Chu Berry - Berry Story 1936-1939

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:16
Size: 160,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music
(2:59)  2. Now You'Re Talking Mylanguage
(2:50)  3. Indiana
(2:57)  4. Too Marvelous For Words
(2:56)  5. Limehouse Blues
(2:21)  6. Chuberry Jam
(2:51)  7. Maelstrom
(2:54)  8. My Secrret Love Affair
(2:49)  9. Ebb-Tide
(2:51) 10. Annie Laurie
(2:33) 11. Loch Lomond
(2:43) 12. In The Land Of Yamo Yamo
(3:53) 13. Body And Soul
(2:14) 14. Sittin' In
(3:56) 15. Stardust
(2:32) 16. Forty Six West Fifty Two
(2:27) 17. Downright Disgusted Blues
(2:14) 18. Corrine Corrini
(2:50) 19. Jumpy Nerves
(2:17) 20. Casey Jones
(3:01) 21. Sweethearts On Parade
(3:07) 22. Shufflin' At Hollywood
(3:17) 23. Denisson Swing
(2:25) 24. Wizzin' The Wizz

This import covers Chu Berry's initial foray into solo territory. Cut between 1936-1939, the 24 cuts find the tenor saxophone luminary in the stellar company of trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Hot Lips Page, the irrepressible trombonist Keg Johnson, pianist Jess Stacey, and drummer Cozy Cole. Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman also contribute to the party, but in cameo roles. Of particular note are the sides Berry recorded with Eldridge from 1938: it's a set that ranges from rambunctious swingers ("Forty Six, West Fifty Two") to glowing ballads ("Stardust"), all the while showing off Berry's full tone and agile phrasing on a variety of tempi. The mix continues apace with blues, proto-bop workouts, and some nice vocals featuring Page in a gruff and whiskey-soaked mood. Along with Commodore's Memorial disc, this collection makes for a welcome addition to the sparse Chu Berry catalog. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/chu-berry-story-mw0000664516

Berry Story 1936-1939

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Chu Berry and his Stompy Stevedores - Chu

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:19
Size: 139,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Now You're Taling My Language
(2:52)  2. Indiana (Back Home Again In Indiana)
(3:00)  3. Too Marvelous For Words
(2:57)  4. Limehouse Blues
(2:23)  5. Chuberry Jam
(2:53)  6. Maelstrom
(2:56)  7. My Secret Love Affair
(2:49)  8. Ebb Tide
(3:22)  9. Warmin Up
(2:33) 10. At The Clambake Carnival
(3:02) 11. Jive (Page 1 Of The Hepster's Dictionary)
(3:20) 12. Topsy Turvey (Hard Times)
(3:00) 13. Come On With The "Come On"
(3:00) 14. (I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance (With You)
(3:04) 15. Lonesome Nights
(3:04) 16. Take The "A" Train

30s tenor sides from Chu Berry packaged here in a nice LP that mostly features work done with the Stompy Stevedores combo, but also includes sessions Chu cut with the bands of Cab Calloway and Teddy Wilson! The Berry style at this point is warm, but soulful – arcing out with some of the touches that would show up more strongly in tenorists of the 40s, but still also falling into more traditional modes at times. Titles include "Now You're Talking My Language", "At The Clambake Carnival", "Warming Up", "Maelstrom", "Chuberry Jam", "Come On With The Come On", and "Indiana". (Columbia Special Products pressing.) © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/657683/Chu-Berry:Chu-Chu-Berry-His-Stompy-Stevedores

Chu

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Cab Calloway - The Swinging Big Band Leader with Chu Berry 1937-1944

Styles: Big Band, Swing
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:54
Size: 143,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. Queen Isabella
(2:35)  2. Savage Rhythm
(2:29)  3. Bugle Blues
(2:17)  4. Three Swings and Out
(3:25)  5. Penguin Swing
(2:50)  6. Peck-A-Doodle-Do
(2:50)  7. Hoy Hoy
(2:59)  8. Jive
(2:24)  9. Do You Wanna Jump Children
(2:20) 10. Floogie Walk
(2:41) 11. Pluckin' The Bass n'2
(3:05) 12. Paradiddle
(2:31) 13. The Lone Arranger
(3:19) 14. Hardtimes (Topsy-Turvy)
(2:55) 15. Bye Bye Blues
(2:54) 16. A Chicken Ain't Nothing But A Bird
(3:01) 17. Special Delivery n'2
(3:00) 18. The Great Lie
(2:41) 19. Tappin' Off
(2:53) 20. 105 In The Shade
(2:53) 21. Ghost Of a Chance n'2
(2:58) 22. Lonesome Nighns

