33MHirt A3

Audio Fidelity...AFSD 5877...A/B...1958...33 1/3 LP...Stereo

Cover: G+...with our sleeve,
Record: VG+...very, very little noise...$15.00 to YOU - U. S. ONLY - Media Mail

SIDE 1
1) Caravan - Ellington - Mills...6:27
2) Tiger Rag - Sbarbaro - Edwards - Ragas...3:25
3) And The Angels Sing - Ellman - Mercer...2:27
4) Fidgety Feet - D. J. LaRocca - Larry Shields...4:30
5) Tailgate Ramble - Manone - Mercer...3:44
6) Hindustan - Weeks - Wallace...5:10

SIDE 2
1) Floatin' Down To Downtown - Frost - Klickmann...3:26
2) Mississippi Mud - Barris - Cavanaugh...3:12
3) I Want A Big Butter And Egg Man - Venable...3:12
4) St. Louise Blues - Handy..4:14
5) New Orleans - Carmichael...4:00
6) Saints - Hirt - Frey...6:37

ON THE BACK OF THE JACKET

When New Orleans radio listeners catch the early morning show featuring the Swinging Dixie of Al Hirt and His Band, they hear what sound like a volcanic eruption. Leader-man Hirt, who has been playing the trumpet ever since he was eight years old, these days is unleasing some of the swingingest Dixieland music ever heard in the Cresent City.

Hirt was in his 'teens when Benny Goodman gave his famous Carnegie Hall concert of January, 1938. During the next two decades he carved himself some notable niches in various directions, including a stint with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra, a six day-a-week radio show with the "Dawnbusters" Orchestra, weeks of touring with the Horace Heidt Orchestra (after he had won Heidt-sponsored contests for many successive weeks), and the extensive and varied experience that comes with playing innumerable club dates.
A winning personality and exemplary leadership drew top musicians Hirt's way, and all found that they were playing better than they had before joining his group.

The Hirt band is composed of native New Orleans players and musicians who hail from other regions of the United States, in the ratio, respecitively, of two to one. Trombonist Bob Havens, who comes from Illinois, was exposed to the Dixieland lure which he was playing New Orleans for a four week gig with Ralph Flanagan's dance orchestra. He found the attraction of the music he heard too strong to resist, and shortly afterward left Flanagan to return to New Orleans, where he later joined the band of the late George Girard, playing with this group until illness force Girard to disband.

Another member of the Hirt organization, who became an accomplished exponent of Dixieland after leaving his native Ohio, is drummer Paul Edwards, also a former member of the Girard band. Edwards' sensitivity at the drums rather reminds one of the first mate on a ship who traditionally "carries the ship on his back." His responsiveness to the caprice of a soloist is outdone only by the power of his playing, which does not permet either the solosit or the ensemble to deviate from the rock-steady beat laid down at the drums. Bob Coquille, still another member of the Girard rhythm section, is a native of New Orleans. At string bass he adds a good resonance to the Hirt band with his fine tone.

The other two Crescent City natives in the band are Harold Cooper, clarinetist, and pianist Ronnie Dupont. Harold is no stranger to Audio Fidelity records, having appeared in several recording with The Dukes of Dixieland. Dupont was a natural to fill a vacancy in the piano chair, for despite his Dixieland experience and in keeping with his youth (he's the youngest member of the Hirt band) he thinks modern. This offers a perfect foil for the like-minded leader and his "fly" trumpet.

Five of the six selections on the first side of this recording are "up," or taken at a fairly fast tempo. The opener, "Caravan," is a composition by value-tromponist Juan Tizol, former member of the great Ellinton orchestra. Paul Edwards opens at a breakneck tempo on tom-toms, followed by a chorus by the whold band. Solos are taken in order by clarinet, trombone and trumpet, Then all join forces for the final chorus.

"Tiger Rag," traditionally a showpiece for trombone, adheres to that tradition here and is taken, if possible, at an even quicker tempo than "Caravan." Performances before patrons in Dan's Pier 600, on Bourbon Street where the groups plays, include climactic final choruses with Havens operating the slide with his foot! A neat feat by any man's reckoning, and one which doesn't detract from the musicianship involved. It never fails to bring the audience to their feet.

The brilliance of the Hirt trumpet is beautifully showcased in "And the Angels Sing." Here, although Hirt follows the format of the famous Ziggy Elman rendition of the 1930's (including the "Froelich" chorus), his own conception provides a most rewarding experience.

