Louis Armstrong

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #146: Four Or Five Times

17.12.2012 by Chris

This is the third time I'm featuring “Four Or Five Times”, one of my all-time favorite songs. This version sounds differently, though.

Listen yourself:

Four Or Five Times

Personnel: Muggsy Spanier – trumpet, Sidney Bechet – soprano sax, Carmen Mastren – guitar, Wellman Braud – bass.

Muggsy Spanier

Francis Joseph Julian “Muggsy” Spanier (Nov. 9, 1906 – Feb. 12, 1967) was a solid cornet player cultivating the Dixieland style. Some say he was a bit predictable but always enthusiastic and expressive.

He started playing the drums, switching to cornet at age 13. Two years later, he started playing professionally. His style was influenced by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong.

In the 1920s, he was part of the Chicago jazz scene, then he played with Ted Lewis for seven years (1929-1936), before joining Ben Pollack‘s big band from 1936-1938.

He became seriously ill and had to stay in hospital for three months. After recovering, he formed his octet, the Ragtimers. They recorded 16 sides in 1939. The band was set up too early, although they inspired the Dixieland revival a few years later, they didn't get enough jobs.

Spanier joined Bob Crosby‘s orchestra in 1940 and one year later, he led his own big band during 1941-1943. After breaking up the band, he spent the rest of his career in Dixieland settings, mostly as a leader.

[easyazon-image align=”left” asin=”B000R00K58″ locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/612uDAPXZHL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]Title: [easyazon-link asin=”B000QOLR3E” locale=”us”]Four Or Five Times[/easyazon-link]
Artist: Muggsy Spanier feat. Sidney Bechet
Recorded: 1940
Album: [easyazon-link asin=”B000R00K58″ locale=”us”]All Star Jazz Quartets 1928-1940 – Disc A[/easyazon-link]
Tempo: 116 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop

Click the link to download the song at
iTunes EU ･ iTunes US ･ [easyazon-link asin=”B001S75RH0″ locale=”de”]Amazon DE[/easyazon-link] ･ [easyazon-link asin=”B000QOLR3E” locale=”us”]Amazon US[/easyazon-link] ･ [easyazon-link asin=”B001GJ0BYE” locale=”uk”]Amazon UK[/easyazon-link] ･ emusic

What do you think about this version? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Every Monday, I post a new “Song of the Week“.
You can find the songs also on my Spotify playlist or on 8tracks.

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #83: Queer Notions

03.10.2011 by Chris

James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (18.12.1897 – 29.12.1952) was a pianist, composer, arranger and leader of the first great jazz big band. He had a huge influence in early jazz.

Henderson had a degree in chemistry and mathematics, but when he came to New York in 1920, the only job he could find was in the music industry because of race discrimination. He worked as a music director and pianist for the Black Swan label.

In 1922 Henderson formed his first band with Don Redman. Thanks to Redman's innovative arrangements, they became quickly the best Afro-American band in New York. When Louis Armstrong joined the band in 1924, Redman started to contribute more swinging tunes.

After Redman left the band in 1927, Benny Carter and Henderson's younger brother Horace Henderson helped with the arrangements, before Fletcher Henderson became himself a top arranger in the early 1930s.

The band was very popular but Henderson a bad business men, so he started to work for other bands. In 1934 Benny Goodman bought some arrangements from him for his weekly radio show “Let's dance”.

In 1936 Goodman became the “King of Swing“, ironically with arrangements, Henderson already was playing with his band many years before. In 1939, Henderson became the staff arranger of Benny Goodman's band.

Queer Notions is in a certain way quite awkward, with strange harmonies. Queer as its title. I guess, it was a difficult arrangement to play for the band.

Well, I have a soft spot for strange songs! 😉

Title: Queer Notions
Artist: Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra
Recorded: 1933
Tempo: 162 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop

Click the link to download the song from
Amazon.com

Pops like never before! Armstrong Museum Catalog Online

20.12.2010 by Chris

As the Louis Armstrong House Museum tweeted yesterday, their Museum Collections are available for online browsing:

The Louis Armstrong House Museum holds the world's largest archives devoted to a single jazz musician. Its collections encompass more than 5,000 sound recordings, 15,000 photographs, 30 films, 100 scrapbooks, 20 linear feet of letters and papers, and six trumpets.

Researchers, record companies, publishers, film producers, public school students, and many others routinely use these materials. Since 1994, more than a dozen books and recordings have been published based on research from the collections, including Terry Teachout's Pops, a notable book of 2010.

New records will be updated and added continuously, by the end of 2011, the Museum's entire catalog will be online. At the moment, the catalog contains the Louis Armstrong Collection, the Jack Bradley Collection and the Louis Armstrong House Collection.

>> Link to the Online Catalog