Spreadin' Joy: 1940-50

by Bechet,Sidney

Overview

Here is a peripatetic grab bag of this and that from a span of exactly a decade, an unevenly fruitful period for Bechet that culminated in his becoming a national hero of sorts in France. Taking advantage of expired copyrights, Naxos draws from a variety of labels, sampling from some 1940 sessions from HRS, his brief swinging renaissance at Victor in 1941, his freewheeling post-recording-ban Blue Notes, some superb Columbia sessions with Bob Wilber's Wildcats, and single items from Melotone ("I Told You Once, I Told You Twice" with Humphrey Lyttelton) and Commodore (a surprisingly faithful Dixieland treatment of "National Emblem March"). Also included for their sheer newsworthy curiosity value are those notorious one-man-band records that Bechet made for Victor, "The Sheik of Araby" and "Blues of Bechet." Musically, the one-man tracks are not much, and some of the instruments on the former are inaudible, but it's a marvel that such a feat could be done at all in those pre-tape days. The pressings naturally vary a lot in condition, given the multiplicity of sources, yet producer David Lennick's transfers are well above average in this field; indeed, his versions of the Victor material are far more faithful to the sound of the 78s than RCA's own pale transfers in their 1990 complete edition of master takes. This disc could serve as a good single-disc introduction to Bechet -- especially at Naxos' bargain price. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Product Details

Release Date:	05/15/2001
Label:	NAXOS
UPC:	0636943253120

Tracks

1. The Sheik of Araby
2. Sweet Lorraine
3. China Boy
4. I Told You Once
5. Muskrat Ramble
6. Blue Horizon
7. Slippin' and Slidin'
8. Egyptian Fantasy
9. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
10. Lazy River
11. That's A-Plenty
12. Texas Moaner Blues
13. National Emblem March
14. Four or Five Times
15. I Had It But It's All Gone Now
16. Spreading Joy
17. Blues of Bechet
18. Cake Walking Babies from Home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sidney Bechet   Primary Artist,Bass,Drums,Piano,Clarinet,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Bob Wilber   Clarinet
J.C. Higginbotham   Trombone
Jack Lesberg   Bass
Everett Barksdale   Guitar (Electric)
Carmen Mastren   Guitar
Walter Page   Bass
Wellman Braud   Bass
Ralph Sutton   Piano
Art Hodes   Piano
George Wettling   Drums
Manzie Johnson   Drums
Muggsy Spanier   Cornet
Humphrey Lyttelton   Trumpet
Keith Christie   Trombone
Henry "Red" Allen   Trumpet
J.C. Heard   Drums
Dick Wellstood   Piano
Johnny Glasel   Cornet
Wilmore Slick Jones   Drums
Charlie Traeger   Bass
Jim Tolliver   Piano
Danny Strong   Drums
Bob Mielke   Trombone

Technical Credits

David Lennick   Compilation Producer
Kid Ory   Composer
Chris Smith   Composer
Clifford R. Burwell   Composer
Francis Wheeler   Composer
Charles Warfield   Composer
John Reid   Composer
Dick Winfree   Composer
Phil Boutelje   Composer
Ray Gilbert   Composer
Mitchell Parish   Composer
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Ted Snyder   Composer
Bert Williams   Composer
Clarence Williams   Composer
Fay Barnes   Composer
Lew Pollack   Composer
Henry Troy   Composer
Dave Nelson   Composer
Marco H. Hellman   Composer
Harry Beasley Smith   Composer
Edward "Kid" Ory   Composer
Edwin Eugene Bagley   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Sidney Bechet   Composer
Byron Gay   Composer
W.C. Bauns   Composer
Sidney Arodin   Composer