J»ck Pettis, tenor saxophone; Elmer Schoebel, Armstrong remains a top-flight expres. piano; Lew Black, banjo; Steve Brown, bass; Ben EXCELSIOR PROFILE SERIES Pollack, drums. Track 9: Glen Scoville for Pettis; sionist in singing. He is appealing Charlie Pierce for Schoebel. Tracks 10-12: Mares; when he sings, and occasionally he and Rappolo; Brunis; , piano; Frank Snyder, drums. Crosby hit a groove. Then the result is Rating: it it it it most rewarding, as on the reflective Jazz has never known another clarinetist Mountain Moon, which also displays Arm. who played with the pure beauty that strong to good advantage in a calm, mid­ Rappolo produced. Combined with this dle-register trumpet solo. was an exciting sense of the dramatic. So Brother Bill is delightful and humor­ little of his work was recorded before he ous, and the two singers handle it with was committed to a sanitarium in 1925 flexibility and ease. Another arresting that a collection such as this is to be take is Sugar, which they project with treasured. These 1922 and 1923 recordings conviction and understanding. have all the limitations of the acoustic So this is not a completely unpleasant, system, but Rappolo's clarinet cuts clean­ session. But there must be a better way ly through the fuzz and sludge to shine as to showcase these two, sans corn, sans brilliantly as though an electrical process ham, and sans choral groups. (B.G.) had been used. His solos and breaks on these pieces remain, after all these years, Champion Jack Dupree absolute gems. The band itself, both as the NATURAL AND SOULFUL BLUES—Atlmit 8045: Seafood Blues; Death of Big Bill Broouy. and in its Don’t Leave Me, Mary; Rampart Street Specid, later manifestation as the Friars Society How Long Blues; Bad Life; Mother-in-Law Blue;, Slow Drag; Dennis Rag; Bad Luck Bound u Orchestra, was a driving ensemble group, Change. but its soloists, outside of Rappolo, were Personnel: Dupree, piano, vocals; Alexis kemer guitar; Jack Fallon, bass. scarcely memorable. Rating: it it it Mares was a good lead trumpet but a Dupree is an odd mixture of basic bluet routine soloist. Brunis devoted himself al­ and slicked-up showmanship. His strong most entirely to ensemble playing (one sometimes fervent voice and rolling piano notable exception is Tin Roof Blues on accompaniment have been well recorded in which he takes an untypically careful, deli­ this set (during his visit to England) berate solo—followed, incidentally, by one There are times when all his better aspects of Rappolo's most memorable choruses). come together—Don’t Leave Me, Mary, All the high spots are Rappolo's, but they for instance, which is a swinging, out­ are so high that they're always worth going, well-balanced performance. waiting for again and again. (J.S.W.) But Dupree's taste is highly fallible— Mother-in-Law Blues and Seafood Blues are sad samples of humor—and his ideas VOCAL are usually obvious. The thing that is miss­ ing in Dupree as a blues singer is made evident in Death of Big Bill Broonzy. Thi Bing Crosby- is one of Dupree’s better efforts as a BING & SATCHMO—M-G-M 3882P: Muskrat singer, but the banality of his treatment Ramble; Sugar; Preacher; Dardanella; Let's Sing Like a Rand; 'Way Down Yonder in makes one think what this song might have New Orleans; Brother Bill; Little Ol' Tune; At been if the tables had been turned and it the Jazz Band Ball; Rocky Mountain Moon; Bye, had been Broonzy singing about Dupree Bye Blues. Personnel: Crosby, vocals; Armstrong, vocals, Dupree has most of the essential equip­ trumpet; Billy May Orchestra. ment to be a good blues man. What he Rating ★ ★ Vt seems to lack in these performances is Listening to these legendary veterans, Robert Davine is head of the that currently abused and almost meaning­ accordion department at the I had the uncomfortable feeling of a less quality, soul—in the basic sense. University of Denver. He appeared youngster catching his Sunday school (J.S.W. I with the Mantovani Orchestra on its teacher with his commandments down In first United States tour and with fact, this album is, for me, a waste of at Ennio Bolognini at Orchestra Hall, Little Brother Montgomery Chicago. As staff accordionist, he least four talents, including adapter (what­ TASTY BLUES — Prestige/Bluesvill« 1012: ever that means) Johnny Mercer and ar­ Tasty Blues; Santa Fe; How Long, Brothtrt has worked at WGN in Chicago and Pleading Blues; No Special Rider; Brotkf for NBC in Denver. ranger-leader May. Boogie; Sneaky Pete Blues; Sometking http Playing for an audience of over Perhaps the most distasteful aspect of Worrying Me; Cry, Cry Baby; Satellite Um Deep Fried; Vicksburg Blues. 5,000 at Red Rocks amphitheater in the set is the ultra-hip, out-of-tune choral Personnel: Montgomery, vocals, piano; Lafayettt Denver, July 10,1960, Robert Davine group that keeps intruding with phrases Thomas, guitar; Julian Euell, baas. appeared as accordion soloist with and chants and some unbelievable sing­ Rating: ★ it it the Denver Symphony under the ing. This group considerably weakens This album lives up to its title fully direction of Saul Caston. Davine was Little Ol’ Tune, on which it is corny; Bye, it’s a happy, unpretentious collection of lauded for his brilliant performance tastefully understated urban blues. of Andrew Walter’s "Reflections" Bye Blues, on which its boppish cliches for accordion and orchestra not only are out of place, and Muskrat, on which it The performances are relaxed, easy by the audience but by the major is simply silly. Crosby and Armstrong are going, and thoroughly enjoyable—the re­ newspapers as well. not without some responsibility for this sult of a fine group interaction (in fact So well was his appearance fiasco. Crosby’s grasp of his share of the the group might be likened to a sort of received that Mr. Davine, at the harmonic load is often questionable, and King Cole Trio of the blues) and a solid insistence of Mr. Caston, has been his entire vocal presentation has deterior­ musicianship. invited to perform the "Paul Creston ated much more drastically than Arm­ Despite the absence of drums, the trie Concerto” for accordion and strong’s has. sets up a firm resilient beat against which orchestra during the 1960 season. Armstrong on trumpet is a mere echo of the subtle and sensitive piano work of Mr. Davine plays a Citation Series the powerful Armstrong of the past in Montgomery and the heavily blued guitar Symphony Grand Excelsior accordion. many places, particularly on Jazz Band of Thomas are set. Euell is an impressive Ball. Both men are guilty of hamming it bassist, and the responsibility for the up. and they stretch togetherness to a firm, yet light, pulsation largely devolves T^xcelsior point that is embarrassing. Preacher is the on him. Montgomery is a fine, inventive pianist ACCORDIONS, INC. prime example of the former; take your 333 Sixth Ave., New York 14 choice for the latter. who performs with sensitivity and M 30 • DOWN BEAT