"Swingmatism" Jay McShann and His Orchestra (Decca, 1941) Charlie Parker

Jay McShann, p, dir: Harold Bruce, Orville Minor, Bernard Anderson, t / Joe Baird, tb / Charlie Parker, as / John Jackson, as / Bob Mabane, Harry Ferguson, ts / Gene Ramey, sb / Gus Johnson, d
Decca Mobile Recording Unit, Decca Records Warehouse, 508 Park Ave
Dallas,TX 30 Apr. 1941

93730-A “Swingmatism” (William Scott–Jay McShann) Dec 8570

Transferred with 3.5ET lateral stylus in VM95SP cartridge via an Audiotechnica AT-LP120 Turntable. Discs from Colin Hancock Collection. Discographical Information from Rust’s “Jazz Records,” Mike Zirpolo’s “Baby Bird–Swingmatism,” DAHR, and Colin Hancock.

Excerpt from Mike Zirpolo’s “Baby Bird–Swingmatism”

“Parker played first alto in the McShann band, and he clearly imparts a wonderful, keening sound to the saxophone section.This is evident in the first chorus, when the saxes play organ chords, and then in the second chorus, when they play rhythmically. Pianist Jay McShann starts his solo with a quote from “St.James Infirmary,” then swings away for the rest of his solo. But when Parker enters, the music immediately becomes radiant. His sound, his phrasing, which at this early stage reflected Lester Young’s influence, and his ideas are all new, and they clearly point toward what he and other young jazz musicians would soon develop as the new jazz idiom that would follow swing–bop. But however complex whatever Parker played was, he always managed to swing. Note that the label on the record issued by Decca in 1941 containing “Swingmatism” has the words “Sepia Series” on it. The intent of these words was to attract Afro-Americans to records made by Afro-Americans. Of course as many (or more) non-Afro-Americans bought the records in Decca’s “Sepia Series.” It is always difficult to try to explain how Jim Crow society functioned because the fundamental premise on which it rested was racial segregation. Inherent in that, as Brown v. Board of Education (1954) taught us, is that segregation is, per se, discrimination.”