Here are the songs, artists and "set themes" for the shows I produced during April 2006. Many of these tracks are available on CD; you can try searching the database at Worlds Records, an excellent mail-order company based in Novato, California, which sells CDs of vintage jazz and pop music. A wonderful "brick-and-mortar" store for vintage music on CD is Canterbury Records, a legendary venue in Pasadena, California. They even carry phonograph cartridges and styli for those of us who love real records!
WEEKLY SHOW LISTINGS
April 2, 2006
This week we celebrated the start of April (even with some inclement weather); commemorated the start of Daylight Saving Time; had fun with April Fool's Day; had a swingin' session with classical composers; and saluted childhood.
SONGS ABOUT APRIL: April Showers - Doodles Weaver, 1950; April Showers - Al Jolson, 9/6/26; April in Paris - Freddy Martin with Elmer Feldkamp, vocal, 12/1/33; April in Portugal - Louis Armstrong, 4/21/53; April in My Heart - Billie Holiday, 11/9/38; April in Paris - Count Basie, 1955.
SONGS ABOUT BLUSTERY WEATHER: March Winds and April Showers - Abe Lyman, 1935; Ill Wind - Clarence Williams' Washboard Band, Chick Bullock, vocal, 3/28/34; Breezin' Along With the Breeze - The Merry Macs, 2/20/40; Breeze, Blow My Baby Back to Me - Andy Kirk with Pha Terrell, vocal, 10/24/38; I Feel Like a Feather in the Breeze - Cliff (Ukulele Ike) Edwards, 1947.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: When It's Daylight Saving Time in Oshkosh (I'd Rather Be in Kalamazoo) - Ted Weems with Parker Gibbs, Country Washburne and the Keating Twins, vocal, 10/17/30; There Ought to Be a Moonlight Saving Time - Annette Hanshaw, 5/9/31; One Hour - The Mound City Blue Blowers, 11/14/29; If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight - Ben Pollack with Jack Teagarden, vocal, 6/23/30; One Hour With You - Jimmie Grier with Donald Novis, vocal, 1934.
APRIL FOOLS: These Foolish Things - Benny Goodman with Helen Ward, vocal, 6/15/36; Them Durn Fool Things - Red Ingle and the Natural Seven with Mrs. F.X. Paisley (June Foray), 7/15/47; Fun to Be Fooled - Leo Reisman with Harold Arlen, vocal, 1934; It's Foolish But It's Fun - Deanna Durbin, 8/40; Fools Rush In - Mildred Bailey, 4/2/40; Fool Me Some More - Gus Arnheim with Bing Crosby, vocal, 10/29/30.
SWINGIN' THE CLASSICS: Bizet Has His Day - Les Brown, 9/17/41; Beethoven Wrote It, But It Swings - Dolly Dawn and Her Dawn Patrol, 2/15/39; A Mozart Opera By Borge - Victor Borge; Liebestraum - Spike Jones and his City Slickers, vocal by Red Ingle; Prelude in C# Minor - Jack Teagarden, 5/41; Martha - Adrian Rollini Trio, 5/7/40.
HOORAY FOR KIDS: Kids Again - Herman Kenin's Multnomah Hotel Orchestra, 4/25/29; When You Were the Girl on the Scooter - Abe Lyman, 1933; One, Two, Button Your Shoe - Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra, vocal by George Elrick, 1/27/37; Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater - Martha Raye with David Rose's Orchestra, 1939; If I Had Rhythm In My Nursery Rhymes - Tommy Dorsey with Edythe Wright, vocal, 12/9/35.
April 9, 2006
Our songs for this week's show include a salute to Sunday, songs about taxes to help ease the pain of the 15th, songs about having no money left(!), some very handy music, a digest version of Casablanca, some musical spuds, a salute to the start of baseball season, some hot mamas, and musical moons.
IT'S SUNDAY: Sunday - Jean Goldkette with the Keller Sisters and Al Lynch, vocal, 1926; My Sunday Girl - Clicquot Club Eskimos, vocal by Tom Stacks, 2/27; Sunday in the Park - Harold Rome, 1956; Sunday Driving - Jerry Lewis with Billy May's Orchestra, 5/3/50.
