Art Hodes’ Back Room Boys – April 21 1944
The Record Changer – April 1947
Art Hodes' Back-Room Boys have done an interesting thing, similar as far as it goes to the idea behind Pete Johnson's recent Housewarmin' album on National. Back-Room Blues finds Hodes on piano, Jimmy Shirley on guitar, and Israel Crosby on bass, while on Low Down Blues trombonist Sandy Williams joins the group (Blue Note 526). On M. K. Blues Williams Is replaced by trumpeter Max Kaminsky, and on Jug Head Blues all five musicians get together at last (Blue Note 527). In this way every man has an opportunity to strut his stuff, and four different ensemble combinations are demonstrated. Unfortunately, the conception is better than the actual execution. Except for a few passages by Williams and Hodes, and an occasional phrase from Kaminsky, these records don't sound quite so thrilling as they look.
Screenland June 1947 Volume 51 Issue 8
ART HODES BACKROOM BOYS: “M.K. Blues,” “Jug-Head Boogie.” Ah —here’s that mellow Max Kaminsky trumpet in some sensitive blue stuff with excellent support by Art Hodes on the box (piano), Jimmy Shirley on guitar and Israel Crosby on bass. Sandy Williams falls in on the flip to suffuse you with some fat boogie woogie, which’ll send you like air mail. There’re two more sides, too — "Low Down Blues,” with some of the guttiest trombone you ever absorbed, by Sandy Williams, and “Back Room Blues,” with the spotlight on some mellow indigo box of Art Hodes. These’ll tuck you in a blanket of blue.
Dan Morgenstern – The Complete Art Hodes Blue Note Sessions
While the previous sessions look a cue from the past, this blues party is more characteristic of what Art playing in 1944. I have a notion if the LP had been around. this session would have yielded a single 15-minute blues jam rather than the five individual tracks found here – with several alternates.
Art deploys his troops in a variety of formals; all five players are present only on JUG HEAD BOOGIE. Not surprisingly, M. K. BLUES is a feature for Max Kaminsky, always a convincing blues player. This one starts off slow and mean, Max on open horn for two choruses, relaxed above the excellent rhythm section. Israel Crosby's superb bass, felt than more than heard, more than makes up for the absence of a drummer. Jimmy Shirley's guitar takes over for a chorus, mixing chords and single-string stuff, with that unique vibratoed sound. (Shirley. a fixture at Blue during this period. had worked regularly with the trios of two great pianists. Clarence Profit and Herman Chittison; he was still active in New York in 1986.) Max, with notably good backing from Art. closes it out. On the second take, the trumpet work retains the same outline while the guitar solo is different; the piano accompaniment is less active. LOW DOWN BLUES retains the key and mood, with Sandy William's trombone front and center. Williams (b. 1906) is one of the most forceful and dramatic trombone stylists of pre-bop mainstream jazz. Unfortunately, he gave up playing around 1950: his many associations included Fletcher Henderson. Chick Webb, Coleman Hawkins. Roy Eldridge, Sidney Bechet and Duke Ellington. In 1944, Sandy was freelancing in New York. Late that year, he toured with Claude Hopkins and in 1947 visited Europe with Rex Stewart. He's in good form here, displaying his broad, burry sound and buzzing vibrato; his emphatic terminal notes may have influenced Bill Harris. Shirley spells him for a chorus. mostly single-string, and then Sandy returns he really smears his notes, starting his second chorus with some well-turned lip trills. “Low down" is the proper adjective.
Art's Back Room Boys continue this blues trip with JUG HEAD BOOGIE, the only piece to feature the entire cast. The tempo picks up a bit here, and Art solos with a boogie beat. Max takes two clipped, on-the-beat choruses. Shirley does the boogie for one, and Sandy enters slyly, then opens up. Crosby walks, backed by piano and guitar, and the horns take it out. The three takes follow the identical pattern, but only the first has two concluding ensemble choruses; the single one on the other two is based on a strain from DIPPERMOUTH BLUES (a.k.a SUGARFOOT STOMP). Max is more legato on the second take and at his best on last, while the trombone solo on middle take is probably the best of three good ones.
S.C.H. BLUES, a newly discovered master, features the rhythm trio in a minor mood, at very laid-back tempo. Art starts off some blue musings, Shirley gets a Django-like sound on his chorus, Crosby walks authoritatively, and they go out together, Art rolling and rumbling in his best after-hours manner. This mellow session concludes with BACK ROOM BLUES, another slow jam by the rhythm trio. Messrs. Hodes, Shirley and Crosby each get an at-bat. The feeling of this session harks back to the earliest days of Blue Note, when blues was king. There is a timeless quality to this music's basic honesty and purity—no frills.
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| Down Beat Jan 1947 |
Pic Magazine – May 1947
The pitfalls of the blues at drag tempo are demonstrated by Sandy Williams, Max Kaminsky, and Art Hodes’ Back-Room Boys in three sides on Blue Note 526 and 527; Low Down Blues, Back-Room Blues, and M.K. Blues. The fourth side. Jug Head Blues, steps up the tempo, but the solos are still barren.
