Shellac Stack No. 44 acknowledges the rather painful and inauspicious start of 2015 while keeping an optimistic eye open. We salute bandleader and composer Ben Black, listen to some “Sweet Georgia Brown” records, hear some theatre organ in Chicago, and wonder about a mystery trombone player on a Lou Gold record. Scrappy Lambert, Chick Bullock, and even Paul Robeson lend their vocal talents. It’s not all bad news!
Podcast: Download (Duration: 56:49 — 26.1MB)
Shellac Stack No. 43 starts out with a special Christmas promo disc from Capitol in 1949 then brings you an assortment of musical delights ranging from Don Redman and Duke Ellington to Zez Confrey and Jan Garber. We throw in some hot Western Swing for good measure and pause to ask “Have you met Yvette”?
As it turns out, I never met Yvette, and in the program, I wondered who this Bluebird Records singing star could have been. Thanks to super sleuthing by listener Neal in New Jersey, we have an answer. She was 18-year-old Elsa Harris (a.k.a. “Elsa Silver”) of Birmingham, Alabama. Read more about her in this May 18, 1941 newspaper article. Neal also notes that Harris was one of 15 survivors of a plane crash just outside Lisbon, Portugal on February 22, 1943 while on a USO tour — the same crash that seriously injured Jane Froman and that killed Russian singer Tamara and Roy Rognan of the dance team Lorraine and Rognan. Though Harris was not seriously injured, she suffered a “delayed reaction” and collapsed six months later. She later recovered and married Herb Gottleib in 1947. Thanks to Neal, we also have this picture of Yvette from the cover of the Radio Mirror. Thank you, Neal! (P.S., Here’s another interesting newspaper write-up on Yvette from 1944.)
Podcast: Download (Duration: 52:15 — 24.0MB)
Shellac Stack No. 42 salutes a couple terrific “ARC” dance bands of the mid-1930s, dusts off some blues and western swing records, and bids a (premature) adieu to summer. Hot jazz, sweet vocalists, and some incredible piano pyrotechnics round things out.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 55:59 — 25.7MB)
Shellac Stack No. 41 takes you on a musical summer vacation around the U.S.! Our destination is the late 1920s for more than a dozen sides recorded by Victor in locations other than New York and Chicago. From the campus of Harvard University to the Memphis Auditorium, to Savannah, to St. Louis, to Butte, Montana, you’ll hear dance bands, vocal quartets, “old-time” ensembles, Hawaiian groups, and more. Buckle up!
Podcast: Download (Duration: 54:58 — 25.3MB)
Shellac Stack No. 40 comes along and shakes that thing with songs about June, Dragnet, skirts, and much more! We tip the hat to summer ragtime piano festival season with records from Lee Stafford and Wally Rose, and we listen to songs from the Bing Crosby film Two For Tonight.
One record in this week’s stack, “Whistling in the Dark” by Eddie Lane’s Hotel McAlpin Orchestra is played in honor of the recent CD release on Rivermont Records, Whistling in the Dark by Alex Mendham’s Orchestra. I had the great privilege and honor of traveling to London in September 2012 to record the Orchestra–one of the best 1920s and 1930s-style dance orchestras you’ll hear anywhere. The CD features 20 top songs of the late ’20s and early ’30s and if I do say so myself, it’s a marvelous disc. Don’t take my word for it, though, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to read Malcolm Shaw’s review in the current VJM. If you buy it from Rivermont, your purchase will not only get you the CD for yourself, but you’ll also be supporting the Shellac Stack. And thanks to a gift from an generous anonymous donor, Rivermont has even slashed prices on international delivery to well below cost! Just click on the album cover at right or on the link below to read more about the CD, listen to samples, and order your copy. Thanks!
http://www.rivermontrecords.com/2224.html
Podcast: Download (Duration: 52:51 — 24.3MB)
Shellac Stack No. 39 features a half-dozen songs in “period” recordings, coupled with later 78-era revivals. With performances from Charles Hart and Elliott Shaw to Isham Jones, Leo Reisman, Pat Flowers, Burt Farber, and more, we remember some famous (and not-so-famous) songs that were good enough to enjoy a second life!
Podcast: Download (Duration: 49:53 — 22.9MB)
Shellac Stack No. 38 reveals fabulous music from “Blue” bandleaders (Blue Barron and Blue Steele), a great swing version of “Stardust,” odds ‘n’ ends from the Liberty Music Shop label, Mr. Jo-Jo Spoons, and more! It’s another eclectic and fun bunch of 78s on the Shellac Stack!
I’ve also recently produced a CD reissue of Isham Jones recordings of the 1932-1934 period with my friend Kurt Weisbecker. We’ll take a listen to a track from the new CD. If you feel inclined to purchase a copy (your purchase will help support the Shellac Stack), please visit the Rivermont Records website to order:
www.rivermontrecords.com/1159.html
Thank you!
Podcast: Download (Duration: 52:43 — 24.2MB)
Shellac Stack No. 37 takes you from the Vaudeville houses of the 1920s to the beaches of Honolulu. With performances by stride pianist extraordinaire Johnny Guarnieri, Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra with Bix, and the obscure Mississippi Juvenile Quartette, it’s another variety show at 78 rpm!
Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:49 — 23.4MB)
Shellac Stack No. 35 begins with a nod to recent astronomical events, moving on to hot jazz from Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, and others. Also in the lineup: Ben Pollack, Johnny Maddox, Gayla Peevey, Roger Wolfe Kahn, and more!
Podcast: Download (Duration: 53:07 — 24.4MB)
