Search - Russ Carlson, High Steppers, Harold Van Emburgh :: Volume 1: The Crown House Bands

I love this music

Andrew K.Vaaler | 05/10/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thank your stars for the folks at "The Old Masters" who are recovering lost treasures of American music, shining off the tarnish with digital re-mastering, and selling it with thorough notes. This is high quality popular music from 1931 - 33, and will make you think of the Hal Roach studio comedies. It is toe-tapping stuff. It makes you happy like the music of Bob Wills and Fats Waller does."

Rays of sunshine in the depths of the Great Depression

JJA Kiefte | Tegelen, Nederland | 03/02/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although Russ Carlson is the featured pianist, the musical direction on the cd's 24 sides is in the hands of Adrian Schubert who became the leader of the Crown House bands in 1930. On these recordings, cut between March 1931 and August 1932, Schubert engaged such well known musicians as Mannie Klein, Miff Mole, Tony Partenti and Larry Binyon (and on some sides the clarinetist may be Benny Goodman). The programme is a delightful mix of mostly mid to up-tempo numbers from the darkest years of the depression, some of which are quite well known, others such as "You're Blasé" (the only other recording I know is by Carroll Gibbons in Britain) and "Thou Shalt Not" being relatively obscure. Arrangements are not startlingly original and rhythmically things are still rooted in the twenties (brass-bass and banjo are employed throughout), with a hot solo here and there (not as frequent as on the Ben Selvin or Gene Kardos discs) the results are neverthless exhilarating. Although some of the singers such as Charlie Palloy, Harold van Emburgh and Elmer Feldkamp are not really my cup of tea, their contributions are exclusively limited to the vocal refrain. Fortunately there are also eight vocals by Dick Robertson (whose rendition of the clever "You Can't Stop Me From Loving You" is delightful) and a couple by Joe Hos(t)etter, John Amendt and the duo of Les Reis and Artie Dunn which are quite palatable.

The booklet info (eight pages of them) is excellent and a further two are dedicated to discographical info. There is quite a lot of high pitched surface noise on some of the tracks, but given the apparent rarity of the tracks this may not be accountable to carelessness in the remastering.

A delightful issue."