Re: [Harp-L] Larry Adler's Four? Tracks with Django Reinhardt

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

For years it's been thought that second takes were made for all four pieces (that's what the recording log shows) and that some collector had stolen the other two. But it may also be that the other two were incomplete takes or otherwise considered not worth preserving at the time.

I remember that Adler played the SPAH Convention in 1995 and played along with the alternate take of I Got Rhythm. This was before the alternates had been released commercially, and I knew the released takes well enough to recognize that he was using an alternate. So evidently he had private copies of the alternates.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Roger Trobridge <gopher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 1:57 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Larry Adler's Four? Tracks with Django Reinhardt
 

I am writing a piece for our magazine, Harmonica World, about Larry Adler
playing swing jazz with Django Reinhardt and The Hot Club De France because
Peter Golding's Cafe Django will be playing at out festival , 25-27
October, 2013 in Bristol, UK. 

Four tracks from the1938  session have been known for over 60 years and
they show the chromatic harmonca being played as an equal member of a small
swing group, Stephane Grappelly switched to (great) piano to avoid the
overlap of the violin and harmonica. These are the four tracks found on the
original EP and CD compilations of Larry's music.

Body And Soul
Lover Come Back To Me
My Melancholy Baby
I Got Rhythm 
31/5/38 - Paris - Larry Adler (har), Stephane Grappelly (p), 
Django Reinhardt (g),Joseph Reinhardt, Eugene Vees (g), Roger Grasset (b)

I remembered that when I was tidying up some of Larry's papers I saw a
mention of possible out-takes from the session. My search at that time
turned up nothing, but last night I found two additional takes on a
comprehesive Django compilation which contained this session.

CL 6716-1: Body And Soul - Fremeaux FA 308, Classics 777 
CL 6717-1: Lover Come Back To Me-  Fremeaux FA 308, Classics 777
CL 6717-2: Lover Come Back To Me - Fremeaux FA 308
CL 6718-1: My Melancholy Baby - Fremeaux FA 308, Classics 777 
CL 6719-1: I Got Rhythm - Fremeaux - FA 308, Classics 777, 
CL 6719-2: I Got Rhythm - Fremeaux - FA 308

All six recordings from the session are on
Django Reinhardt, vol. 8 (1938-1939) - Swing from Paris - Double CD

I bought mine from Amazon (2xCD/mp3), but I think they are on iPlayer.

I think the large differences in the two takes of the same songs shows how
free and enjoyable these sessions were. It is good to hear the cry of "Come
on Larry" to authenticate the recordings.

Larry was not the only person to play in these small groups in the 1930s.
Max Geldray and Dany Kane were two others.

Roger
Editor: Harmonica World
www.harmonica.co.uk