TAX TIME:Don't Put a Tax on the Beautiful Girls - Eddie Cantor, 8/19; Put a Tax on Love - Eddie Cantor, 1933; If They Ever Had an Income Tax on Love - Ambrose and His Orchestra, Sam Browne and the Carlysle Cousins, vocal, 9/22/31; You and Your Income Tax - Bob and Ray, 1957; Sales Tax - The Mississippi Sheiks, 1930; Max From the Income Tax - Sophie Tucker, 4/52; Taxpayers' Blues - Slim Gaillard, 1952.
WE'RE FLAT BROKE, OR ALMOST: Last Dollar - Eddie Droesch Orchestra, 1931; I Had But Fifty Cents - Jackie Gleason as Reginald Van Gleason III; Here It Is Monday and I've Still Got a Dollar - Chick Bullock's Levee Loungers, 1932; Once Upon a Nickel - Georgia Gibbs; Some Days You Can't Make a Nickel - Hoosier Hot Shots; I've Got a Yen for You - Gus Arnheim, vocal by Ann Gray, 6/18/30.
HANDY MUSIC: You've Got Me in the Palm of Your Hand - Gus Arnheim with the Three Rhythm Rascals, 7/2/32; Clap Hands, Here Comes Charley - Cliff (Ukulele Ike) Edwards), 12/25; Clap Yo' Hands - Imperial Dance Orchestra, vocal by Irving Kaufman, 1927; I'm Gonna Clap My Hands - Gene Krupa and his Swing Band with Benny Goodman, Helen Ward, vocal, 2/29/36; Holding My Honey's Hand - Waring's Pennsylvanians with Chick Bullock, vocal, 6/27/32; You'll Never Get Nowhere Holding Hands - The Six Jumping Jacks, vocal by Tom Stacks, 4/6/27; I Kiss Your Hand, Madame - Spike Jones and his City Slickers, vocal by Paul Judson, 12/4/27; How D'ye Do and Shake Hands- Groucho Marx, Jane Wyman, Jimmy Durante and Danny Kaye, 1951; My Fate Is in Your Hands - Lee Morse, 11/29; You've Got Me Under Your Thumb - Fats Waller, 9/7/37.
A TRIBUTE TO CASABLANCA (Voted Best Screenplay Ever by the Writers' Guild of America): Casablanca in 3:39 - Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henried, Claude Rains, Dooley Wilson.
SWINGIN' SPUDS: Potato Head Blues - Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven, 5/10/27; All That Meat and No Potatoes - Les Brown with vocal by Betty Bonney, 1942; When There's a Tear in the Eyes of a Potato - The Hoosier Hot Shots; Sweet Potato Swing - The Foursome; Diggin' My Potatoes - Washboard Sam.
PLAY BALL!: Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Harvey Hindemeyer, 1908; Who's On First? - Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, 1945; Babe and Lou, the Home Run Twins - Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, 1928; Joltin' Joe DiMaggio - Les Brown with vocal by Betty Bonney, 1941; Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball? - Count Basie, vocal by Taps Miller, 1949; Baseball Boogie - Mabel Scott, 1950; It's a Beautiful Day for a Ball Game - Harry Simeone Chorale, 1960.
MUSICAL MAMAS: Ay, Mama Inez - Pan American Marima Band, 1934; I Want My Mama - Bing Crosby with Woody Herman, 1/18/42; I Want to Call You Sweet Mama - Cliff (Ukulele Ike) Edwards, 10/33; Save It, Pretty Mama - McKinney's Cotton Pickers, vocal by Don Redman, 4/8/29; Mama, That Man Is Here Again - Benny Goodman with vocal by Martha Tilton, 11/12/37.
MOON, JUNE, SPOON: Shine On, Harvest Moon - Jack Norworth, 1950; All By Yourself in the Moonlight - Carroll Gibbons and the New Mayfair Orchestra, vocal by Eddie Grosbart, 11/7/28; Get Out and Get Under the Moon - Paul Whiteman with Bing Crosby, vocal, 5/22/28; Half a Moon Is Better Than No Moon - Johnny Marvin, 9/28/26; Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight - Bernie Cummins, 4/16/30; What a Little Moonlight Can Do - Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson, 7/2/35.
