The Pop of Yestercentury

Thank you to the meticulous and passionate members of the Bixography forum! I’ve known about the 1959 LP tribute to the Jean Goldkette orchestra, directed by the man himself, for years. Yet I was unaware some generous person uploaded the full album. Issues of stylistic fealty aside, Dance Hits Of The Twenties In Stereo bursts with smartly arranged charts (by no less than Sy Oliver), bright soloists and sheer joy.

The original Goldkette ensemble never recorded “Varsity Drag” but this edition’s version of the 1927 dance catalyst stands out—literally from the bottom up. Chauncey Morehouse was the only member of the first Goldkette group on this record. From the first downbeat, hearing him click in with bassist Ward Lay produces a micro master class in the grooving two-beat tension of a twenties-era rhythm section:

The skins of Morehouse’s snare and kick drum create groove as well as sonic fiber with the grain and slap of Lay’s bass, but his cymbals are crisp and light for the more modern solo outings. Airtight ensemble hits also show a thoroughly professional band drummer.

It’s all “in living stereo,” as heralded by the album cover. Yet aside from differences in the audio, jazz records from the twenties usually featured young musicians. This LP spotlights Morehouse in his late fifties, hardly an old man but with decades more experience as a musician. Lay was a dance band veteran who made switching between tuba and string bass sound as commonplace as a reed section double. Not all band reunions are up to these standards, but they keep me coming back for similar revelations.

The Bixography forum has posted typically copious information about this record here.

Photo courtesy of Steve H. via the Bixography forum.