Dicky Wells recommendations?

[trev]

Anyone got some recommendations on Dicky Wells? He played in some killer bands but I don't have much of his stuff as a leader and I'm thinking it could be good...

[lipi]

The first thing that comes to mind are the 1937 sessions with Django:

Dicky Wells and His Orchestra
Bill Dillard, Shad Collins, Bill Coleman (tp), Dicky Wells (tb), Django Reinhardt (g), Dick Fullbright (b), Bill Beason (d)
Bugle Call Rag
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
I Got Rhythm

Bill Coleman (tp), Dicky Wells (tb), Django Reinhardt (g), Dick Fullbright (b), Bill Beason (d)
Sweet Sue
Hangin' around Boudon
Japanese Sandman

All six are on "Django Reinhardt and His American Friends" (Definitive) (which is a great set worth owning). They're also on "Swingin' in Paris" (Le Jazz), credited to Dicky Wells and Bill Coleman. That CD has a few other good Dicky Wells tracks.

There are a few tracks of Dicky Wells' Big Seven on the HRS Mosaic. They never did much for me. A sappy vocal. some modern tones in the arrangements, really dragging rhythms. I should re-listen and see what I think about them now--it's been a while.

[anton]

He didn't record that much as a leader in the 30s and 40s. He went to Paris in the summer of 1937 with members from Teddy Hill's Orchestra and recorded one session as leader with Django on guitar (fave track: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea) and another session with guitarist Roger Chaput (fave track: Lady Be Good). After his stay in Count Basie's orchestra he recorded a single session in December 1943 with some members from that orchestra. Nice small-band stuff, but I've never DJ:ed any of it. All of the above tracks are available on Chrono Classics 1929-1943. Then there is a single session from 1946 available on the H.R.S. Mosaic box, but this one is too bluesy & boppy for my taste.

[Edit: now I see that lipi answered just before I did!]