120681bk Bob Cats 12/11/03 11:01 PM Page 2 1. March Of The Bob Cats 2:37 9. Big Foot Jump 2:39 16. Hindustan 3:14 20. It’s All Over Now 3:19 (The Bob Cats) (Bob Zurke) (Oliver G. Wallace–Harold Weeks) (Johnny Lange–Lew Porter) Decca 63423-A Decca 63426-A Decca 64989-A Bob Crosby, vocals Recorded 14 March 1938, New York Recorded 14 March 1938, New York Recorded 6 February 1939, New York Decca 67284-A 2. Stumbling 3:13 10. Five Point Blues 3:05 17. Do You Ever Think Of Me? 2:59 Recorded 11 March 1940, New York (Zez Confrey) (Yank Lawson) (Harry D. Kerr–John Cooper–Earl Burtnett) 21. Till We Meet Again 3:17 Decca DLA 1060-A Decca 63428-A Nappy Lamare. vocal (Richard A. Whiting–Raymond B. Egan) Recorded 13 November 1937, Los Angeles Recorded 14 March 1938, New York Decca 67172-A Decca 66601-A 3. Who’s Sorry Now? 2:57 11. Tech Triumph 2:43 Recorded 6 February 1940, New York Recorded 18 September 1939, New York (Ted Snyder–Bert Kalmar–Harry Ruby) (Mattie E. Boggs–W.P.Maddux) 18. The Love Nest 3:10 Transfers, Production & Digital Noise Reduction Decca DLA 1061-A Bob Crosby, vocals (Louis Achille Hirsch–Otto Abels Harbach) by Peter Dempsey Recorded 13 November 1937, Los Angeles Decca 67286-A Decca 66664-A Original monochrome photo of Bob Crosby’s Bob 4. Coquette 3:06 Recorded 11 March 1940, New York Recorded 25 September 1939, New York Cats from MAXJAZZ/Lebrecht Music Collection. (Carmen Lombardo–Johnny Green–Gus Kahn) 12. Call Me A Taxi 3:16 19. Washington And Lee Swing 2:48 Decca DLA 1062-A (Bob Haggart–Bob Zurke) (C.A.Robbins–Thornton W.Allen– Clockwise from bottom left: Recorded 13 November 1937, Los Angeles Decca 91517-A M.W.Sheafe) Bob Crosby, Ray Bauduc, Nappy Lamare, Eddie Recorded 14 October 1938, Chicago Decca 66662-A Miller, Bob Haggart, Jess Stacy, Billy Butterfield, 5. Palesteena 2:53 Warren Smith, Irving Fazola (Con Conrad–J. Russell Robinson) 13. I Hear You Talking 2:33 Recorded 25 September 1939, New York Nappy Lamare, vocals (Eddie Miller–Ray Bauduc) Decca 63424-A Decca 91516-A Recorded 14 March 1938, New York Recorded 14 October 1938, Chicago Also available in the Naxos Jazz Legends series ... 6. You’re Driving Me Crazy! 2:53 14. Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind 2:23 (Walter Donaldson) (Arthur Young–William Shakespeare) Decca DLA 1064-A Marion Mann, vocals Recorded 13 November 1937, Los Angeles Decca 91713-A 7. Slow Mood 3:06 Recorded 20 April 1939, Chicago (Eddie Miller) 15. It Was A Lover And His Lass 2:43 Decca 63425-A (Arthur Young–William Shakespeare) Recorded 14 March 1938, New York Marion Mann, vocals 8. So Far, So Good 2:44 Decca 91714-A (Jimmy Mundy–Eddie White–Jack Lawrence) Recorded 20 April 1939, Chicago Marion Mann, vocals Decca 67242-A 8.120632* 8.120652* 8.120712 Recorded 28 February 1940, New York * Not available in the USA 5 8.120681 6 8.120681 120681bk Bob Cats 12/11/03 11:01 PM Page 1 were at first unsure of the market for Dixieland) (fine creations variously tailored by the band’s assembled the available remaining Bobcats for Make Music (RKO, 1940), Presenting Lily Mars BOB CROSBY’S BOB CATS reflected a conscious policy of reviving the tried talented sidemen-arrangers Bauduc, Haggart jazz gigs and was regularly a personable MC (MGM, 1942), Thousands Cheer (MGM, 1943) ‘Palesteena’ Original Recordings 1937 and familiar. Lawson, Miller and Zurke), plus a host of other and host on TV and radio. In later years he and Pardon My Rhythm (Universal, 1944), Two However, as the perception that white bands ‘revivals’ including Zez Confrey’s Stumbling toured jazz festivals and made a noted Tickets To Broadway (RKO, 1951) and The Five could – and should – be as hot as their black (1922) and Carmen Lombardo’s Coquette appearance before Ronald Reagan at the White Pennies (Paramount, 1959). Although upstaged by his elder brother, among going Bob to front the new band, with counterparts appeared to be growing at the (1928), with characteristic pseudo-oriental House in 1985. After his original group Bob Crosby died in La Jolla, California, on crooners the personable Bob Crosby had a saxophonist Dean Kincaide (b. Houston, Texas, same rate as the audience for Goodman-style revivals like Washington And Lee Swing (1910) disbanded in 1942, Bob continued a solo career 9 March 1993. distinctive timbre and a style of his own, albeit 1911) and bassist-composer Bob Haggart (b. Swing, radical changes were soon to be and Hindustan (1918) set proudly alongside the (backed, ad hoc, by his orchestra and/or the he was never really a jazz singer. More New York, 1914) as its forward-looking instituted. An energetic band-within-the-band new, including British arranger Arthur Young’s Bobcats). His screen appearances included Let’s Peter Dempsey, 2003 significantly, however, he