Dear Tom,
Lord gives two versions / takes of St. James Infirmary. It was recorded in
Los Angeles on the 30th of September and 1-2 October 1959.
Hans
Jazz .. and more - a weekly blog:
http://keepswinging.blogspot.com
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] Namens Tom Fine
Verzonden: zaterdag 8 mei 2010 14:22
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Re: [ARSCLIST] St. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrnog
Hi Hans:
I am pretty sure that version of "St. James" is from the sessions that
produced the Audio Fidelity
album "Satchmo Plays King Oliver," recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood
in September and October
1959. Here's the reissue LP version:
http://tinyurl.com/2dqo98u
Interesting, though! I'm comparing right now the YouTube clip to the album
and guess what -- that
YouTube clip is a different take from the album! The trombone and clarinet
vamps are different and
there's a little bit different delivery to Louis's vocals plus different
trumpet solos. But, the
sound is very close to the record so I'd say it's gotta be from the same
session since Sid Fry's
setup was unique, his "curtain of sound" M-S stereophonic setup (not
hard-panned "stereo" as was
typical of jazz recordings on those days). I wonder where this other take is
floating around! The
version that's on the Classic Records reissue linked above is the same as
what's on my 1964 Audio
Fidelity version of the album titled "The Best of Louis Armstrong" (Audio
Fidelity AFSD 6132). I
don't think AF would have issued two versions of that same LP, and the
Classic reissue claims to be
of the first edition version (Audio Fidelity AFLP 1930). So the take in that
YouTube clip must be
floating around from somewhere else.
For what it's worth, I prefer the take that's on the LP. Louis's solo at the
end is fantastic, and
the clarinet picks up on what he's doing at one point and they both go over
the top together. In my
opinion, this was Louis Armstrong's last great jazz session. His next step
was "Hello Dolly" and pop
fame in his last years. He never again played trumpet in front of a
recording mic as well as he did
for the Audio Fidelity sessions. And the recording technique on that album
is perfect for the
ensemble playing that Louis's band was into. Everyone has to play his part
but not one is
artificially spotlighted. So they have to play as a unit, control their
dynamics, know when to lay
in and lay out, like real musicians playing in a believable sonic space.
That was innovative in
those days and, unfortunately, is still rare and innovative today!
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans en Corrie" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2010 3:19 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] St. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrnog
> This month, 80 years ago, Ellington recorded St. James Infirmary for a Hit
> of the Week recording. I commemorated this fact in the latest
> http://hitoftheweek.blogspot.com. I posted a great version of this song by
> Louis Armstrong - can someone inform me when this was recorded?
>
> Hans
>
|