RTR 419412

For further information visit www.retrospective-records.co.uk or contact Retrospective Records, Wyastone Business Park, Monmouth, NP25 3SR, UKReleased under exclusive licence by Wyastone Estate Limited C & P 2011 Wyastone Estate LimitedGeneral cover images C istockphoto.com; Booklet design: info@doubletakedesign.co.uk

Also available on Retrospective:

RTS 4154 (2CDs)BIX BEIDERBECKE

Young Man With A Horn

RTS 4174 (2CDs)GENE KRUPA

Drummin’ Man

RTS 4144 (2CDs)BENNY GOODMAN

Swing, Swing, Swing!

RTR 4139BUNNY BERIGAN

I Can’t Get Started

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RTR 4194

FRANK TESCHEMACHER “TESCH”JAZZ ME BLUESHis 26 finest 1927-1930

Frank Teschemacher (cl,as) & his Chicagoans: Rod Cless (as) Mezz Mezzrow (ts) Joe Sullivan (p) Eddie Condon (bj) Jim Lannigan (tu) Gene Krupa (d) 1 JAZZ ME BLUES (Tom Delaney, 1921) C 1906-A (UHCA 61), Chicago, 28th April 1928 2:41

McKenzie & Condon’s Chicagoans: Jimmy McPartland (cnt) Frank Teschemacher (cl) Bud Freeman (ts) Joe Sullivan (p) Eddie Condon (bj) Jim Lannigan (tu,b) Gene Krupa (d) Mezz Mezzrow (cymbals – 4,5)2 SUGAR (Maceo Pinkard, 1927) 82030-A (Okeh 41011), Chicago, 8th December 1927 3:063 CHINA BOY (Phil Boutelje & Dick Winfree, 1922) 82031-B (Okeh 41011), Chicago, 8th December 1927 2:444 NOBODY’S SWEETHEART (Ernie Erdman, Elmer Schoebel, Billy Meyers & Gus Kahn; 1924,

added to The Passing Show Of 1923) 82082-B (Okeh 40971), Chicago, 16th December 1927 3:075 LIZA (Red McKenzie, Eddie Condon & Aaron Rubin, 1927) 82083-A (Okeh 40971), Chicago, 16th December 1927 3:00

The Chicago Rhythm Kings (as “The Jungle Kings” – 9,10): Muggsy Spanier (cnt) Frank Teschemacher (cl) Mezz Mezzrow (ts) Joe Sullivan (p) Eddie Condon (bj,vcl – 8) Jim Lannigan (tu) Gene Krupa (d) Red McKenzie – 6,9,10 (vcl) 6 THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE (W. Benton Overstreet – m; Billy Higgins – w; 1921) C 1885-A (Brunswick 4001), Chicago, 6th April 1928 2:527 I’VE FOUND A NEW BABY (Spencer Williams, 1926) C 1886-A (Brunswick 4001), Chicago, 6th April 1928 3:08

Also available on Retrospective:

RTS 4189 (2CDs)LIONEL HAMPTON

Flying Home

RTS 4178 (2CDs)GEORGE SHEARINGLullaby Of Birdland

RTS 4182 (2CDs)JACK TEAGARDEN

Big T - A Hundred Years From Today

RTR 4146NAT GONELLA

Georgia On My Mind

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8 BABY, WON’T YOU PLEASE COME HOME? (Clarence Williams – m; Charles Warfield – w; 1919)

C 1907-B (Brunswick 80064), Chicago, 28th April 1928 2:449 FRIARS’ POINT SHUFFLE (Eddie Condon) 20563-2 (Paramount 12654), Chicago, circa 28th April 1928 2:52 (or C 1909-B – Vocalion 15692 – Chicago Rhythm Kings?)10 THE DARKTOWN STRUTTERS’ BALL (Shelton Brooks, 1916) 20564-2 (Paramount 12654), Chicago, circa 28th April 1928 2:31

