My dear mother was born in Brooklyn in 1920. Did you know
Brooklyn was called after a little Dutch town named Breukelen ?
Another New York neighbourhood, Harlem, was called after our
city of Haarlem. How do you like this picture of my grandmother ?
It must have been taken around 1918 when she and my grand-
father moved to New York. They stayed for twelve years and
then returned to the Netherlands. 20’s and 30’s jazz from the
area still makes me feel at home like nothing else. It has a
nostalgic feel and I catch myself listening to it more and more.

tracks;

part one
1 Mildred Bailey – Doin’ the uptown lowdown
2 Skeets Tolbert – Harlem ain’t what it usta
3 Una Mae Carlisle – Oh I’m evil
4 Fats Waller and his Rhythm – Truckin’
5 Lena Horne – That’s what love did to me
6 Aunt Jemima – Can’t help lovin’ dat man
7 Gene Krupa – I won’t believe it
8 Sidney Bechet & Noble Sissle’s Swingers – Viper mad
9 Mildred Bailey – Lazybones
10 Una Mae Carlisle – I can’t give you anything but love, baby
11 Billie Holiday – Fine & mellow
12 Bennie Goodman and his Orchestra – I thought about you
13 Fats Waller – ’tain’t nobody’s bizness if I do
14 Una Mae Carlisle – Now I lay me down to dream
15 Lee Morse – Yes sir! that’s my baby
16 Red Nichols – If you haven’t got a girl
17 Cab Calloway – Harlem holiday
18 Lena Horne – Stormy weather
19 Eddie Condon – The man I love
20 Victoria Spivey – Harlem susie-kue
21 Mills Blue Rhythm Band – Drop me off in Harlem
22 Bob Howard – Bojangles of Harlem
23 Ethel Waters – You’ve seen Harlem at it’s best
24 Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra – These foolish things
25 Lil Green – Why don’t you do right

part two
1 Una Mae Carlisle – Papa’s in bed with his britches on
2 Slim Gaillard – Yeo-roc-heresay
3 Jack Teagarden – Fare-thee-well to Harlem
4 Mildred Bailey – Rockin’ chair
5 Roy Eldridge – Echoes of Harlem
6 Jerry Kruger with Cootie Williams – Ol’ man river
7 Ethel Waters – Harlem on my mind
8 Billie Holiday – ’tain’t nobody’s business if I do
9 Una Mae Carlisle – Don’t try your jive on me
10 Gene Krupa – Harlem on parade
11 Andy Kirk – Downstream
12 Ethel Waters – I can’t give you anything but love
13 Big Joe Turner – Cherry red
14 Fats Waller – Squeeze me
15 Mildred Bailey – Shoutin’ in that amen corner
16 Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra – Prisoner of love
17 Bob Howard – Formal night in Harlem
18 Ethel Waters – Stormy weather
19 Una Mae Carlisle – Mean to me
20 Red Norvo – There’s a boy in Harlem
21 Mildred Bailey – Harlem lullaby
22 Putney Dandridge – Chasing shadows
23 Ethel Waters – Old man harlem
24 Boots and his Buddies – A salute to Harlem
25 The Boswell Sisters – Everybody loves my baby

Eversince the first time I laid my ears on it, I was
a fan of the music of Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller. He sounds
just like he looks on most pictures. Behind the piano, big smile,
eyes balled at the ceiling. Listening to Fats always makes me
instantly happy. Check these 16 songs, volume 8 of his ‘Complete
Recordings’. Volume 113 of RCA’s series Black & White. This
volume covers songs from 1935 and some sound better than
others. I think this compilation is quite outstanding, get it
and play it with your sunday breakfast.

tracks;

1 There’s going to be the devil to pay
2 There’ll be some changes made
3 Sweet Sue
4 Truckin’
5 Sugar blues
6 Georgia rockin’ chair
7 Brother seek and ye shall find
8 The girl I left behind me
9 You’re so darn charming 1
10 You’re so darn charming 2
11 Woe! is me
12 Loafin’ time
13 ( Do you intend to put an end to )
– a sweet beginning like this
14 Got a bran’ new suit
15 Thief in the night
16 When somebody thinks you’re wonderful

Since I found this blog with sweet old jazz and other classic
stuff, I am completely gone listening to it. It’s a time consuming matter
but I just can’t stop. I bet you know what I mean. This is Ethel Waters,
she made huge impression on me when this came out. It was released
in 1989 with recordings from 1934 and ’38. If you like this, better take a look
here, you’ll find a lot of Ethel Waters and more.

tracks;

1 Miss Otis regrets
2 Dinah
3 When it’s sleepy time down south
4 Moonglow
5 Give me a heart to sing
6 I ain’t gonna sin no more
7 Trade mark
8 You’re going to leave the old home, Jim
9 You’re a sweetheart
10 How can I face this wearied world alone
11 I’ll get along somehow
12 Miss Otis regrets*
13 Dinah*
14 I ain’t gonna sin no more*
15 How can I face this wearied world alone*

When I was a young boy, I listened to the music my parents used to play.
They were fond of old American jazz for instance and so I got to hear
this type of music. I guess it was the first contact with black music I had.
One of my heroes of those days is Fats Waller, being a viper today
I feel very familiar with his swing. The way he treats that old piano makes
me instantly happy. I’ve got a load of them jazz records and they itch.
Maybe it’s a good idea to do some more jazz. Yesterdays post, although
downloaded over 200 times, didn’t do what I expected. No single word.

tracks;

1 St. Louis blues
2 After you’ve gone
3 A porter’s lovesong to a chamber maid
4 I wish I were twins
5 I wish I were twins
6 Armful of sweetness
7 Georgia May
8 Then I’ll be tired of you
9 Believe it beloved
10 I’m growing fonder of you
11 If it isn’t love
12 Breakin’ the ice
13 I’m a hundred per cent for you
14 I’m a hundred per cent for you
15 Baby Brown
16 Night wind