Various – Harlem Hamfats – Masters of Jazz & Blues 1936-1944 – 4CD
€22,50
Out of stock
Description
A&R man Mayo Williams had an idea: combine blues with more popular material. He put trumpeter Herb Morand and clarinettist Odell Rand with Joe and Charlie McCoy and party pianist Horace Malcolm to form the Harlem Hamfats - a name blending the sophisticated and the downhome. The result was good time music, played with the skill and panache of experienced session players.
It's rare to encounter music that's both classy and just downright fun. Here's some. Enjoy it.
Track Listing:
CD1:
1. Oh! Red - 2:35 2. Lake Providence Blues - 3:05 3. Live and Die for You - 2:38 4. New Oh Red! - 2:37 5. What You Gonna Do - 2:36 6. She's Gone Again - 2:32 7. Let's Get Drunk and Truck - 2:57 8. Move Your Hand - 2:58 9. Sales Tax on It (But Its the Same Thing) - 2:59 10. You Done Tore Your Playhouse Down - 2:48 11. Little Girl - 2:48 12. Southern Blues - 3:09 13. My Garbage Man - 2:25 14. Weed Smokers Dream - 3:17 15. If You Want to Live - 2:48 16. I Feel Like a Millionaire - 2:45 17. Bad Luck Man - 2:44 18. My Daddy Was a Lovin Man - 2:47 19. Shes Trickin Me - 2:37 20. We Gonna Pitch a Boogie [Take A] - 2:47 21. Hamfat Swing - 2:59 22. Who Done It - 2:49 23. Growling Dog - 2:32 24. We Gonna Pitcha Boogie [Take C] - 2:50 25. Keep It Swinging Round and Round - 2:56 26. Ooh-Wee Babe - 2:54 27. I Don't Want You Loving Me - 2:20 28. She's a Mellow Mother for You - 2:44
CD2:
1. Hallelujah Joe Ain't Preachin No More - 2:59 2. Whats My Baby Doin - 3:00 3. It Was Red - 2:39 4. I Feel Like Going to Town - 2:25 5. Im So Glad - 2:25 6. Jam Jamboree - 2:45 7. Down in Shady Lane - 2:57 8. Im Cuttin Out - 2:35 9. Hoodooin Woman - 2:27 10. I Love That - 3:16 11. My Old Lady Blues - 2:39 12. Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes - 2:42 13. You Drink Too Much - 2:30 14. Empty Bed Blues - 2:54 15. Let Your Linen Hang Low - 3:07 16. If Youre a Viper - 3:12 17. Rosetta Blues - 2:53 18. Its Your Turn - 3:03 19. Lets Fall in Love Again - 3:09 20. Worried Mind Blues - 3:01 21. Tempo De Bucket - 2:36 22. You Got the Devil to Pay - 3:08 23. Times A-Wastin - 2:36 24. Black Gal You Better Use Your Head - 2:37 25. Root Hog or Die - 2:55 26. You Got to Be Satisfied - 2:28 27. Toodle Oo Blues - 2:37 28. Rampart and Gravier Blues - 2:40
CD3:
1. What's on Your Mind - 2:43 2. Broken Hearted Blues - 3:08 Paldoka Washboard Band: 3. We Gonna Move - 3:02 4. Back Door - 3:01 5. You Done Tore Your Pants With Me - 2:56 6. Save Me Some - 2:45 7. Dont Start No Stuff - 2:41 8. Let Me Feel It - 2:46 9. Little Girl - 2:51 10. I'd Rather Be With You - 2:40 11. I'm in So Much Trouble Now - 2:46 12. I Believe I'll Make a Change - 2:58 13. It Will Never Happen Again - 2:51 14. Trading Old Love for New - 2:45 15. Stay on It - 2:30 16. Delta Bound - 3:00 17. You Got to Go When the Wagon Comes - 2:34 18. How Long Baby (Will You Keep Me This Way) - 2:23 19. Harlem Jamboree - 3:06 20. Mellow Little Devil - 2:45 21. The Barefoot Boy - 2:47 22. Stomp It Out Gate - 3:06 23. The Candy Man - 2:52 24. Oh Rider - 2:56 25. Stay Away From My Door - 2:28 26. All on Account of You - 3:06 27. You've Had Your Last Good Time With Me - 2:33
CD4:
1. What Was You Doing - 2:49 2. Something Wrong With My Mind - 2:48 3. Way Down That Lonely Road - 2:39 4. When the Sun Goes Down in Harlem - 2:37 5. That's Going to Ruin Your Beauty Spot - 2:51 6. Bartenders Blues - 2:46 7. Ready for the River - 2:45 8. Rockin Myself to Sleep - 2:45 9. Business Is Gone Away - 2:47 10. You Done Turned Salty on Me - 2:47 11. You Brought Me Everything But Love - 2:44 12. Oh Babe Has Your Money Come - 2:34 13. Take Me in Your Alley - 2:43 14. You Can't Win in Here - 2:35 15. When My Love Has Come Down - 2:43 Big Joe & His Washboard Band: 16. If You Take Me Back - 2:46 17. I'm Through With You - 2:34 18. When You Said Goodbye - 2:41 19. I Love You Baby - 3:00 20. What Will I Do - 3:13 21. Oh Red's Twin Brother - 3:22 22. We Can't Agree - 3:05 23. Lets Try It Again - 3:01 24. I'll Get You Off My Mind - 2:50 25. It Ain't No Lie - 2:57 26. Your Money Can't Buy Me - 2:44 27. I'm Alright Now - 3:08
Artist Biography - Jim Powers
The Harlem Hamfats were a crack studio band formed in 1936 by black talent scout Mayo "Ink" Williams. Its main function was backing jazz and blues singers such as Johnny Temple, Rosetta Howard, and Frankie "Half Pint" Jackson for Decca Records; the Hamfats' side career began when its first record "Oh Red" became a hit. Despite its name, none of the band's members came from Harlem, and none were hamfats, a disparaging term referring to indifferent musicians. Brothers Joe and Charlie McCoy were blues players from Mississippi; leader Herb Morand, Odell Rand, and John Lindsay were from New Orleans; Horace Malcolm and drummers Pearlis Williams and Freddie Flynn were from Chicago. This territorial disparity created a sound which blended various blues styles with New Orleans, Dixieland, and swing jazz. The band's high-spirited playing and excellent musicianship compensated for what some critics have called lack of improvisational skill. The Hamfats' music has been somewhat neglected over the years. The vocalists tended to be derivative of other popular singers of the day such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and various blues singers. The lyrical content of their songs often revolved around subjects like drinking and sex, leading some to dismiss them as a lightweight novelty act. Although it is not seen as an innovative group, the Harlem Hamfats' riff-based style was influential to Louis Jordan, early Muddy Waters, and what would eventually become rhythm & blues and rock & roll.