Charles Pierce (as) & his Orchestra: Muggsy Spanier, Dick Feige – 6 (cnt) Jack Reid – 7,8 (tb) Frank Teschemacher (cl,as) Ralph Rudder (ts) Danny Lipscomb (p) Stuart Branch (bj) Johnny Mueller (b) Paul Kettler (d) 11 BULLFROG BLUES (Frank Teschemacher & Charles Pierce, 1928) 20399-1 (Paramount 12619), Chicago, circa February 1928 2:5512 I WISH I COULD SHIMMY LIKE MY SISTER KATE (Armand Piron, 1922) 20470-7 (Paramount 12640), Chicago, circa late April 1928 2:2113 NOBODY’S SWEETHEART (Ernie Erdman, Elmer Schoebel, Billy Meyers & Gus Kahn;

1924, added to The Passing Show Of 1923) 20534-2 (Paramount 20616), Chicago, circa late April 1928 3:06

Miff Mole (tb) & his Molers: Red Nichols (cnt) Frank Teschemacher (cl) Joe Sullivan (p) Eddie Condon (bj) Gene Krupa (d) 14 ONE STEP TO HEAVEN (Windy City Stomp) (Jesse Greer; Say When, 1928 show) 400849-C (HRS 15), New York, 6th July 1928 2:5915 SHIM-ME-SHA-WABBLE (Spencer Williams, 1916) 400850-A (Okeh 41445), New York, 6th July 1928 3:00

Eddie Condon (bj,vcl) & his Quartet: Frank Teschemacher (cl,as) Joe Sullivan (p) Gene Krupa (d) 16 OH, BABY! (Murphy) 400899-A (Parlophone R 2932), New York, 28th July 1928 2:5817 INDIANA (James Hanley – m; Ballard MacDonald – w; 1917) 401035-A (Parlophone R 2932), New York, 28th July 1928 2:57

Also available on Retrospective:

RTS 4108 (2CDs)HUMPHREY LYTTELTON

Bad Penny Blues

RTR 4129LOUIS ARMSTRONGWest End Blues -

Hot Fives & Hot Sevens

RTS 4142 (2CDs)BILLIE HOLIDAY

Billie’s Blues

RTS 4140 (2CDs)DJANGO REINHARDT

& STEPHANE GRAPPELLI Nuages

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The Dorsey Brothers & their Orchestra: Fuzzy Farrar, Nat Natoli (tp) Tommy Dorsey (tb,tp) Jack Teagarden (tb) Jimmy Dorsey (cl,as) Arnold Brilhart (as) Frank Teschemacher (ts,cl) Herb Spencer (ts) Frank Signorelli (p) Carl Kress (g) Hank Stern (tu) Stan King (d) Smith Ballew (vcl)18 ’ROUND EVENING (Herbert Steiner & J. Fred Coots – m; Herbert Steiner – w; 1928) 401169-B (Okeh 41124), New York, 29th September 1928 3:09

The Big Aces: Tommy Dorsey, Nat Natoli (tp) Jack Teagarden (tb) Don Redman (cl,as) Jimmy Dorsey (cl,as) Frank Teschemacher (cl,ts) George Thomas (ts,vcl) Frank Signorelli (p) Carl Kress (g) Hank Stern (tu) Stan King (d,vib) 19 CHERRY (Don Redman, 1928) 401171-A (Okeh 41136), New York, 29th September 1928 3:07

Wingy Manone (tp,vcl) & his Club Royale Orchestra: Frank Teschemacher (cl) George Snurpus (ts) Art Hodes (p) Ray Biondi (g) Augie Schellange (d) 20 TRYING TO STOP MY CRYING (Raymond Biondi, C.J. Miskelly & Jack Lazier, 1928) C 2682-B (Vocalion 15797), Chicago, 17th December 1928 3:1321 ISN’T THERE A LITTLE LOVE? (Wingy Manone, Shand & Lee, 1928) C 2683 (Vocalion 15797), Chicago, 17th December 1928 3:08

