (albeit somewhat out of tune) and some of the band members, before a piano solo from Jack Russin (very virtuoso; it almost sounds like more than two bands), and a duet by Davis, in his Hawaiian style but on alto this time, with Tommy Felline on guitar The coda between bass sax and piano is another little masterpiece. Rollini introduces a few bars from Swanee River before the band goes into Lazy Weather. At a beautifully relaxed tempo it babbles along with short solos by one Eddie Lappe (an otherwise completely unknown trombonist but most of these data come from Ed Kirkeby's diary and can we be quite confident that it was he) and Rollini. Arthur Fields has a bit of a heavy-handed vocal chorus.
As said before, these Columbias were so well recorded that played with the right equipment one can hear Ed Kirkeby breathe in before he starts his vocal at the beginning of Vo-Do-Do-De-O Blues and after remastering it is even better audible more than seventy years later. Again there is a solo by Eddie Lappe and some excellent Bobby Davis.
The front line of the band underwent quite a few changes in the months to come (probably because of the impending departure of Quealey, Davis and Rollini) and the next sessions may have had quite a different personnel. It is difficult to establish who they all are but the alto saxophone solo in Make My Cot Where The Cot-Cot-Cotton Grows is by Pete Pumiglio.
Singapore Sorrows has a typical "oriental" (or so it was interpreted) intro that was all the rage at the time and Freddy Cusick makes his soprano sound almost like an oboe, It is, however, a particularly fine tune and although it contains only one short improvised solo by Pete Pumiglio well worth the effort. Finally, The Pay Off a composition by Howdy Quicksell, had been excellently recorded by the Ramblers in May 1925 for Pathe as Dustin' The Donkey. Why the tune was revived and renamed is unknown (Quicksell is listed as the composer on both recordings) but the result is fabulous. The number swings from beginning to end, wonderfully arranged with great solos by probably Fred van Eps Jr. on trumpet, Pete Pumiglio on alto, Al Duffy on violin, Reg Harrington on trombone and especially Spencer Clark who once again proves to be in Adrian Rollini's class.
These (above) are some liner notes from an LP of Rambler's tunes. I edited it a bit to reflect some of the tunes that are in the list, and omitted a bit of them that referred to songs that are not here. Mostly I posted the above, because of the decent bio information. Hope it helps.
And now............on to the tunage!!
After you've gone 6-24-1924 (as Palace Garden Orchestra)
All alone Monday 9-27-1926 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
All my life I have dramed 8-5-1930 (as Ford Britton and his Blue Comets)
Anything to make you happy 2-10-1928
Boo hoo hoo 3-18-1922
Broadway baby dolls-From "Broadway babies" 6-4-1929
Brown eyes why are you blue 9-15-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
California 3-13-1922 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
California here I come 1-17-1924
Charleston 4-2-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Collegiate 6-23-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Cow bells 11-8-1922
Crazy quilt 9-15-1926 (As The Goofus Five)
Down South camp meeting 5-6-1937
Dream girl 9-4-1930 (As Wally Edwards & His Orchestra v=Elmer Feldkamp
Everything is hotsy totsy now 5-14-1925
Five foot two 11-24-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
For my baby 12-6-1927 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Forever 10-18-1928 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Get out and get under the moon 9-25-1928 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Gotta get up and go to work again 1936
Heart breaking baby 6-24-1927
I love me 7-12-1923
I love you so much 6-12-1930
I'm gonna Charleston back to Charleston 6-9-1925
I'm in love with you 8-28-1925
I'm just wild about animal crackers 6-7-1926
I'm mad about you (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Is she my girlfriend 11-18-1927 (as Golden Gate Orchestra) v=Ed Kirkeby
It's the girl 1931 Durium Hit-Of-The-Week
Lazy weather 5-26-1927
Looking at the world through rose colored glasses 8-10-1926 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Lover come back to me 4-6-1929 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Lucille 8-6-1924 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Make my cot where the cot cot cotton grows 10-7-1927
Manhattan 7-15-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Me too 7-21-1926
Melancholy 1923
Miss Annabelle Lee 7-15-1927
Moon deer (Moon dear) 8-28-1925
