Search - Teddy Powell :: Ridin the Subways

A Much Underated Band Gets A Chance To Shine

Peter J. Doyle | WXXI-FM, 91.5 - Rochester, New York USA | 08/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alastair Robertson's HEP Records of Scotland continues to amaze me. Not long ago, reissues of the COMMERCIAL recordings of bands such as Will Bradley, Claude Thornhill, Jack Jenney, and Teddy Powell were pretty thin on the ground. Hep has filled that gap by issuing comprehensive discs by all of them.The latest "Ridin The Subways" (Hep 1074), shows just how many really good bands there were in an era filled with good bands. Teddy Powell rarely gets mentioned in the Dance Band history books, which is a shame. The band has a clean crisp style and was blessed with one of the better female vocalists of the era, Ruth Gaylor.The HEP collection starts with the Powell Bands first sessions for Decca in 1939, and continues into the very first sessions for the RCA Bluebird label. The Band played a pretty straightforward type of Swing, and threw some nice ballads in for good measure. All in all, a very typical program for 1939 and 1940.I can hardly wait for the next volumes in the series.Peter Doyle Host, "Between The Wars" WXXI-FM, 91.5 - Rochester, New York"

A BAND THAT NEVER QUITE FULFILLED ITS PROMISE

Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 02/10/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first came across the name Teddy Powell on a Regal Zonophone 78, an instrumental version of "In Pine Top's Footsteps" which I enjoyed immensely. Seeing this Hep reissue I didn't hesitate, nor did I regret it. It comprises the complete output of his first four recording sessions, all for Decca, between October 1939 and May 1940 (after which he switched to Bluebird), plus eight transcription recordings which possibly predate them.



Powell was a talented songwriter (he was responsible for nine of the tunes on this CD) who also played guitar, banjo, and violin, sang, and arranged. The mistake he made was to think he could succeed as a bandleader, and he lost a small fortune finding out it was harder than it looked. In the process he made some fine recordings, which featured trumpeter Jerry Neary, reedsman Gus Bivona, and tenor saxophonist Don Lodice. The progress of Powell's first band, and the difficulties he encountered, is excellently traced in Lloyd Raunch's liner note. Sound quality is excellent, and this CD gives us a fascinating glimpse of a band that sadly never quite fulfilled its promise, but not for want of trying."