Speaking of quasi-forgotten trumpeters of the 1930s and ‘40s (see the Benny Carter item in the previous exhibit), in his current post, blogger and frequent Rifftides correspndent Bruno Leicht highlights Hot Lips Page. Here’s some of what he writes about that musician of astonishing gifts:
‘Hot Lips’ was a joyful trumpeter with a big tone, directly influenced by Louis Armstrong. Most commercial studio dates don’t reflect his daring trumpet excursions; they rarely let you hear adequately how he really sounded. — He sometimes went to the extreme, as the following great interpretation of “I Got Rhythm” from 1940 shows.
To hear Lips in that remarkable recording, another in which he plays and sings in collaboration with Artie Shaw, a third one with his own band, and to read about Page, go here.
With ironic intent, I have occasionally used the term “your corner record store†when suggesting that you seek out certain recordings. Well, there are a few actual record stores left, as opposed to the virtual ones on the internet. In The Chicago Tribune last week, Howard Reich wrote a profile of one of the biggest, oldest and—believe it or not— most profitable. It is Chicago’s venerable Jazz Record Mart. To read Howard’s piece, go here.
Coming soon: new Doug’s Picks and a few recommendations from the never-ending stream of new releases.