Contact Us
WXDU 88.7 FM
PO Box 90689
Duke Station
Durham, NC 27708
919-684-2957
wxdu@duke.edu
WXDU 88.7 FM
PO Box 90689
Duke Station
Durham, NC 27708
919-684-2957
wxdu@duke.edu
Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clarence Williams' Blue Five | Wild Cat Blues | The Clarence WIlliams Collection 1921-37 | Acrobat | rec 1923 this was Bechet's first recording, note how even that early on his playing dominates the piece | |||||
| |||||||||
Clarence Williams' Blue Five | Mandy, Make Up Your Mind | The Essential Sidney Bechet | Music Memoria | rec 1924 fet. Bechet and Louis Armstrong. This is the only recording in existence of jazz bass sarrusophone, which Bechet plays here. He said he happened to see the sarrusophone in a pawn shop window on his way to the recording session, but it's also possible he had learned of the instrument while in London a few years before | |||||
The New Orleans Feetwarmers | Shag | The Essential Sidney Bechet | Music Memoria | rec 1932 Bechet spent much of the 1920s in France, performing live rather than recording. Back in the US in the early 30s he formed the Feetwarmers with his good friend Tommy Ladnier, they co-led the band | |||||
The New Orleans Feetwarmers | I've Found a New Baby | The Essential Sidney Bechet | Music Memoria | rec 1932 when things slowed down for the Feetwarmers, Bechet and Ladnier started a tailor shop together. Neither was great at sewing but they did repair and pressing, and had a more or less open house for musician friends, they would jam in the basement and Bechet would cook New Orleans feasts like red beans and rice | |||||
Noble Sissle and His International Orchestra | Polka Dot Rag | Sidney Bechet 16 Classic Performances | rec 1934 in 1934 Noble Sissle invited Bechet and Ladnier to join his band. Bechet accepted, Ladnier declined. Note that in this track Bechet plays both clarinet and soprano sax. he was able to switch back and forth between the instruments with ease | ||||||
Noble Sissle's Swingsters | Okey Doke | Varsity VA 648 | Varsity | rec 1937 thisand Characteristic Blues were from the same session. These recordings mark the most improvisational freedom Bechet had had on any recording to that point in his career | |||||
Noble Sissle's Swingsters | Characteristic Blues | The Essential Sidney Bechet | Music Memoria | rec 1937 same session as Okey Doke | |||||
Noble Sissle's Swingsters | Southern Sunset | Dear Old Southland | rec 1938 this session was the first time Bechet as bandleader on record. In a poll of French musicians after Bechet's death, they voted this their favorite of his recordings | ||||||
Tommy Ladnier And His Orchestra | Really the Blues | The Mezz Mezzrow Collection 1928-1955 | Acrobat | rec 1938 here Bechet is back with his close friend Tommy Ladnier, who died in 1939 | |||||
Sidney Bechet Quintet | Summertime | Summertime | rec 1939 Bechet's first recording for the then-new Blue Note Records, he would continue to record for Blue Note on and off for most of the rest of his career. This was the first hit record for Blue Note and for Bechet. The band was Sidney Bechet sop, Meade Lux Lewis p, Teddy Bun g, Johnny Williams b, Sid Catlett d | ||||||
Jelly Roll Morton's New Orleans Jazzmen | Oh Didn't He Ramble | Summertime | rec 1939 this session was the only time Bechet and Morton recorded together. Bechet was self-conscious about his inability to read music, and in this session when the sheet music was handed out, Morton saw him pretending to read the music . Morton called out to him "hey Sid, you remember how this goes right?" and started playing Bechet's part on the piano. Bechet said "oh yeah, I remember." Morton knew that Bechet has a photographic memory for music so as soon as he heard it, he could play it. this track was part of the growing interest in New Orleans music among swing audiences. Note the New Orleans funeral riff at the beginning and end. The spoken word is trombonist Claude Jones | ||||||
Sidney Bechet And His New Orleans Feetwarmers | Indian Summer | Petite Fleur | Masters of Music | rec 1940 Bechet using the Feetwarmers band name again, this time leading the band solo | |||||
Bechet-Spanier | China Boy | Ragtime Jazz | Olympic | rec 1940 this is a "pianoless" quartet with no piano or drum, just Bechet, cornetist Muggsy Spanier, guitar and bass. Note how Bechet thrives against Spanier, a player as strong as himself | |||||
