What Kind of Rhythm is That? - part 3

This is the third and final post on What Kind of Rhythm is That?. For part one click here, and here for part two.

Walter Page's Blue Devils

For most people, this group might be the most well-known.  Formed in 1925, we have two exciting tracks from 1929 that illustrate the powerful influence bassist Walter Page (1900-1957) and his band would contribute towards establishing the Kansas City sound.  Born in Gallatin, Missouri, Page began his career based in Kansas City where played in Bennie Moten's band on and off in the early 1920's.  His band was formed in Oklahoma City and soon became a rival band to Bennie Moten in the late 1920s and early 1930s.  Future Count Basie stars such as Lester Young, Hot Lips Page, Buster Smith, Jimmy Rushing, and Count Basie himself were at one point in the Blue Devils.  Seems the bold, business-minded Moten had some serious skills of persuasion that he managed to poach members of this band, including Page himself, for his own band---maybe it wasn't that difficult as the Blue Devils eventually folded to financial pressures in 1931.  

"Blue Devil Blues" is taken at a slow drag tempo (slow but still rhythmic) and starts off with Oran "Hot Lips" Page (1908-1954) playing open horn over a dark, minor section over a groove reminiscent of "St. James Infirmary".  Page is from Texas and began his career backing blues singers like "Ma" Rainey and it shows.  His blues roots are unmistakable on this solo in his phrasing.  A quick modulation introduces the blues form with a clarinet solo leading to two choruses of the great Jimmy Rushing (1902-1972).  An Oklahoma city native, his vocal style is largely set at this point, singing blues phrases with the authenticity of a country bluesman but with the clear diction of a jazz or pop singer.  It's this killer combination that makes him a perfect fit for this music (and Moten's and Basie's).  Behind him, Page is heard again improvising beautifully with the mute. 

"Squabblin'", written by Basie who is not on the recording, is an uptempo dance number.  Overall, the performance is a bit frantic (nerves?) and the introduction features a highly syncopated rhythm that sounds like they were on the brink of falling apart!  They pull it off and features solos from "Hot Lips" Page, Buster Smith on clarinet, and a chorus for the rhythm section without any solos except for short fills for bass then hi-hat.  Walter Page plays tuba on "Blue Devil Blues", but on "Squabblin'" he plays acoustic bass throughout.  He has a big sound with a heavy attack and a strong pulse.  The main theme is based on the Charleston-rhythm which Page plays in the beginning, but later into a two-feel and for the clarinet solo plays walking bass along with the guitar (either Reuben Lynch or Thomas Owen).  

Young Walter Page

For a long time, the story was that Walter Page was the first to walk. But he was far from the person to do so, the music had already been heading towards a four-four feel for the last few years.  Strong examples include "Pops" Foster walking for Louis Armstrong's solo on "Mahogany Hall Stomp" from May 3, 1929 and before that on November 23, 1927 Steve Brown starts walking for Bix Beiderbecke's solo on "Changes".  This is the earliest example of walking that I know of.  Prior to that bass could not be recorded properly and it was in 1927 that microphones began to be used at recording studios, allowing for a vastly improved sound quality.  So, there is no audio record of walking bass prior to that.  We can only assume that bass players did.  One thing all of these tracks have in common though is that the walking bass only happens for a short time before reverting back to the two-feel.  So, perhaps it could be said that Walter Page was the first to walk for the entire tune!  

The Blue Devils would disband in 1931 due to financial difficulties and ,after losing so many musicians to Moten, the leader himself Walter Page joined Moten's band.  It's a pity there aren't other recordings, but the genesis of the Count Basie was already beginning back in 1929.

Grant Moore and his New Orleans Black Devils

Little is known about Grant Moore and his New Orleans Black Devils except that he was based in Milwaukee and toured in a number of cities including Omaha, Oklahoma City, Sioux City, and Des Moines.  So where does the New Orleans come from?  The repertoire might be a clue with only two sides: "Original Dixieland One Step" and "Mama Don't Allow No Music Playing Here", but their arrangements and sound is surprisingly modern. Besides Fletcher Henderson, Luis Russell, and Bennie Moten, few bands were alluding to the big band/Swing era sound that would dominate, but the band on these sides are doing just that and they play with energy, vigor, and humor.  

The Daily Plainsman, Huron, SD
July 7, 1931

First off, it's a large group with Grant Moore on clarinet/alto, Robert Russell and Sylvester Friel on trumpets, Thomas Howard on trombone, Earl Keith also on clarinet/alto, Willard Brown on tenor sax J. Norman Ebron on piano, Harold Robbins on banjo, Lawrence Williams on tuba and Harold Flood on drums,  There's a lot of call and response between the saxophones and brass and both songs grand finales with a four-four feel.  They sound to me like a novelty dance band.  

