June 2002

I'se A Muggin'
Joe Haymes and His Orchestra 
Cliff Weston and the Headliners, vocal       1936
(Perfect 6-05-09 mx 18806)

I have a tendency to neglect recordings from the swing era in favor  of those from the period immediately preceding it.  To help make up for it, here's a real swinging selection replete with scat singing and jive talk lyrics.

According to Cab Calloway's Hepster Dictionary, the term "muggin'" means "making 'em laugh, putting on the jive." 

"I'se A Muggin'" was composed by violinist Stuff Smith who also headed a jazz sextet called Stuff Smith and His Onyx Club Boys. Along with "If You'se A Viper," it one of the group's most famous numbers.

Joe Haymes (1908 -1964) fronted several bands during his career and was among the first white bandleaders to switch to a swing format.  While his bands were well received by music critics, they only achieved modest commercial success.  His roster of musicians impressed Tommy Dorsey enough that, after he had his famous fight with brother Jimmy and walked out of the Dorsey Brothers' Dance Orchestra in 1935, he worked out a deal to take over the Haymes band more or less intact.  Under Dorsey, it became on of the most successful bands of the swing and big band eras.

After Dorsey took over around September 1935, Haymes formed another band - the one heard on this week's selection.  Vocalist Cliff Weston had been with Haymes at least as early as 1934.  He stayed on as a vocalist with the Dorsey band for a brief while before being replaced with Jack Leonard.  Weston then went to work for Haymes' new band.

It was Joe Haymes who, in 1927, hired a vocal trio from Minnesota called "The McMichaels" which later became one of the most famous vocal groups of the early 1940s, The Merry Macs.

---

June 20, 2002
 
 

 
Dime
Carlos Molina and His Orchestra              1934
(Brunswick 4058)

From the 1930s through the 1950s Latin American dance music had a large following in the United States.  Perhaps the best remembered bandleader of this genre was Desi Arnez who, along with his actress wife Lucille Ball, became a highly successful television star and studio owner.  At the time, however, the most famous U.S. based Latin band was Xavier Cugat's which was, for many years, a fixture at New York's posh Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.  Other successful bandleaders included Enric Madriguera, Henry King and this week's featured artist, Carlos Molina.

I have not been able to locate a whole lot of biographical information about Carlos Molina - but judging by the number of records he made, he was apparently quite popular during the 1930s and was active into at least the 1950s.  In 1930, he served as music director for the US produced Spanish language film Así es la vida.  In 1949, Molina and his band starred in the musical short film Rhythm of the Mambo.  He also had bit roles as a bandleader in several films during the 1940s and 1950s.  Carlos Molina died in 1982.

I am quite fond of this genre - especially 1930s recordings of upbeat rhumbas.  While this selection is a bit on the slow side, observe that it is, nevertheless, very rhythmic.  I also think it has a rather pretty tune. 

According to one online translation site, the Spanish word "dime" translates to "say me." 

For those who are interested in exploring Latin American dance music of the era further, I highly recommend an excellent CD called "Cuban Big Bands 1940-1942" which can be found (along with sample sound clips) by doing a title search at either cdnow.com or at Amazon.com.

---

June 13, 2002
 
 

Where The Shy Little Violets Grow
Colonial Club Orchestra
Jack Parker, vocal                                 1928
(Brunswick 4058)

Here's a nice and snappy number that I picked up recently in a 78 rpm record auction.  Too bad the song has such a hokey title. 

The Colonial Club Orchestra was a Brunswick Records recording pseudonym used by the Bob Haring Orchestra.  I have previously featured another version of this song by the Campus Boys (a Harry Reser pseudonym) in this site's 1920s & 1930s section.
 

---

 

I want to take this opportunity to thank Dan Taylor for the interesting and entertaining aviation themed Hit of the Week Updates that he furnished for the month of May.  I hope everyone enjoyed them as much as I did.

 
I'm Gonna Count My Sheep
Missouri Jazz Band
Jerry White, vocal                                    1929
(Romeo 1136-B mx 19098)

This week's selection was recorded exactly one week before the October 29 "Black Tuesday" crash of the stock market.  The record, however, was not released until early 1930.

The Missouri Jazz Band was a recording pseudonym used by a number of groups during the 1920s and early 1930s including the Joseph Samuels, Adrian Schubert, Ben Selvin and Noble Sissle bands.  This week's selection is performed by the Adrian Schubert band. The pseudonym seems to have most frequently appeared on the Banner label.  My copy presented here comes from an old Romeo disc - but it was also issued on Banner and perhaps some other labels as well.  By late 1929, the parent companies of both the Banner and Romeo labels had merged to form the American Record Corporation which would become a major player in what was left of the record industry during the Great Depression.  Through the mid-1930s, it was a  fairly common practice for a recording to be issued, sometimes under different pseudonyms,  on several affiliated labels.  Banner records were primarily sold through the S.S. Kresge dime store chain while Romeos were primarily sold at rival S.H. Kress & Co.

I think this is a rather catchy tune and am especially fond of the xylophone solos heard throughout. The first 15 seconds or so of this recording have some defects that my audio restoration software was unable to remove.  Nevertheless, thanks to the software, the rest of it sounds great.