Customer Reviews

Six Jumping Jacks, Vol. 2

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD, definitely a labor of love, is (along with its companion first volume) one of the best remastering jobs of 78 rpm records from the 20s that I have heard in recent years. This is especially noteworthy considering that the actual masters for these records have long since been scrapped and consumer copies are all that there is left to work with.

The Six Jumping Jacks were a kind of prototype for Spike Jones, who added sound effects to this kind of two-beat 20s style and took off from there. It's also very similar to the music that you'll hear on the soundtrack of Max Fleischer cartoons (Betty Boop, etc.). If you like that stuff, you'll like what's here.

I have been looking through stacks of 78s for years, and what few examples of the Jumping Jacks work I've been able to find is usually played to death by the original owner. None of the discs here display that kind of damage. Some minor shellac-groove hiss (and occasional wear on the louder notes) has been left in, not removed, since removing it would have taken some of the high frequency response with it - this was a wise decision, though it may put some listeners off at first. The absence of clicks and pops, usually part of the territory with 78s, makes for as blissful a listening experience as you could expect given the original medium.

The only thing missing from this collection are the instrumental versions of these sides that were recorded for the German market. Those were tasty, and deserve a reissue of their own, which hopefully will happen one day. All of the vocal versions are here, though, and it's a great treat for the ears.

Banjo master Harry Reser put together a lot of bands in the twenties and thirties but the six jumping jacks was his favorite. It is easy to see why. This was a very tight band with great musicianship. It also was absolutely giddy with fun. Simply novelty songs are turned into excellent twenties dance music, perfect for any speakeasy. Top this off with one of my favorite non-traditional vocalists, Tom Stacks, and you have a great album. Tom Stacks had a high pitched voice, a bad case of overgrown adenoids, and a love for singing that is infectious. His voice sounds is adolescent, full of fun, and absolutely sincere. That's what makes it so charming. Add this one to your twenties collection

Harry Reser's Six Jumping Jacks play the kind of music many people seem to associate with the "Roaring '20s": jazz-influenced small dance band numbers with wacky (sometimes a bit corny) instrumental effects. Still, this is hot, swinging stuff, and the vocals by Tom Stacks are a treat in themselves. The songs are often more than a little humorous and I can't help smiling and singing along with many of them. Watch out though, the melodies are infectious and will stick in your head for days! I agree with the other reviewers here: the sound quality on this CD is absolutely top-notch, minimal surface noise without the digital overprocessing that creeps into many reissues of vintage recordings. The bass sax in these records really sounds great! The enlightening liner notes that come with this set are an added bonus. Two volumes of the Six Jumping Jacks isn't enough. I understand that a third volume was nearing completion when the TOM label's owner and producer, George Morrow, died several years ago. Hopefully that will see the light of day in the future. In the meantime, there's plenty to enjoy on Volumes 1 and 2 of Harry Reser's Sx Jumping Jacks!

This is the second volume of giddy, wacky, super-cheerful pre-Depression novelty tunes by Harry Reser and his band. If you like the Cheap Suit Serenaders, you'll definitely want to pick this up... One great tune after another! (DJ Joe Sixpack)