1. Some Like It Hot
2. By The Beautiful Sea
3. Stairway To The Stars
4. Sweet Sue, Just You
5. Down Among The Sheltering Palms
6. I Wanna Be Loved By You
7. La Cumparsita
8. I'm Thru With Love
9. Runnin 'Wild
10. Sugar Blues
11. Sweet Georgia Brown
12. Some Like It Hot (Reprise)
13. Blue (And Broken Hearted)
14. Blue Moon
15. Blue Prelude
16. Blue Again
17. Blue Champagne
18. Blue Turning Grey Over You
19. Blue Lou
20. Born To Be Blue
21. Blue Skies
22. Black And Blue
23. I Get The Blues When It Rains
24. Under A Blanket Of Blue
25. Mobile Mama
26. New Orleans Nightmare
27. Bandanna
28. Birmingham Shuffle
Tracks 1-12
Lou McGarity Quintet
Lou McGarity - Trombone
Dick Cary - Piano, Trumpet
George Barnes - Guitar
Jack Lesberg - Bass
Don Marino - Drums
Tracks 13-24
Lou McGarity Big Seven
Doc Severinsen - Trumpet
Lou McGarity - Trombone, vocals (track 23)
Bob Wilber - Clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor
sax
Dick Cary - Piano, alto-horn, trumpet
George Barnes - Guitar
Jack Lesberg - Bass
Don Marino - Drums
Tracks 25-28
Lou McGarity Sextet
Yank Lawson - Trumpet
Lou McGarity - Trombone
Bill Stegmeyer - Clarinet
Peanuts Hucko - Clarinet, tenor sax
Gene Schroeder - Piano
Jack Lesberg - Bass
Cliff Leeman - Drums
What is my favourite comedy
film of all time? It has to be Some Like
It Hot: Billy Wilder's marvellous over-the-top
story of two male musicians dressing as women
to escape Chicago gangsters. Not only was
the film extremely funny and superbly inventive,
it also contained a lively soundtrack comprising
good old tunes (like Runnin' Wild and
Stairway to the Stars) and introduced
us to some songs we might not have heard before
(I Wanna be Loved By You, I'm Thru with
Love).
In 1959 (the year that the
movie appeared), trombonist Lou McGarity and
some friends recorded a selection of music
from the film. Posterity can be callous, as
Lou McGarity is less well-known than he should
be. Most people have heard of other trombonists
like Jack Teagarden and Tommy Dorsey, but
McGarity never became so famous, even though
he was one of Eddie Condon's repertory company
and also played for Benny Goodman, Raymond
Scott, and the World's Greatest Jazz Band.
This album exemplifies his mellow tone and
his ability to improvise melodically. The
recording has the same sort of relaxed atmosphere
as an Eddie Condon session. Every McGarity
solo is a gem but fine solos are also contributed
by fleet-fingered guitarist George Barnes
and the versatile Dick Cary - playing trumpet
as well as piano. The original LP cover (reproduced
above) is one of those strange concoctions
that jazz albums were often lumbered with
in those days.
This CD reissue contains
more than just the Some Like It Hot
LP. There is also the Blue Lou LP from
the same year and a four-track EP (remember
extended-play discs?) recorded in 1955. The
Blue Lou album includes a dozen tracks
with "Blue" in the title, performed by a more
tightly-arranged group (arrangements by Dick
Cary). I presume it is Cary playing celeste
on Born To be Blue, where he also provides
a tasteful piano solo. Doc Severinsen makes
his mark as lead trumpeter and Lou McGarity
again proves his all-round brilliance - especially
notable in his features on Blue Moon
and Black and Blue.
The last four tracks are
in Dixieland mode, with Peanuts Hucko impressive
on clarinet but Yank Lawson sounding less
fluent than usual. You might say that these
tracks are the closest to the Eddie Condon
style, with Condon regulars like Gene Schroeder
and Cliff Leeman on board. The transfers of
all the vinyl recordings are exemplary, and
it is to be hoped that this collection reminds
listeners of the considerable talents of Lou
McGarity.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Lonehill Jazz LHJ 10321
