Timeless Historical
The Complete
Ladd’s Black Aces 1921-1924

Tracks 1
Aunt Hager’s Children’s Blues * Shake It And Brake It * Gypsy Blues * It’s Just Too Mean To Cry * Brother Low Down * I’ve Got To Have My Daddy Blues (Lonesome Lovesick Blues) * She's A Mean Job * I Got It, You'll Get It * Virginia Blues * My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms * Satanic Blues * Black Eyed Blues * Muscle Shoals Blues * Hopeless Blues * Lonesome Mama Blues * You Can Have Him, I Don’t Want Him (Didn't Love Him Anyhow Blues) * Sister Kate (I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My) * (The) Yankee Doodle Blues * Stop Your Kidding * Great White Way Blues * Railroad Men (Man) * Aggravatin’ Papa (Don't You Try To Two-Time Me) * Sweet Lovin’ Mamma (Please Come Back To Me) * You’ve Got To See Your Mamma Every Night (Or You Don't See Mama At All) * Runnin’ Wild * Aggravatin’ Papa (Don't You Try To Two-Time Me). - Time 76.59.

Tracks 2
Beale Street Mamma * Sugar Blues * I’m A Harmony Baby * If Your Man Is Like My Man * Papa Blues * Louisville Lou (The Vampin' Lady) * ‘Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do * Papa Better Watch Your Step * Long Lost Mamma (Daddy Misses You) * Two Time Dan * I Ain’t Never Had Nobody Crazy Over Me * Sittin’ On The Inside, Lookin’ At The Outside (Waitin' For The Evenin' Mail) * Bad News Blues * Broken Hearted Blues * Land Of Cotton Blues * (The) Black Sheep Blues * All Wrong * I’ve Got A Song For Sale (That's My Sweetie Turned Down) * Back ‘O’ Town Blues * Dancin’ Dan * Lots ‘O’ Mamma * Nine O’clock Sal * Nobody’s Sweetheart (Now) * Unfortunate Blues * Any Way The Wind Blows (My Sweetie Goes) * Mornin’ Won’t You Ever Come Round? - Time 74.16.

Personnel
See liner-notes booklet for distribution.
Phil Napoleon, Benny Bloom, Jules Levy of the Black Dominoes, Harry Gluck (tpt); Moe Gappell or Dave Stryker, Miff Mole, Charles Panelli Sammy Lewis (tmb); Jimmy Durante, Frank Signorelli, Rube Bloom (pno); Bernhard ‘Doc’ Berendsohn, Jimmy Lytell, Dick Johnson, Larry Abbott (cl); Sam Lanin (dir vcls cymbal crashes) Joe Tarto (brass bs); Loring McMurray (alto); John Cali, Ray Kitchingman (bjo); John Hountha Stein, Jack Roth (drms); Cliff Edwards ukulele ike, Arthur Hall, Vernon Dalhart, Mandy Lee, Ernest Hare, Shufflin’ Phil, Arthur Fields (vcls); Billy de Rex (tenor-sax accordion).

CBC 1-077 - LC 5326
www.timeless-records.com

Various "Territory" groups have made over 200 recordings of these fifty-two "Ladd’s Black Aces 1921-1924" tracks by the "Gennett Record" label, a division of The Star Piano Co of Richmond, Indiana, USA, during the period 20s-40s as noted in the Brian Rust 1897-1942 Storyville Jazz Records listings, which prominently goes to show how popular were those songs through the "Jazz Age."

In bring those songs to the light of day, Timeless Records has by this double album, done a great service to the jazz community and beyond. The enormous amount of work and dedication that has obviously gone into producing this creative series is truly of a great achievement.

Nobody’s Sweetheart topping the 200 listings at 46 of them, followed by Sister Kate at 39 of them, Runnin’ Wild at 35 of them, and coming in at a total of 21 of the listings is Sugar Blues - so in line are the other running-up Black Aces tunes.

The album comes with an impressive, enlightening booklet of original material, inclusive of a period discography by Mark Berresford and John R.T.Davies in which, for example, there is an explanation of why the Black Aces were really a group of white musicians.

The tracks are tunes of melody-lines, music-hall-theatre, vaudeville-songsters, and they are a foretaste for the days of the crooners, that is to say, Bing Crosby for example. The unique style of the Black Aces music, being the forerunner of choreography 50s style dance music, that is to say, one could, and I could with ease and enjoyment do a not-stop 2 hours 30 minutes stretch of the Charleston to it. In other words, the sound of this special style of music is constant, exciting and inviting on all songs.

This unique sound being created through the confined restriction of space for the musicians to record, with the main timepiece being limited to two intruments - woodblocks likely being one of them, taking in using vocal improvisations of the kazoo.

I won’t pay special attention to any one song, although I'm tempted to do so on all of them, except to say that the words of the vocalists' style of singing is reminiscence, endearingly fascinating.

Let’s move two years on to 1926 and listen to Okeh-CBS and pianist Lil Armstrong, notwithstanding Louis and Johnny Dodds, on the two"Hot Five" numbers, Irish Black Bottom and the May Alix voice on Big Butter And Egg Man performances produced on the newer advancement of recording practices, and it is then, that it becomes apparent just how invaluable a heritage this Timeless Historical, Ladd’s Black Aces 1921-1924, CD set collection has become.

Treasure it.

Ian King
Kings Jazz Review
Thursday 22 May 2003