Speaking of pedal extremities, it might be well to note here that the next piece is the traditional Dixielander "Fidgety Feet," which contains some excellent solos by the members of the front line.

Even non-aficionados of Dixieland will find it hard to escape the attraction of "Tailgate Ramble." This refers to the old and honorable custom in Crecent City of lowering the tailgate on wagons carrying a band to give clearance to the trombone slide without jeopardizing the well-being of other musicians in the wagon. Naturally, the trombone is spotlighted in this piece. But there are fine solos by other members of the combo.

To wind up thefirst side, Hirt organization make like Valkyries taking a wild ride in "Hindustan." Harold Cooper outdoes himself with his clarinet in this one, and the powerful Hirt trumpet leads everyone, especially the listener, happily home in perfect shape.

The second side of the recording opens with a selection that evokes memories of the hey-day of the minstrel show - "Floatin' Down to Cotton Town." One of Al Hirt's specialities and a frequent request when the band plays live is "Mississippi Mud," which the Paul Whiteman rhythm boys immortalized back in the the 1920's. Hirt rendition, a synthesis of instrumental impressionism in the Dixieland manner, goes the old vocal version considerably more than one better. Next, it's back to the solo spotlight for everyone in the band when the combo takes a gleeful romp through that old chestnut, "Big Butter and Egg Man."

Most timely in this recording is the inclusion of "St. Louis Blues," since it was cut just a few short weeks before its composer, the celebrated "grand-daddy of the blues" - W. C. Handy - passed away. This is certainly the most famous of the blues songs, and here it receives stellar treatment for Al Hirt and his men. After an intro by Dupont's piano, Hal Cooper takes over on tenor sax. Then follow solos on trombone, trumpet, piano, and the ensemble takes it out.

A lovely melody by Hoagy Carmichael, rarely heard until recent years, is "New Orleans," which affords the band some golden opportunities for beautiful ensemble harmony. Watch for the sly trombone tag at the end - "Souvenir."

The concluding selection is virtually synonymous with Dixieland music. The fan who may be unaware of the resort for which "Milenburg Joys," was named, or the dance hall that once stood here known as the Tin Roof, is very much conscious of the traditionalism of "When the Saints Go Marching In," It's the full treatment that Hirt and his Swinging Dixie band accord this number, and Hi-Fi devotees will find it mighty appealing on both "stereodisc" and tape. You'll get a fairly good auditory impression of what kind of concentration is called for when one pats one's head and rubs one's solar plexus atthe same time when you hear trumpet, trombone and clarinet play one note each, in sequence, in one of the final choruses.

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This High Fidelity Stereophonic Recording was produced featuring the Frey Stereophonic Curtain of Sound* technique.
When heard on a balanced playback system, the elements or musicians on the recording will be reproduced in the exact locations, directionally, as at the original performance. This original, postive technique to produce a pure, true sterepphonic effect so that the instruments or elements of sound is an Audio Fidelity development and is true stereophonic reproduction.
This recording was made on an Ampex 350-2 with special electronic circuitry, using Altec, Electrovice, RCA, and Telefunken Micrphones. The Masters were cut on an automatic Scully Record Lathe mounting a Westrex 45-45 cutter with special feedback electronic circuitry driven by custom 200 watt amplifiers.
Precision mastering was done so as to achieve maximum stylus velocity consistent with minimum distortion, resulting in the ultimate in channel sepatation and realizing the greatest signal to noise ratio.
While the total frequency range of 16CPS to 25,000 CPS on the record may not be within the range of ordinary human hearing, nevertheless inspection with a microscope with show the etchings of the upper dynamic frequencies.
It is the opinion of the manufacturer that if these frequencies were omitted from this record a certain warmth of tone that is felt and sensed rather than heard would be lost. For this reason and to achieve the ultimate in our "Studies in HI-FIDELITY STEREOPHONIC sound" we have gone to these extreme electronic lengths.
Although any 33 1/3 RPM sterephonic record playing equipment may be used in playing this recording, it is recommended that playback equipment of extreme wide range and fidelity be used so that the recordings may be enjoyed to their utmost.

*Total Frequency Range Recording

Audio Fidelity Records produced and release the world's first Sterephonic High Fidelity record (Stereodisc*) in November, 1957.

PRINTED IN U. S. A. COPYINGRIGHT BY AUDIO FIDELITY INC. 1958.

Al Hirt - Al Hirt Swingin' Dixie! Section is part of Joe's Music Rack for YOUR KEY TO COLLECTIBLES^© 1997 - 2008