April 16, 2006
It's our annual Easter Sunday show, so we saluted Chicks, Eggs, Bunnies, and had some good old-fashioned spirituals.
HAPPY EASTER!: Easter Parade - Clifton Webb, 10/3/33; Happy Easter - Fred Astaire, 11/17/47; Easter Morning - Charlie Kunz and his Orchestra, vocal by George Barclay, 2/37.
EASTER BONNETS: Put On Your Old Gray Bonnet - Glen Gray, vocal by Pee Wee Hunt, 3/23/31; A Sunbonnet Blue - Teddy Wilson with Ben Webster and Roy Eldridge, vocal by Billie Holiday, 7/2/35
HOT CHICKS: There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Louis Jordan, 6/26/46; Since We Put the Radio in the Henhouse - The Hoosier Hot Shots; Chickery Chick - The Three Stooges, 5/59; Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken (Lay a Little Egg for Me) - The Six Jumping Jacks, vocal by Tom Stacks, 4/13/26.
SOME GOOD EGGS, SOME BASKET CASES: Humpty Dumpty - Frank Trumbauer with Bix Beiderbecke and Joe Venuti, 9/28/27; Beautiful Eggs - Spike Jones with vocal Del Porter, 1/12/42; Big Butter and Egg Man from the West - Louis Armstrong's Hot Five with May Alix, 11/16/26; Sunnyside Up - Frank Trumbauer with vocal by Smith Ballew, 10/10/29; I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket - The Boswell Sisters, 2/12/36; I Found My Yellow Basket - Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald, 10/6/38.
BUNNIES, BUNNIES, BUNNIES, BUNNIES EVERYWHERE!: Cotton Tail - Duke Ellington, 5/4/40; Freddie, Get Ready - Doris Day, Jack Carson and Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny, 1949; I Wuv a Wabbit - Spike Jones and his City Slickers with Arthur Q. Bryan as Elmer Fudd, 2/11/47; Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry, 1949; Run, Rabbit, Run - Flanagan and Allen, 9/29/39; The Three Trees - Frank Crumit, 6/4/28; I Can Pull a Rabbit Out of My Hat - Red McKenzie, 4/3/36; Ya Wanna Buy a Bunny? - Spike Jones and his City Slickers, vocal by George Rock.
FEELING THE SPIRIT, PART 1: Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive - Johnny Mercer with the Pied Pipers and Paul Weston's Orchestra, 10/4/44; In Dat Mornin' - Jimmie Lunceford's Chickasaw Syncopators, preaching by Moses Allen, 6/6/30; He Rose Unknown - The Morris Family; I Can Tell the World About This - Laura Henton, 6/14/29.
FEELING THE SPIRIT, PART 2: Lord, You've Been Good to Me - Laura Henton, 6/14/29; Shine On Me - Cliff Carlisle Quartet; Over in the Glory Land - Sam Morgan's Jazz Band, 10/22/27; Soon We'll Gather at the River - Southern Sanctified Singers, 1930.
OY! A LITTLE PASSOVER MUSIC, SAMMY: Der Shtiler Bulgar - Abe Schwartz Orchestra, 9/18; And the Angels Sing - Benny Goodman with Ziggy Elman and vocal by Martha Tilton, 2/1/39; Utt-Da-Zay - Cab Calloway, 7/17/39; Matzoh Balls - Slim Gaillard, 10/4/39; A Bee Gezindt - Mildred Bailey, 1/25/40; Oy, Mama - The Begelman (Barry) Sisters; Who'll Buy My Bublitchki? - Emery Deutsch with vocal by Nan Wynn, 3/15/38.
