CD1
Chinatown, My Chinatown
Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll
When Somebody Thinks You’re Wonderful
The World is Waiting for the Sunrise
Rocking Chair
Aunt Hagar’s Blues
The Man I Love
Memories of You
Savoy Blues
China Boy
Beale Street Blues
Making Whoopee
High Society (version 1)
I’ve Found a New Baby
CD2
Scotland the Brave
Silver Threads Among The Gold
High Society (version 2)
St Louis Blues
Trombones to The Fore
Whistling Rufus
Lover Come Back To Me
Royal Garden Blues
Bonus Tracks;
Diane
Work Song
At The Jazz Band Ball
Peter and the Wolf
Loch Lomond
The Clyde Valley Stompers
Recorded 1961-62
LAKE LACD 329 [78:54 + 56:10]
Recorded in 1961-62, these tracks display the energy generated by The Clyde Valley Stompers, a band well versed in Chicago vernacular but led by Malcolm
Higgins, a trumpeter who shows acute awareness of Red Allen’s angular lead. Chinatown, My Chinatown ends with a classic Condon band go-round,
revealing the nature of the good, tight arrangements even when, as here, they’re heard in a live date – the Dancing Slipper in Nottingham. Habitués of this
series will know that this means that the tapes derive from Allan Gilmour and form part of that sub-heading in Lake’s release. True, the dreaded dodgy
piano is in evidence, against which Bert Murray battles, but of more interest is the cosmopolitan maturity of the young clarinettist, Pete Kerr.
For all his awareness of Red Allen, Higgins was an Armstrong man through and through as his feature on Rocking Chair shows but variety and
versatility was the order of the day for this band. Like Humph, this band liked Jump music and there’s a solid swinger, with juicy back beat, on Aunt Hagar’s Blues. The Man I Love is a feature for two trombones – John McGuff and Bert Murray, who leaves the dodgy piano to wield the
‘bone. It reminded me of Humph and Wally’s two clarinet routines. Two quite well known names were in the band, in addition to those cited already, namely
guitarist and banjo player Jim Douglas, and bassist Tucker Finlayson. Douglas takes a good solo on Memories of You, though it’s largely a feature
for the woody-toned Kerr. Savoy Blues is, one feels, sub-Barber in execution.
One of the penalties of live recording is that one misses bits and pieces.
Thus the opening of China Boy has been lopped, but one still
hears Kerr exercising his Edmond Hall chops. High Society gets
a righteous New Orleans workout – there’s a small patch of damage
in the tape, expertly repaired - whilst drummer Robin Winter gets
a long exhibition space for his wares in I’ve Found a New Baby.
The second CD – two for the price of one, by the way – was recorded in the
Assembly Hall, Worthing, in May 1961. Murray sits out this one, and
Ian Menzies replaces McGuff, Bill Bain replacing Finlayson. The band
takes a somewhat different approach to High Society with
the changed personnel on board than the way it was to approach the
tune the following year. Higgins plays a tasty, driving lead throughout
and the routines are still effective, not least the trombone and drum
feature on Royal Garden Blues. Three additional tracks on
this disc were recorded in London, with something of an echo. George
Paterson sings on Diane – a dull track - but Work Song
is much better; it appealed to Trad bands. There’s a gung-hoAt
The Jazz Band Ball. Useful for completists but definitely not
a good idea, musically speaking, are the jazzed versions of Peter
and the Wolf and Loch Lomond.
These live performances give the band more time to stretch out. I think the results superior to the studio sessions from them – there’s more zest and
risk-taking. And whilst not everything comes off, and whilst some of the playing remains so-so, at their best The Clyde Valley Stompers bring a zesty drive
to performances that reward repeated listening.
Jonathan Woolf
CD Reviews
LAKE LACD 329
