Mike's Noise: Virtual Victrola - Sept. 5 Edition

This week, classic jazz that reflects streets and neighborhoods of New Orleans.

Jazz was born in New Orleans. The music was a combination of ragtime, military band music, and the creative skills of musicians who could not read music and therefore improvised their parts. The New Orleans musicians developed a unique rhythm within their music that was especially suited to dancing and almost universally imparted joy upon listeners. The earliest "jazz" was played in saloons, dance halls, and whorehouses in New Orleans' notorious red light district, Storyville. During World War I, the US Army shut down Storyville in order to protect its fighting men from disease, gambling, drinking, and brawling. The Storyville musicians were forced to travel elsewhere in order to keep working. They traveled up the Mississippi on the river boats, and eventually made their way to Chicago.

One of the first bands to really hit the big time in Chicago was King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, which was truly an all-star outfit: Lil Hardin (later Louis Armstrong's second wife) on piano, Baby Dodds on drums, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Honore Dutrey on trombone, and King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, Oliver's 21-year-old protege, both on cornet. Canal Street Blues, an Oliver-Armstrong original composition, was recorded for Gennett Records on April 5, 1923. Canal Street is the main boulevard of New Orleans with downtown to the west and the French Quarter to the east. Canal Street runs from the business district near the Mississippi up into the old housing districts.

Download king_olivers_creole_jazz_band_canal_street_blues.mp3

Spencer Williams was one of the Jazz Era's most prolific songwriters, but his most enduring tune is named after one of New Orleans' most famous streets: Basin Street Blues. Basin Street runs along the northwest border of the French Quarter, serving as a dividing line (along with Rampart Street) between the Quarter and the rest of the city. The performance that I have chosen was made in 1931 by a Columbia studio group recording under the name The Charleston Chasers. This group is really the Red Nichols orchestra without Red Nichols. Included in the band are Jack Teagarden on trombone and vocals, Benny Goodman on clarinet, Gene Krupa on drums, Glenn Miller on trombone, Charlie Teagarden (Jack's brother) on trumpet, Larry Binyon on tenor sax, Artie Schutt on piano, and Dick McDonough on guitar. The arrangement is by Glenn Miller, who also wrote the now-famous "Won't you come along with me..." introduction especially for this recording.

Download the_charleston_chasersjack_teagarden_basin_street_blues.mp3

The West End was a thriving summer resort spot along Lake Pontchartrain that was noted for its fishing, bathing, fabulous hotels and seafood restaurants, and dance halls that kept New Orleans musicians employed. The West End was some distance from downtown New Orleans, and mostly served out-of-town visitors. King Oliver immortalized the area in his 1928 composition West End Blues. The most famous version of this tune was recorded by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five while they were working in Chicago in June 1928. "West End Blues" is one of the greatest jazz recordings of the era, and is one of Louis Armstrong's most celebrated cornet performances. Also prominent on the record is the great Chicago pianist Earl Hines.

Download louis_armstrong_and_his_hot_five_west_end_blues.mp3

One of the most famous of the New Orleans traditions is the New Orleans jazz funeral. The funeral begins with a marching band playing a somber hymn like "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" as the mourners amble along behind the casket. Then the drummer strikes up a marching cadence, the band launches into a rousing rendition of "Didn't He Ramble" or another up-tempo tune, and the crowd parades joyously down the avenue. There were very few big bands that could capture the spirit of a New Orleans street parade, but one of them was the great Bob Crosby orchestra. South Rampart Street Parade is named after Rampart Street, the boulevard which divides the French Quarter from the city, and which has been the scene of innumerable street parades and jazz funerals. The tune was written by bassist Bob Haggart and drummer Ray Bauduc, who was a New Orleans native. Eddie Miller plays the clarinet solo.

Download bob_crosby_and_his_orch_south_rampart_street_parade.mp3

One of the enduring selections in the Duke Ellington songbook is Perdido, but this tune is not a Duke Ellington composition. It was written by valve trombonist and Ellington orchestra alum Juan Tizol, another New Orleans native. Perdido street in New Orleans runs through the downtown area and intersects South Rampart Street; it was the location of numerous jazz clubs during the heyday of New Orleans in the 1920's and 1930's. The version of Perdido that I have chosen is the first one that Duke recorded, Jan. 21, 1942, though there are many other superb versions of this tune by the Ellington band.

Download duke_ellington_and_his_famous_orchestra_perdido.mp3

One of the most famous and bittersweet songs about the legacy and warmth of New Orleans is Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter's classic hit, Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? In the wake of last week's tragedy, it seems appropriate to end with this number. This tune was primarily identified with Louis Armstrong and his All Stars, but it was recorded by a number of other jazz singers. The version that I've chosen is one that I can almost guarantee you've never heard before. The underappreciated Lee Wiley recorded this song with Deane Kincaide's Dixieland Band for a 1956 RCA Victor album entitled "Dave Garroway Presents The Wide, Wide World of Jazz." As far as I know, it has never been reissued again. The trombone solo is by the great Cutty Cutshall.

Download lee_wiley_do_you_know_what_it_means_to_miss_new_orleans.mp3