FEELING THE SPIRIT, PART 3: Down By the Riverside - Bunk Johnson, Spring 1944; On Revival Day - Red Nichols with Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, vocal by Jack Teagarden and the Foursome, 9/26/30; One More River to Cross - Sons of the Pioneers, 1937; Oh, Mo'nah! - Ted Weems with vocal by Country Washburne, 9/24/31; Hallelujah! - The Revellers, 4/25/27; Stay on the Right Side of the Road - Ray Noble and the New Mayfair Orchestra, vocal by Al Bowlly, 3/16/33.
FEELING THE SPIRIT, PART 4: Sing, You Sinners - Adrian Schubert, vocal by Irving Kaufman, 3/4/30; Moan, You Mourners - Bessie Smith with James P. Johnson, piano, and the Bessemer Singers, 6/9/30; Toll - Joe Haymes, vocal by John Riley Scott, 7/26/32; I'll Be Ready When the Great Day Comes - The Spirits of Rhythm, 12/6/33; Roll, Jordan, Roll - Turk Murphy's Jazz Band, 1953.
April 23, 2006
This week we noted the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco quake, played some authentic San Francisco swing and jazz, saluted Jimmy Stewart during the weekend of his annual Marathon, and did the swing with that thing.
OPEN UP THAT GOLDEN GATE: San Francisco - Tommy Dorsey with vocal by Edythe Wright, 6/9/36; Bob in San Francisco - Bob Hope, circa 1945; Frisco Fog - Jimmie Lunceford with Sy Oliver and Willie Smith, 11/5/37; Hello, Frisco - Elida Morris and Sam Ash, 1915.
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ: ART HICKMAN: Rose Room - Art Hickman, 9/19/19; Honeymoon Home - Art Hickman, 3/21/21; The Love Nest/Mary - Art Hickman, 6/11/20.
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ: HORACE HEIDT: Golden Gate - Horace Heidt, 2/24/28; I'm Ka-Razy for You - Horace Heidt with vocal trio, 3/16/29.
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ: FLEXO!: Smile When the Raindrops Fall - Lew Reynolds' Flexo Recording Orchestra; Happy Days Are Here Again - Jack Coakley's Tait's at the Beach Orchestra, 1930; Cheer Up - Jack Coakley, vocal by Paul Slobody, 1930.
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ: ANSON WEEKS: All of the following selections are by Anson Weeks and his Orchestra, recorded in 1932 for C.P. MacGregor Transcriptions when the band was appearing at San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel. Let's Fly Away, vocal by Bill Moreing; Ohhh, Ahhh - vocal trio; Medley: You Do Something to Me/I Can't Give You Anything But Love/With a Song in My Heart; Who's Your Little Who-zis?, vocal by Bill Moreing; The Scat Song; Rain, Rain Go Away, vocal by The Rhythmsters Trio; Banking on the Weather; Sweet and Low Down.
A TRIBUTE TO THE LISTENERS: San Francisco Fan - Cab Calloway, 12/11/41.
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ: TRAD REVIVAL, LU WATTERS: All of the following selections are by the traditional jazz revival band of cornetist Lu Watters. Tiger Rag, 1937; That's a Plenty, 1947; Muskat Ramble, 1947; At a Georgia Camp Meeting; Cake Walking Babies From Home.
SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ: TRAD REVIVAL, TURK MURPHY AND BOB SCOBEY: All of the following titles were recorded by trombonist Turk Murphy and his jazz band, or by trumpeter Bob Scobey and his band, after their respective departures from the Watters band. Minstrels of Annie Street - Turk Murphy, 7/16/51; St. James Infirmary - Turk Murphy, 5/8/50; Chimes Blues - Turk Murphy, 5/31/49; I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of This Jelly Roll - Bob Scobey with Alexander's Jazz Band, 12/47; Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home - Bob Scobey with vocal by Clancey Hayes, 1/21/55.
WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN' ON: Shake That Thing! - Abe Lyman, 1926; It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That) - Glenn Miller AAF Band, 10/14/43; Shake Down the Stars - Tommy Dorsey with vocal by Frank Sinatra, 2/26/40; Shakin' the Blues Away - Ann Miller, 1948; Chocolate Shake - Duke Ellington, vocal by Ivie Anderson, 1940; Shake It and Break It - Varsity Seven, vocal by Joe Turner.
