Search - Dickie Wells :: 1927-1943

Jazz Expats-An American in Paris in the Golden Age

Brown Dog | 11/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first found Dickie Wells in the wondeful Count Basie stuff of the Old Testament band of the late 30's. "Dickies Dream" fascinated me-it seemed like it came from another place than the old sometimes-boring "shout and response" type of blues. For years I looked for records by Dickie Wells and found nothing. Then-voila!-this French CD appeared. These recordings were made in Paris and NYC from 1927 through 1943. The "good stuff"-when Dickie and his friends hit their stride, IMHO, start in 1937 with a group picking up luninaries such as Bill Coleman (t), Django Reinhart(g) and Shad Collins (t). Try "Sweet Sue" and "I've Found a New Baby" to get a feel for what life in the City of Light must have been like in the late 30's, with the silent war underway and the tension of the storm clouds in Europe making the jazz so much sweeter.Great Record!"