Reups: Vaughan Williams, Virgil Thomson, Todd Rhodes and Hot Lips Levine!

It's an all-request day here at Big 10-Inch Record, as if this were some kind of oldies station, one that played classical music, old R&B honkers and Dixieland. On today's schedule: the first recording of a rare Ralph Vaughan Williams work; four notable compositions from Virgil Thomson played by the Philadelphia Orchestra; a collection of R&B singles from Todd Rhodes, his piano and orchestra; and an unusual album from Dixieland maven Henry "Hot Lips" Levine. All these  reuploads were requested by valued readers. They have been remastered to attain the best sound that these hands and ears can provide. The links below will take you to the original posts.

Compositions by Vaughan Williams and John Palmer

This 1954 LP from Concert Hall Society is notable for being the first recording of one of Vaughan Williams' most unusual works, the "Fantasia on the 'Old 104th' Psalm Tune." It's kind of an English approach to Beethoven's "Choral Fantasia," with John Hunt dynamic as the piano soloist. Also on the record are three folk songs for choir in Vaughan Williams arrangements, and two compositions by the American composer John Palmer - a Chamber Concerto and the choral work "Slow, Slow Fresh Fount," a setting of Ben Johnson. The committed performances are by Cornell's Robert Hull leading a chorus from that university along with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. Here is the link.

Four Virgil Thomson Compositions

Courtesy of friend and blog follower Joe Serraglio, we have two important records featuring the work of composer and critic Virgil Thomson - music from the film "Louisiana Story," "Five Portraits," "Three Pictures" and "Five Songs from William Blake." The recordings date from 1945, 1949, 1954 and 1952 respectively. All are performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy and the composer. Mack Harrell is the solo vocalist. This is the second remastering and reupload of these very well performed and important first recordings.

Here is the link to "Louisiana Story" and "Five Portraits." And here's the link to "Three Pictures" and "Five Songs from William Blake."

Big Band R&B from Todd Rhodes

Next is a King LP collecting singles that pianist and bandleader Todd Rhodes made for Vitacoustic, Sensation and King in the late 40s and early 50s. As I wrote back in 2009, "Rhodes' basic style was post-Hampton riff blues, but he varied that with pretty ballads reminiscent of the kind of thing that Johnny Hodges did with Duke Ellington." The sound is fairly good considering it came from the notoriously quality uncontrolled King operation. Here's the link.

Dixieland from Henry "Hot Lips" Levine

I was thinking about which trumpeter first came up with the nickname "Hot Lips" - Henry "Hot Lips" Levine or Oran "Hot Lips" Page. Then I realized that first claim has to be Whiteman-ite trumpeter Henry Busse, who wrote the song "Hot Lips" back in 1922.

Neither Busse nor Page appears here, but "Hot Lips" Levine does. He made a name for himself in the early 40s with a radio program named "The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street," which featured "Dr. Henry Levine's Barefoot Dixieland Philharmonic." I don't think the unshod musicians were as much of an attraction as vocalists Dinah Shore and Lena Horne. But one of our readers did remember Levine and wanted me to reup this rare 1956 LP. I had transferred it a decade ago because it contains a fight song for the Cleveland Indians, who have not won a World Series since 1948. So Levine's efforts weren't too effective (nor were mine). Here's a link for anyone else who remembers Levine or wants to hear his "Indian Uprising" tribute song.