#602 (Week of 1/31/09 - 2/6/09)

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THIS WEEK'S SELECTIONS PROVIDED BY ANDREW BOHAN

"Don't Worry Me No More" by Nellie Hill And Ben Smith Quartet on Abbey 3008 released in 1949

"Dream" by Ben Smith Quartet And The Starlings on Regent 1037-A released in 1951

"By The Candleglow" by Ben Smith Quartet on Savoy 820-A released in 1951

Above: Photo of Nellie Hill from 1953.

Click HERE for a February 5, 1953 article about Nellie Hill.
(Will open in a separate window)

Above: Photo of Nellie Hill from June 3, 1946 issue of Down Beat.... "At Kelly's: New York — Kelly's Stables comes up with another discovery — this time the very attractive vocalist, Nellie Hill. She is dickering for a tour of France later this year."

Above: Label image of Abbey 3008, issued in November 1949. Label shows "Ben Smith, Alto Sax & Drums; Edward Snead, Bass; Lannie Scott, Piano; Artie Long, Guitar." Nellie Hill had one more release on Abbey in 1951 with vocal group backing on both sides (although the label does not credit the group, it was probably The Radars... now confirmed by Marv Goldberg 6/8/20).


Above: Label images of Regent 1037-A released in June 1951 and Savoy 820-A released in October 1951. The Savoy side was originally issued on Coleman 110 as "By The Candle Glow."

The JazzDisco.org website gives the following information:
      Regent 1037.... NYC, 5/28/51, Ben Smith (as, cl) Tony Jenkins, The Starlings (vo) unidentified band.
      Savoy 820.... NYC, 1950-1951, Ben Smith (cl, as, d) Pete Martin (p) Artie Long (g, d) Bob Bushnell (b)

Besides their records on Abbey (1949-50), Coleman (1950-51), Regent (1951), and Savoy (1951), the Ben Smith Quartet also had releases on Columbia (1950) and Rama (1953). They backed up Mona Humes on two of their Coleman records.

FROM TODD BAPTISTA: "By The Candleglow" was written by William Luther Johnson (Bill Johnson of the Musical Notes) and Harry Payne Stevenson sometime in 1947. Stevenson was a songwriting hopeful ("How Would You Know") who was a friend of Gus Gordon. The song was originally recorded by Gordon with Johnson's Musical Notes for RCA Victor on 11/2/47 but never released. But how did the song get from the Johnson-Gordon songbook to Ben Smith?

Listen to this week's selections: [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]

A. Stream RealAudio...              Don't Worry Me No More - Nellie Hill And Ben Smith Quartet - Abbey 3008 - 1949            Dream - Ben Smith Quartet And The Starlings - Regent 1037-A - 1951            By The Candleglow - Ben Smith Quartet - Savoy 820-A - 1951              ALL THREE played in sequence       B. Download RealAudio...              Don't Worry Me No More - Nellie Hill And Ben Smith Quartet - Abbey 3008 - 1949            Dream - Ben Smith Quartet And The Starlings - Regent 1037-A - 1951            By The Candleglow - Ben Smith Quartet - Savoy 820-A - 1951         C. Stream/Download Media Player...              Don't Worry Me No More - Nellie Hill And Ben Smith Quartet - Abbey 3008 - 1949            Dream - Ben Smith Quartet And The Starlings - Regent 1037-A - 1951            By The Candleglow - Ben Smith Quartet - Savoy 820-A - 1951

           [To download audio files, right-click on link and then select "Save (Link) Target As..."]

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