Fletcher Henderson Orchestra: I Can't Get the One I Want, Where the Dreamy Wabash Flows, Say Say Sadie, Prince of Wails, My Papa Doesn't Two Time No Time (Don Redman Voc.), Mobile Blues, Chicago Blues, That's Georgia, Sudbustin' Blues, Copenhagen, Shanghai Shuffle.
Many of the late ‘24 tunes with Armstrong are provided separately in the episode titled Pops season 2 episode 11. A lot of mid-24 are on Red. Here cornetist Elmer Chambers is featured and in a section with Howard Scott. Hawkins’ slap tongue works particularly on Sudbustin which is an uptempo variation of the slow swinging Piron dance tune. Which is telling because any tune Henderson played was reconstructed to a bouncy Henderson fox trot regardless of the lyrics. This Prince of Wails, the Schoebel tune, is the most elaborate version and which Schoebel didn’t record in 1924. Shanghai Shuffle is notable and includes an Armstrong solo, and composer Rodemich’s own version is heard in episode 41. Redman scatting here on My Papa gives syllables to the eefing/kazoo/comb tradition of pure vocalizing that swept 1924 including the goofus guy Redman himself voicing without syllables on Mobile Blues. We also apparently hear a washboard on Chicago Blues.
Henderson played in a league with Lanin, the Virginians, the Ramblers, OTO, Krueger, Rodemich, many others and you hear these same tunes and dance ideas circulating on Brunswick and Vocalion and various labels. Redman elaborated on the trends and fads particularly from Irving Brodsky and Adrian Rollini, while also developing the bouncy Henderson style before Ellington talked about that which means a thing. Ellington took the space opened by Henderson for the jazz contribution to the fox trot. Jazz coming from port city NOLA was inherently global and not possible to segregate. Plessy v. Ferguson to the contrary. Henderson with Redman integrated the national fox trot market by providing the African American difference. And then there was the whole blues market Henderson dominated. Bert Williams had already been the Jackie Robinson of Broadway with Ziegfeld. Henderson competed in the dance band major leagues by providing his own brand led by the unique Hawk and Redman sound. Although Morton invented jazz he was more in a league with Joplin, Mozart and Monk. A composer’s league. Ellington went there also. Redman of the weekly fox trot business abandoned the polyphonic front line for more industrial strength.
Morton’s New York phase brought New Orleans jazz to a fulfillment as a concert music, but didn’t exactly capture NY dancers and was considered old fashioned, but like Brahms versus Wagner. Henderson still delivers a light bouncy and free feel with these smaller bands in 1924 although played from across a Rubicon with Clarence Williams Blue Five in the other side which was jazz only. By bringing in Armstrong, Henderson spotlighted the talent but became a big heavy band. Armstrong to the very end or Clarence Williams with Armstrong and Bechet in 1924 stuck to a smaller band concept.
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