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RED NICHOLS Both Sides of the Five Pennies Retrospective RTS 4227

CD1 1. Washboard Blues 2. That’s No Bargain 3. Buddy’s Habits 4. Boneyard Shuffle 5. Alabama Stomp 6. Hurricane 7. Davenport Blues 8. Bugle Call Rag 9. Delirium 10. Cornfed 11. Five Pennies 12. Mean Dog Blues 13. Riverboat Shuffle 14. Eccentric 15. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider 16. Feelin’ No Pain 17. Nobody’s Sweetheart 18. Panama 19. Imagination 20. Original Dixieland One-step 21. I Never Knew 22. Sweet Georgia Brown 23. China Boy 24. Shim-me-sha-wabble 25. I Got Rhythm 26. Corrine Corrina CD2 1. Louisiana 2. Mood Indigo 3. Peg O’ My Heart 4. Marchin’ With The Saints 5. Mama’s Gone, Goodbye 6. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider 7. Farewell Blues 8. Blues At Midnight 9. Buddy’s Habits 10. Japanese Sandman 11. Mississippi Mud 12. Delta Roll 13. Dixie 14. Avalon 15. Davenport Blues 16. Tea For Two 17. Washboard Blues? 18. Eccentric 19. Battle Hymn Of The Republic 20. Lullaby In Ragtime 21. Indiana 22. The Five Pennies 23. Margie 24. What Is There To Say? 25. Moonlight Bay Collective personnel Red Nichols – Cornet, trumpet Wingy Manone – Trumpet, vocals Leo McConville, Mannie Klein, Ruby Weinstein, Charlie Teagarden, Bobby Goodrich –Trumpet Dudley Fosdick, Jackie Coon - Mellophone Miff Mole, Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden, King Jackson, Abe Lincoln, Moe Schneider, Pete Beilman, Robbie Robinson - Trombone Benny Goodman – Clarinet, baritone sax Wayne Sanger – Clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax Bill Wood - Clarinet, alto sax Heinie Beau – Clarinet, tenor sax Sid Stoneburn, Wayne Sanger – Alto sax Arthur Schutt, Babe Russin - Tenor sax Larry Binyon – Tenor sax, flute Adrian Rollini - Bass sax, goofus Joe Rushton, Jerry Kaspar, Joe Rushton – Bass sax Joe Venuti, Ed Bergman, Ed Selinsky - Violin Arthur Schutt, Joe Sullivan, Jack Russin, Bobby Hammack, Allan Stevenson - Piano Lennie Hayton – Piano, celeste Eddie Lang, Carl Kress, George Van Eps, Allen Reuss – Guitar Tony Colucci (?), Dick McDonough, Teg Brown – Banjo Joe Tarto - Tuba Art Miller, Jack Ryan, Marty Corb – Double bass Vic Berton – Drums, harpophone Chauncey Morehouse – Drums, vibraphone Gene Krupa, Rollie Culver, Jack Sperling – Drums Ralph Hansel – Vibraphone, timpani, bells, chimes Dick Robertson - Vocals

 

The strange thing about the Five Pennies is that there were seldom five of them. The first four tracks on this double album are by a quintet (if you exclude Red Nichols himself) but by track five the group has expanded to a sextet, and by most of the second disc, the ensemble has virtually become a big band.

Nichols was a busy businessman, recording for numerous labels and having several hits with them. But he was also a skilful musician and leader of well-disciplined bands playing tight arrangements. His talent for spotting up-and-coming musicians is clear from the personnel lists above, which include such famous names as Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, Ed Lang and Benny Goodman. His use of arranged versions of Dixieland favourites foreshadowed the style of Bob Crosby’s groups.

Many people have compared Red Nichols to Bix Beiderbecke, often with demeaning implications for Nichols. It is almost undeniable that Beiderbecke was the superior cornettist but he lacked the commercial appeal of Nichols’ arrangements and unusual instrumentation. Red saw the attraction of such instruments as the bass saxophone and the mellophone. Another fascination of Nichols’ early bands was drummer Vic Berton, whose unusual style gave the bands a unique sound. This is very noticeable on such tracks as Washboard Blues, where Berton’s use of timpani gives the band a distinctive sound.

Other tracks on the first CD worth noting include Riverboat Shuffle, which contains excellent solos from Pee Wee Russell, Dick McDonough and Red Nichols; Eccentric, which has a beautifully intricate arrangement; and China Boy, gorgeously introduced by Jack Teagarden. These tracks from 1926 to 1930 show why Red Nichols’ groups were so popular.

The second CD takes us forward in time to the period from 1956 to 1961, when Nichols revived his bands, with the clearer recording quality that was then available. This was the period when Nichols’ renown was revived by the 1959 film The Five Pennies. The film, starring Danny Kaye as Red Nichols, was rather mediocre, although Red and other musicians gave their talents to it.

On Lousiana, Red’s cornet comes through loud and clear, while Joe Rushton contributes a neat solo on bass sax. Marchin’ With the Saints takes the original tune (When The Saints Go Marching In) at an extremely slow speed to start with, although the tempo increases halfway through, with stimulating solos from Joe Rushton’s bass sax and Rollie Culver’s drums. The bass sax also supplies a very dexterous solo in Farewell Blues. Nichols tries to repeat the success of Washboard Blues but the playing is too ponderous to match the earlier version.

This generous album (nearly 157 minutes of music) is all you need for a clear cross-section of Red Nichols’ various groups in the two most important periods of his extensive career.

Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk

see also review by Michael Cookson

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