Moonlight kisses 10-17-1923
My baby knows how 10-25-1926
My honey's lovin' arms 4-6-1922
My sweetie went away 7-12-1923
Nobody knows what a red head mama can do 12-11-1924 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
http://www.4shared.com/file/fFMHqXdn/california_ramblers.html
Oh Mabel 12-1924
Oh say can I see you tonight 7-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Peanut vendor 12-2-1930
Reaching for the moon 12-30-1930 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Roamin' to Wyomin' 11-15-1923
Rose Marie 9-8-1924
Shake 4-16-1926 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
She knows her onions 9-18-1926
Shine 4-18-1924
Show me the way to go home 12-5-1925 (the first song I ever remember learning....my grandmother would play this on the piano and sing it to me as a toddler.....I loved it )
Singapore sorrows 1-14-1928
Someone is losin' Susan 1926 (As The Goofus Five)
Sonya (yup, Alay, Yup) 6-9-1925
Stockholm stomp 1-19-1927
Sweet Georgia Brown 5-14-1925
Swingin' down to Rio 5-6-1937
Take my word 5-6-1937
Talkin' to myself 9-13-1928 V=Sid Garry
The flapper wife 4-22-1925 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
The one that I love loves me 3-18-1929 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
The pay off 2-10-1928
There's a rainbow 'round my shoulder 10-18-1928 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
There's a wah wah girl in Agua Caliente 5-23-1930 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Tip toe thru the tulips with me 6-1929
Vo-do-do-de-o blues 5-26-1927
When the red red robin comes bob bob bobbin' along 7-15-1926 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
When you're counting the stars alone 9-13-1929 (v: Ed Kirkeby)
Where the lazy daisies grow 2-14-1924 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Wishing and waiting for love-From "Broadway babies" 6-4-1929
Would ja 8-31-1926 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
Ya gotta know how to love 6-7-1926 V=Arthur Fields
Yes she do(no she don't) 3-19-1927
You darling you 10-1923
You don't like it-not much 8-26-1927 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
You're the cream in my coffee 11-15-1928 (as Golden Gate Orchestra)
http://www.4shared.com/file/5ExWWyhf/california_ramblers_2.html
Friday, January 7, 2011
A Friday night "Date with Duke"..........May 19, 1945
http://www.4shared.com/file/WC85uqk-/duke-45-05-19-08-broadcast-fro.html
Swiss Kriss ..........Leave it all behind ya
Just too much fun.........(and hey, that's my neighborhood library blog)
and, of course,
From the novelist William Kennedy. In 1956, Kennedy was a kid reporter working for the Albany-Times Union when he interviewed Louis Armstrong, who was in town for a gig. Kennedy went up to his hotel room and talked with him for an hour and a half. He wrote a short nothing piece on it for the paper but saved his notes.
Louis, in those days, was a roving ambassador for Rexall drugstores, hustlin, in particular, two items that had brought him down from 268 pounds a year earlier to his 173 of the moment. One item was Swiss Kriss, an herbal laxative, and the other was Bisma Rex, liquid or tablets. Bisma Rex “cuts the gas,” Satch advised in the three-page document “Lose Weight the ‘Satchmo Way” that he handed out to people like me.
“Gas can take you like that,” he told me. “One time, the doctor’s thinking I had ulcers, and it wasn’t nothing but gas.” A druggist put him onto Bisma Rex, and soon he was fine. “So I nix out this doctor and got to Bisma Rex,” said Louis. “I sent some [tablets] to Eisenhower when he had that stroke. I said to him, ‘Man, you wouldn’t of had that stroke if you had one of these.’”
Even after a night of drinking booze, Bisma Rex and Swiss Kriss were the answer. Satchmo told me he’d given up on beer (“You drink a whole lot of that and nothin’ happens”), but when he drank the other stuff and something did happen, his view was “If you can crawl to that cab and get to your Swiss Kriss, you gonna be all right in the mornin’.”
…He signed my copy of his diet regimen, adding a lien of his wisdom. With my Ebony pencil, he dedicated the diet on page one “For Bill Kennedy,” and then on the bottom of page three wrote: “P.S. My slogan. The more you shit, the thinner you’ll git. No shit.” And he signed it “Louis Armstrong.”*
Now I did know all this about Louis Armstrong, it's one of the many reasons that I adore him, in addition to his playing. But, of course I have to add more here, considering that I am laughing so hard.....I'm being reminded of a biography I read of him years ago....Laurence Bergreen's "An extravagant life" (an excellent book, btw).