EARTHY MUSIC: The Good Earth - Woody Herman, 8/20/45; Come Down to Earth, My Angel - Fats Waller, 1/2/41.
THE SONG STYLINGS OF--JIMMY STEWART?!: Day After Day - J.M. Stewart with the Princeton Triangle Club Dance Orchestra, 10/12/31; Easy to Love - James Stewart and Eleanor Powell, 1936; I'm a Wolf - James Stewart with Bing Crosby, 3/10/48; That Hometown Feeling - James Stewart, 1978.
IT DON'T MEAN A SWING IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT THING: I'm Doin' That Thing - Gus Arnheim with the Ambassador Trio, 1930; You've Got That Thing! - Maurice Chevalier, 1930; I Like to Do Things for You - Leo Reisman, vocal by Lew Conrad, 4/9/30; A Precious Little Thing Called Love - Milt Shaw and his Detroiters, vocal by Smith Ballew.
April 30, 2006
This week we explored a variety of topics in song, including the high price of gasoline and alternate means of transportation, the original meaning of "May Day," a selection of vintage Tango and Latin records, old-fashioned taverns, and clouds! A typically eclectic Forward Into the Past show.
SONGS ABOUT THE HIGH COST OF GASOLINE: The Village Blacksmith Owns the Village Now - The Six Jumping Jacks, 1/27/26; Gasoline Gus and His Jitney Bus - Billy Murray, 1915; I Think I Oughtn't Auto Anymore - Billy Murray, 1907; Steppin' On the Gas - Sam Morgan's Jazz Band, 4/14/27.
SONGS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION: Let's Have a Ride on Your Bicycle - Max Miller, 11/53; Running Between the Raindrops - Smith Ballew, 1932; Walking With Susie - Milt Shaw and his Detroiters, 4/2/29; I Like Riding on a Choo Choo - Leslie Sarony, vocal Billy Ternent, 1949; Thanks for the Buggy Ride - Frank Crumit, 4/13/26; Us on a Bus - Fats Waller, 4/8/36; Walkin' My Baby Back Home - Milt Shaw and his Detroiters, 2/13/31.
TANGO AND LATIN RECORDS: A Media Luz - Dave Apollon, 1932; El Monito - Julio De Caro, 9/17/28; The Peanut Vendor - Don Azpiazu's Havana Casino Orchestra, vocal Antonia Machon, 1930; La Cucuracha - Pan-American Marima Band, 1934; Alla En El Rancho Grande - Emilio Caceres Orchestra, 1934; Don Exuperancio - Orquesta Nacional, 1927.
SONGS ABOUT MAY DAY, RUSSIAN STYLE: Russian Rag - Dave Apollon, 1932; Nyet! - Spike Jones with Shepard Menken, 3/29/63; Bolshevik - Waring's Pennsylvanians featuring Poley McClintock, 8/20/26.
TUNES ABOUT TAVERNS: There Is a Tavern in the Town - Wally Cox, 1953; The Beer That I Left on the Bar - Vaughn Monroe, 5/11/50; Behind Those Swinging Doors - Spike Jones with Del Porter, 1942; Is My Pop in There? - Louis Jordan, 3/1/52; Papa's in Bed with His Britches On - Cab Calloway, 8/5/40; Let's Have Another One - Will Bradley with Ray McKinley, 1940.
CLOUDS AND FOG!: Nuages - Django Reinhardt, 12/13/40; Lost in a Fog - Jane Froman, 9/14/34; Look for the Silver Lining - Marion Harris, 12/29/20; Painting the Clouds with Sunshine - Jack Hylton, 10/25/29; Up in the Clouds - Percival Mackey's Orchestra with Al Bowlly, 4/29; Sweepin' the Clouds Away - Coon-Sanders Nighthawks, 12/6/29.
GOING OUT ON A HAPPY NOTE: It's De-Lovely - Bob Hope and Ethel Merman, 1952; S'Wonderful - Arden and Ohman's Orchestra with Johnny Marvin, 12/8/27.
