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Meadowbrook, Cedar Grove, June 1951
Willie Smith and Harold Baker are soloing in Sophisticated Lady
To complete our series of broadcasts from the Meadowbrook in New Jersey, we can now present to the DESS members, in the Goodies Room, the final recording from this venue. For this event, discographies do not specify the exact date, only June 1951. According to the New DESOR, it was once issued on VOA POD-41/POD-42, but the exact circumstances are not known. VOA stands for Voice Of America, so this music was probably sent over its own network.
Like all previous recordings from Meadowbrook in June 1951, this one also comes from an MBS broadcast. The following numbers were played:
All Day Long*Sophisticated Lady*The Hawk Talks*Midriff*Just A-Sittin’ And A-Rockin’*Caravan (more…)
Meadowbrook, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, June 9, 1951
Sultry Serenade We continue our visits to Frank Dailey’s Meadowbrook in Cedar Grove NJ. The date is now June 9, 1951 and this time we offer a program that is slightly longer than the previous ones.
This is because we have put together two different tapes from this date into one, which have all known surviving recordings made at this occasion and in the order they were played.
The first part is not known to have been broadcasted, whereas the second part is from an MBS broadcast. Above you can listen to a fine rendition of Sultry Serenade by Britt Woodman, but to listen to the rest of these fine performances you will have to be a DESS-member and go to the Goodies Room. (more…)
Meadowbrook, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, June 6, 1951
The second surviving MBS broadcast (June 6, 1951) from Frank Dailey’s Meadowbrook is one of the goodies in the “Goodies of the Month” section of the website.
After the theme and introduction, we hear the second part of THE TATTOOED BRIDE called Aberdeen with beautiful clarinet playing by Jimmy Hamilton. Indian Summer is next, this time with an alto solo (one of his best) by Willie Smith showing why Duke wanted him in his band.
Love You Madly is sung by Norma Oldham, Ellington’s new female singer, who has a pleasant voice but had a short stay with the orchestra.
Juan Tizol is soloing in his own composition Moonlight Fiesta, which was one of his feature numbers alsos with the Harry James orchestra. We then hear the first recorded performance of Billy Strayhorn’s All Day Long , perhaps not one of his most well-known compositions but typical of his writing and arranging.
After Al Hibbler’s rendition of I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart, it is time for Louie Bellson’s probably most well-known composition, The Hawk Talks. Bellson did not have Coleman Hawkins in mind when he wrote it. Instead it is dedicated to Harry James, his former employer.Next comes an unusual version of Take The A Train with an impressive solo in slow tempo by Paul Gonsalves. At the absence of Johnny Hodges, some of the other musicians also got the chance at playing slow ballads and similar tunes.
DESS members are welcome to “the Goodies Month” section to listen to and download this broadcast.