Jack Delaney And His New Orleans Jazz Babies - Tempo Records

Jack Delaney And His New Orleans Jazz Babies
featuring Pete Fountain

1959 Tempo Records EXA-100 7" EP (UK Import)

Side One:
1. Shine
2. Sidewalks Of New York

Side Two:
1. Hindustant
2. Till We Meet Again

Liner Notes:

Jack Delaney And His New Orleans Jazz Babies

Personnel:
Alvin Alcorn (Trumpet)
Jack Delaney (Trombone,Vocal)
Pete Fountain (Clarinet)
Roy Zimmerman (Piano)
Chink Martin (Bass)
Joe Capraro (Guitar)
Monk Hazel (Drums, Mellophone)

Recorded : New Orleans, September 13th, 1955

Jack Michael Delaney has been playing professionally now for at least ten years; and he has been playing in good company too. Born in New Orleans, on August 27th, 1930, he had a normally gay childhood with the usual schooling which was completed by studies at the Southeastern Louisiana College. Then, after he had finished college, he joined the Johnny Reininger aggregation with which he played, full-time, from 1949 to 1951 when he left for a better job. In fact, it was to play with Sharkey Bonano from whom he learned a great deal about Dixieland - New Orleans jazz. However, in 1953, he joined Tony Almerico with whom he spent one year before going back to play with Bonano once more. It was around this time that Jack also became a staff musician at Station WDSU — TV, in New Orleans, where he increased still further his knowledge and experience of jazz and jazzmen. Always wishing to emulate his favourite instrumentalist, Jack Teagarden, he played many good sessions, both on and off record, with groups featuring such musicians as George Girard, Raymond Burke, Tony Almerico, Sharkey Bonano and Johnny Reininger. He has also earned considerable praise for his backings to such singers as Lizzie Miles and Eileen Barton and, though he is not yet thirty he may well be considered one of the leading white New Orleans musicians.

Unfortunately, the South still maintains its colour bar and it is therefore not too easy for mixed bands to exist, even in New Orleans. As a result of this, the two predominant races tend to play separately and it does, on occasion, become necessary to say whether a man is white or coloured, when assessing his position in this music. So one is pleased to hear a negro, Alvin Alcorn, playing on this session; especially a New Orleans musician of Alcorn's status. Although some 6 years with Kid Ory, on the West Coast, did much to modify his style, there is still the sharp lead sound of the New Orleans trumpet player. It is more `virtuoso' in flavour - more like Louis Armstrong - than is generally required of pure New Orleans jazz, but it still flows strong from this 47-year-old horn man who is joined here by two more old-time New Orleanians. Monk Hazel, now 56, was working with Abbie Brunies in 1924/5 and, in fact, with Emmett Hardy in 1920, is an experienced jazzman who recorded with Tony Parenti as far back as 1925. And the other old-timer is Chink Martin who is renowned for flunking his AFM sight reading test in Chicago in the Twenties. Asked to play the music, which he had carefully learned by heart, at the test, Chink solemnly played through four bars of tacet, and swore blind that what he was playing was all written down. However, as he was always a good bass player he still found work and it is pleasant to hear him on this session.

All in all, this mixture of young and old works out pretty well so listen and enjoy yourselves.

Jack Baker © 1959 by Tempo Records, London.