Recent acquisitions by the Chuck Black Endowment for Early Jazz and Blues

The Chuck Black Endowment for Early Jazz and Blues promotes the study of early and traditional jazz, blues, and similar musical styles as they emerged and evolved from 1900-1950. In 2016-17 the Endowment acquired twenty-four rare blues recordings.

Among these recent acquisitions are two Victor discs featuring the incomparable Fats Waller early in his career in 1927 when he was only 23. He had been playing publically since he was 15 and made his first recording 5 years earlier when he was only 18. On Victor disc 20655 he plays the pipe organ solo in Messin' Around with the Blues and Stompin' the Bug. On the other disc he performs Please Take Me Out of Jail andHe's Gone Away on both pipe organ and piano with Tom Morris and His Hot Babies on Victor 21202. Fats actually began playing the organ in his father’s Baptist church as a child and became the organist for the Lincoln Theatre on 135^th Street when he was 15.

Chuck Black was particularly interested in early jazz coming out of Chicago. The Beale Street Washboard Band (aka Rampart Street Washboard Band) was one of the many small groups with whom Johnny and Baby Dodds played in Chicago. Another recent acquisition is the 1929 recording on Perfect Records 196 of the Dodds brothers playing Forty and Tight andPiggly Wiggly joined by Herb Morand on cornet and Frank Melrose on piano. Baby Dodds was the most significant drummer of the New Orleans style jazz and influenced later generations of jazz drummers including Gene Krupa. His brother Johnny’s clarinet playing was characteristic of New Orleans jazz, having played with Kid Ory and later recorded with King Oliver. This record is a great example of New Orleans jazz at its best. 

A list of all of the recently acquired discs is given below, and all of the materials acquired by the Black Endowment can be found in the Stanford catalog. For more information about these recordings, contact the Archive of Recorded Sound.

1925

Charleston; What a Smile Can Do. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Perfect Record Co., [1925]. The Blues Chasers (aka Texas Ten); Nathan Glantz (director). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Perfect 14432 (mx. 036251A, 036251B).

1927

Messin' Around with the Blues; Stompin' the Bug. Camden, N.J.: Victor Talking Machine Co., [1927]. Fats Waller (pipe organ). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Victor 20655 (mx. 20655A - take 3; 20655B - take 2).

Please Take Me Out of Jail; He's Gone Away. Camden N.J.: Victor Talking Machine Co., [1927]. Thomas Waller with Thomas Morris and His Hot Babies (Tom Morris (cornet); Jimmy Archey (trombone); Fats Waller (pipe organ and piano); Bobbie Leecan (guitar); Eddie T. King (drums). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Victor 21202 (mx. A 21202A - take 2; B 21202B - take 2).

1928

One O'Clock Blues; I Got Worry (Love Is on My Mind). New York: Columbia Phonograph Co., [1928]. (Le Roy Tibbs And His Connie's Inn Orchestra (Ed Allen and Gilbert Paris (cornets); Te Roy Williams (trombone); Arville Harris (clarinet and alto saxophone); prob. Andrew Brown (alto saxophone and baritone); unknown (tenor saxophone); Allie Ross (violin); Leroy Tibbs (piano); Leroy Harris (banjo); Cyrus St. Clair (tuba); Hugh Davis (drums)). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Columbia 14309-D (mx. W145604 - take 2; W145605 - take 2).

Red River Blues; Shake It Down. New York: Okeh Phonograph Corp., [1928]. Clarence Williams' Washboard Five (Ed Allen and King Oliver (cornets); Arville Harris (clarinet); Clarence Williams (piano); Floyd Casey (washboard)). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Okeh 8584 (mx. W400703A, W400702B).

1929

Doin' the Voom Voom; Flaming Youth. U.S.: Dominio, [1929]. Whoopee Makers (aka Duke Ellington Orchestra). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Domino 4428 (mx. 9817-A², 9018-B2).

Forty and Tight; Piggly Wiggly. US: American Record Corp., [1929]. Beale Street Washboard Band [aka Rampart Street Washboard Band] (Herb Morand (cornet); Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Kansas City Frank Melrose (piano); Baby Dodds (drums and washboard)). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Perfect 196 (mx. C 3936 A, C 3937 A).

Steppin' Along; Baby Knows How. [Boston: Grey Gull Records, 1929]. Louisville Master Players - side A; Five Hot Chocolates - side B. 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Van Dyke 71767 (mx. 3632 A, 3608 B).

1931

A Porter's Love Song to a Chamber Maid; Every Man for Himself. Camden, N.J.: RCA Victor Co., 1931. Washboard Rhythm Kings. 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Victor 22719 (mx. 22719A, 22719B - take 2).

1936

Just to Be in Caroline; It Ain't Nobody's Biz'ness What I Do. [New York]: Columbia, [1936]. Bunny Berigan (trumpet); Joe Marsala (clarinet); Herbie Haymer (tenor saxophone); Frank Froeba (piano); Clayton "Sunshine" Duerr (guitar); Pete Peterson (bass); Maurice Purtill (drums); Tempo King (vocals). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Columbia 3131-D (mx. CO 19059, CO 19060).

