Chick Webb

And, uh, while I was playing Chick Henderson, you know, I thought it might be fun to play a few other Chicks, so I quickly lined up two more from the playlist and, uh, here's the first.

[upbeat jazz music] That was Chick Webb and his Orchestra with Lonesome Moments, a fantastic Edgar Simpson-written tune recorded for Vocalion Records back in October of 1935.

So we've had the smooth vocals of Chick Henderson, followed by the great drum master himself, Chick Webb, and now let me reach into the stacks for a third Chick to keep this set rolling.

Here's Chick Bullock.

[gentle music] For there's a change in the weather.

Unlike most, uh, frontmen of the Big Band era, uh, Chick almost never performed in public or, uh, went on tour due to, um, uh, due to a, uh, severe, uh, facial issue, uh, making him strictly a studio recording artist.

But, uh, behind closed studio doors, he sang alongside the absolute royalty of, uh, jazz, including Bunny Berigan, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden, and, uh, Duke Ellington.

So from Chick Henderson to Chick Webb, and finishing up with Chick Bullock, that's our trio of Chicks for today's show.

Mm.

Which is, you know, his teacher was Chick Webb.

Mm-hmm.

And Chick Webb was rehearsing at a club, and he told Art Blakey to go upstairs in the dressing room and play a press roll and not to stop until he told him to.

And so the band was, was rehearsing downstairs, and Art could hear the music while he's playing this press roll, and he said the band stopped, and they stopped for a minute, so he stopped.

He said Chick Webb came running up the stairs.

He says, "I didn't tell you to stop.

Keep playing." You know? And that's how he developed...

The great Ella Fitzgerald.

And if you can remember Chick Webb, and if you can remember a tisket, a tasket...

Welcome to the club, gang.

Let's go to the third.

Right.

I mean, I mean, Chick Webb, I mean, Chick Webb and like Davey tough are also, I would, I would say like Chick Webb and Davey tough G group and buddy are like, for that early style of drumming and like sort of innovative approach.

Like they, they were the creators really.

Right.

The song the children would dance to was Atisket Atasket.

In 1938, Ella's version with the Chick Webb Orchestra ended up being the first big hit for both Webb and Fitzgerald.

Here it is.

A disk it, a task it, a brown and yellow basket.

Just a little yellow basket.

A little yellow basket.

Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Orchestra from 1938.

How can we talk about children's music without mentioning one of the most successful children's artists, John Coltrane.

we began with his recordings from 1938 to 1941 and this week we're going to pick it up right at the beginning of 1942 and carry it on through to the end of 1945. these are pivotal years for louis jordan because this is when he scored his first hit record last week set the stage as we featured his first recordings with the elks rendezvous band the band he formed up at the elks rendezvous club in harlem The original band, most of whom would become the Timpani Five a few months later, were originally part of Jesse Stone's orchestra.

Louis Jordan got to know Jesse Stone while he was working in drummer Chick Webb's band up at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.

Jesse Stone was writing the arrangements and soon was arranging vocals for Jordan and Chick Webb's other singer Ella Fitzgerald.

Louis proved to be a little too popular and so Chick Webb fired him.

He picked up Jesse Stone's group, renamed them the Elks Rendezvous Band and cut a few records for Decca.

We heard some really good records last week but none of them were chart hits.

We'll get into Louis' bio in just a few minutes, but first let's kick off the program with his very first record.

In 1938, Louis Jordan left famous drummer Chick Webb's band and formed his own Elks Rendezvous band, He named them that after the popular Harlem Night Spot.

His first group was made up mostly of musicians from Jesse Stone's orchestra.

The Elks Rendezvous band originally backed up a vocalist named Rodney Sturgis.

Jordan then got the chance to record his first vocal.

It was on a tune called I Can't Dance, I Got Ants in My Pants, with the Clarence Williams Orchestra.

And by 1936, he had moved to New York City and was hired by the great drummer Chick Webb for his renowned orchestra.

Webb's group was the resident band up at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.