Jay McShann - The Chronological Classics, 2 Albums '1994,1997

Tracks list

Tracks:

Jay McShann - 1941-1943 {The Chronological Classics, 740}

Twenty-one sides cut by Jay McShann and His Orchestra and the Jay McShann
Quartet for Decca Records between 1941 and 1943, with Charlie Parker on about
half of whats here, and stretching out on a handful of cuts. The highlight is
the groups recording of Confessin the Blues, which was a huge hit and resulted
in their recording of more than half a dozen similar vocal blues numbers,
featuring Walter Brown (who wrote Confessin) on vocals. The material here is
pretty much weighted to jump blues and boogie-woogie-style numbers, all of it
hot and extraordinarily well-played. The pity is, between Deccas insistence on
more songs like Confessin the Blues (which was later covered by Chuck Berry and
the Rolling Stones, among others) and the 1942 recordings band, not much of
McShanns repertory or Parkers more outstanding material from the period was laid
down. What is here, however, is extraordinary, some of the tightest, bluesiest
jazz youll ever here, all in excellent sound as well, and Parker does soar on a
large handful of these tracks.

01. Swingmatism (2:40)
02. Hootie Blues (2:57)
03. Dexter Blues (2:58)
04. Vine Street Boogie (2:37)
05. Confessin the Blues (2:53)
06. Hold Em Hootie (2:42)
07. One Womans Man (3:05)
08. Fore Day Rider (2:57)
09. So You Wont Jump (2:40)
10. New Confessin the Blues (3:06)
11. Red River Blues (2:57)
12. Baby Heart Blues (2:48)
13. Cryin Wont Make Me Stay (2:33)
14. Hooties Ignorant Oil (2:44)
15. Lonely Boy Blues (2:58)
16. Get Me on Your Mind (3:05)
17. The Jumpin Blues (3:03)
18. Sepian Bounce (3:10)
19. Say Forward, Ill March (3:10)
20. Wrong Neighborhood (3:22)
21. Hometown Blues (3:07) 


Jay McShann - 1944-1946 {The Chronological Classics, 966}

Jay McShann played a pivotal role in the evolution of Kansas City swing, bebop,
and R&B. The material presented in this segment of the McShann chronology is
mostly based in the blues, with heavy emphasis on vocal talent. A session that
took place in Kansas City on November 1, 1944 -- with the great Walter Page
handling the bass -- resulted in four sides that were issued on the Capitol
label. Moten Swing is mighty fine, and an elegant Sunny Side of the Street
served as the flip side. Julia Lee hadnt recorded for 15 years when she sat in
with McShann on this date. Come on Over to My House and Trouble in Mind turned
out well enough that Capitol responded with a recording contract and her career
took off anew. The rest of the music heard on this disc was recorded in Los
Angeles in 1945 and 1946. Out of 19 tracks, only four of these -- all boogies --
are instrumental. A fifth boogie, bearing McShanns nickname, Hootie, is nearly
instrumental except for a bit of shouting done by someone in or near the band
who remains unidentified. The vocalists who figured so prominently in McShanns
Philo, Premiere, and Mercury recordings sang the blues exclusively. Numa Lee
Moore sounds like a downsized Big Maybelle and Crown Prince Waterford has a bit
of a rowdy bite in his voice. Jimmy Witherspoon, featured on no less than nine
tracks, sounded something like Joe Turner at this stage of his career. McShanns
sax and trumpet players interacted wonderfully with the vocalists, and present
on the Mercury sessions was legendary Kansas City drummer Jesse Price.

01. Moten Swing (3:01)
02. Come On over to My House (2:53)
03. Trouble in My Mind (2:56)
04. On the Sunny Side of the Street (3:03)
05. Confessing the Blues (3:11)
06. Walking (3:26)
07. When Ive Been Drinking (3:16)
08. Hard-Working Mans Blues (3:23)
09. Merry-Go-Round-Blues (3:10)
10. Bad Tale Boogie (2:12)
11. McShanns Boogie-Blues (3:07)
12. Hootie Boogie (2:55)
13. Garfield Avenue Blues (3:04)
14. Shipyard Woman Blues (3:04)
15. Crown Prince Boogie (2:53)
16. Ernestine (2:51)
17. Bucktown Boogie (2:59)
18. Roll On, Katy (3:07)
19. Voodoo Woman Blues (2:39)
20. I Want a Little Girl (2:38)
21. Jimtown Boogie (2:52)
22. Have You Ever Loved a Woman? (2:51)
23. Gone with the Blues (2:42)

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