Lest you go thinking that I'm totally full of sh*t for posting this (har har!!), I had made a comment yesterday about these condescending bloggers who seem to be "all high Holy and oh-so-damn-much-more-knowledgeable-than-Thou" about music......this is just ta say....when it comes to Louis Armstrong.....I know sh*t 'bout Satchmo.....(or should that be...I know 'bout Satchmo's sh*t??) ;)
Lest you go thinking that I'm totally full of sh*t for posting this (har har!!), I had made a comment yesterday about these condescending bloggers who seem to be "all high Holy and oh-so-damn-much-more-knowledgeable-than-Thou" about music......this is just ta say....when it comes to Louis Armstrong.....I know sh*t 'bout Satchmo.....(or should that be...I know 'bout Satchmo's sh*t??) ;)
Leave It All Behind Ya
By Peter Gilstrap Thursday, Feb 29 1996
Now I thought we could discuss one of my favorite musicians, favorite humans, and for no other reason than let's just go ahead and do it.
And this person is Louis Armstrong. Satchmo. Pops.
Everybody knows the names. Everybody knows the list of achievements--jazz visionary, cultural icon, goodwill ambassador to the world, actor, author, comedian, a man whose career spanned five decades and as many mediums.
But there's one thing that has always interested me: the man's virtual lifelong fixation on laxatives. I'd seen a photograph many years ago (the one you're looking at on this very page) of Satch sitting on the john, grinning from ear to ear, proffering a box of something called Swiss Kriss. At the bottom of the page was this: "Satchmo Slogan: Leave It All Behind Ya."
What did it mean? I knew he had a bountiful sense of humor, but this I didn't get. A bit of digging and I found that Swiss Kriss was a laxative, and that Armstrong was into it in a big way. Not addicted as a means of weight loss--as were the Barbi twins, for example, to their favored brand of evacuator--but for health reasons that he was quite passionate about.
Cut to a couple weeks ago and me walking through a large supermarket. And there it was, standing out on the shelf in all of its German-expressionist-logoed glory, a box of Swiss Kriss. They still made the stuff, the favorite laxative of the greatest trumpet player ever to walk the face of the Earth. Featuring licorice root, fennel, dandelion, peppermint, papaya, strawberry and peach leaves, among other ingredients. One hundred percent natural. I brought some Kriss home for research purposes. I took that about as far as I could, but I wanted to know more. I decided to dive in headfirst.
Why listen to me when Louis can fill you in? Here are some vital tidbits that he revealed in a letter written shortly before his death to authors Max Jones and John Chilton for their book Louis:
"We didn't do much drinking ... when we did, we always figured that pot would cut liquor anytime. And being physic-minded like we were, we would take a good laxative (of some kind) and keep our stomachs cleaned out, because that good stuff we were smoking gave you an appetite. And drinking makes you eat like a dog. A good, cleaned-out stomach makes one feel like any human deserves to feel, and I've always been physic-minded.
"Mayann (mother) used to tell me always stay physic-minded. You may not get rich, but you won't ever have those terrible ailments such as cancer, etc. And she would go out by the railroad tracks and pick a lot of peppers--grasses, dandelions, etc., and she'd bring it home and boil that stuff and give us kids a big dose of it. And, my gawd--we'd make sprints to the toilet and afterwards feel 'oh, so good,' all cleaned out 'n' stuff."
Armstrong obviously developed his doctrine of intestinal purification early on, and as he was for his art, he became a tireless cheerleader of the practice. But Louis was fond of another herb, good ol' marijuana, and his idea of a swell, healthy time called for frequent helpings of both Kriss and dope. One for the brain, and one for the bowels. He continues:
"Every time I'd light up with a cat, I'd mention laxatives and was happy to know that everybody got the message. Because, for a while, we were drinking Abalena Water. It came from a well in Abilene, Texas. We drank that well dry, so had to get another kind of physic. So we started drinking Pluto Water, which was great. Then here come this book--a health book written by Gayelord Hauser. When I read down to the part where he recommended some 'herbs'--herbal laxatives--I said to myself, 'Herbs--Hmmm, these herbs reminds me of the same as what my mother picked down by the tracks in New Orleans.' Right away I went to the Health Store and bought myself a box of Swiss Kriss and took a big tablespoonful--make sure it worked me the same as other laxatives. Yes it did. Wow! I said to myself, yessindeed, this is what I need from now on--and forsake all others."
If you don't believe me or Louis Armstrong about the transcendent qualities of Swiss Kriss, bear in mind that it's been on the market--completely unchanged--since it was developed by one Gayelord Hauser in 1922. This is a laxative that has legs. It was that year that Hauser founded Modern Products, Inc., in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and began spreading his health message through what would ultimately become some 200 products.
