DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #21: Linger Awhile

Another Sidney wrote music history: Big Sid Catlett (17.01.1910-25.03.1951). Catlett grew up in Chicago where he learned piano and drums.

1930 he moved to New York and became one of the most flexible drummers of the jazz history. He knew to play the old-fashioned styles, swing and the early bop styles.

He was working and recording with a lot of the greats of that time: Benny Carter, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman, to name a few.

Louis Armstrong hired him for his big band where he was featured from 1938-1942. He also played with Benny Goodman and shortly joined Duke Ellington. Throughout the 1940s, Big Sid Catlett led his own bands.

From this period I've chosen the song Linger Awhile because of the powerful swinging rhythm section: Catlett on drums and John Simmons at bass, who's hollow, muffled sound is fantastic.

They alternate with playing short solos before Ben Webster starts to play after 95 seconds!

Line-Up: Ben Webster (tenor sax), Marllowe Morris (piano), John Simmons (bass), Big Sid Catlett (drums)

You can find the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist. Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

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