Ted Lewis (cl,as) & his Band: Muggsy Spanier, Dave Klein (cnt) Georg Brunis, Harry Raderman (tb) Frank Teschemacher (cl) Sol Klein (vln) Frank Ross (p) Tony Gerhardi (bj,g) Bob Escamilla (tu) John Lucas (d) 22 WABASH BLUES (Fred Meinken – m; Dave Ringle – w; 1921) 148931-4 (Columbia 2029-D), New York, 21st August 1929 2:47

Elmer Schoebel (p) & his Friars Society Orchestra: Dick Feige (cnt) Jack Reid (tb) Frank Teschemacher (cl) Floyd Townes (ts) Karl Berger (g) John Kuhn (tu) George Wettling (d) 23 COPENHAGEN (Charlie Davis – m; Walter Melrose – w; 1924) C 4559-D (Brunswick 4652), Chicago, 18th October 1929 2:2824 PRINCE OF WAILS (Elmer Schoebel, 1924) C 4560-C (Brunswick 4652), Chicago, 18th October 1929 2:36

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contemporary association with the brilliant cornettist in Sam Lanin’s band. And in the same month – close to the end of his only protracted New York tenure – Teschemacher recorded two more of his greatest sides, Oh, Baby! (track 16) and Indiana (track 17), leading Eddie Condon’s quartet for producer Tommy Rockwell of Okeh Records. The proceeds from this date went to pay a long-overdue hotel bill for the impecunious Chicagoans, and by October Teschemacher was back in Chicago recording with Wingy Manone (an old jam session associate from Chicago clubs including the Cellar and Club Royale) and pianist Elmer Schoebel, as well as working with a variety of leaders including Charlie Straight, Benny Meroff and Ted Lewis, for whom he returned to New York just one more time in August 1929 to record Wabash Blues (track 22). A tour with Jan Garber’s (very popular) orchestra in Autumn 1931 nonetheless produced a rueful thought from Teschemacher, typical of many of his contemporaries including Artie Shaw: “I wonder”, he mused, “if we’ll ever be able to play hot jazz for a living?” Had he chosen to stay in New York the answer might well have been “yes”. But his last months back home in Chicago are vividly portrayed by Charles Edward Smith as both lonely and poignant. Though married by now, we read of him playing in club jam sessions with heroes Dodds and Jimmy Noone, listening to classical music including Holst’s Planets Suite, and occasionally to his own records, breaking them in disgust if some small detail displeased him. Only a few months later, that legendary car crash would end the life of this disturbed soul but – thanks to this collection – the records remain: the finest legacy that any musician can leave.

© Digby FairweatherTrumpeter and co-author of Jazz – The Rough Guide

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The Cellar Boys: Wingy Manone (cnt) Frank Teschemacher (cl) Bud Freeman (ts) Frank Melrose (p) Charles Melrose (accor) George Wettling (d) 25 BARRELHOUSE STOMP (Frank Melrose, 1928) C 5309-B (Brunswick 80066), Chicago, 24th January 1930 3:0226 WAILING BLUES (Frank Melrose, 1929) C 5308-A (Brunswick 80066), Chicago, 24th January 1930 3:15

Total playing time 76:56

Compiled by Ray Crick

Key to abbreviations: (accor) accordion (as) alto saxophone (b) double-bass (bj) banjo (cl) clarinet (cnt) cornet (d) drums (g) guitar (m) music, i.e. composer (p) piano (tb) trombone (tp) trumpet (ts) tenor saxophone (tu) tuba (vcl) vocal (vib) vibraphone (vln) violin (w) words, i.e. lyricist

Sound quality: Please note that many of these 1927-1930 recordings have been rescued from treasured 78s. While every effort has been made in audio restoration to eliminate extraneous noise and present the performances in the best possible light, technical limitations nevertheless remain. We trust it will not mar your pleasure in this exuberant music from a bygone era.

