The Complete Don Albert and His Orchestra on Vocalion

Don Albert, dir: Billy Douglas, t, v / Alvin Alcorn, Hiram Harding, t / James "Geechy" Robinson, Frank Jacquet, tb / Herbert Hall, cl as, bar / Gus Patterson, Harold "Dink" Taylor, as / Louis Cottrell, cl, ts / Lloyd Glenn, p / Ferdinand Dejan, g / James Johnson, sb / Albert Martin, d / Merle Turner, v. poss. Gunter Hotel Ballroom, 311 N St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX 78205 San Antonio, TX, November 18, 1936. 1. SA-2520-1 The Sheik of Araby [0:00] 2. SA-2521-1 True Blue Lou [2:34] 3. SA-2522-1 On the Sunny Side of the Street [5:33] 4. SA-2523-1 Liza (All The Clouds’ll Roll Away) [8:31] 5. SA-2524-2 Deep Blue Melody [11:30] 6. SA-2525-1 Rockin’ and Swingin’ [14:30] 7. SA-2526-1 You Don't Love Me [17:09] 8. SA-2527-1 Tomorrow [20:07] Transferred with 3.0ML lateral stylus in Audiotechnica VMN70SP cartridge via Audiotechnica AT-LP120 Turntable. Declicked and EQ’d by Colin Hancock. Discographical Info and Research from Brian Rust’s Jazz Records, John Wilby, Kenneth Dominique, Chris Alvarado, Jason Saldana, Dave Bedrich, David Jellema, and Colin Hancock. Recordings and Images from the Colin Hancock Collection. Don Albert had one of the finest Texas Swing Bands, though one could also call them a New Orleans Swing band given that most of the band including Albert himself hailed from the Crescent City. Among the musicians were reedmen Herb Hall and Louis Cottrell Jr., as well as bassist Jimmie Johnson who nearly a quarter century earlier had been a member of Buddy Bolden’s band. Albert’s band was hugely popular across the South and Southwest, traveling in their own bus from city to city, with San Antonio as a home-base. In comparison to other San Antonio bands, they rivaled only Boots Douglas and His Buddies in quality, but were miles ahead of some of the city’s other big bands like that of Frank Tanner. In November of 1936 the band recorded for Vocalion Records/ARC when they travelled to San Antonio to make field recordings that year. Cut just a couple of days before Robert Johnson’s recording debut for the same company, the Albert band waxed eight fantastic sides of Texas Territory Swing. Pianist Lloyd Glenn supplied the band’s arrangements for the date, which encompassed a variety of textures. Possessing everything from New Orleans heat, to Ellington-inspired sophistication, to Kansas City style riffs and showmanship, the Albert sides are a joy to listen to. Listen especially for the great bass lines Jimmy Johnson plays, as well as Billy Douglas’ hot trumpet solos, Herbie Hall’s baritone sax, and Lloyd Glen’s bright piano work. This is hard driving, hot, and hip swing music.