Michael Andrew "Peanuts" Hucko should not need any introduction to the serious Jazz record collector, if only because his excellent musicianship has been featured with so many of the popular musical aggregations throughout the 1930s and 1950s - Bob Chester, Charlie Spivak, Benny Goodman, Ray McKinley, Louis Armstrong, the 'American Band of the A. E. F.', Jack Teagarden and Will Bradley - to name but a few.
As to the selections on this record, several, as may be seen, are standard 'pops' of the "Swing Era", one in particular, Stolen Peanuts, is a masquerade-title for the Thomas 'Fats' Wailer composition, Stealing Apples, and is the same performance which has, in a recent publication, been quoted as having been "stolen from a Benny Goodman title on records", a quotation which is, both, ambiguous and erroneous, because the performance on this record bears no relationship to the famous Fletcher Henderson orchestration of Fats Wailer's tune which Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded for Columbia Records, apart from the minor chord changes of the theme. Cow Bell Serenade was written especially for the drummer on this date, Johnny Blowers, by another fine musician and writer, Waiter Gross (he composed Tenderly, if you should need reminding) who was a pianist (and harpsichordist) with some of the gifted Alec Wilder groups of sixty-years back. As for Stand Still, Stanley, that was written by the pianist on the date, Stan Freeman: incidentally, what a swinging tenor saxophone soloist is Artie Drellinger on this tune.
Apart from some surface damage which has been attended to as much as time would allow, the audio is reasonable throughout and I hope that this album will be enjoyed.
Personnel:
Suggested personnel for the 1947 Sweet Georgia Brown performance is:
Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Max Kaminsky (trumpet), Freddy Ohms (tenor-trombone), Cliff Strickland (tenor-saxophone), Larry Molinelli (baritone-saxophone), Charlie Queener (piano), Jack Lesberg (double bass), Dave Tough (drums).
For Peanut Butter, Someday Sweetheart, Stolen Peanuts/Stealing Apples and I Must Have That Man, the personnel is:
Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Lou Stein (piano), Mundell Lowe (guitar), Jack Lesberg (double bass), and Dave Tough (drums).
Personnel for The Song Is Ended is:
Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Buck Clayton (trumpet), Freddy Ohms (tenor-trombone), Bill Vi tale (tenor-saxophone), Ernie Cacares (baritone-saxophone), Joe Bushkin (piano), Jack Lesberg (double bass), Morey Feld (drums).
Personnel for the 1948 Sweet Georgia Brown is:
Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Joe Bushkin (piano), Jack Lesberg (double bass), Morey Feld (drums).
For Cowhell Serenade:
Peanuts Hucko (tenor-saxophone), Chris Griffin (trumpet), Herb Winfield, Jr. (tenor trombone), Bill Stegmeyer (clarinet), Dave Bowman (piano), Guy Smith (guitar), Sid Weiss (double bass), Johnny Blowers (drums).
Suggested personnel for I May Be Wrong is:
Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Freddy Ohms (tenor-trombone), Bill Vitale (tenor-saxophone), Ernie Cacares (baritone-saxophone), Joe Bushkin (piano), Jack Lesberg (double bass), Morey Feld (drums).
For Stand Still, Stanley!:
Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Chris Griffin (trumpet), Toots Mondello (alto-saxophone), Artie Drellinger (tenor-saxophone), Stan Freeman (piano), Danny Perri (guitar), Bob Haggart (double bass), Bunny Shawker (drums).
10 Tracks.