At The Swing Cats Ball, by Luis Russell

At The Swing Cats Ball

by Luis Russell

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1.	Jammin' 04:18	buy track
2.	After You've Gone 02:07	buy track
3.	Them There Eyes 03:33	buy track
4.	Blue Rhythm 04:10	buy track
5.	I've Got A Heart Full Of Rhythm 03:53	buy track
6.	Riffs (Dunkin’ A Donut) Part 1 02:50	buy track
7.	Riffs (Dunkin’ A Donut) Part 2 01:36	buy track
8.	Mister Ghost Goes To Town Part 1 01:05	buy track
9.	Mister Ghost Goes To Town Part 2 00:44	buy track
10.	Ol’ Man River 03:10	buy track
11.	Heebie Jeebies 01:45	buy track
12.	At The Swing Cats Ball 04:00	buy track
13.	Algiers Stomp 02:28	buy track
14.	Hot Bricks 02:14	buy track
15.	Melancholy Lullaby & Lilacs In The Rain 03:20	buy track
16.	Leanin’ On The Ole Top Rail & Gotta Get Home 03:45	buy track
17.	Rippling Waters 01:26	buy track
18.	Fussin' 01:56	buy track
19.	Echo Of Spring 01:42	buy track
20.	Moonlight Cocktail 00:56	buy track

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Order Here: hypeddit.com/luisrussell/attheswingcatsball

Newly Discovered Recordings From The Closet
Volume 1, 1938-1940

The recordings contained in this collection were recently discovered in a closet of a once working musician. What makes this discovery revelatory is the source, Luis Russell (born Panama Aug 5, 1902, died New York City Dec 11, 1963). A pioneer of early jazz, Luis was an orchestra leader, arranger, composer, and pianist of the first order of magnitude. The recordings, which span a two year period from 1938 through 1940, are primarily radio airchecks, captured by a single wire and cut directly onto a glass or shellac disc. During this period, Luis and his orchestra were doing double duty, serving as Louis Armstrong’s orchestra on stage and on recordings for the Decca label, while also touring and performing as Luis Russell Orchestra without Armstrong.

Luis wanted to hear how his orchestra sounded. The selections he chose to capture from live gigs were, with a few exceptions, songs that he never recorded or released in studio versions. We are able, many decades later, to be a “fly on the wall” at his gigs. We hear material the orchestra leader wanted to playback as a tool for fine tuning his approach.

The recordings were transfered by sound engineer, Doug Pomeroy, the preeminent expert at historical audio restoration. Heavily worn, an indication that Luis Russell listened to them repeatedly, Doug coaxed as much music as possible, using specialized styluses of varied sizes, caressing each side of every groove. A single source capturing a 16 piece orchestra on one channel, without the ability to balance or mix, followed by years of wear, was the grist for Doug Pomeroy’s mill. Another proviso; the source materials were among the roughest Doug had ever encountered. The resulting sound quality reflects these limitations. In some cases, we have only a fragment of the song. The recordings were never intended for commercial release.

When initially discovered, they were shared with a small group of dedicated and generous jazz historians. The response was enthusiastic, with a unanimity that these recordings deserved to be heard and enjoyed. The music shines through as a fascinating document; rarities curated by the leader of one of the greatest orchestras in the history of jazz, including a lineup of legendary, stellar musicians, performing at the peak of their powers.

credits

released March 3, 2023

MUSICIANS:

Tracks 1-9
Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra
Louis Armstrong (tp,vcl), Shelton Hemphill, Louis Bacon, Henry “Red” Allen (tp) Wilbur DeParis, George Washington, J.C. Higginbotham (tb) Pete Clarke, Charlie Holmes (as) Albert Nicholas, Bingie Madison (cl,ts) Luis Russell (p) Lee Blair (g) Pops Foster (b) Paul Barbarin (d) Georgie Stoll, Chappie Willett (arr)

Tracks 10-14
Luis Russell Orchestra
Louis Bacon (tp) or Otis Johnson, Shelton Hemphill, Henry “Red” Allen (tp) Wilbur DeParis, George Washington, J.C. Higginbotham (tb) Rupert Cole, Charlie Holmes (as) Bingie Madison (ts) Albert Nicholas (ts,cl) Luis Russell (p,leader) Lee Blair (g) Pops Foster (b) Paul Barbarin or Sidney Catlett (d)

Tracks 15 & 16
Louis Armstrong & Orchestra
Louis Armstrong (tp) Bernard Flood, Shelton Hemphill, Louis Armstrong & Orchestra: – Henry “Red” Allen (tp) Wilbur DeParis, George Washington, J.C. Higginbotham (tb) Rupert Cole (cl,as) Charlie Holmes (as) Joe Garland (ts,bar) Bingie Madison (ts) Luis Russell (p) Lee Blair (g) Pops Foster (b) Sidney Catlett (d), Sonny Woods (vcl)

Tracks 17-20
Luis Russell - piano

ENGINEERS:

Producer - Paul Kahn
Digital Transfers and Audio Restoration - Douglas Pomeroy
Music and Photos - Catherine Russell Collection
Editing and Mastering - Katherine Miller

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Dot Time Records New York, New York

Dot Time Records is a jazz, blues, and world music label. Launched in 2012, Dot Time Records releases feature exciting virtuoso artists, both established and newly discovered from around the globe. The soul of Dot Time Records can be found in the creativity, artistry, passion and energy of these artists and musicians. ... more

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