Nobody in Town - Billie Poole 1960

bob erwig By
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By bob erwig
Nobody in Town can Bake a Sweet Jelly Roll like Mine – Billie Poole 1960
On June 14 1923 famous singer Eva Taylor recorded this tune and was backed up by her husband pianist, bandleader and arranger Clarence Williams. This was on the Okeh label. On June 22 1923, a week later Bessie Smith recorded it as well accompanied by Fletcher Henderson, pianist and bandleader as well, this time on the Columbia label.
You can listen to the original Bessie Smith recording from the tunelist of her website http://www.redhotjazz.com/bessie.html
It is totally amazing to hear Billy Poole singing it again some 37 years later. Same timbre, same feeling, absolutely fantastic! I searched for further recordings of her and all I could find is her LP “Confessin’ the blues” with pianist Junior Mance and guitarist Kenny Burrell on the Riverside label in 1962.
Together here with the French High Society Jazz Band of trombonist Mowli Jospin.
An amazing band where all the musicians grasp that honest and traditional atmosphere of how these early jazz bands would improvise around the singer’s melody lines. What a treat!
The other musicians in the band are Pierre Merlin trumpet, Claude Rabinet trumpet, Pierre Atlan clarinet., Martine Morel piano, Christian Gervais banjo, Raymond Fonseque tuba and Michel Miroux drums.
Jospin, Merlin and Rabinet played in the famous Claude Luter Band as well. This was the band that played and recorded with Sidney Bechet in the fifties.

02/24/2008