"CRAZE-O-LOGY" Bud Freeman & his Orch. *U*H*C*A* 13-14 EE+ 1928 BLAZING HOT JAZZ

$

22

HERE'S one of the hottest records ever made, and also a prime example of meticulous musical craftsmanship, "CRAZE-O-LOGY" backed with "CAN'T HELP LOVIN DAT MAN" by BUD FREEMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA.  

The orchestra:  JOHNNY MENDEL (trumpet), FLOYD O'BRIEN (trombone), BUD JACOBSON (clarinet), BUD FREEMAN (tenor sax), DAVE NORTH (piano) / NORMAN FOSTER (banjo), MOHN MUELLER (bass), GENE KRUPA (drums), RED McKENZIE (vocal). Most of these guys were amateurs at the time - it's Dave North's only record - but they all perform magnificently.   

Recorded in Chicago in 1928, this marked Freeman's debut as a bandleader, and WHAT a debut it is!  From the first turn, "Craze-O-Logy" will grip you and not let you go, with its sizzling rhythms, fantastic solos and unbelievable ensemble work, leading up to a shouting climax that will leave you limp and your ears ravaged.  

"Can't Help" is of course one of the big hits of "Show Boat," covered by every record label under the sun, and usually with a male vocal!  This one follows suit, with RED MCKENZIE doing the honors.  This side, though a ballad, is no less torrid than the other, and it ends with one of the hottest, tightest ensemble endings ever recorded.  

I met Bud Freeman in 1984, a natty, gracious, jokified, youthful elder statesman of jazz, that distinctive SOUND still pouring from his tenor sax.  In Bud's hotel room, I asked him about this record. I said, "You guys must have rehearsed for DAYS before cutting Craze-O-Logy!" Bud said, "Oh, yes. Days and days! We didn't leave ANYTHING to chance."  Nevertheless, the sheer spontaneity and joy of this record still rings across the decades.   

This 1937 United Hot Clubs of America re-issue, from the 1928 OKeh, is in EE+ condition. It's a beautiful, laminated master pressing - measuring up to the quality of the original in every respect. 

PHOTO: Bud Freeman, laughing in the '30s. Wish there was a picture of this band! 

*****

These records come from my private collection, which I have been accumulating since 1967, and now am downsizing!  My highest priority in these eBay auctions is to give you the best possible idea of a record’s true condition and aesthetic value.  I always post at least four clear images, showing the record fore and aft, a close-up of the label, and the whole disc, warts and all.  If my purple prose won’t cut it, the pictures will!  Shipping is done with expert care. Your record will brave Media Mail in a stout corregated box, between four sheets of cardboard and a couple of “packers.”  I hope you are amused by these descriptions, and by the quality of service being offered.