ESSENTIAL TO SERIOUS COLLECTORS OF CLASSIC JAZZ
Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 12/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Philip Larkin's Law of Reissues stated broadly that anything you hadn't got already wasn't worth bothering about. How wrong he was has been disproved repeatedly, not least by Frog CDs. The label is well established as one of those select resources that is essential to serious collectors of classic jazz, and "Frog Spawn: The First Batch" will buttress its reputation. It consists of twenty-five rare recordings, seven of which exist only as test pressings, and the remainder are either alternate takes or overlooked gems, for most of which this is the first reissue in digital format. A bare list of tunes cannot do justice to it, so I'm setting out the bands involved also as a guide to prospective purchasers:
Tracks 1 - 3: King Oliver & his Orchestra 1929/30 (#2 is Victor test)
Track 4: Earl Hines & his Orchestra 1929 (Victor test)
Track 5: Thomas Morris & his 7 Hot Babies 1926 (Victor test)
Track 6: Fletcher Henderson & his Orchestra 1926
Track 7: Paul Davis & his Orchestra 1932
Tracks 8 & 9: Texas Blues Destroyers 1924
Tracks 10 - 12: Blue Rhythm Orchestra 1925
Track 13: Frankie Franko & his Louisianians 1930 (ARC test)
Track 14: The Dixie Stompers 1926
Tracks 15 & 16: William "Buster" Bailey 1925
Tracks 17 & 18: Matson's Lucky Seven 1924
Track 19: The Troy Harmonists 1926
Tracks 20 & 21: Jackson & his Southern Stompers 1928
Tracks 22 - 24: Eubie Blake & his Orchestra 1931 (Victor tests)
Track 25: Dicky Wells' Shim Shammers 1933
Any one of these would cost many times the price of the CD to purchase, and that's before taking into account the transformation wrought by Nick Dellow's superb remastering.
King Oliver's late recordings show that despite the downturn in his fortunes, his ability to meld a group of musicians into his own particular style was undiminished. The recording by Thomas Morris has a flavour all its own, which Richard Rains in his comprehensive liner note speculates may point to a Jamaican origin for Morris.
The alternate take of Fletcher Henderson's "Clarinet Marmalade" is one of the stand-out tracks in this treasure trove, with the soloists almost falling over each other in a rapid succession of superb and highly idiosyncratic contributions. That's followed by the virtually unknown Paul Davis making a good fist of recreating Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy", complete with glockenspiel.
It should be apparent by now that I rate this reissue very highly, and am delighted to hear that a second volume is in course already. Whilst on the subject, Paul Swinton is about to publish the first Frog Blues & Jazz Annual, which looks set to be a high-quality production of visual delights, with reprints of rare articles and a bonus CD of rarities. Watch out for my review under Books.
"
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1