"Louis Armstrong was a very generous man, a real nice person," exclaims Anthony Palermo, current CEO of Modern Products. He began working at the company after coming to the States from his native Italy in the early '50s. "We never paid him anything, never paid him a dime; he just loved the product. Louis--we called him "Pops"--Armstrong was so infatuated with the product 'cause it really works! And he told everybody! What he did, he had a valet called Doc Pugh, and he would get thousands of samples of Swiss Kriss from us. And Louis, at the concerts, he'd give it away to people."
Palermo is a great guy to talk to on the phone. He gets excited talking about Pops, talking about "Mr. Hauser--he was the father of modern nutrition!" His voice rasps, shades of an Italian accent filter in and out. I spoke with him three times, at the end of each conversation, he said, "Ciao!"
"Do you know who also took Swiss Kriss? Greta Garbo. You've heard of her? I took care of her [Kriss needs] for over 20 years; she was like my mother. She was Gayelord Hauser's friend. I met her November 7, 1952. She was the most wonderful, noble person you'd ever wish to meet. She was fantastic! She just wanted to be left alone. She never said, 'I want to be alone.' She said, 'I want to be left alone.' She was very careful about what she did, and Swiss Kriss is good, so she used it."
And then Palermo is back to Louis.
"He even had an argument on the radio once with Tony Randall, who was interviewing him," says the successor to the father of modern nutrition. "Tony Randall made fun of him that he was taking Swiss Kriss. And Louis blasted him, he really blasted Tony Randall!"
Here's what an actual physician, Phoenix health/nutrition guru Art Mollen (who has a jogging path named for him at Arizona Biltmore), has to say on the subject of Swiss Kriss:
"I've never heard of that Swiss Kriss, but all of [those ingredients] act as a natural laxative." It seems that there really was something to Armstrong's theory of cleaning out.
"Back in the '20s, '30s, even back to ancient times, laxatives were used because they were thought to be a purification for the body," the doctor informs us. "The thing about taking a laxative and having increased movement through the bowel, it decreases the amount of time that any fecal material will actually be in the bowel and allowed to be absorbed through the intestines and potentially become carcinogenic. Strictly colon cancer is what we're talking about. From that standpoint, it can be helpful."
But let the warning label begin here.
"An excess of laxatives can be dangerous to your health, and I think that should have to be a consideration and a caution for anyone who even considers taking a laxative on a regular basis," Mollen says.
I forgot to ask him what effect a really ferocious poop-prodder might have on trumpet playing.
If there's one guy who can give up the lowdown on Armstrong's Krissmania, it is Dan Morgenstern. He is the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University. He's written countless books, articles and essays on jazz, has one of the world's largest collections of Armstrong 78s, and was a good friend of Pops in his later years.
Plus, he's the kind of guy who picks up on the second ring of a cold call, the kind of guy who, when I mentioned the names "Louis Armstrong" and "Swiss Kriss" in the same sentence, laughed and said, "Hang on, lemme turn the music down.
"Louis was a laxative fan most of his life," says Morgenstern. "Prior to discovering Swiss Kriss, he had something called PlutoCR> Water that he recommended to everybody, but once he found Swiss Kriss, that was it."
Forsake all others ...
"It came in little envelopes, and Louis always carried a stack of these, and if you got a letter from him, sometimes there would be a little envelope of Swiss Kriss in there. ... Some people mistakenly thought--because it looked a little bit like it--that it actually was pot. They were disappointed when it wasn't; it looked a little bit like reefer."
No kidding. A friend of mine who happens to enjoy the wicked substance was in my kitchen the other day, and I pulled out a little baggy stuffed with fine, green Kriss.
"Check this out, man," I whispered, taunting discreetly. For the seven seconds it took him to figure out what it wasn't, he looked, well, he looked like he was about to shit.
Morgenstern continues.
"Once in a while, he would pull a thing on somebody he was friendly with on the band bus, if the person didn't know about Swiss Kriss. Louis would say, 'Hey, man, take some of this. It'll make you feel good.' Then he would watch with great delight and interest as this person obviously had to go, you know? Then they would stop the bus--they'd be out on the road someplace--and the guy would go in the bushes! Pops would get a kick out of that."
Morgenstern admits that he took a quick ride on the Kriss bandwagon. "I tried it a few times, but I've never been much of a laxative fan. I did it so I could say to him that I did try it; it'd make him happy. ... He really swore by it, and he recommended it to everyone. He used to sign his letters 'Swiss Krissly Yours,' and he had a thing he would send to people that was about dieting."