University of Mary Washington Bullet March 1947 Volume 19 Number 16
HOT JAZZ FOR COLLECTORS— Blue Note Records present Art Hodes and his “Back Room Boys” in two 10-inch records — Jug Head Boogie and M. K. Blues: Low Down Blues and Back-Room Blues, which provide plenty of the Hodes' piano supported by All Stars. Among the participating musicians are: Max Kaminsky, (trumpet); Jimmy Shirley, (guitar); Israel Crosby, (bass); and Sandy Williams, (trombone). All sides show a free and easy jam style of improvisation.
Dan Morgenstern – Hot Jazz on Blue Note
Alexander "Sandy" Williams (1906-91)
Born in Somerville, South Carolina, Alexander Williams moved to Washington, D.C.. with his family in early childhood. Orphaned in his teens, he was sent to an industrial school in Delaware, where he played in the school band, first on brass bass. Back in Washington he continued to study trombone; one of his teachers was Juan Tiizol, who later came to fame with Duke Ellington. Williams soon turned professional. One of his first leaders was pianist Claude Hopkins, with whom he worked on and off for several years. In 1926 he was in the pit band at the Lincoln Theater; the next year found him in Atlantic City and briefly in New York. After a stint with the band of drummer Tommy Myles, Williams went on the road with Horace Henderson in 1929 and remained with him almost three years. In 1932 he graduated to big brother Fletcher Henderson's band and in the following year began an association with Chick Webb's band which lasted until the gallant little drummer's death six years later. Williams stayed on when Ella Fitzgerald took over, but left to join Benny Carter in the spring of 1940 and then was in Coleman Hawkins's short-lived big band. In early 1942 he was back with Fletcher Henderson, then he divided his time between big-band work with Lucky Millinder and Cootie Williams and small-group stints with Sidney Bechet, Wild Bill Davison (on 52nd Street), and Pete Brown. In 1943 Williams spent 10 weeks with Duke Ellington, deputizing for Lawrence Brown, then worked with Don Redman, Hot Lips Page, and the big band of Roy Eldridge. A year with his old buddy Claude Hopkins was followed by long stints with Rex Stewart and Art Hodes, and in the fall of 1947 he went to Europe for several months with Stewart, returning in March 1948 in ill health. He was back at work, gigging on 52nd Street and in Greenwich Village by 1949, but in 1950 he was again seriously ill—the result of years of heavy drinking. After his recovery Williams never took another drink, but also never played professionally again. Greatly inspired by Jimmy Harrison, Williams was among the outstanding trombone stylists of the swing era. His supple swing and robust tone made him an assertive voice in a big-band setting, and he enlivened many of the Webb band's records with his solos (one of his greatest: "The Dipsy Doodle"). He was a passionate blues player and adjusted to the demands of small-group work, as his Blue Note records prove.
Down Beat February 26 1947 Volume 14 Issue 5
MK is devoted to the boy Max Kaminsky, rhythmed by Hodes, Jimmy Shirley and Israel Crosby (bass). A quiet side of the sort Bill Coleman makes so well, it establishes a good mood though perhaps not Kaminsky’s best horn. Jughead is a medium thing by both Kaminsky and trombonist Sandy Williams, who gets a whole side on Lowdown. Backroom is saved for Hodes’ piano. (Blue Note 526)
Art Hodes B-6502 Liner Notes
"M. K. Blues" (Moore-Kaminsky) opens with that sound you get when you have a guitar blues man who digs. That was Jimmy Shirley. No gimmicks, no chambers. Just an easy groove. Israel Crosby is the bass player..."Jug Head Blues" is a boogie-blues and this digs in. Fact is, Sandy Williams sits in on this track and you talk about a trombone played hot and dirty. I'm reminded of how people used to dance on a dime. "Don't you move a peg."
Art Hodes B-6508 Liner Notes
M.K. Blues. Now it's the small combo; Kaminsky, Israel Crosby on st. bass; Jimmy Shirley, guitar, and me. As I've often said, "it's just 12-bars of music, that's 48 beats, but it's what you do with 'em; that's what counts." After Maxie says his bit, Shirley and I team up, and believe me, I can stand hearing this again. Max closes the book.
Low Down Blues, Sandy Williams' trombone replaces Max K. as our feature with the same rhythm backing. Sandy really blows gut bucket; he's talkin' to you. Sometimes I actually feel he's breathing into the horn.
Jug Head Boogie, brings Kaminsky back in. Shirley lets out and you hear what made him our guitar choice. Israel walks the bass with meaning. Completely unrehearsed.
Session Information
Max Kaminsky, trumpet #1,2,4-6; Sandy Williams, trombone #3-6; Art Hodes, piano; Jimmy Shirley, guitar; Israel Crosby, bass.
NYC, April 21, 1944
BN968-0, M.K. Blues, Blue Note 527, B-6502
BN968-1, M.K. Blues (alternate take), Blue Note B-6508
BN970-0, Jug Head Boogie (alternate take 1), Blue Note B-6508
BN970-2, Jug Head Boogie (alt)
BN971-0, S.C.H. Blues
BN972-0, Back-Room Blues, Blue Note 526
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