Oh! Baby, What Makes Me Love You So; I've Got What It Takes. Race Series, no. 1-2 (The Negro and His Music). London: Parlophone Co., [1936]. Clarence Williams' Washboard Band (Charlie Gaines (trumpet); Arville Harris (clarinet and alto saxophone); Floyd Casey (washboard)) - both sides. James P. Johnson (piano and celeste); Clarence Williams (vocals) - side A; Clarence Williams (piano); Margaret Webster (vcl) - side B. and 178 rpm disc, 10 in. Parlophone R 2147 (mx. W403281A, W403046B). Recorded 1929.

1938 

Easin' Back to Tennessee; Clean Up at Home. U.S.: Decca Records, [1938]. Sleepy John Estes (vocals and guitar). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Decca 7516 (mx. 63649A, 63651B).

1939

Let Me in Your Saddle; Green and Lucky. Camden, N.J.: RCA Manufacturing Co., [1939]. Walter Davis (vocals and piano). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Bluebird B-8282 (mx. B-8282A, B8282-B).

Sundown Blues; Cotton Farm Blues. Camden, N.J.: RCA Manufacturing Co., [1939]. Walter Davis (vocals and piano). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Bluebird B-8393 (mx. B-8393A, B8393B).

194-

Livery Stable Blues; Nobody's Sweetheart. Port Washington, Wis.: New York Recording Laboratories, [194?]. New Orleans Rhythm Kings (Paul Mares (cornet); George Brunies (trombone); Leon Roppolo (clarinet); Jack Pettis (tenor saxophone and c-melody saxophone); Elmer Schoebel (piano); Lou Black (banjo); Steve Brown (bass); Frank Snyder (drums))--side A. Charles Pierce and His Orchestra (Muggsy Spanier (cornet); Jack Reid (trombone); Frank Teschmacher (clarinet and alto saxophone); Charles Pierce (alto saxophone); Ralph Rudder (tenor saxophone); Danny Lipscomb (piano); Stuart Branch (banjo); Johnny Mueller (bass and tuba); Paul Kettler (drums). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Paramount 14028 (mx. QB-10187-1-D9; QB-10186-1-D9, 20534-2). Electrically recorded reissue of recording from 1922 (side A) and 1928 (side B).

Mabel's Dream; Riverside Blues. Port Washington, Wis.: New York Recording Laboratories, [194?]. King Oliver's Jazz Band (King Oliver and Louis Armstrong (cornets); Honore Dutrey (trombone); Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Charlie Jackson (bass saxophone); Lil Hardin (piano); Baby Dodds (drums)). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Paramount 14014 (mx. 1624-2, 1622-1). Electrically recorded reissue of a 1923 recording.

Southern Stomps; Dearborn Street Blues. Port Washington, Wis.: New York Recording Laboratories, [194?]. King Oliver's Jazz Band (King Oliver and Louis Armstrong (cornets); Honore Dutrey (trombone); Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Charlie Jackson (bass saxophone); Lil Hardin (piano); Baby Dodds (drums)). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Paramount 14015 (mx. 1623-2, 1587-2). Electrically recorded reissue from 1923 recording.

1946

Belleville; Liza. England: Decca Record Co., [1946]. Le Quintette du Hot Club (Stephane Grappelli (violin); Django Reinhardt (guitar); Jack Llewellyn and Alan Hodgkins (guitars); Coleridge Goode (bass)). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Decca F.41010 (mx. DR10027-2, DR10029-1).

Shotgun House Rag; Lakefront Blues. New York: Circle Sound, 1946. Dan Burley and His Skiffle Boys: Dan Burley (piano and vocals); Brownie McGhee and Sticks McGhee (guitars); Pops Foster (bass). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Circle J-1022 (mx. 14A, 15A).

Take Your Big Hands Off; He's Got a Punch Like Joe Louis. Hot Classic Series. [New York]: Juke Box, [1946]. Alberta Hunter (vocals); Leroy Jones (clarinet); Sam Clanton (piano); Al Casey (guitar); Al Matthews (bass). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Juke Box JB 510 (mx. JB 510 A, JB 510 B).

1951 

Catfish Blues; Dust My Broom. Jackson, Miss.: Diamond Record Co., [1951]. Elmo James (vocals). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Trumpet Records 146 (mx. DRC-52, DRC-53).

Coffee Blues; New Short Haired Woman. [New York]: Sittin' in with, [1951]. Lightnin' Hopkins (vocals and guitar). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Sittin' in with 635 (mx. 2326, 2335).

I've got News for You; Tell Me Is There Still a Chance. [New York]: Coral Records, [1951]. Goree Carter (vocals and guitar). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Coral 65058 (mx. W81053T9A, W81050T9A).

Take It Easy; I Don't Know Why. Hollywood, Calif.: Imperial, [1951]. Nat Terry (vocals). 1 78 rpm disc, 10 in. Imperial 5150 (mx. 1M-323, 1M-324).