SWING ACCORDION
VA - Squeeze Me-the Jazz & Swing Accordion Story [2006] (4 x CD's)
I know what you're thinking -- accordions, the amateur hour, and terminal geekiness. I thought the same thing, which is why I avoided buying this for a long time despite a policy of buying most of the Proper Box sets. So glad I did get it.
Disc one opens in the US in 1929-30 with pop and jazz cuts. The pop cuts are more or less what you'd expect, fairly interesting if you like 1920s pop. The jazz cuts are better--Bennie Moten and, of all people, Duke Ellington. How can you go wrong? Then things really get interesting. The rest of disc one and all of disc two move to Europe in the 1930s and during WWII. If you're familiar with Django Reinhardt, you know the territory--swing with violins and guitars, occasionally mixed with musette and gypsies. Most of the music is first rate, and there's some hellaciously good instrumental work along the way. Many of the groups are French, but there's groups from Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, Norway, and Spain, too. Many of the recordings were made sub rosa during the Nazi occupation and are a fascinating piece of history. Disc three finishes off the war years, then moves to some of the best music on the set--the Joe Mooney Quartet and the Quintet Johnny Meyer. Despite an aversion to late 40s/early 50s pre-rock pop, Joe Mooney won me over. He played stuff that went down easy with the record buying public, but it melded bop harmonies, perfect arranging, a sense of humor, and superb swing into a whole that's impossible to dislike. Johnny Meyer, from the Netherlands, is the best accordionist I've ever heard. He's tasty, technically awesome, and has fingers faster than I can think. The whole set is worth buying just for Mooney and Meyer. Disc three also includes a couple of nice live Benny Goodman cuts and some decent George Shearing . . . plus one oddball late hit from the Harry James Orchestra with accordion. Ddisc four, Tito Burns is a sextet that sounds bigger, more or less in line with the Charlie Ventura "bop for the people" project. Art van Damme is good cocktail jazz, but cocktail jazz nevertheless. The high spot of disc four is Mat Matthews, in company with such folks as Julius Watkins, Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke, Herbie Mann, Art Farmer, and Gigi Gryce. Those names alone should tell you that what you'll hear is first rate. (Amazon)
If you're curious about what was going on in Europe in that era, or if you just want to hear some good stuff that you won't get anywhere else, this is for you.
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Track lists
CD1
01 Ray Miller And His Orchestra - Angry 2:41
02 Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Terrific Stomp 2:50
03 Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Let's Get It 3:29
04 Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Moten Blues 3:06
05 Cellar Boys - Barrel House Stomp 3:06
06 Cornell Smelser And His Orchestra - Collegiate Loves 3:19
07 Cornell Smelser And His Orchestra - Accordion Joe 3:19
08 Jungle Band - Double Check Stomp 2:58
09 Jungle Band - Accordion Joe 3:04
10 Guerino Et Son Orchestre Musette De La Boite A Matelots - Brise Napolitaine 2:46
11 Michel Warlop Et Son Orchestre - Strange Harmony 2:36
12 Michel Warlop Et Son Orchestre - Serenade 2:49
13 Michel Warlop Et Son Orchestre - Ca Me Tracasse (Double Trouble) 2:30
14 Emil Hot Five - Eves La Mas Guapa (Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen) 2:42
15 Shoo Baby) - Kamil Behounek - Choo Choo (Shoo 2:18
16 Kamil Behounek - Moanin' 2:29
17 Kamil Behounek - Sugesce (Suggestion) 3:10
18 Tito & His Swingtette - Stuff And Things 2:42
19 Ramblers Orkesteri Klaus Salmen Johdolla - Unelmissain Oot Mun (You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming) 2:51
20 Gus Viseur's Music - It Had To Be You 2:38
21 Gus Viseur's Music - Swing Cocktail 2:49
22 Gus Viseur's Music - Daphne 2:51
23 L'accordeoniste Gus Viseur Et L'orchestre Victor - Whispering 2:17
24 Gus Viseur Et Son Orchestre - I've Got Rhythm 2:32
