A: Jay McShann At The Piano. Blues Dance with Singing by Walter Brown.
Jay McShann (piano), Gene Ramey (bass), Gus Johnson (drums).
Recorded April 30, 1941, Dallas, TX.
B: Jay McShann And His Orchestra. Blues Dance with Singing by Walter Brown.
Buddy Anderson, Harold Bruce, Orville Minor (trumpets), Joe Taswell Baird (trombone), John Jackson, Charlie Parker (alto saxes), Harold Ferguson, Bob Mabane (tenor saxes), Jay McShann (piano), Gene Ramey (bass), Gus Johnson (drums).
Recorded April 30, 1941, Dallas, TX.
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Number:1078998 THUMBNAIL Uploaded By:fixbutte Description: A Side Label
The fine B-side featuring Charlie Parker's first-ever recorded solo, is here on Youtube:
It seems, however, that the original small combo recording of the A-side is not available for me on YouTube at the moment, although several re-recordings of the following decades are there.
Although most people probably have never heard of Jay McShann, this record was seminal for the developement of both rhythm & blues and jazz.
"Confessin' the Blues", mostly written by the band's freshly recruited singer Walter Brown, became a big hit and, although it didn't make Billboard's pop charts, sold about 500,000 copies during the first 18 months after its release. It was one of the most influential records for the young Chuck Berry, who actually sang it on his very first public performance in 1941 at the high school he attended. Berry always remembered the song and, almost 20 years later, included a cover version on his LP Rockin' at the Hops. Berry's version again was the one that the Rolling Stones had in mind when they recorded their own cover in the Chess studios in 1964.
"Hootie Blues", on the other side, is not a bit less important. The lyrics also come from Walter Brown but the music was co-written by leader McShann and the young Charlie Parker. Although Bird did not take part in the small band recording of "Confessin'", he was a member of the Jay McShann Orchestra from 1937 until its demise on account of WW2 in 1942. On "Hootie Blues", he also contributes a very fine alto sax solo at the beginning of the track, his first solo ever recorded in a studio.