5.0 out of 5 stars
YOU CAN'T SHUSH CLARENCE, May 16, 2010
Clarence Williams began recording with his Blue Five in mid-1923, when it included Tom Morris on cornet and Sidney Bechet on clarinet and soprano sax. Morris was replaced by Louis Armstrong in October 1924, Bechet dropped out after March 1925, and Louis' last session was October 1925. This reissue covers the period during which either or both of these jazz giants was present in the line-up, but perversely fails to follow a chronological thread, and carries a photo of another Clarence Williams line-up altogether. It is also pertinent to mention that Eva Taylor sings on fifteen of the tracks, including the rare waltz number "Cast Away", and that Bechet solos on the esoteric sarrusophone (a sort of bass saxophone) on "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind". The majority of these numbers were recorded in the acoustic era, but such was the excellence of Okeh's recording system and the quality of the playing that this should not deter you from purchasing this early testament to two giants of jazz.
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