25 Gus Viseur Et Son Orchestre - Swing Valse 2:30
CD2
01 Gus Viseur Et Son Orchestre - Tiger Rag 2:39
02 Gus Viseur Et Son Orchestre - Swing 42 2:41
03 Louis Richard Day's Accordeon Swing Quartet - Coquette 2:35
04 George Shearing - Squeezin' The Blues 2:38
05 Tony Murena Et Son Orchestre - Begin The Beguine 3:00
06 Tony Murena Et Son Ensemble Swing - Christopher Columbus 2:35
07 Tony Murena Et Son Ensemble Swing - Quartier Chinois (Chinatown) 2:56
08 Tony Murena Et Son Ensemble Swing - Flots Bleus 2:55
09 Tony Murena Et Son Ensemble - Cafe Au Lait 3:10
10 Le Quartette Swing Emile Carrara - Dans L'ambiance (In The Mood) 2:44
11 Le Quartette Swing Emile Carrara - Les Yeux Noirs 3:06
12 Le Quartette Swing Emile Carrara - Alabamy Bound 2:49
13 Le Quartette Swing Emile Carrara - Chansons Paienne 2:30
14 Le Quartette Swing Emile Carrara - Jeepers, Creepers 2:08
15 Le Quartette Swing Emile Carrara - Le Charmeur Des Serpents 3:06
16 Willie Lewis Presents - Avalon 2:43
17 Frans Wouters En Zyn Dansorkest - Polydor Rhythme 2:20
18 Frans Wouters En Zyn Dansorkest - Dr. Heckyll And Mr. Jyde 2:47
19 Roger Etlens Et Son Ensemble - Swing Guitare 2:48
20 Jerry Thomas Swingtette - Wabash Blues 2:42
21 Buvos Hegedu (Magic Violin) - Radics Gabor Jazz - Egvuttese 2:53
22 Charles Verstraete - Boogie Woogie 2:12
23 Charles Verstraete & Son Ensemble - Honeysuckle Rose 3:47
24 Lill-Arnes Svang-Gang - Plinke Plonke 2:37
25 Hubert Simplisse Et Son Ensemble - Simplicites 3:24
CD3
01 Washington Bertolin's Swing Sextet - Swinging The Quick Rhythm 2:47
02 Rolf Syversen Og Ans Solister - Rytmefeber (Rhythm Fever) 2:59
03 Joe Mooney Quartet - September Song 3:15
04 Joe Mooney Quartet - Just A Gigolo 3:10
05 Joe Mooney Quartet - Tea For Two 2:45
06 Joe Mooney Quartet - Warm Kiss And A Cold Heart 3:08
07 Joe Mooney Quartet - Nancy (With The Laughing Face) 3:12
08 Joe Mooney Quartet - From Monday On 2:49
09 Joe Mooney Quartet - A Man With One Million Dollars 2:35
10 Joe Mooney Quartet - Shakey Breaks The Ice 2:55
11 Joe Mooney Quartet - You Go To My Head 2:57
12 Joe Mooney Quartet - Prelude To A Kiss 3:15
13 Benny Goodman Quintet - Fine And Dandy 2:35
14 Benny Goodman Sextet - How High The Moon 3:02
15 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Candy 2:55
16 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Ain't She Sweet 3:04
17 Quintet Johnny Meyer - I Got Rhythm 3:20
18 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Blue Skies 3:19
19 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Rosetta 2:36
20 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Rebop Continental 2:38
21 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Indian Love Call 3:02
22 Quintet Johnny Meyer - Honeysuckle Rose 3:16
23 George Shearing Quintet - Cherokee 2:46
24 George Shearing Quintet - Four Bars Short 2:25
25 George Shearing Quintet - Good To The Last Bop 2:53
26 Harry James And His Orchestra - Ruby 2:46
CD4
01 Tito Burns And His Sextet - Johnny Come Lately 2:31
02 Tito Burns And His Sextet - East Of Suez 2:14
03 Tito Burns And His Sextet - Somebody Loves Me 2:57
04 Tito Burns And His Sextet - Everloving Blues 3:12
05 Tito Burns And His Sextet - A Lesson In Bop 3:25
06 Tito Burns And His Sextet - Festival Hall 3:12
07 Art Van Damme - Carioca 3:03
08 Art Van Damme - Lullaby Of Broadway 2:26
09 Art Van Damme - Ol' Man River 1:43
10 Art Van Damme - Deep Night 3:02
11 Art Van Damme - Let's Fall In Love 2:19
12 Art Van Damme - Blue Lou 2:08
13 Art Van Damme - Let Yourself Down 2:04
14 Art Van Damme - It's Easy To Remember 2:58
15 Art Van Damme - Madame Van Damme 1:57
16 Mat Mathews - As Time Goes By 3:48
17 Mat Mathews - I Only Have Eyes For You 3:25
18 Mat Mathews - Later On 2:26
19 Mat Mathews - The Puritan 3:41
20 Mat Mathews - How Deep Is The Ocean ? 2:15
21 Mat Mathews - What A Difference A Day Made 3:17
22 Mat Mathews - Not So Sleepy 6:38
23 Mat Mathews - Knights At The Castle 5:38
24 Mat Mathews - Now See How You Are 3:11
25 Mat Mathews - Summertime 2:20
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