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4.0 out of 5 stars
Tram on his own., December 1, 2009
This review is from: Volume 3: Tram! Frank Trumbauer's Legacy To American Jazz 1931-1934 (Audio CD)
This collection starts in april 1931, a few months before Bix Beiderbecke's death and finds Trumbauer out on his own. He had secured the services of cornetist Andy Secrest who was an ardent admirer of Bix (and who was his replacement in the Whiteman band; Secrest would contribute some delightful solos to some of Bing Crosby's recordings) and a number of other Whiteman colleagues to produce these highly enjoyable titles, with Trumbauers airy c-melody sax taking centre stage. Also from the Whiteman stable there is a very modern sounding vocal group called the King's Jesters who on the non-vocal titles hum like a complete trombone section to great effect. A very young Johnny Mercer makes one of his first appearances on record in the five minute "Sizzling One Step Medley" on whose flip side we have a very pleasant medley of Isham Jones titles (performed by almost the complete Whiteman orchestra). After leaving Whiteman, the recorded material drops a little in quality, mainly serving as a showcase for Tram's fabulous technique, but the last five tunes (1934), which include the Teagarden brothers, lift things back on a more artistically rewarding level.
Great liner notes, very good sound: get a copy while it's still available!
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