Pass the Sausage... its a Sunday Jazz Brunch!

Jack Teagarden - "Jazz Maverick!" (1960) - Roulette Records

Hello Friends,

Its Sunday Jazz Brunch time on Vinyl in the Valley and we need some coffee, some French Toast and some breakfast links to help soak up the ample quantities of booze we drowned ourselves with last night.

On the turntable, we got a great record by Mr. Jack Teagarden aka "The Father of Jazz Trombone".  Jazz Maverick is the perfect soundtrack record for an early Spring Sunday Brunch/hangover cure; its bright and upbeat without being too manic-sounding or overly complex.  

A self-taught jazz trombonist originally from the Texas panhandle, Teagarden eventually made his way to New York and, later, Chicago playing with a who's who of jazzmen along the way including Glenn Miller, Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Bix Beiderbecke and, perhaps most famously, Louis Armstong. (Some of his best work was done as a member of Armstrong's All Stars from 1946 to 1951; their duet of "Rockin' Chair" is always worth a listen!)

An all-time great, Teagarden would be best remembered for his blues-influenced, ethereal-sounding, slightly-behind-the-beat trombone playing.  And his gravelly, world-weary tenor would complement his trombone playing perfectly.  Not bad for a white guy!

This record would sadly be one of his last recordings as he would die of a heart attack in January of 1964, age 58.  Its a first rate recording, opting for a more a throwback/traditional swing sound rather than the bebop that had all the hipster's hopped up!  

Side One contains the upbeat "Ever Lovin' Baby", "Riverboat Shuffle", a breakneck version of "High Society" and the pretty ballads, "Aunt Hager's Country Home" & "Blue Dawn".

Side Two kicks off with "Roundtable Romp" and a pensive version of Fat Waller's "Ain't 'Cha Glad".  Perhaps the album's best track is Teagarden's take on the melancholy standard, "A Hundred Years From Today" with heartbreaking lyrics like: "The Moon is shining and that's a good sign / Cling to me closer and say you'll be mine / Remember darling, we won't see it shine / A hundred years from today."  F'ing Great!

(A "hundred years from today" is when it feels like my hangover will be going away! Know when to say when, kids!)

The side and record closes out with a fantastic update on The New Orleans Rhythm Kings' 1923 classic, "Tin Roof Blues".  Great record from start to finish, not a stinker in the bunch!

Now pass the syrup!

RATING: 4 its always Spring and music is the thing 'round Aunt Hager's Country Home out of 5