Time: 53:38
Size: 122.8 MB
Styles: Ragtime, Dixieland
Year: 2014
Art: Front
[2:07] 1. Somebody Stole My Gal
[2:02] 2. Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue Has Anybody Seen My Girl
[1:59] 3. Meet Me Tonight At Milton's
[2:16] 4. Too Much Mustard
[1:49] 5. Peg O' My Heart
[3:17] 6. St. Louis Blues
[2:05] 7. Chicago
[2:20] 8. Entertainer's Rag
[1:58] 9. Easy Melody
[2:14] 10. Goofus Rag
[1:55] 11. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
[1:53] 12. Nobody's Sweetheart
[2:18] 13. Lassus Trombone
[2:57] 14. I Ain't Got Nobody
[2:04] 15. Red Hot Mama
[2:18] 16. How Come You Do Me Like You Do
[2:17] 17. Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider
[2:43] 18. Under The Double Eagle
[1:56] 19. The Varsity Drag
[2:11] 20. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
[2:17] 21. Spain
[2:39] 22. Tuck Me To Sleep In My Old 'tucky Home
[2:03] 23. Swingin' Around
[1:49] 24. When You're Smiling
In 1948, trombonist Pee Wee Hunt and his band were fooling around at a Capitol recording session. They performed a satirical version of "Twelfth Street Rag" that found them playing like amateur Dixielanders and renegades of 1921-style jazz. The Capitol executives were delighted, the performance was released, and to everyone's surprise, it became a major hit! Prior to that spontaneous performance, Hunt had been best-known for his long period with the Casa Loma Orchestra. His father had been a violinist and his mother a guitarist, so music was a natural part of his life. Hunt was actually a banjoist originally; he started playing when he was 17. Soon he was doubling on trombone and playing in local bands on both instruments before eventually dropping the banjo. He was with Jean Goldkette's Orchestra for a period in Kansas City (1927-1928 after the Bix Beiderbecke period), worked with the Hollywood Theatre Orchestra in Detroit, and then in 1929 became one of the founders of the Casa Loma Orchestra, which would eventually be taken over by Glen Gray. Hunt had occasional trombone solos and was probably most notable for his good-humored (and sometimes comedic) vocals. He remained with the Casa Loma Orchestra for 14 years until departing in May 1943 to settle in Los Angeles. Hunt was a disc jockey for a time in Hollywood, served with the U.S. Merchant Marine, and in 1946, formed his own Dixieland group. The success of "Twelfth Street Rag" resulted in the trombonist recording many more dates for Capitol (up until 1962) although no further hits resulted. Pee Wee Hunt remained active into the '70s.
While heavily influenced by Art Tatum, this performer was hardly considered a heavyweight pianist during his career. Born Louis F. Bush, or Busch depending on the source, the keyboard maestro who would also make heavy use of the stage name of Joe "Fingers" Carr managed to make it into Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz, but with the following disclaimer: "A novelty performer rather than a jazz artist." The novelty itself was a kind of heavily sexed-up ragtime piano style that caught on in the very dawn of the hi-fi era. The invention was in sharp contrast to lounge music and would most likely have the opposite effect than a seduction if played in a bachelor pad. Carr began driving his piano this way while working as an A&R man for Capitol. In a brainstorm based on a sharp analysis of current trends, he decided to sign himself up as the mysterious "Fingers."
Dipping his fingers into a recording session from time to time, Carr was particularly effective providing an authentic instrumental ambience on the 1949 single entitled "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" by the duo of Jo Stafford and Paul Weston. The fact that this side became a big hit didn't help Carr's chances to convince his bosses of the commercial potential for an all-piano album in the same style. "Ivory Rag," the first single released from Carr's new series of recordings, turned into an international hit.
While heavily influenced by Art Tatum, this performer was hardly considered a heavyweight pianist during his career. Born Louis F. Bush, or Busch depending on the source, the keyboard maestro who would also make heavy use of the stage name of Joe "Fingers" Carr managed to make it into Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz, but with the following disclaimer: "A novelty performer rather than a jazz artist." The novelty itself was a kind of heavily sexed-up ragtime piano style that caught on in the very dawn of the hi-fi era. The invention was in sharp contrast to lounge music and would most likely have the opposite effect than a seduction if played in a bachelor pad. Carr began driving his piano this way while working as an A&R man for Capitol. In a brainstorm based on a sharp analysis of current trends, he decided to sign himself up as the mysterious "Fingers."
Dipping his fingers into a recording session from time to time, Carr was particularly effective providing an authentic instrumental ambience on the 1949 single entitled "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" by the duo of Jo Stafford and Paul Weston. The fact that this side became a big hit didn't help Carr's chances to convince his bosses of the commercial potential for an all-piano album in the same style. "Ivory Rag," the first single released from Carr's new series of recordings, turned into an international hit.
Pee Wee Hunt Vs. Joe 'fingers' Carr