"Mama Don't Allow No Music Playing Here" is the first track and is credited to 'Robbins-kieth', who I assume are banjoist Harold Robbins and clarinet/alto saxophonist Earl Keith.  But it turns out the song was by 1931 already recorded by Tampa Red and Cow Cow Davenport.  It also seems related to "Mr. Crump Don't Allow No Easy Riders Here" as the lyrics are similar.  I think it's a traditional song and has since been covered for country and blues musicians.  

Anyway it's a party song and the lyrics are amended to highlight individual sections of the bands ("Mama don't like no saxophone playing here" etc.) and we hear solid statements and playing from the saxophones, the trumpets, as well as a single-note banjo solo.  There are full ensemble passages that include the tuba and the drums---a rarely used device  in 1931 and call and response between the high and low register instruments, again with the tuba and drums.  I also like the introduction which includes some fancy hi-hat work and exactly one note from the celeste.  But it's the raspy band vocal that turns this song into party music.  Actually if it wasn't for that, the focus on the music may have been too intense for some dancers at that time.  

Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, SD
Aug. 29, 1931

"Original Dixieland One-Step" is credited to Carlson, but I believe was originally composed the Original Dixieland Jazz Band---at least part of it, turns out they borrowed a stanza from another song subsequently re-recording the song without the offending stanza as "Reisenweber Rag".  The version by Grant Moore and his New Orleans Devils keeps some of the breaks and the tailgate trombone bits, but otherwise the
melody is largely different and is closer to a contrefact.  The introduction is quite complex but the band pulls it off effortlessly.  There is a round of solos and the trumpet is a highlight though the alto solo (by Grant Moore?) is strong too.  

On both tracks, the ensemble is nicely polished and for the most part stay in two-feel, but the bursts of four-four at the end really heightens the energy.  The writing is good with contrapuntal lines with the call and response figures for both tracks are exciting and feature inspired playing.  I'm speculating but I think some of the playing and arranging may have been too advanced for dance music.  There's almost too much going on and by the time Swing came along, the arranging and the melodic lines would be much simpler.  I think it's great to hear, but I wonder how the audience reacted to the music? 

Hunter's Serenaders

Lloyd Hunter was an important African American territory bandleader based out of Omaha, Nebraska and was active from the early 1920's through the 1940's. The African American population in Nebraska has always been small and especially in the early 20th century when Hunter was learning music from Josiah Waddle, who was one of the first African American teachers in the area. Between the two, they largely cultivated the African American music scene. Some of the musicians who passed through Hunter's band include pianist Sir Charles Thompson, saxophonist Preston Love, drummers Johnny Otis and Jo Jones, and singer Anna Mae Winburn. The two tracks on What Kind of Rhythm is That? were recorded at the conclusion of a national ten month tour with vocalist Victoria Spivey in New York on April 2, 1931. The band included Lloyd Hunter, Reuben Floyd, George Lott on trumpets, Dan Minor on trombone, Noble Floyd, Archie Watts, Harold Arnold, on reeds, Burton Brewer or George Madison on piano, Herbert Hannas or Isadore Langlois on banjo, Wallace Wright on tuba, Jo Jones or Amos Clayton on drums, and  Victoria Spivey on vocals.

Like Grant Moore and his New Orleans Black Devils, this group was a surprise and a treat to listen to. The ensembles are strong and the solos, though sometimes brief are over excellent. The trumpet solos are particularly strong and I assume it's Hunter himself. "Sentimental Mood" is upbeat with sections where the low toms are prominent.  There are some interesting chromatic harmonies by arranger Henry Woode and a brief but excellent plunger mute solo by Hunter.  "Dreaming 'bout my man" is reminiscent of Louis Armstrong's "Stardust", recorded seven months later, in tone and arrangement with strong quarters at the slow tempo. Even the chord changes are somewhat similar and features a trumpet solo upfront, though not nearly at the level of Armstrong.  Otherwise this is a feature for Spivey who by this time had already cut her own records on her own and with guitarist Lonnie Johnson. 

Lots of fascinating material on What Kind of Rhythm is That?.  Not only is the music terrific, but the stories behind the bands, which I only peripherally touch on, and where they fit geographically is fascinating.  Basically these bands are "one-hit wonders" and some of this music was unavailable for decades until the reissue booms of the 1970s and then in the 1990s with compact disc allowed for companies to release this music again.  As a result a lot of information about the music and the musicians is scant.  At a time when geographical location had a stronger impact that it does today, it helps us understand jazz as arising from various local customs and gives us greater perspective of the Count Basies and Duke Ellingtons that one might be more familiar with.