Get Out And Get Under The Moon
Oh, Baby!
Hal Kemp & His Orchestra
(v: Kemp, Dowell, Ennis: "Get Out...")
(v: Skinnay Ennis: "Oh, Baby!")
Brunswick 3954 (1928)

The Kemp band struggling a bit during this period; their recordings on Brunswick were fairly well-received, but it took the band a while to find a niche in the New York market. They certainly had a lot of talent in their ranks: Skinnay Ennis (drums and vocals), John Scott Trotter (piano and arrangements) and the Mayhew brothers, Bob (trumpet), Gus (trombone) and Jack (alto sax and clarinet).

Georgie Porgie
Arnold Johnson & His Paramount Hotel Orchestra
(v: Ingraham, Arlen, Strom)
Brunswick 3980 (1928)

Happy-Go-Lucky Lane
Together
Arnold Johnson & His Paramount Hotel Orchestra
(v: Harold Arlen: "Happy-Go-Lucky Lane")
(v: Ingraham, Arlen, Strom: "Together")
Brunswick 3895 (1928)

Arnold Johnson had started recording in 1920, with a test for Victor records; he had signed with Brunswick in 1922 and produced about a year's-worth of popular recordings. The band began recording again in 1928 along with appearing in two Broadway shows. The band had some impressive musicians: Mickey Bloom (trumpet), Paul van Loan (trombone), Roy Strom (violin) and Harold Arluck (piano) - you know him as songwriter Harold Arlen! Rust says Pete Pumiglio (alto sax and clarinet) is on these recordings, but I certainly don't hear him!

Chant Of The Weed
Shakin' The African
Don Redman & His Orchestra
(v: Don Redman: "Shakin' The African")
Brunswick 6211 (1931)

Redman mad a name for himself in the early and mid-twenties as an arranger and reedman (alto sax and clarinet) with Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra. He left Henderson in 1928 to join the Goldkette organization as leader of McKinney's Cotton Pickers, then he stepped out with his own band in 1931.

Albert McCarthy, in his "Big Band Jazz" (1972, 1984, Exeter Books, NY) says it far better than I can:

"At its first session, it produced an orchestra masterpiece in Redman's best known composition, "Chant Of The Weed" (marijuana), a brooding performance with solo passages closely integrated... Few initial recordings by any band can have attracted the critical praise that greeted "Chant Of The Weed" (Glen's note: in Britain), but the title led some reviewers astray. The late Edgar Jackson, for example, in the Gramophone described "the sinister story of the swamps of the mysterious and impenetrable jungle". "Shakin' The African", from the same session was brilliant."

What Have We Got To Lose?
Phil Harris & His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra
(v: Phil Harris)
Columbia 2761-D (1933)

Harris was a popular drummer and band leader on the West coast who latched on to a distinctive talking-singing vocal style. Hollywood gave him a fling as a leading man in 1933's "Melody Cruise", a rather good comedy/musical with Charlie Ruggles. Perhaps the world wasn't quite ready for Harris as a matinee idol; he was soon back leading a band, this time on a number of popular radio shows, including Jack Benny's show.

This recording (on Columbia's Blue Wax) features a busy, busy arrangement - the arranger worked hard to fit everything in! Chimes, vibraphones, piano solos, saxes doubling on clarinets, wandering string obligatos, muted brass - all before the second chorus! Check out the "double-time" trombone work during Harris' vocal - it's almost be-bop like! Seriously, I'll bet people *loved* dancing to this band!

Fancy You Falling For Me
Jack Hylton & His Orchestra
(v: Sam Browne)
HMV (UK) B-5777 (1930)

Here's a very nice and bright-sounding side from Britain's Jack Hylton. Many thanks to Colin Holmes for the discographical info.

Rainbow Man
La Palina Broadcasters (Fred Rich & His Orchestra)
(v: Irving Kaufman)
Perfect 15161 (1929)

Singin' In The Rain
La Palina Broadcasters (Fred Rich & His Orchestra)
(v: Irving Kaufman)
Perfect 15189 (1929)

During 1929, Rich had a very distinctive-sounding band, featured on the CBS radio network as the "La Palina Broadcasters", sponsored by La Palina Cigars. A good bit of speculation has occurred over the years concerning the personnel of the band: Rust credits Leo McConville and another (trumpet), Tommy Dorsey (trombone), Jimmy Dorsey, Tony Parenti (alto sax & clarinet), Fred Cusick (tenor sax), Al Duffy (violin), Carl Kress (guitar!) Joe Tarto (tuba), and Stan King (drums). I'm not sure where he got this line-up; there's no audible sign of either Dorsey brother, Duffy, Kress, Tarto or King - all players with a *very* distinctive style. I *do* believe McConville was in the band, as well as Parenti (who takes very nice clarinet solos), as for the others, I just don't know.

Does that arrangement of "Singin' In The Rain" sound familiar? It should - you heard it here, recorded by Rich on Columbia - the *identical* arrangement, played a good bit slower. This version gives you a good chance to compare and contrast the trombone solos!