Red Nichols & His 5 Pennies - Can't We Be Friends? 1929

[cacnix]

I always loved the homoerotic overtones, being the big Man Lover that I am. George O'brien is hot too!

[abstrus]

Warburg married the composer and musician Kay Swift in 1918, but they divorced in late 1934. Under the pseudonym Paul James he wrote the lyrics to Swift's 1929 hit song "Can't We Be Friends?" and their 1930 musical, Fine and Dandy, which introduced the song "Fine And Dandy".

[priapus56]

Richard Nixon! The man who always had to wear coloured shirts because there could be no white-wash at the White House.

[78timothy]

Hi & thanks for the reply. 1920 was not a typo. Our Country went into an economic Depression in 1920 during the Harding Administration from the glut of AEF Soldiers coming back into the work force. From Europe after the Great War (WWI) Flu epidemic victims from 1918 not with standing. The Crash of 1929 was the end result of a band-aid being place on this economic problem in 1920, & coddled it's the way thru the Coolidge administration & one year into the Hoover Administration. Continued...

[78timothy]

Remember, it was not the Depression or Swing that destroyed jazz. Jazz was/is always there. Commercial and Swing sounds were a mere extention of that Art form. The early elements of the Swing 4 beat sound go as far back as 1932 (Joe Haymes Orch in NYC). Also the Great

Depression really began in 1920, and did not end until Frankli D. Roosevelt held an emergency meeting of congress, and declared War on the Empire fo Japan on Monday Dec. 8, 1941; after the Pearl Harbor Attack.

[up2space]

i agree with you. but was 1920 a typo. i think you mean 1930. but i think it was about 1932. thanks for mentioning Joe Haymes. the "big" bands of the 1920s that morphed into the 1930s where still kicking out some syncopatin stuff, but the element of commercialism is ever so present. i think that the depression did kill jazz. at least what came before which to me is the only jazz. Red Nichols is a case in point. dropped out to make a living. like so many others.

[78timothy]

Continued from previous entry. Then there were no more "band-aids" to stop the Economic Crash that was inevitable.

When the 1920 econimic depression started it was nothing like the one that it transformed into in 1929. The Harding Tea-Pot Dome Scandal didn't help matters much. The Secretary of Commerce at the time in the Harding Administration was Herbert Hoover BTW.

[78timothy]

The depression did not destroy jazz. How can you destroy something that comes from the heart & soul. More commercial (Ben Selvin, Fred Rich etc..) music became more popular, because of it's steadyness, structure & sweet sounding arrangements. Although there was some jazz riffs in the music to keep it a little hot;, to keep the masses calmer, and not think of their troubles. The swing sound was merely an extension of this type of commercial sounding music.

Conntinued...

[scouse123123]

put a donk on it

[78timothy]

True that Nichols was overshadowed by Bix, but remember that Nichols wrote out his solos, & did not vary from the written note at all. Bix when soloing, was the soul of improvisation, even w/Whiteman, which Whiteman encouraged

Both played Cornet, For instance listen to his work in the 2nd mvt of Gershwin's Concerto in F for Piano & Orch.w/Whiteman's Orch. Totally serious sounding, & to the note, then compare to his improv style on solos.

Both great musicians, Bix was more well-rounded. 5**

[up2space]

i would disagree that Nichols wrote out his solos i don't ever recall hearing Nichols repeating himself on multiple takes and even if he did, his early solos are fantastic. beethoven wrote out all of his music. so what's the point. if your saying he wasn't a jazz soloist i would defy you every step of the way because unfortunately being there made all the difference and to play century later quarterback is really unimpromptu.Red will always be a hero in my book for many reasons as I'm sure JD's.

[78timothy]

Never said that Nichols was not a jazz musician, but he did write out his solos, using that as a guideline, het never strayed very far from his written note he was observant of the time space allowed fo the solo, unlike some Jazz musicians today that go off on a 15 minute tangent, many times forgetting what they were playing, or at least sounding like that..

Nichols was obviously a Jazz musician, but he was also professional commercial musician. Listen to some of his Cliquot Club sides.

.

[up2space]

you remind of when Bob Dylan broke the 3 minute record sound boundary. Please don't compare Red Nichols world with John Coltranes. Back in the old days, everything had to fit in its place within the limits of time as taste would have it. thats why there are so many arrangements back then. that's why arrangements were big. I don't think Red was commercial until the revival of the 5. I've heard Red back in 1922 or so and he did solos that would rival Bix. If they were writtend down i don't care.

[up2space]

When were the Cliqot Clud sides done? Red was a jazz tragedy. why he went pap is probably because he was considered an old fogey when the war was over like the movie portrayed. he put his horn down to fight a war. and if he had the beatitudes bestowed upon him like sachmo perhaps he would have been more bold when it came to record co pressures. white musicians were slaves to a jungle myth that destroyed jazz forever.

[up2space]

here's one for Conaty. My theory is that the depression destroyed jazz. Everything came after is not jazz. no original jazz. so they should come up with another name for it. swing was the sellout that put jazz in its coffin.

[78timothy]

Loring "Rred" Nichols put his horn down to work in the Ship-yards in L.A. for the War Effort. I know nothing about the story line in the rather highly fictionalized movie from Paramount in 1959 about his daughter suffering from polio, but there may be an element of truth in that tragedy, I don't think screenplay writers would go that far to sell a story. This may be why Nichols needed a steady income, as he had a family to support.

[78timothy]

The Clicquot Club Ginger Alge sides were done w/Harry Reser as director for both Records and Radio (NBC) between 1928-1931. Pre-War. He found more income in being a pop commercial band leader, and player. Armstrong was a fabulous Jazz cornetist, switching to Trumpet in the 40's, from the time he stared recording to about 1932. After that, his lip was shot since he was never trained in to protect his embochure (lip) when playing hot. continued...

[PolishRoots]

Love the sound and pictures!Those days were tough (as are these) but their music was wonderful.

[priapus56]

You've got something there! These days are soft but the music is shit!!

[BINKY35]

Would you believe Randolph Scott & JIMMY STEWART? Whatever. Red Nichols's great horn and sound doesn't need the funny pictures.

[kaleidoxkopio]

Deliciosamente decadente. Un regreso a los locos años 20. Y un montaje hecho con sutil sentido del humor... y cierto toque elegantemente gay. Gracias

[shimmymoon]

Wow!  That is one mellow horn!

[muscleco]

Nice sound. Love the shots. Running a muscle magazine myself, it's fun to see beefcake from the Deco period.

[barbcard]

Thanks for the Thanksgiving greeting; actually it was a week ago. But of course we can be friends!

[merrihew]

There's no such thing as a bad Red Nichols record. Too bad he was overshadowed by Bix. Quite an interesting collection of photos I must say. I didn't think Johnny Weissmuller was ever that thin. Randolph Scott was born just a few miles from me. He married a Dupont but they didn't live together. They didn't divorce until many years later. She was quite a character.

[kspm01]

Fascinating indeed as stated before, you seem to know quite a few famous artists. Thank you for sharing those anecdotes.