Sonatas by Delius and Robert Russell Bennett

Following the recent post of the Victory at Sea music, I wanted to provide an example of Robert Russell Bennett's own composition, and one that doesn't rely on his prodigious skill in orchestration. So here we have A Song Sonata, a modest violin-piano item.

Robert Russell Bennett and Louis Kaufman

The work may well have been written for the violinist on this recording, Louis Kaufman, who commissioned quite a number of works during his lifetime. Kaufman was active in the film music colony and made many records of contemporary works for such labels as Concert Hall Society, as here. He was heard here previously in an excellent recording of the Barber violin concerto.

I have to report that Bennett's sonata is as insistently unmemorable as the other compositions I have heard by him. As he himself described it, it is "friendly," but perhaps not a friend one would invite over all that often.

The balance of the record is devoted to what I believe was the initial recording of Frederick Delius' first violin sonata. Kaufman's intense sound and tendency to push ahead is perhaps not right for this music. The pianist in both works is Theodore Saidenberg, a well-known accompanist and the brother of Daniel Saidenberg.

The truth is, I have had this performance recorded for some time, but didn't offer it because of the reservations above. Sorry for the lukewarm endorsement. The sound is good, though! [Note (June 2023) - the sound is even better now, remastered in ambient stereo.] The recordings come from 1947; this LP is from 1951.

The photo portrait of Kaufman below is by Man Ray, who thought the violinist would look best with a bull fiddle coming out of his forehead.

Louis Kaufman

Bobby Hackett

Said Alec Wilder of the cornetist/trumpeter Bobby Hackett, "He is never aggressive nor noisy; rather he is tender and witty. I have never heard him play a phrase I would prefer otherwise." And this of a man who made a living playing a variant of Dixieland jazz!

Hackett was a bit of a stylistic anomaly. He is most often compared to Bix Beiderbecke, but his idol was Louis Armstrong. His specialty was Chicago-style jazz, but he was from Rhode Island. He played one of the most famous brass solos in jazz history, on "A String of Pearls" by the Glenn Miller band, but he usually played guitar in that band. And he was soloist on a long series of mood-music recordings led by a comedian, Jackie Gleason.

At Nick's: Ernie Caceres, unknown, Hackett, Freddie Ohms, George Wettling, unknown

These particular recordings were made in 1938 and 1944 by a number of groups mostly drawn from the musicians who played at Nick's Tavern in Greenwich Village. What they played was sometimes called Chicago-style (as mentioned) and sometimes "Nicksieland" jazz. They were inspired by the early jazz bands such as the Original Dixieland Jass Band and the slightly later New Orleans Rhythm Kings. (One of the trombonists on this record, George Brunies, was a founder of the latter group.) Although inspired by earlier groups, these players generally employed less collective improvisation and more soloing, as is shown on the record at hand. Group improvisation is mainly heard on "Skeleton Jangle," which was written by the ODJB's Nick LaRocca. 

Hackett made these recordings for the small Commodore label, which came out of New York's Commodore Music Shop. Although not indicated as such on this 1950s reissue, the 1938 recordings were actually issued under the name of guitarist Eddie Condon, and some of the others as "Jazz Session at Commodore." The download includes the original 78 labels, courtesy of Internet Archive.

Bobby Hackett, with Glenn Miller at left rear

In the package, I've also included the Miller recording of "A String of Pearls," a big hit in 1942. I wanted to transfer it from my mother's original 78, but couldn't find it, so this is from an LP reissue (which, neatly, I transferred onto cassette for mom some years ago).

The photo at left shows Hackett soloing with the Miller band. That's the bandleader at left. Second from the right is Ernie Caceres, who played baritone sax with the Miller band and is also heard on the Commodore records. (He is on clarinet in the photo from Nick's above.) Click on the images to enlarge them.

Contrary to what it says on the cover at top, Hackett actually plays cornet, not trumpet on these sides, although he did switch to trumpet many years later.

This set is now newly remastered in excellent ambient stereo sound.

More Bobby Troup

In my last post, I said that I would lay off the singers for a while, and return to offering other genres. Hate to make myself a liar, but here is another vocal record - in this case Bobby Troup's first recording for Liberty, which was only the second LP to be issued on that label, in 1955. It has not been reissued, to my knowledge.

Troup's troupe here includes multi-instrumentalist Bob Enevoldsen (playing bass on this recording), guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Bobby sticks to standards for the most part, although he does slip in "The Hucklebuck" for irony's sake, with his piano solo quoting Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," upon which the 1949 dance sensation was based.

Bobby and Howard Roberts

Otherwise, his hipster mannerisms are fairly well in check, with the highlights a rendition of the great Bob Haymes tune "That's All" and a concluding tribute to his fellow singer-pianist-composer, Matt Dennis, with "Let's Get Away from It All." He also amusingly adds his own lyrics to Rodgers and Hart's "Thou Swell." No songs of his own, though!

Stan, Helen, Bobby

The LP was recorded in 1955, at about the time Troup was appearing with Stan Freberg and Helen O'Connell (among others) on the summer television show, "Musical Chairs."

The cover tells us this was recorded at a place called "The Celebrity Room" in Hollywood, but there is no trace of an audience and it doesn't sound like a live date.

My LP is is very good shape, except for some surface noise during part of "The Hucklebuck" and all of the brief "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby," which I've almost entirely eliminated.

Alice Lon

When I started blogging several years ago, I did not envision the day that I would be posting a Lawrence Welk record. But that day is here, and reason is a fine singer that the champagne music maestro employed from 1955-59, Alice Lon.

The cover says its a Welk LP, but it really is a solo vocal LP in all but name. The selections range from standards to novelties, and Lon does well by all of them.

The novelties are, I suppose, to be expected on a Welk record. "Sam the Old Accordion Man" is short and tolerable; however, "Rice" may be Mack David's worst song, with Lon bleating about how she wants to get married.

Nonetheless, the hits outnumber the misses, and I do recommend this record. If you stick it out through the accordion arpeggios and leaden arrangements, you will be rewarded with some heartfelt and secure singing from an artist who was able to maintain a beautiful tone throughout her range and at all volume levels - unusual for a pop singer.

Alice and Larry

Welk supposedly fired Lon after she posed for a photo where she showed her knees. So they say, but the real reason was probably fees rather than knees - Welk paid scale and didn't like to give raises. Too bad - she deserved one.

Speaking of photos, the one at right shows the flaring petticoats that Lon popularized as a fashion. Welk, meanwhile, demonstrates the unfortunate fashion of wearing your suits three sizes too large.

I love the hand-colored cover for this one, too, so reminiscent of the 50s. Back then, my mother had adorable hand-colored photos of me and sis up on the wall. (I wonder what became of those portraits. Mom probably got tired of looking at them. I sure did.)

This is presented by request; if it seems like I've been posting a lot of vocal LPs, that's because I've been fielding quite a few requests for them. Other genres coming up!