Swing

Boston gets an unusual band this week with Fletcher Henderson pulling into the Southland. Fletcher,--Benny Goodman claims and just about everybody else in the business admits--is the best arranger in the jazz field. His "Sometimes I'm Happy," done for Benny Goodman, is considered to be one of the five greatest arrangements ever written and Henderson himself says that he never expects to write another sax chorus such as is contained in this record. He claims that he wrote the equally famous "Stardust" arrangement for Goodman while lying flat on his back from an automobile accident and that Goodman told him to go get cracked up again, in order to get more of the same.

In addition to being a great arranger, Fletcher had a few years ago what is considered by many to have been the greatest swing band ever assembled. Such stars as Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Chu Berry, and Israel Crosby were members of the band during the nineteen thirty-three period. Goodman, following his custom of copying only the best has recently made recordings of "Wrapping It Up" and "Big John's Special" that are note for note copies of the Henderson Deccas.

Notes between the notes: "Doojie-Woogie," Johnny Hodges' latest effort for Vocation, is well worth getting. It has the usual weird alto sax of the leader and some very fine rhythm riffs . . . Mildred Bailey sings a song from the Mikado, "Tit Willow," and despite shrill shricks of horror from the Savoyards, it still is an excellent job . . . Blue Note, a private recording concern of New York City, has just released its third and fourth records, a ten and twelve inch platter of the blues, with such stars as Frankie Newton and Albert Ammons taking part. While the recording wasn't too good on both the records, the playing on the ten inch was enough to persuade me. Recommended are the trumpet solos of Newton and the trombone solo of Higgenbothem . . . As to Harry James, heard at Adams House last Monday, almost everybody was musically disappointed. James, while having smoothed his style somewhat since last hearing, still plays very stiffly himself and his rhythm section sounds as if it were descended from the proud line of Pinocchio. On slow tunes, things were much better, the band displaying an indifferent Goodman style sweet. However, on the so-called "killer-diller" stuff, not even the rankest jitterbug could find much satisfaction with Mr. James playing such tricks as using the beginning of "Bach Goes To Town" and most of the famous Berigan chorus from the Benny Goodman record on "King Porter Stomp" . . . Rumor's flying around that Stan Brown's Gold Coast Orchestra may appear on Benny Goodman's Camel Hour program in June. And that the King of Swing will be given a royal welcome at Widener Library when he arrives . . . Louis Armstrong does "West End Blues" (Decca) this week, and while it isn't as good as the famous duet done some years ago with Earl Hines, it still is plenty good jazz . . . By all means, listen to "Floyd's Guitar Blues" by Andy Kirk featuring the guitar player that Goodman is trying to wheedle away from Kirk with a few thousand dollars . . . Glenn Miller's "Stairway to the Stars" taken from the Park Avenue Fantasy in an attempt to imitate the success of "Deep Purple" is nice sweet stuff . . . And Lionel Hampton's "It Don't Mean a Thing" is really vicious swing