Search - Bob Crosby & Bob Cat Orchestra :: 1937-40 Broadcasts

Listen and believe

jive rhapsodist | NYC, NY United States | 01/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In Sudhalter's flawed but informative book Lost Chords, much is made of this band. However, listening to their studio recordings next to tracks by Duke, Basie, Lunceford etc. one can easily be forgiven if one accuses Sudhalter of having an agenda, They seem fine, but not that exceptional. But here - and especially on the first 7 tracks - one can hear what the fuss was all about. Bob Haggart's Dogtown Blues is one of the finest Big Band blues charts of all time. In its uncut version, it flows effortlessly and inexorably, and receives a superlative performance. Ditto for Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Bob Zurke shows why his piano playing was admired by none other than Jelly Roll Morton and the whole band plays with admirable fire and purpose. Those first 7 tracks were part of a benefit for pianist Joe Sullivan, who was hospitalized at the time, and the sense of occasion is audible."