1947 - May 7

Babs' 3 Bips And A Bop – May 7 1947 

 

Ira Gitler – Weird Lullaby CD Liner Notes 

The second Blue Note date took place in May 1947. , minus Williams' alto and Simon's brushes. "Runnin' Around is Babs reminiscing about, and advice to, a rejecting lover. Tadd has a beautifully-voiced solo.  
 
"Babs Dream" is a minor-key swinger with scatting by Babs; Pee Wee's guitar (Christian cum Tiny Grimes and Irving Ashby); and Tadd's piano, mixing single-line and chordal styles, the latter giving you a naked look at his comping style. 

"Dob Bla Bli" is a happy little riff with Tadd chording the bridge and solo from him and Ttnney well.  

The session ends with the affecting lament, "Weird Lullaby," the minor-key melody exposed by its author in sound like some strange, imaginary language. I once used it to put the freshman group as a summer camp to sleep before taps. 

Down Beat May 7 1947 Volume 14 Issue 10 

Babs Gonzales, joined on scat vocaling by Tad Dameron (piano) and Pee Wee Tinney (guitar). Others in it are Rudy Williams (alto), Charles Simon (drums) and Art Phipps (bass). This is much the same experiment that Buddy Stewart and Dave Lambert more successfully with Red Rodney (Key- note). Da sounds very much like Ooh-Bop-Sha-Bam. Savoy has a vocal chorus, and some Rudy Williams sax. The vocal work is hampered by using vowel sounds for the scat which makes it necessary to sing short phrases and limit the potential ideas. Also Gonzales pitch as a singer isn’t as sure as Lambert’s when it comes to solo work. Phipps’ bass sounds as if he were using a speaker – has that flat ring to the lower tones. (Blue Note 534, 535) 

Screenland June 1947 Volume 51 Issue 9 

BABS’ 3 BIPS AND A BOP: That Be-Bop craze gets a fresh new twist by a new gang with the fetching appellation of “Babs’ 3 Bips and a Bop.” Gone, to say the least. They’ve cut their first biscuits for Bluenote and put down one of the most revolutionary styles in jazz. There’re 4 ten-inch sides—“Lop-Pow,” “Pay Dem Dues,” “Oop-pop-a-Da,” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” which give off Be-Bop vocals, with phrasing in vowels, like an instrument, and never losing that | beat. Tad Dameron, at the piano, did the arranging and Rudy Williams on alto sax, Pee Wee Tinney on guitar, Art Phipps on bass and Charlie Simon on drums round out this wild group. (Blue Note 534 and 535) 

Screenland September 1947 Volume 51 Issue 11 

BABS THREE BIPS AND A BOP: Two more “gone” sides by the kids of “Oop-Pop-A-Da” fame, establish them as one of the most original and hep in the field and I don’t mean left. “Weird Lullaby” spots Babs in a vocal tone-poem— it really lives up to its name—consisting solely of phonetic syllables sung to a hauntingly beautiful melody. Great with the lights off and good for many helpings! Back, “Dob-Bla-Bli’—unloads an- other helping of intricate be-bop yelping with whizzy Tad Dameron piano, Pee Wee Tinney guitar and Art Phipps, bass. Gone, man! (Blue Note) 

Seventeen December 1947 Volume 6 

Babs’ Dream (Blue Note). We aren’t sure just why, but we were very fond of this nonsense song by Babs’ Three Bips and a BOP (and where do musicians find such names?). It’s all about “babalubulee” or something like that and sounds very African. The mate is Runnin’ Around and is dull, but presumably excellent jazz. 

 

 

Session Information 

Tadd Dameron, piano, vocal; Pee Wee Tinney, guitar, vocal; Art Phipps, bass; Babs Gonzales, vocal. 

WOR Studios, NYC, May 7, 1947 

BN300-3, Running Around, Blue Note 537 

BN301-5, Babs' Dream, Blue Note 537 

BN302-3, Dob Bla Bli, Blue Note 536 

BN303-1, Weird Lullaby, Blue Note 536