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hardly seems to fit in with the informal (and on the face of it) happy-go-lucky image of his regular associate Eddie Condon and his fellow Chicagoans. The sophistication and politesse of both his playing and arranging skills is perfectly demonstrated on Jazz Me Blues (track 1 of this collection).

From 1926 to 1928 Teschemacher worked principally with Floyd Town’s band at the Triangle Club, Chicago (alongside Muggsy Spanier and George Wettling), but most centrally, for historic purposes, took part in seven recording sessions – all of them included in this collection and representing much of the best that we know of “Tesch”. The “McKenzie and Condon Chicagoans” recordings (tracks 2-5 here and to all intents and purposes the Austin High School Gang under the co-leadership of Condon and Red McKenzie) are rightfully regarded as the on-record birth of Chicago jazz and have been classics ever since they appeared. “At the finish of the session”, wrote Condon 20 years later, “we were all laughing and pounding each other on the back. Tesch wrote the introduction to ‘Sugar’ (track 2) and ‘Liza’ (track 5), a lazy-through-Dixie tune which George Rilling and I had put together.” Four months later came a second session, this time for Condon’s “Chicago Rhythm Kings”. “Jack Kapp called to arrange a date at Brunswick”, he remembered later, “but by now McPartland and Freeman were in New York with Ben Pollack so we used Muggsy and Mezz Mezzrow on tenor.” Teschemacher’s contributions are once again central to the proceedings including a solo on the blues Friars Point Shuffle (track 9) which pays audible tribute to a principal influence, Johnny Dodds, as does his two-chorus contribution to Bullfrog Blues (track 11) by Charles Pierce’s Orchestra. Pierce – a butcher from Chicago’s south side who played jazz as a hobby and financed recordings for personal satisfaction – adored Teschemacher’s playing, and the reasons why are to be heard here. Two more brightly-toned tracks (One Step To Heaven, track 14, and Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble, track 15) recorded in July l928 with trombonist Miff Mole and cornettist Red Nichols (who like Goodman and Shaw suffered no fools) are the on-record representation of a

Jazz Me Blues is dedicated to that fine British clarinettist Tim Huskisson, whose enthusiasm for Tesch inspired this CD release.

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probably played with – everyone from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on down, his concluding thirteen words take on nothing less than a sensational resonance.

So what was he like, this shadowy figure of jazz history? Eddie Condon supplies one word picture: “Tesch was studious, solemn with a ruddy Dutch complexion, mousey hair and large horn-rimmed glasses.” Charles Edward Smith – Teschemacher’s most passionate (if occasionally factually approximate) advocate – focuses in further: “A full mouth, long upper lip, slightly snub-nose, high rounded forehead and brooding eyes, often hidden by glasses. He was patient and impatient in turn and some said this was because of his extreme sensitivity; others insisted there were two sides of his nature.” A third unnamed contemporary sums things up in a description which might, at least for clarinet purposes, have described Benny Goodman too: “Very odd; not a whoop it up guy! (But) he had lots of character and he was a fine musician, tough with every sax. He could really make them play.”

Teschemacher took up the violin at ten, turned to mandolin and banjo thereafter, and by the age of fourteen was playing alto saxophone. At 16 in Chicago he joined jazz’s teenage “Austin High School Gang” (including Jimmy McPartland and Bud Freeman), and during training years involving everything from fraternity dances to a later residency at White City dance hall became, by report, their musical guru. “Tesch remained to the end the white haired boy of the Gang,” affirms Smith, “the one they lived up to and the one they followed.” It was in l925 that he took up clarinet, borrowing an instrument from Bud Freeman and taking lessons from a Chicago contemporary, Orville “Bud” Jacobsen. Simultaneously the testy side of this studious, constantly-practising musician was showing itself. According to Smith again: “Tesch wasn’t always convinced that Freeman would learn to be a musician and on one occasion said he wished that he was out of the band.” He also offered the opinion that when his latter-day advocate Benny Goodman sat in with the group informally: “he wasn’t close enough to their musical ideas.” Plainly here was a seriously committed and critical jazzman who

