Sunnyland Slim - The Airway Collection

Born in Mississippi in 1907, Sunnyland Slim (b. Albert Luandrew) relocated to Chicago in the early 1940's, where he became an important contributor to the Post-War Chicago Electric Blues sound.

The list of people Sunnyland played with reads like a Who’s Who of the Blues: Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, Jimmy Rogers, Snooky Prior, Hubert Sumlin, and more. His piano style was characterised by heavy basses or vamping chords in the left hand and tremolos with his right.

After recording for a number of smaller labels (including the Specialty, Hy-Tone, Aristocrat, and J.O.B. imprints), both as as an accompanist or backup for other bluesmen, as well as leading his own bands, in 1973 he decided to take a more hands-on control of his recordings and started Airway Records, on which he issued four long out-of-print albums, of which the tracks are collected here.

Sunnyland Slim was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship in 1988, and died from medical complications in Chicago in 1995, at the age of 88.

1. She Got That Jive | 1977
2. I Done You Wrong | 1977
3. Levee Camp Moan | 1977
4. Station Break | 1977
5. Ain't Gonna Drink No More Whiskey | 1977
6. It's You Baby | 1977
7. Sad And Evil Woman | 1977
8. Standing On The Corner | 1977
9. She's Got A Thing Goin' On (alt) | 1977
10. See My Lawyer | 1977
11. Depression Blues | 1977
12. Rocking My Blues Away | 1979
13. Black Cat Cross My Trail | 1979
14. Johnson Machine Gun | 1979
15. Mr. Cool | 1979
16. Bassology | 1979
17. Long Tall Daddy | 1979
18. Big Time Operator | 1979
19. Patience Like Job | 1979
20. Midnight Jump | 1979
21. I Done You Wrong (alt) | 1979
22. Have A Good Day Now | 1981
23. You Can't Have It All | 1981
24. I've Been Workin' Two Jobs | 1981
25. Speak Once And Think Twice | 1981
26. Be Careful How You Vote | 1981
27. Chicago Jump | 1981
28. Tired But I Can't Get Started | 1981
29. Get Further Little Brother | 1981
30. Shake It Baby | 1981
31. Just You And Me | 1981
32. Be Careful How You Vote (alt) | 1983
33. I Done You Wrong (alt 2) | 1983
34. Sunnyland Train | 1983
35. You Have Heard Of A Woman | 1983
36. Past Life | 1983
37. She Got A Thing Going On | 1983
38. Going Back To Memphis | 1983
39. The Devil Is A Busy Man | 1983
40. Woman Trouble Overnight | 1983
41. We Gonna Jump | 1983
42. Orphan Boy Blues | 1983

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King Oliver's Jazz Band - The Gennett Recordings

In 1922, New Orleans native and cornet player Joseph Oliver was the jazz king in Chicago, performing as King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band.

Later that same year, Louis Armstrong received a telegram from his mentor Joe, asking him to leave New Orleans for Chicago to join the band. The addition of Armstrong to this already powerful and popular band took the town by storm. Soon musicians and fans were flocking to hear Louis' amazing cornet playing with the Oliver band.

In 1923, inspired by the runaway success of so-called "race records" of that time, the Gennett Record label from near-by Richmond, Indiana contracted King Oliver’s Band for a series of recordings, which they made on April 5th and 6th of that year. Oliver’s historic Gennett releases were the first ever by an established black New Orleans jazz band. The recordings made by this group in 1923 demonstrated the serious artistry of the New Orleans style of collective improvisation or Dixieland music to a wider audience.

1. Alligator Hop | 1923
2. Canal Street Blues | 1923
3. Chimes Blues | 1923
4. Dipper Mouth Blues | 1923
5. Froggie Moore | 1923
6. I'm Going Away To Wear You Off My Mind | 1923
7. Just Gone | 1923
8. Krooked Blues | 1923
9. Mandy Lee Blues | 1923
10. Snake Rag | 1923
11. Weather Bird Rag | 1923
12. Workingman Blues | 1923
13. Zulu's Ball | 1923

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George Wettling and his Chicago Rythmn Kings

George Wettling was one of the great Dixieland drummers of the 20's and 30's

George was one of the young white Chicagoans who fell in love with jazz as a result of hearing King Oliver's band (with Louis Armstrong on second cornet) at the Lincoln Gardens in Chicago in the early 1920s (where he moved with his family in 1921).

Wettling re-located to New York in the mid 30's, where he played with numerous orchestras in that city, including the big bands of Artie Shaw, Bunny Berigan, Red Norvo, and Paul Whiteman. Although he did not lead bands on a regular basis for long, he led some excellent dates for Decca (1940), and Black & White, Commodore, and Keynote (1944), which are the tracks collected here.

1. Bugle Call Rag - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1940 (Decca 18044A)
2. If I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1940 (Decca 18044B)
3. The Darktown Strutter's Ball - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1940 (Decca 18045A)
4. I've Found A New Baby - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1940 (Decca 18045B)
5. Some Of These Days - George Wettling Trio | 1944 (Black and White 7A)
6. Everybody Loves My Baby - George Wettling Trio | 1944 (Black and White 7B)
7. China Boy - George Wettling Trio | 1944 (Black and White 27A)
8. That's A Plenty - George Wettling Trio | 1944 (Black and White 27B)
9. Struttin' With Some Barbeque - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1944 (Commodore 561A)
10. How Come You Do Me Like You Do - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1944 (Commodore 561B)
11. Blues For Stu - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1944 (Commodore 619A)
12. Heebie Jeebies - George Wettling And His Chicago Rhythm Kings | 1944 (Commodore 619B)
13. Home, Cradle Of Happiness - George Wettling's New Yorkers | 1944 (Keynote 1311A)
14. Too Marvelous For Words - George Wettling's New Yorkers | 1944 (Keynote 1311B)
15. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me - George Wettling's New Yorkers | 1944 (Keynote 1318A)
16. Somebody Loves Me - George Wettling's New Yorkers | 1944 (Keynote 1318B)

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Pepperism - The Three Peppers Orchestra

The Three Peppers were formed in Saint Louis in the mid-1930s, and stuck together in one form or another until about 1950.

The trio consisted of Oliver "Toy" Wilson (piano), Bob Bell (guitar) and Walter Williams (bass). Little is known of the group's history other than that they were formed in St. Louis, played venues in New York and Philadelphia, and recorded again for a brief period on Philadelphia's Gotham label circa 1947. They were apparently discovered by impresario Irving Mills, who managed Duke Ellington, as their first recordings are on the Mills-owned Variety label.

They weren't the top of their game, to be sure, but they were a pretty good group with plenty of perk and wit, and great delivery. These small novelty combos are almost forgotten footnotes of the swing era.

1. Swing Out Uncle Wilson | 1937
2. The Ducks Yas Yas Yas | 1937
3. Get the Gold | 1937
4. Serenade In The Night | 1937
5. Down By the Old Mill Stream | 1939
6. Fuzzy Wuzzy | 1939
7. Love Grows On The White Oak Tree | 1939
8. Swing Out Uncle Wilson | 1939
9. Hot dogs | 1940
10. Alexander's Ragtime Band | 1947
11. Mary Had A Little Lamb | 1947
12. Pepperism | 1947
13. Swingin' At the Cotton Club | 1947
14. The Sheik Of Araby | 1947
15. Tom Tom Serenade | 1947

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