Lucky Millinder & the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, 4/12/33.
1. Drop Me Off in Harlem
Red Nichols & His Orchestra, 21/6/28.
2. Harlem Twist
Fats Waller & His Buddies 1/3/29.
3. Harlem Fuss
Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra, 4/6/30.
4. Jungle Nights in Harlem
Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra, 9/12/32.
5. Underneath the Harlem Moon
Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, 8/6/33.
6. Old Man Harlem
Henry Red Allen & His Orchestra, 28/7/34.
7. There’s a House in Harlem for Sale
Willie the Lion Smith & His Cubs, 23/4/35.
8. Harlem Joys
Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, 18/4/33.
9. Harlem Lullaby
Chick Webb & His Orchestra, 2/6/36.
10. Go Harlem
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, 20/1/36.
11. Echoes of Harlem (Cootie’s Concerto)
Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, 17/4/34.
12. Christmas Night in Harlem
Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra, 14/10/36.
13. Harlem Shout
Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra, 17/7/36
14. It Was a Sad Night in Harlem
Chick Webb & His Orchestra, 1/11/37.
15. Harlem Congo
Joe Marsala & His Delta Four, 4/4/40
16. Reunion in Harlem
Johnny Green & His Orchestra, 28/7/36.
17. Bojangles of Harlem
Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra,22/7/40
18. Harlem Air-Shaft
Eric Ansell & the New Mayfair Orchestra, 6/7/37
19. Harlem in My Heart
Hot Lips Page & His Band, 3/12/40.
20. Harlem Rumbain’ the Blues
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra,17/1/41
21. I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem
Chick Webb & His Orchestra, 27/10/37
22. Holiday in Harlem
The Carnival Three, 22/2/45.
23. Harlem Hotcha
David Rose & His Orchestra, 3/3/52
24. Harlem Nocturne
Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, 2/2/34.
25. Fare Thee Well to Harlem
Personnel
:
Too many to list for the various orchestras.
Vocalists are as follows:
Adelaide Hall – track 1
Mildred Bailey – track 9
Jack Teagarden – tracks 12 and 25
Johnny Mercer – tracks 12 and 25
Fred Astaire – track 17
Elizabeth Welch – track 19
Ella Fitzgerald – track 22
This is a rather strange collage of musical performances, the touchstone for inclusion being that each selection has “Harlem” in its title. However, all
are entertaining, excellent renditions of the tunes, a good number of which may well be unfamiliar to many, as they were to me, played by well-known
musical groups for the most part. Kudos, too, to Martin Haskell for the superb audio restoration and remastering.
Contributing to the enjoyment is the considerable variety in the musical aggregations, which run the gamut from full orchestra with strings behind Woody
Herman on Harlem Nocturne to a trio backing Willie “The Lion” Smith on Harlem Joys. They range from the pre-swing period (1928) with Red
Nichols & His Orchestra, to the waning days of the swing era (1952) with David Rose & His Orchestra. (There is no attempt, however, to present
these chronologically.) Full discographical information for each track is provided in the enclosed booklet.
Further adding to the mix is the inclusion of the vocalists, some with a big talent (Ella Fitzgerald), others a lesser one (Fred Astaire), but all
contributing to one degree or another.
Although the playing time is a generous 78 minutes or so, this is not the kind of disc one would put on and listen to the whole way through. Rather, it is
to be enjoyed two or three tunes at a time, I believe. I listened to it all the way through the first time, but I enjoyed it more on subsequent auditions
when I took it a few tunes at a time.
Probably most aficionados will have many of these performances already in their collections, but most likely several will be missing, and that might be
inducement enough to obtain this issue. For those not familiar with these musical groups and/or the selections, this CD will probably have most appeal.
Bert Thompson
CD Reviews
Retrospective RTR 4247