FRANK TESCHEMACHER - JAZZ ME BLUES“Where will we ever get another saxophone player like Tesch?” For seasoned jazz lovers the echoing question has long passed into the folklore of the music. And for Frank Teschemacher – the clarinettist and saxophonist born in Kansas City, Missouri on 13th March 1906 – it might well serve as his unofficial epitaph; delivered to police by the legendary cornettist Wild Bill Davison after a head-on collision with a taxicab in which his passenger had been thrown over the hood of their open-top Packard at the junction of Chicago’s Magnolia and Wilson streets. “Tesch” as he was known to a select few friends, plus professional acquaintances, was taken to Ravenswood hospital where, shortly after admittance on 1st March l932, he died from multiple injuries 12 days before his 26th birthday.

For a career so brief, Teschemacher – only marginally less than his principal hero and fellow tragic-figure, Bix Beiderbecke – nonetheless created a formidable impact amongst his fellow musicians and, most significantly, his clarinet contemporaries. A fellow legend, Pee Wee Russell, for one said: “I learned plenty from Tesch. If he’d lived he’d have played more clarinet than anyone in the world!” Russell would go on to achieve his own uniquely eccentric place in the jazz pantheon over four and a half decades. But, like every other player of his instrument at the period, both he and his role model were overshadowed in the public view by the duelling clarinet kings of swing, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, who for twenty years from the mid-1930s enjoyed the same adoration as today’s pop-stars and guitar heroes. Shaw, never a quick man with a compliment, said simply of Teschemacher: “Oh yes, he could certainly play!” While Benny Goodman himself, unusually again, went further. “Tesch hadn’t an unusual amount of technique, and his intonation wasn’t always of the best,” observed Goodman, “but he was a fine musician and perhaps the most inventive it has ever been my privilege to hear.” Remembering that Benny Goodman, over his career, heard – and

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FrankTeschemacher&hisChicagoans:1 JAZZ ME BLUES McKenzie&Condon’sChicagoans:2 SUGAR 3 CHINA BOY 4 NOBODY’S SWEETHEART 5 LIZA TheChicagoRhythmKings:6 THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE 7 I’VE FOUND A NEW BABY 8 BABY, WON’T YOU PLEASE COME HOME? 9 FRIARS’ POINT SHUFFLE 10 THE DARKTOWN STRUTTERS’ BALL CharlesPierce&hisOrchestra:11 BULLFROG BLUES 12 I WISH I COULD SHIMMY LIKE MY SISTER KATE 13 NOBODY’S SWEETHEART MiffMole&hisMolers:14 ONE STEP TO HEAVEN (Windy City Stomp) 15 SHIM-ME-SHA-WABBLE

EddieCondon&hisQuartet:16 OH, BABY! 17 INDIANA TheDorseyBrothers&theirOrchestra:18 ’ROUND EVENING TheBigAces:19 CHERRY WingyManone&hisClubRoyale

Orchestra:20 TRYING TO STOP MY CRYING 21 ISN’T THERE A LITTLE LOVE? TedLewis&hisBand:22 WABASH BLUES ElmerSchoebel&hisFriarsSociety

Orchestra:23 COPENHAGEN 24 PRINCE OF WAILS TheCellarBoys:25 BARRELHOUSE STOMP 26 WAILING BLUES

Total playing time: 1 hour 17 minutes

1927-1930

FRANK TESCHEMACHER “TESCH”JAZZ ME BLUES - His 26 finest 1927-1930Musicians include: Georg Brunis * Bud Freeman * Gene Krupa * Jimmy McPartlandMezz Mezzrow * Red Nichols * Don Redman * Muggsy Spanier * Joe SullivanJack Teagarden * George Wettling

RTR 4194

RTR 4194

Made in the UK by Nimbus RecordsReleased under exclusive licence by Wyastone Estate Limited.This release © & P 2011 Wyastone Estate Limited. www.retrospective-records.co.uk