Sidney Bechet, Earl Hines and Baby Dodds | Blues in Thirds | Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945 | Mosaic | rec 1940 lovely piece by three giants of early jazz | |||||
Sidney Bechet's Blue Note Quartet | Dear Old Southland | Triple Best Of | Blue Note | rec 1940 this became a signature song for Bechet, he performed & recorded it many times. this recording was for Blue Note | |||||
Sidney Bechet And His New Orleans Feetwarmers | Nobody Knows The Way I Feel Dis Mornin' | The Essential Sidney Bechet | Music Memoria | rec 1940 | |||||
Sidney Bechet And His New Orleans Feetwarmers | Egyptian Fantasy | The Essential Sidney Bechet | Music Memoria | rec 1941 although Bechet claimed songwriting credit for this, some say it's a reworking of an old New Orlean tune called "Egyptia." I was not able to find confirmation of this, yes or no | |||||
Sidney Bechet And His New Orleans Feetwarmers | What Is This Thing Called Love | Petite Fleur | Masters of Music | rec 1941 this was made late in 1941, just a few months before the recording strike during which the only recordings of Bechet are radio transcriptions and private recordings made in people's homes | |||||
Sidney Bechet (One Man Band) | The Sheik of Araby | Petite Fleur | Masters of Music | rec 1941 this was one of the first examples of multitrack recording. the equipment Les Paul used didn't exist yet, so what Bechet did was to record himself playing one instrument, listen to the record, play along with another instrument and record that, then repeat until he had performed a 6 piece band by himself. Unfortunately the sound degraded with each new recording and the first instruments are difficult to hear. But in terms of innovation and resourcefulness this recording is a marvel | |||||
Sidney Bechet and His Blue Note Jazzmen | Blue Horizon | The Best of Sidney Bechet | Blue Note | rec 1944 this has been called "the most deeply moving of all instrumental blues recordings," "one of the finest blues played on any instrument," "a recording all clarinetists should study" | |||||
Mezzrow-Bechet Septet | Blood on the Moon | King Jazz 143 | King Jazz | rec 1945 vocals by Hot Lips Page. Bechet and Mezzrow worked together many times over the years | |||||
Sidney Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen | High Society | Triple Best Of | Blue Note | rec 1945 trumpeter Max Kaminsky who performed on this recording said "Sidney blew in a way that could break down the walls if he wanted to" | |||||
Sidney Bechet and His Blue Note Jazzmen | Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho | You Might As Well | Jazz 2 Jazz | rec 1949 my personal favorite Bechet recording | |||||
Sidney Bechet & His Circle Seven | September Song | The James P. Johnson Collection 1921-1949 | Acrobat | rec 1949 for Rudi Blesh's Circle Records, feat. James P. Johnson | |||||
Sidney Bechet et L'Orchestra de Claude Luter | Les oignons | Le jazz de Sidney | rec 1949 recorded for the Vogue label in Paris, this was Bachet's biggest hit of his career. You can hear how much he enjoyed returning to the New Orleans dixieland style he grew up with | ||||||
Sidney Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen | Runnin' Wild | Triple Best Of | Blue Note | rec 1950 eat. Wild Bill Davison on trumpet | |||||
Sidney Bechet and His Hot Six | Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me (Alternate Take) | The Fabulous Sidney Bechet | Blue Note | rec 1951 this "alternate take" is the one Bechet originally selected to be released, but the label went with the other take | |||||
Sidney Bechet & Claude Luteret son Orchestra | Si tu vois ma mère | Les Années Bechet | Disques Vogue | rec 1952 the session this recording came from was among his most popular from his time in France | |||||
Sidney Bechet All-Stars | Petite Fleur (live) | Petite Fleur | Masters of Music | rec 1954 Petit Fleur is one of his most beloved recordings in France. The song was originally recorded in 1952, this is a live performance from 1954 in Brussels | |||||
Sidney Bechet Martial Solal Quartet | All of Me | Sidney Bechet Martial Solal Quartet Complete Recordings | Masters of Music | rec 1957 this session with modern pianist Martial Solal was Bechet's last great set of recordings | |||||
Sidney Bechet | Silent Night | Joue Noel | Disques Vogue | rec 1958, a few months before Bechet's death of lung cancer in 1959 |