One of the great entertainers, Cab Calloway was a household name by 1932, and never really declined in fame. A talented jazz singer and a superior scatter, Calloway's gyrations and showmanship on-stage at the Cotton Club sometimes overshadowed the quality of his always excellent bands. The younger brother of singer Blanche Calloway (who made some fine records before retiring in the mid-'30s), Cab grew up in Baltimore, attended law school briefly, and then quit to try to make it as a singer and a dancer. For a time, he headed the Alabamians, but the band was not strong enough to make it in New York. The Missourians, an excellent group that had previously recorded heated instrumentals but had fallen upon hard times, worked out much better. Calloway worked in the 1929 revue Hot Chocolates, started recording in 1930, and in 1931 hit it big with both "Minnie the Moocher" and his regular engagement at the Cotton Club. Calloway was soon (along with Bill Robinson, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington) the best-known black entertainer of the era. He appeared in quite a few movies (including 1943's Stormy Weather), and "Minnie the Moocher" was followed by such recordings as "Kicking the Gong Around," "Reefer Man," "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day," "You Gotta Hi-De-Ho," "The Hi-De-Ho Miracle Man," and even "Mister Paganini, Swing for Minnie." Among Calloway's sidemen through the years (who received among the highest salaries in the business) were Walter "Foots" Thomas, Bennie Payne, Doc Cheatham, Eddie Barefield, Shad Collins, Cozy Cole, Danny Barker, Milt Hinton, Mario Bauza, Chu Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, Tyree Glenn, Panama Francis, and Ike Quebec. His 1942 recording of "Blues in the Night" was a big hit. With the end of the big band era, Calloway had to reluctantly break up his orchestra in 1948, although he continued to perform with his Cab Jivers. Since George Gershwin had originally modeled the character Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess after Calloway, it was fitting that Cab got to play him in a 1950s version. Throughout the rest of his career, Calloway made special appearances for fans who never tired of hearing him sing "Minnie the Moocher." ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cab-calloway-mn0000532957/biography

Personnel:  1-20 - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra with Chu Berry (19, 20); Shad Collins, Irving Randolph, Lammar Wright, Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones (tp), Claude Jones, Keg Johnson, De Priest Wheeler, Tyree Glenn (tb), Garvin Bushell, Andrew Brown, Chauncev Haughton (cl, as), Walter Thomas, Chu Berry, Ted McRae (ts), Hilton Jefferson (as), Bennie Paine (p), Morris White, Danny Barker (g), Milton Hinton (b), Leroy Maxey, Cozy Cole, J. Heard (dm), Cab Calloway (vo) and others... New York, 1937/1944;  21-22 - Chu Berry with Cab Calloway & His Orchestra – 1940

The Swinging Big Band Leader with Chu Berry 1937-1944

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Chu Berry & Lucky Thompson - Giants Of The Tenor Sax

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:19
Size: 99,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Body And Soul
(2:14)  2. Sittin' In
(3:56)  3. Stardust
(2:32)  4. Forty Six West Fifty Two
(3:57)  5. On The Sunny Side Of The Street No. 2
(3:15)  6. My Gal Is Gone
(2:51)  7. Rockin' At Ryans
(2:45)  8. Blowing Up A Breeze
(4:00)  9. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(3:00) 10. Monday At Minton's
(4:16) 11. Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You
(3:15) 12. You'd Be Frantic Too
(3:16) 13. Blues Jumped A Rabbit

This Commodore material reissued as an LP culls out tracks from sessions headed by others, but which feature tenor saxophonists Chu Berry and Lucky Thompson. The Chu Berry cuts come from separate Roy Eldridge and Hot Lips Page sets. Hot Lips Page also led the group, which included the Lucky Thompson tracks heard here. Berry was killed at the age of 31 in a car accident. Although he spent most of his performing career in someone else's sax section, there's no telling what heights he might have reached if he lived longer. His version of "Body and Soul" on this album was recorded 11 months to the day prior to Coleman Hawkins', the man usually given the credit for "setting the saxophone free." Yet Berry was as improvisational as Hawkins would later be. In fact, Hawkins probably heard the Berry recording and used its ideas a year later. 

Hawkins was 35 when he recorded his famous rendition; Berry was just 28 when he cut his interpretation, which was never accorded the same magnitude of acknowledgment. This track also features some hot trumpet by Eldridge. Berry also shows his incredible technique on "Stardust." Thompson has four cuts to Berry's nine, but he makes the most of his time. His big, fat tenor sound dominates the four tracks he's on, all tunes by Page. He went on to lead many of his groups, making a name for himself on the center of the jazz universe, 52nd Street in N.Y.C., before moving to Europe where he achieved even greater success. Unfortunately, his later life was marred by mental problems. This fine album has been transferred to CD and is a testimonial to two top tenor saxophone players whose respective careers were shortened by different types of calamitous circumstances. ~ Dave Nathan   http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-giants-of-the-tenor-sax-mw0000201234.

Personnel : Chu Berry, Lucky Thompson (Saxophone); Roy Eldridge, Hot Lips Page (trumpet); Clyde Hart (piano); Sid Catlett (drums).

Giants Of The Tenor Sax

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