Search - Slim Gaillard :: Legendary Mcvouty

Hip, Root and Outrageously Delightful ! ! !

Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 01/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of the gazillion or so CDs I purchased within the past year or so from Amazon, I'd have to say, that this one had probably worn out the most batteries on the ol' Sony.Galliard, in case you're not familiar was sort of the missing link between bebop, vaudeville and hipsville... In many ways, sort of an underground afterhours 52nd Street version of Louis Jordan. He played guitar, tapdanced at the same time, spoke in a jive language that he created himself known as "Vout", sported an ensemble that included the chemically dazed Harry "The Hipster Gibson" (best known for tunes like "Who Put The Benzadrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine"), Scatman Crothers, and operetic vout-o-reeny scatster, Leo Watson. Though not a bebop player per-se, he was enough a part of the scene that influences show through, often through brilliant yet easy to miss musical jokes and references (they do what seems to be a hillarious take on Thelonious Monk's sparse yet offcenter style of playing and the audience is rolling on the floor.) - - oh, one other thing I should mention -- apparenly, Dizzy Gillespie was a huge fan and supporter of Slim and (his corpulent bass playing comrad) Slam.What I love about this CD (besides the englightening liner notes - - nevermind the cheap packaging) is the fact that most of the tracks come from live radio wire rebroadcasts from the clubs they'd perform at... (made for military rebroadcast), so you can really dig the scene. - - Though there's more fun and satire than straight Jazz, one track is definitely totally vout-o-roony... Sonny Boy... Harry The Hipster enters doing the lyrics in his spooky raspy voiced then for the next 9 minutes the band procedes to cut solos as a calvalcade of legendary (but now virtually forgotten) big band soloists are announced one by one. I was really surprized to see on the liner notes that the one trumpet player not announced was Manny Kline of Mickey Katz fame.Overall,this is really hip and groovy CD with some great tunes and "schticks"... I came to it by means of "The Beat Generation" box set, which includes lot's of other hipster morsels, including Slim Galliard's "Yip Rock Heresy"... Slim Galliard was definitely the VOUTEST ! ! !"