Indeed he did, a "thing" titled "Lose Weight the Satchmo Way." This consisted of:
1. Swiss Kriss ... You can buy it in any drugstore.
2. Bisma Rex ... It cuts gas.
3. Fresh Orange Juice ... It's delicious, softens fat.
P.S. Your first dose will be real heavy, in order to start blasting right away, and get the ball to rolling. After you get over your surprises and whatnots, you'll be very happy...
"Once at a gathering, I think it was in Philadelphia, he got into a conversation with an elderly lady," Morgenstern recalls. "She was having some problems with her digestion, so he pulled out one of those packets and said, 'You should take this.' She said, 'Well, what is it? What does it consist of?' And with his New Orleans accent he said, 'Oibs, mama, oibs!'"
And that's about it. I think this is probably all you need (or want) to know about this fascinating little nugget of history. Of course, if you're curious, if you really want to listen to Pops, and I don't mean just his music, then head on down to the store and plop down $6.69 and take home a bit of history. Fill up that tablespoon, gulp some fresh orange juice, and you'll say to yourself, What a wonderful world ...
--Gilstrap
What a wonderful world......indeed :)
"Do you know who also took Swiss Kriss? Greta Garbo. You've heard of her? I took care of her [Kriss needs] for over 20 years; she was like my mother. She was Gayelord Hauser's friend. I met her November 7, 1952. She was the most wonderful, noble person you'd ever wish to meet. She was fantastic! She just wanted to be left alone. She never said, 'I want to be alone.' She said, 'I want to be left alone.' She was very careful about what she did, and Swiss Kriss is good, so she used it."
And then Palermo is back to Louis.
"He even had an argument on the radio once with Tony Randall, who was interviewing him," says the successor to the father of modern nutrition. "Tony Randall made fun of him that he was taking Swiss Kriss. And Louis blasted him, he really blasted Tony Randall!"
Here's what an actual physician, Phoenix health/nutrition guru Art Mollen (who has a jogging path named for him at Arizona Biltmore), has to say on the subject of Swiss Kriss:
"I've never heard of that Swiss Kriss, but all of [those ingredients] act as a natural laxative." It seems that there really was something to Armstrong's theory of cleaning out.
"Back in the '20s, '30s, even back to ancient times, laxatives were used because they were thought to be a purification for the body," the doctor informs us. "The thing about taking a laxative and having increased movement through the bowel, it decreases the amount of time that any fecal material will actually be in the bowel and allowed to be absorbed through the intestines and potentially become carcinogenic. Strictly colon cancer is what we're talking about. From that standpoint, it can be helpful."
But let the warning label begin here.
"An excess of laxatives can be dangerous to your health, and I think that should have to be a consideration and a caution for anyone who even considers taking a laxative on a regular basis," Mollen says.
I forgot to ask him what effect a really ferocious poop-prodder might have on trumpet playing.
If there's one guy who can give up the lowdown on Armstrong's Krissmania, it is Dan Morgenstern. He is the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University. He's written countless books, articles and essays on jazz, has one of the world's largest collections of Armstrong 78s, and was a good friend of Pops in his later years.
Plus, he's the kind of guy who picks up on the second ring of a cold call, the kind of guy who, when I mentioned the names "Louis Armstrong" and "Swiss Kriss" in the same sentence, laughed and said, "Hang on, lemme turn the music down.
"Louis was a laxative fan most of his life," says Morgenstern. "Prior to discovering Swiss Kriss, he had something called PlutoCR> Water that he recommended to everybody, but once he found Swiss Kriss, that was it."
Forsake all others ...
"It came in little envelopes, and Louis always carried a stack of these, and if you got a letter from him, sometimes there would be a little envelope of Swiss Kriss in there. ... Some people mistakenly thought--because it looked a little bit like it--that it actually was pot. They were disappointed when it wasn't; it looked a little bit like reefer."
No kidding. A friend of mine who happens to enjoy the wicked substance was in my kitchen the other day, and I pulled out a little baggy stuffed with fine, green Kriss.
"Check this out, man," I whispered, taunting discreetly. For the seven seconds it took him to figure out what it wasn't, he looked, well, he looked like he was about to shit.
Morgenstern continues.
"Once in a while, he would pull a thing on somebody he was friendly with on the band bus, if the person didn't know about Swiss Kriss. Louis would say, 'Hey, man, take some of this. It'll make you feel good.' Then he would watch with great delight and interest as this person obviously had to go, you know? Then they would stop the bus--they'd be out on the road someplace--and the guy would go in the bushes! Pops would get a kick out of that."