won world renown as arrangers. Rodin would remain the group’s small group, dubbed the Bobcats, soon imported settings of Shakespeare and “The Big the front-man of one of the best-organised leader and musical director (he was later assuaged any disappointed jazz fans. Between Crash From China” and Big Foot Jump. American swing-bands of the 1930s – a appointed its president) and was also Bob’s 1936 and the musicians’ strike of 1942 a good The orchestra’s founding members Personnel trailblazer in the New Orleans Revival, it was the personal manager, remaining faithful until the third of the band’s recorded output was comprised a number with either direct New 13 November 13 1937: Yank Lawson, trumpet; 6 February 1939: Billy Butterfield, trumpet; one which did most to revitalise Dixieland. Born organisation disbanded in 1942 when several of devoted to Bob Cats arrangements (effected Orleans pedigree or New Orleans influences. Warren Smith, trombone; Matty Matlock, Warren Smith, trombone; Irving Fazola, George Robert Crosby in Spokane, Washington its members, including himself, were drafted principally by Haggart) and already by April Prominent among the key figures of its seven- clarinet; Eddie Miller, tenor sax, clarinet (track clarinet; Eddie Miller, tenor sax; Bob Zurke, on 25 August 1913, Bob first made an into the US forces. 1936 the full band had begun to follow suit with year existence were the trumpeters Yank Lawson 2 only); Bob Zurke, piano; Nappy Lamare, piano; Nappy Lamare, guitar; Bob Haggart, impression as a singer during 1933 and 1934 Under Rodin’s wing, alongside its not “Muskrat Ramble” and “Dixieland Shuffle”, the (b. Trenton, Missouri, 1911) and Billy guitar; Bob Haggart, string bass; Ray Bauduc, string bass; Ray Bauduc, drums with the Anson Weeks orchestra and famously inconsiderable stake in the schmaltzy Swing first in a long line of Dixieland items. Butterfield (b. Middletown, Ohio, 1917-1988); drums 20 April 1939: Billy Butterfield, trumpet; doubled briefly as a vocalist with the Dorsey market (evidenced by a succession of hits The Bob Cats are nowadays best the clarinettists Irving Fazola (b. New Orleans, 14 March 1938: (Track 1 only) Yank Lawson, Warren Smith, trombone; Irving Fazola, Brothers’ Orchestra (despite the vociferous starting with “In A Little Gypsy Tea Room” in remembered for a string of sides generally rated 1912-1949), Matty Matlock (b. Paducah, trumpet; Warren Smith, trombone; Matty clarinet; Eddie Miller, tenor sax; Floyd Bean, opposition of Tommy, who rated him a poor 1935) the Crosby Orchestra swiftly became the classic Dixieland re-creations. No doubt Kentucky, 1907-1978) and Eddie Miller (b. New Matlock, clarinet; Eddie Miller, tenor sax; Bob piano; Nappy Lamare, guitar; Bob Haggart, second to the great Bing). pre-eminent, all-white, Dixieland big-band, encouraged by the popularity of a longer list of Orleans, 1911) – their co-presence inspired the Zurke, piano; Nappy Lamare, guitar; Haig string bass; Ray Bauduc, drums Later in 1934 Bob joined Ben Pollack and albeit the band’s earliest critics viewed its slavish full-band numbers (notably “Royal Garden nickname ‘Band of the Clarinets’; guitarist Stephens, string bass was with the band when it broke up in homage to traditional 1920s Chicago and New Blues”, “Wolverine Blues” and the band’s virtual Nappy Lamare (b. New Orleans, 1907-1988); 18 & 25 September 1939: Billy Butterfield, California. By the time it opened at the Orleans as obsolescent and retrograde. Its most theme-tune “South Rampart Street Parade” –all pianists Bob Zurke (b. Detroit, 1912-1944), Joe 14 March 1938: (Tracks 5, 7, 9 & 10) Yank trumpet; Warren Smith, trombone; Irving Roseland Ballroom in June 1935, however, the prestigious residency, at the Black Hawk in fine Haggart or Matlock arrangements, these Sullivan (b. Chicago, 1906-1971) and Jess Stacy Lawson, trumpet; Warren Smith, trombone; Fazola, clarinet; Eddie Miller, tenor sax; Joe incipient Bob Crosby Orchestra was already Restaurant (1938-1939), was followed by two are still standards of the idiom) the Bob Cats (b. Bird’s Point, Missouri, 1904) and drummer Irving Fazola, clarinet; Eddie Miller, tenor sax; Sullivan, piano; Nappy Lamare, guitar; Bob taking shape under another figure, Pollack’s stints on the commercial radio show Camel followed suit with a steady stream of titles Ray Bauduc (b. New Orleans, 1908-1988). Bob Zurke, piano; Nappy Lamare, guitar; Bob Haggart, string bass; Ray Bauduc, drums Russian-born ex-tenor-saxophonist Gilbert ‘Gil’ Caravan, the first replacing Benny Goodman. which also reached a ready international market. After distinguished service in the US Marines Haggart, string bass 6 & 28 February, & 11 March 1940 : Billy Rodin (1906-1974).