1940 in Music

My reviews of music released in 1940.

1. John Cage: “Second Construction” (10/10)

A revolutionary piece, in terms of form and rethinking the Western tradition.

2. Horace Henderson and His Orchestra: “Kitty On Toast” (9/10)

“Kitty on Toast” starts with a solo piano introduction that feels utterly out of place. And then the piano is joined by the rhythm and a violin! And it’s a pretty good solo too.  It’s a shame that there isn’t more from this year on this compilation because this track is really out there.

2. Raymond Scott: “At an Arabian House Party” (9/10)

I can’t say enough about Scott’s rethinking of what was acceptable for a composer. Wild music that sounds exotic and like it was improvised even though it was written out completely. Crazy stuff.

4. Benny Carter and His Chocolate Dandies: “Smack” (9/10)

This feels pretty forward-thinking to me in how it opens with a solo and with how muted the rest of the band is in the beginning. I guess you could also say it’s backward-looking, at least during the trumpet solo.

Just pure soloing, which is rare in this era. It’s cool.

5. The Chocolate Dandies: “I Can’t Believe That You Belong to Me” (8/10)

This is another track with some fine soloing, that is extremely prominent. At this point this particular band feels almost proto-bop, like the obvious bridge between ’20s jazz and bop. Just solos again. The conclusion does feel quite traditional, compared to the rest of the track (and the other Chocolate Dandies track here).

6. Dmitri Shostakovitch: Quintet for Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 57 (8/10)

Unfortunately I haven’t heard this all the way through yet.

7. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Sleep” (8/10)

Good, uptempo swing track.

8. Earl Hines’ Orchestra: “Boogie Woogie on St. Louis Blues” (8/10)

This is sort of what it sounds like: full blown boogie-woogie, though, because Hines’ band was a swing band, there are swing elements that punctuate the boogie-woogie piano, at first briefly and then they become more dominant. Out there, for sure.

9. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “O.K. for Baby” (8/10)

This is definitely more my cup of tea for its group writing, even if the solos are fairly traditional.

10. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Slow Freight” (7/10)

A slower, almost waltzy number (not in time but in feel) that definitely has that classic swing feel. Solid solo from Carter.

11. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Fish Fry” (7/10)

This has a pretty classic swing melody and some classic group playing. It’s just not grabbing me like some do. I think I might detect echoes of some other song in it.

12. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Shufflebug Shuffle” (7/10)

This is a fine, uptempo swing number that doesn’t super standout for me.

13. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Night Hop” (7/10)

This has a lot of the hallmarks of swing but I don’t necessarily find it super compelling compared to a lot of Carter’s work.

14. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Pom Pom” (7/10)

I feel similarly about this one as I do about “Shufflebug Shuffle” and “Night Hop” and I wonder if they’re all just a little too similar for me. It’s totally fine swing music. And the playing is great.

15. Benjamin Britten: “Sinfonia da requiem” (7/10)

Need to find my review.

16. Sidney Bechet: Blues in Thirds” (7/10)

This is a small group performance at the height of the big band era . That makes it rather notable, I didn’t realize that some of the older musicians were performing in small groups still. It’s a pretty trad ballad, though.

17. Earl Hines Orchestra: “Comin’ in Home” (7/10)

Solid swing track. Hines sounds like has matured as a pianist but that isn’t entirely a good thing – he is entirely in control here, and one of the great things about his earlier music is that it always sounds like he is about to lose the plot.

18. Benny Carter and His Orchestra: “Boogie Woogie Sugar Blues” (6/10)

It’s not just the poor recording quality of this one that makes this track sound like it’s form another era, the soloing does too.

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra: “Lil Boy Love” (??/10)

Benny Goodman and His Sextet: “Gilly” (??/10)

Benny Goodman and His Sextet Featuring Count Basie: “As Long as I Live” (??/10)

Benny Goodman and His Sextet Featuring Count Basie: “Benny’s Bugle” (??/10)

Benny Goodman and His Sextet Featuring Count Basie: “Wholly Cats” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Septet: “Ad Lib Blues” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Boy Meets Goy” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Charlie’s Dream” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Gone with What Wind” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Good Enough to Keep (Air Mail Special)” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Honeysuckle Rose” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “I Never Knew” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “I Surrender Dear” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Lester’s Dream” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Poor Butterfly” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Royal Garden Blues” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “The Sheik” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Six Appeal” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Soft Winds” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “These Foolish Things” (??/10)

Benny Goodman Sextet: “Till Tom Special” (??/10)

Metronome All Star Nine: “All Star Strut” (??/10)

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