Morgenstern admits that he took a quick ride on the Kriss bandwagon. "I tried it a few times, but I've never been much of a laxative fan. I did it so I could say to him that I did try it; it'd make him happy. ... He really swore by it, and he recommended it to everyone. He used to sign his letters 'Swiss Krissly Yours,' and he had a thing he would send to people that was about dieting."
Indeed he did, a "thing" titled "Lose Weight the Satchmo Way." This consisted of:
1. Swiss Kriss ... You can buy it in any drugstore.
2. Bisma Rex ... It cuts gas.
3. Fresh Orange Juice ... It's delicious, softens fat.
P.S. Your first dose will be real heavy, in order to start blasting right away, and get the ball to rolling. After you get over your surprises and whatnots, you'll be very happy...
"Once at a gathering, I think it was in Philadelphia, he got into a conversation with an elderly lady," Morgenstern recalls. "She was having some problems with her digestion, so he pulled out one of those packets and said, 'You should take this.' She said, 'Well, what is it? What does it consist of?' And with his New Orleans accent he said, 'Oibs, mama, oibs!'"
And that's about it. I think this is probably all you need (or want) to know about this fascinating little nugget of history. Of course, if you're curious, if you really want to listen to Pops, and I don't mean just his music, then head on down to the store and plop down $6.69 and take home a bit of history. Fill up that tablespoon, gulp some fresh orange juice, and you'll say to yourself, What a wonderful world ...
--Gilstrap
What a wonderful world......indeed :)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Ms. Dakota Staton
A soulful jazz singer with a unique style and husky tone.....a longtime fav of mine :)
In the late 1950s Staton's popularity ranked as high as that of contemporaries Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington Dakota Staton was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and studied music at Pittsburgh's Filion School of Music. She was soon chosen to be a vocalist with the Joe Wespray Orchestra, then the top band in the Pittsburgh area. After spending two years with Wespray she traveled to Detroit, working in various clubs there. Staton then followed the nightclub circuit which led her to Canada, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Cleveland, and eventually New York.
It was while singing in a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand that Capitol Records producer Dave Cavanaugh discovered Staton and signed her to the label. After several singles Staton attracted the attention of Down Beat magazine, winning the magazine's high profile "Most Promising New Comer Award" in 1955. In the late 1950s she rose rapidly in popularity due to some fine swinging vocals on her first full length Capitol Records LP as backed by Jonah Jones on trumpet in 1957. The title track of this release turned out to be her biggest all time hit; The Late, Late Show. It was during this session that Staton also recorded her superb vocal rendering of what had previously been an instrumental hit for Count Basie called Broadway.
Following on the heels of The Late, Late Show was a superb outing with the George Shearing Quintet called "In The Night," also recorded in 1957. Her next date called "Dynamic," recorded the following year, further helped launch her meteoric rise to near the top of the female mainstream jazz vocalist category. With tunes on this release like Anything Goes and Too Close For Comfort, recorded with Harry Sweets Edison and a rhythm section, it seemed as if Staton would soon be in the category of a select few like Fitzgerald, Vaughan, and Washington. In 1959 several more great vocals as backed by the Sid Feller Orchestra were recorded and appeared on the release "More Than The Most." Unfortunately, even though she recorded steadily on Capitol Records through the spring of 1962, nothing achieved as much acclaim as her first few releases.
Later in her career Staton's styling showed more of a heavier, blues and gospel influence. From 1962 to 1992 she recorded for a variety of labels including United Artists, Verve, Columbia, Groove Merchant and Muse.
Dakota Staton passed away on Tuesday April 10, 2007, at the Isabella Nursing Home, in New York City. She had been in declining health for several years.
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/obituaries/13staton.html
It was while singing in a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand that Capitol Records producer Dave Cavanaugh discovered Staton and signed her to the label. After several singles Staton attracted the attention of Down Beat magazine, winning the magazine's high profile "Most Promising New Comer Award" in 1955. In the late 1950s she rose rapidly in popularity due to some fine swinging vocals on her first full length Capitol Records LP as backed by Jonah Jones on trumpet in 1957. The title track of this release turned out to be her biggest all time hit; The Late, Late Show. It was during this session that Staton also recorded her superb vocal rendering of what had previously been an instrumental hit for Count Basie called Broadway.
