Added: Oct 12, 2008
Author: kspm01
Duration: 3:6
This lovely performance is one of Mildred Baileys earliest records, waxed on September 15th, 1931. The accompanying orchestra remained uncredited, but fortunately Brunswick Records: A Discography of Recordings, 1916-1931 states we hear the Casa Loma Orchestra, active from 1927 to 1963. It did not tour after 1950 but continued to record as a studio group. It began its existence in 1927 as the Orange Blossoms, one of several Detroit-area groups that came out of the Jean Goldkette office. It was a co-operative organization, fronted for the first few years by violinist Hank Biagini, although the eventual leader, saxophonist Glen Gray (1900-1963) was from the very beginning "first among equals." The band had adopted the Casa Loma name by the time of its first recordings in 1929, shortly after it was supposed to play an engagement at Casa Loma in Toronto, which was then operating as a hotel. Ironically, as lead trombonist Billy Rauch noted, the band never actually played the Casa Loma. From 1929 until the rapid multiplication in the number of swing bands from 1935 on, the Casa Loma Orchestra was one of the top North American dance bands. Hits included "Casa Loma Stomp," "No Name Jive" and "Maniac's Ball". Part of the reason for the band's decline is that other big bands included in their books hard-swinging numbers emulating the hot Casa Loma style. In the late 1930s Gray took top billing, and by the mid-1940s (as the other original players left) Gray would come to own the band and the Casa Loma name. For a time, during this period, the band featured guitarist Herb Ellis, trumpeter Bobby Hackett, pianist Nick Denucci and cornetist Red Nichols. By 1950, the Casa Loma band had ceased touring, Gray retired to Massachusetts, and the later recordings on Capitol (the Sounds of the Great Bands series) were done by studio musicians in Hollywood. By the time this recording was made, some of the personel was as follows: "Pee Wee" Walter Hunt and Billy Rausch (trombones); "Joe the Horse" Howie Hall (pianist); Gene Gifford (guitarist/arranger/composer); Pat Davis (tenor sax) along with Bobby Jones (trumpet); Tony Briglia (drums); Stan Dennis (bass); Kenny Sargent (sax and vocals) and Clarence Hutchenrider (clarinet) along with Hutch's friend, trumpeter Grady Watts. Mildred Bailey (née Mildred Rinker in Tekoa, Washington) retained the last name of her first husband, Ted Bailey, when she moved to Seattle to bolster her singing career. With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues and jazz singer on the West Coast. She sang with Paul Whiteman's band from 1929 to 1931. Her first two records were as uncredited vocalist for an Eddie Lang Orchestra session in 1929 ("What Kind O' Man Is You?", a hardly known Hoagy Carmichael song that was only issued in the UK check merrihews channel for this recording) and a 1930 recording of "I Like To Do Things For You" for Frankie Trumbauer. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932, when she left the band due to salary disagreements. She then recorded a series of records for Brunswick in 1933 (accompanied by The Dorsey Brothers), as well an all-star session with Benny Goodman's studio band in 1934 that featured Coleman Hawkins. As the recording presented here proves, however, she had occasionally recorded for Brunswick a couple of years earlier. In the mid 1930s, she recorded with her third husband Red Norvo. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing". During this period (from 1936-1939) Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey recorded her own set of recordings for Vocalion, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings instead featured members of Count Basie's band. Despite her divorce from Norvo, she and Red would continue to record together until 1945. Suffering from diabetes and depression, she only made a few recordings following World War II. She died in Poughkeepsie of heart failure, aged only 44, chiefly due to her diabetes. Jazz vocal collectors have always considered her one of the best vocalists of her era. Despite her robust physique, Bailey had a sweet, rather small yet very expressive voice, and quite a light, unique swinging vocal style (refer to many recordings). Many of her most outstanding records were among the best versions recorded.
Channel: Music
Tags: 78rpm and away bailey dream dreams in mildred troubles wrap your
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