The recordings made in the year 1927 by trombonist
Irving Milfred "Miff" Mole are precious and rewarding. Whenever
Miff recorded for the
Okeh label he called his band
Miff Mole's Molers. When moonlighting with
Harmony Records, the ensemble was billed as the
Arkansas Travelers (no relation to the joke-riddled fiddling tune made famous by
Earl Johnson's Clodhoppers). It was
Miff's
Molers who made the most strikingly handsome records.
Arthur Schutt, remembered by
Eddie Condon as the pianist who nearly always wore a carnation in his lapel, handled the instrument with gentlemanly candor.
Vic Berton's approach to drumming was inventive and full of little surprises. These two men appear on five of the nine sessions included on this CD. Their mutually precise conduct provided
the Molers with immaculate support.
Red Nichols made his best records in the company of
Mole.
Jimmy Dorsey also distinguished himself on several of these sessions, as did guitarists
Dick McDonough and
Eddie Lang. There are few recordings in all of traditional
jazz so sublime as
the Molers' subtle, meditative
"Some Sweet Day." Their beautiful rendition of
Bix Beiderbecke's
"Davenport Blues" is a masterpiece.
Joe Tarto, remembered today as the "Titan of the Tuba," delivers fine solos on
"Darktown Strutter's Ball" and
"There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight," which unfortunately begins with a spoken introduction that is nothing more than a dopey imitation of blackface
vaudeville.
Brian Rust's discography reveals that some 78 rpm issues of this selection deliberately edited out the stupid patter, beginning instead with the gentle cymbal crash that leads so smoothly into the slow, elegant strut of the opening theme. The gutsiest jamming occurred on the session of August 30 1927, as
Adrian Rollini drove everyone forward with great blasts on the bass saxophone. Also included in the front line were clarinetist
Pee Wee Russell and reedman
Fud Livingston, who contributed two of his own compositions.
"Feelin' No Pain" is the smoker, bursting with explosive rhythms. Included in the chronology are four vocal tracks by a living historical edifice named
Sophie Tucker, who sounds most natural during
"I Ain't Got Nobody." As for the
Arkansas Travelers, they seemed to always include alto saxophonist
Fred Morrow among a small
Molers contingent. Certainly the toughest tune they tackled was
Duke Ellington's
"Birmingham Breakdown," and everything they touched turned into first-rate hot
jazz. Without question these are the best recordings left to us by the great
Miff Mole. ~ arwulf arwulf
![Nuthin' Fancy [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0008811202422_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Nuthin' Fancy [Bonus Tracks]")