Following on the heels of The Late, Late Show was a superb outing with the George Shearing Quintet called "In The Night," also recorded in 1957. Her next date called "Dynamic," recorded the following year, further helped launch her meteoric rise to near the top of the female mainstream jazz vocalist category. With tunes on this release like Anything Goes and Too Close For Comfort, recorded with Harry Sweets Edison and a rhythm section, it seemed as if Staton would soon be in the category of a select few like Fitzgerald, Vaughan, and Washington. In 1959 several more great vocals as backed by the Sid Feller Orchestra were recorded and appeared on the release "More Than The Most." Unfortunately, even though she recorded steadily on Capitol Records through the spring of 1962, nothing achieved as much acclaim as her first few releases.
Later in her career Staton's styling showed more of a heavier, blues and gospel influence. From 1962 to 1992 she recorded for a variety of labels including United Artists, Verve, Columbia, Groove Merchant and Muse.
Dakota Staton passed away on Tuesday April 10, 2007, at the Isabella Nursing Home, in New York City. She had been in declining health for several years.
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/obituaries/13staton.html
New York Times Obit
Dakota Staton, 76, Jazz Singer With a Sharp, Bluesy Sound, Dies
By MARGALIT FOX
Published: April 13, 2007
Dakota Staton, a highly respected jazz and blues singer known from the 1950s on for her bright, trumpetlike sound and tough, sassy style, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. She was 76 and had lived in New York for many years.
Sharynn Harper, a spokeswoman for Ms. Staton’s family, confirmed the death, citing no specific cause. She said Ms. Staton had been in declining health in recent years.
In 1957, Ms. Staton (pronounced STAY-ton) burst on the scene with her first full-length album, “The Late, Late Show,” released by Capitol Records. The album was a hit, and the title track became her most famous number. Her other well-known songs include “Broadway” and “My Funny Valentine,” from the same album, and “What Do You Know About Love?,” which she recorded earlier as a single for Capitol.
Ms. Staton, who recorded more than two dozen albums, was widely praised by critics and worked with many distinguished musicians, among them the pianist George Shearing and the arrangers Nelson Riddle and Sid Feller. But she never attained the fame of singers like Dinah Washington, whom she cited as a deep influence. This may have been partly because Ms. Staton was born a hair too late; by the time she began recording albums, rock ’n’ roll was shouldering aside her brand of bluesy jazz.
She continued performing well into her 60s, however. Writing in The New York Times in 1998, Robert Sherman called Ms. Staton “one of America’s great vocal stylists.”
Dakota Staton was born in Pittsburgh on June 3, 1930, and began singing and dancing as a child. By the time she was 18, she was singing in nightclubs in Detroit and other Midwestern cities; she later settled in New York. In 1955, Down Beat magazine voted her the most promising newcomer of the year.
In the late 1950s, Ms. Staton married Talib Dawud, a trumpeter; the marriage ended in divorce. (Ms. Staton, who converted to Islam after her marriage, used the name Aliyah Rabia for a time.) Her brother, Fred Staton, a saxophonist who lives in New York City, is her only immediate survivor.
Among Ms. Staton’s other albums are “Dynamic!” (Capitol, 1958); “Dakota at Storyville” (Capitol, 1961); “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” (Muse, 1992); and “Live at Milestones” (Caffe Jazz), released last month.
I did some cherry picking with this one, today...I stuck to mostly her earlier stuff, and from that, pretty much just fave cuts of mine. I hate to say it, but occasionally her vocals, though great, can strike me as a tad overwrought on certain songs. (I'm sure many would disagree with my feelings, but I'm being honest about how I shaped this list).
I also wish to say that there are some things missing from this list that are out of print, and I don't own....especially some of her stuff with George Shearing that I used to have, but cannot locate right now.
Now for a few tunes, mostly from the earlier part of her career:
A foggy day
A little you
Angel eyes
Anything goes
Avalon
Baby don't you cry
Body and soul
But not for me
Can't live without him anymore
Country Man (a later recording than most of the rest on here, but bluesy and fun)
Crazy he calls me
Dedicated to you
Don't explain
East of the sun
Girl talk (again, a bit later, but a great version)
Gone with the wind
Heartbreak
How did he look
How does it feel
How high the moon
I hear music
I never dreamt
Idaho
If I should lose you
Invitation
Let me know
Let me off Uptown
Love walked in
The best thing for you
The late late show
http://www.4shared.com/file/62M061Px/dakota_staton_1.html
A losing battle (later recording....a good blues, though..)
Misty
My one and only love
No moon at all
On Green Dolphin Street
Say it ain't so Joe
September in the rain
Solitude
The party's over
The song is ended
The song is you
Thrill is gone (later, again....excellent version, though)
Too close for comfort
Until the real thing comes along
What do you know about love
When lights are low
Willow weep for me
You don't know what love is
You've changed
http://www.4shared.com/file/y2KoGuab/dakota_staton_2.html
Bette Midler being like potato chips (meaning that I can't get enough)....
