The False Ducks Blahg

    Well it’s April and we’re in another lockdown/stay at home situation here in Ontario. I’m not complaining.  Covid-19 cases are on the rise again and we need to do this to bring the case numbers down.  What a perfect time to enjoy some more music that I’ve collected over the past year.  In my previous blahg, 12 MONTHS – 12 RECORDS – 12 SONGS, I offered up samples from some albums I had purchased over the past 12 months either at local thrift stores or purchased over the Internet.  I’m talking about LPs.  Vinyl!  The good stuff!  I have another batch of 12 albums that I purchased over the past month so I’m basically doing a part two with these new to me albums.  Sit back and enjoy some good music

    As I’ve said before, many of these records have not had CD releases so they’re a bit on the rare side. I’ve done another good job of scanning the covers so if you click on the rear covers then you get full images with all of the great jacket notes.  I’ve tried to clean the audio and remove any clicks and crackle sounds.  I think you might just find something interesting this time around.  Wait, I didn’t mean the last batch of 12 records were not any good but I’m just saying I’m continuing with the vinyl and there’s bound to be something here that’s enjoyable.  There was only one album in the batch that wasn’t as good as the rest.  You’ll have to read on to find out more.

    The first up is an album called “Vic Lewis Featuring Tubby Hayes – In Concert.”  This was released in 1978 on the Hep Records label.

There’s an interesting documentary about Tubby Hayes from 2015.  I haven’t seen it yet but here’s the official trailer:

From the album “Vic Lewis Featuring Tubby Hayes – In Concert, here’s “Moonlight In Vermont”:

 

    Next up is another album by The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band.  In my last blahg, I featured a track from the 1965 album “Now Hear Our Meanin’ ” by the same group.  This time the album is “Live At Ronnie’s, Album 2, Rue Chaptal” by The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band on the Polydor label from 1969.  This is a gate-fold album so the middle two pictures are what you see when you open up the album jacket.

The interesting track here is “The Girl & The Turk”:

 

    The next album is probably my most recent purchase before stores shut down again this spring due to the pandemic.  I had never heard of Bernadine Read but the first track that caught my eye was “Rhode Island Is Famous For You.”  I knew this song from the late great Blossom Dearie but did not know anyone else had recorded a version.  The album is “Bernadine” on the Epic label from 1958

Here’s Bernadine Read’s version of “Rhode Island Is Famous For You”:

 

    I think the following album was another thrift store find from earlier this year.  It’s the great Lionel Hampton and “Hamp’s Big Band.”  This is on the Audio Fidelity label from 1959

  This album really swings and it was tough to choose just one track.  Some of the tracks are quite lengthy so I chose one of the shorter ones coming in at 3:37.  It’s Hamp and the band with “Red Top”

 

   The selections up to now in this blahg were thrift store purchases but I confess that the next album was ordered after I downloaded and listened to the second album by this group.  I read online somewhere about a jazz album with a very interesting cover, “Music To Lure Pigeons By” by the Night Pastor And Seven Friends.  Luckily someone had posted the whole album on Youtube:

I think I came across it because I was researching Dave Remmington.  In my previous blahg I had offered a selection from “Dixie On The Rocks” by Dave Remington and The Dixie Six.  Dave Remmington was also a member of the Night Pastor’s Seven Friends.  After hearing “Music To Lure Pigeons By”, I had to order the first album which is “The Night Pastor And Seven Friends Play Chicago Jazz.”

   The track I have selected here is the first track on side one because the Night Pastor does a spoken intro and explains a little about himself and a little about the album.  The song is “Beale St. Blues.”

 

   The next album was just another whim purchase from a thrift store.  The album is “TV Action Jazz!” by Mundell Lowe and His All Stars.  It’s on the RCA Camden label from 1959.

My selection from this album is one of the most iconic instrumental theme songs to any TV show.  It’s Mundell Lowe and His All Stars with their interpretation of “Peter Gunn”:

 

   I think this next album might have been another thrift store purchase as well.  When you see a compilation album with the title “Jazz Hall Of Fame, Volume II” then you know you’re getting something good.  Of course, it’s a sampler album and you get tracks by bands led by Charlie Shavers, Jack Teagarden, Charles Mingus, Al Haig, Osie Johnson, Josh White, Ralph Burns, Django Reinhardt, and Big Bill Broonzy.  This is on the Design label from 1959.

The track I have selected is “Osie’s Oasis” by Osie Johnson And His Orchestra.

 

    Now we get back to another vocal performance. This is another female vocalist (I swear I also listen to males) with the same initials as Bernadine Read.  This time it’s Betty Reilly and her “The Explosive Betty Reilly” album on the Golden Tone label from 1960.  Neither the front cover nor the rear cover are very exciting…unless the cannon goes off.

I had mixed emotions about this album.  The first track was “The Saga Of Elvis Presley” which almost turned me off to the album.  I think Betty Reilly performs best when she sticks to the standards, so I’ve chosen an old chestnut, “When The World Was Young”

 

    Returning to Dixieland Jazz, it’s Phil Napoleon’s Emperors of Jazz  with their Emarcy label 1955 album “Dixieland Classics Volume 1”

Give a listen to a great version of “Never Be The Same.”

 

    It’s time for another Dixieland sampler.  This time it’s “Jubilee Dixieland Sampler” on the Jubilee label.  I couldn’t find a release year but the album features such great bands as the Salt City Five, Conrad Janis And His Tailgate Jazz Band, Stan Rubin And His Tigertown Five, David Bee, The Spring Street Stompers, and the College All Stars.

 

There were lots of great artists and tracks to choose from but I think I purchased this album because I’m a huge fan of the Salt City Five.  The band later became the Salt City Six.  There’s a great website dedicated to the group where you can listen to some of their material and live performances:  http://www.saltcity56.com/.  I decided to offer up “Baby, Won’t You Come Home” by the Salt City Five.

 

    The next album intrigued me because I’m a fan of the musical “My Fair Lady.”  The late great Nat King Cole put out an album with his take on the songs from the musical so I thought this next album would be another delight.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The album is “Modern Jazz Performances Of Songs From My Fair Lady ” by Shelly Manne & His Friends.  To be clear, the friends consist of Andre Previn on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and of course Shelly Manne on drums.  Shelly Manne and friends also put out albums of music from “L’il Abner” and “The Bells Are Ringing”

Here’s Shelly Manne & His Friends with their version of “Get Me To The Church On Time”:

 

   Would you believe I have another Jazz Sampler to offer up?  Believe it!  This time it’s a live album featuring Billy Butterfield and his band.  I bought “College Jazz Sampler” at a local DVD store that also sells used records.  It contains live performances from the colleges listed on the cover.  On the REO label from 1956, this album turned me on to Billy Butterfield and I’ve been listening to a lot of his music over the past year.

To close out the last of the 12 albums I selected “Willow Weep For Me”.  Listen to that Butterfield horn!

 

   Before I close this blahg, I want to offer up a bonus.  To prove that I don’t always buy Jazz or Vocal albums, I recently picked up the following at a thrift store: 

This album has the original voice talent from the cartoon.  I really like Quick Draw McGraw and have the funko pop figures of Quick Draw and Baba Looey and the Vnyl two pack figures.  They look like this: 

 

I also have the Funko release of Quick Draw’s secret identity El Kabong: 

I  have a couple of plush Quick Draw figures as well but I won’t post those here.  I don’t want to come across as a fanatic.  I was going to post the audio here but I found that someone had posted it to Youtube.  Here it is: 

 

That’s it for this time.  I hope you have enjoyed some of these selections.  I have a few more but I’ll save those for another time.  Stay safe and stay home and listen to the music.