The Big 18 - Celery Stalks at Midnight?

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erinregina
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The Big 18 - Celery Stalks at Midnight?

#1 Post by erinregina » Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:57 pm

Hi all,

Recently a fellow DJ told me he had a version of "Celery Stalks at Midnight" by a band called "The Big 18."

Does anybody know where I might be able to find it? I checked iTunes and Amazon, but got nothing.


---

And while I'm at it, where can I get "The Miser's Serenade?" I don't even know who sings it!

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Bob the Builder
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#2 Post by Bob the Builder » Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:14 pm

The Big 18 are a studio 1950's band that released 2 albums.
These two albums are very difficult to get our hands on for LP or CD as they have been out of print for years now.
If you are likely to find them new, it will be on one of those dark dusty jazz shops that most people are afraid to go into.
More likely you may find it second hand with a lot of looking in second hand shops or eBay.
You might find in on Gemm.com, but you are likely to pay big bucks for them.

Brian :D
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JesseMiner
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#3 Post by JesseMiner » Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:35 pm

"Celery Stalks At Midnight" by Big 18 - More Live Echoes Of The Swinging Bands
I play this great version almost evertime I DJ! And yes the album is quite hard to find.

"Miser's Serenade" by Chris Connor - Chris
I love this track as well. It should be very easy to find.

Jesse

erinregina
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#4 Post by erinregina » Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:43 pm

Thanks, guys!

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trev
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#5 Post by trev » Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:35 pm

I found my copy on Ebay, after months of looking. Good luck!

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#6 Post by Toon Town Dave » Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:03 pm

The Big 18 LPs were originally released in the 50's and then re-released on CD and LP but only in Germany. I managed to track down the LPs used but in excellent condition through Gemm.com. The seller was a used record store in Germany.

Easy Does It (off the first LP/CD) was a really popular and great tune in the Lindy Hop scene a several years ago. I'd highly recommend getting them if you can.

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Eyeball
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#7 Post by Eyeball » Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:12 pm

In all my years of collecting, I have never come across these. I keep hearing about them but never seen them.

RCA Victor?

All NY studio guys?

Mono or stereo?

AND - does Will Bradley re-create his super trombone solo on "Celery"?

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Eyeball
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#8 Post by Eyeball » Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:16 pm

Ok - there ya go. RCA Victor and at least one in Stereo.

I would have thought that these would have sold like crazy and be very common.

The cover does not look familiar at all.
Will big bands ever come back?

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CafeSavoy
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#9 Post by CafeSavoy » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:46 am

Eyeball wrote:In all my years of collecting, I have never come across these. I keep hearing about them but never seen them.

RCA Victor?

All NY studio guys?
The Big 18

Jazz all-stars of Swing era owned the cover tunes they recorded in hi-fi

On the June 10th date Billy Butterfield (Shaw, Goodman); Buck Clayton (Basie); Charlie Shavers (Tommy Dorsey, John Kirby); and Rex Stewart (Ellington); are all playing trumpet. On bones we hear Lawrence Brown (Ellington); Vic Dickenson (Basie); Lou McGarity (Goodman); and Dickie Wells (Basie). Walt Levinsky (Tommy Dorsey) is on clarinet and alto; Hymie Schertzer (Goodman, Tommy Dorsey) plays alto; Sam Donahue (bandleader) and Boomie Richman (Teddy Powell, George Paxton) work tenor. Ernie Caceres (Glenn Miller) plays baritone sax.

The rhythm section for the first four sessions consists of Johnny Guarnieri (Shaw, Goodman) piano; Barry Galbraith (Thornhill, McIntyre) guitar; Milt Hinton (Cab Calloway) bass; and Jimmy Crawford (Jimmie Lunceford) on drums. Peanuts Hucko (Bradley, Spivak, Miller) was used on clarinet subbing for Levinsky on June 17th and Yank Lawson (Bob Crosby) subbed for Butterfield on trumpet for the July 8th and 15th dates. Levinsky was back in on clarrey for Hucko on July 8th and 15th. Changes to the rhythm section for 7-15 included Don Lamond (Woody Herman) on drums and Russ Saunders (Thornhill) on string bass.

It is surprising the musicians comprising The Big 18 were recorded together by RCA, given the public's taste for rock and roll, in 1958.

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Eyeball
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#10 Post by Eyeball » Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:14 am

CafeSavoy wrote:
The Big 18


It is surprising the musicians comprising The Big 18 were recorded together by RCA, given the public's taste for rock and roll, in 1958.
Thanks for the line - up. Lots of great players.

Those were all the guys that were doing lots of work for RCA at the time, though not all in NYC. Hollywood, too.

The reviewer's last line betrays his non-knowledge of the era b/c there was heavy duty Jazz activity going in the recording studios at that time. The world didn't stop b/c of rock and roll.

Add-on : Most RCA Jazz sessions of the era are extremely commercial; almost to the point of pandering. The Big 18 is obviously a commercial endevour, but it seems worlds away from some of their other 'Jazz' projects.

They had some new genre they were trying to market called "Polite Jazz" - which was not to removed from 'smooth jazz' except that it employed real Jazz musicians. It seemed to be an effort to capture the audience that really did not like Jazz, but wanted to be 'hip'.

There were a couple of dismal albums called "Chatter Jazz" which had two great horn players 'talking' to each other on their horns. Ugh. And I think it was Rex Stewart and Lawrence Brown. So you come across these LPs and see their names and you get really excited and then you get them home and play them and you just groan.....
Will big bands ever come back?

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Lawrence
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#11 Post by Lawrence » Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:16 am

We used to end Java Jive in Chicago with this song because the dance ended at... midnight. (I think it originally was Kevin's idea). I have kept the tradition alive here in Austin every once in a while.

These CDs are very difficult to find, but they are widespread in the Lindy scene. Because they are out of print, you might need to resort to getting a copy from a friend... but (disclaimer) you didn't hear that from me and I would never, ever partake in such illegality.
Lawrence Page
Austin Lindy Hop
http://www.AustinLindy.com

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Swifty
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#12 Post by Swifty » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:15 pm

I have been looking for those damned Big 18 CDs for the past 8 years. I feel like Ahab.
"Dance like it hurts. Love like you need money. Work when people are watching."

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trev
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#13 Post by trev » Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:48 pm

Swifty wrote:I have been looking for those damned Big 18 CDs for the past 8 years. I feel like Ahab.
I was looking for about a year before I found mine, and with all the hype and anticipation I was actually quite disappointed when I finally got to listen to them.

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Eyeball
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#14 Post by Eyeball » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:58 pm

Uh oh! What I 'feared'! THey are over hyped in the swing dance scene? Hmmmmmm....so much RCA Jazz from that period is so sterile...damn.....guess I will have to hear for my self.
Will big bands ever come back?

lipi
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#15 Post by lipi » Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:27 pm

trev wrote:
Swifty wrote:I have been looking for those damned Big 18 CDs for the past 8 years. I feel like Ahab.
I was looking for about a year before I found mine, and with all the hype and anticipation I was actually quite disappointed when I finally got to listen to them.
ah! want to sell your copy, then? :o)

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