Heheheeeeee.........an Aida...who's bust was so big, it would often impede 'ah (see, I'm still an incredibly dorky 12 yr old....) :0
This one is dedicated to.................me, damnit, me!! (Me, Myself, and thigh....)
Now that the holidays are over, and I've eaten enough that I can see my a$$ in the mirror without turning 'round.......THIS is my official theme song for the beginning of 2011........
A big fave of mine since childhood...........Dakota Staton
And, just 'cuz there's a list coming in a few :)
On condescending audiophile purists and one-upsmanship....
I view a lot of blogs about music. Finding great music you may or may not have ever heard is a great adventure...something that totally makes my day. It's about the music, really, at least to me it is. When I'm at a site, I want to have some fun and be excited to hear the artists that I'm getting into....I don't want to leave feeling bummed out. I hate going to sites that are so all-knowing, and condescending that I leave, feeling like an idiot for even attempting to encroach upon the sacred ground of some audiophile purist (read: The man who knew what Louis Armstrong had for breakfast on June 23, 1924, and what his flatulence was like that evening).
In any event, my point is this......I have no illusions at ever being highbrow about anything that I post....I won't make any assumptions that I know more than any of you, or any other BS like that. F*ck it.....this is supposed to be fun. Trust me, often my sources, files, bit rates, and collections are less than complete or perfect. That's all. I'm just here to post what I enjoy, take requests to locate and post what some of you enjoy, and really just engage in conversations with all of you about what you like, what I like, anecdotes, and humor.......I just want all of this to be fun, and a little bit different....nothing fancy, here....'tis what 'tis......
Right......rant over...lol.
In any event, my point is this......I have no illusions at ever being highbrow about anything that I post....I won't make any assumptions that I know more than any of you, or any other BS like that. F*ck it.....this is supposed to be fun. Trust me, often my sources, files, bit rates, and collections are less than complete or perfect. That's all. I'm just here to post what I enjoy, take requests to locate and post what some of you enjoy, and really just engage in conversations with all of you about what you like, what I like, anecdotes, and humor.......I just want all of this to be fun, and a little bit different....nothing fancy, here....'tis what 'tis......
Right......rant over...lol.
Having a Vera Ellen moment.... :)
Fletcher Henderson part 5.........(yeah, there's more.......)
Yup..........still even more Fletcher Henderson........part 5 of 7. Enjoy.
P.D.Q. blues 4-29-1927
Pensacola 12-20-1925
Phantom fantasie 3-6-1934
Play me slow 2 (w/ Louis Armstrong) 1-23-1925
Play me slow 3 (w/ Louis Armstrong) 1-23-1925
Poor old Joe 3-10-1932
Poplar Street blues 2-4-1925
Prince of wails 1 (w/ Louis Armstrong) 11-1924
Prince of wails 2 (w/ Louis Armstrong) 11-1924
Queer notions 1933
Raisin' the roof (As Henderson's Roseland Orchestra) 1929
Rhythm of the tambourine 3-2-1937
Riffin' 5-23-1936
Rocky Mountain blues 1-21-1927
Roll on Mississippi roll on 1927
Rose Room (In sunny Roseland) 3-22-1937
Rough house blues (As The Louisiana Stompers)
Rug cutter's swing 9-25-1934
Sensation 3-19-1927
Shake your feet from "Ziegfeld Follies of 1923" 1923
Shake your feet 1923
Shanghai shuffle (w/ Louis Armstrong) 1924
Shanghai shuffle (w/ Louis Armstrong) 1924
Shanghai shuffle 9-11-1934
Shuffling Sadie 3-11-1927
Sing you sinners From "Honey" 10-25-1937
Sing sing sing (With A Swing) V=Georgia Boy Simkins
Singin' the blues (from "Singin' The Blues") 10-15-1931
Sleepy time gal 11-16-1925
Slumming on Park Avenue
Snag it (As The Dixie Stompers) 1-20-1927
Some of these days 1-19-1927
Somebody loves me 10-3-1930
Somebody stole my gal 2-1931
Sorry (As Fletcher Henderson's Collegians) 1927
St Louis shuffle 2 (As The Dixie Stompers) 3-23-1927
St Louis shuffle 4-27-1927
Stampede 3-22-1937
http://www.4shared.com/file/VnLIVK1e/fletcher_henderson_5.html
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