Here are two much beloved instrumental 45's from my collection, both of which I've owned for over 25 years. Each features (among other things) soloing by a trumpeter, both of whom appear to have been quite accomplished players.
And yet both of these records wormed their ways into my heart not because of excellence of performances, but rather, due to the fairly garish, even obnoxious sounds captured on them. I can distinctly remember laughing out loud at the sheer over-the-topness of certain moments of each of these records, the first time I heard them.
First up, George Girard, who seems to have been considered a very promising up and comer in the world of New Orleans jazz, before his life was cut short by cancer at just 26. This is indeed a fine performance, but I've always been taken with the harsh edge (is "blatty" a word?) on his playing, especially in the opening notes of his performance, and in the final 15 seconds of the record. I think the issue here is the production: the whole thing seems to have been recorded in a tin room, and then slathered in reverb, with the drums and Girard's trumpet getting the worst of it by far.
George Girard and his New Orleans Five - My Gal Sal (MP3)
From a different world entirely come The Cousins, whose organ, bass, trumpet and bump-n-grind drums sound seems to have been designed for the finest in strip clubs. The opening fanfare appears designed to announce that something interesting is going to happen, and sure enough it does, with a sleazy trumpet and tom-tom duet following, leading up to a second half in which the trumpeter and organist vie for attention for a while, before giving way to the tom-toms again. And as with the George Girard record, there's a big finish, in which all three featured players go all out during the last 25 seconds.
The Cousins - When My Baby Smiles at Me (MP3)
For completeness sake, here are the flip sides of each of these records, neither of which quite hit the heights of the featured sides, although the entry by The Cousins does have its own charms, some of which are provided by a tenor sax player not featured on "My Baby". Also included are scans of the George Girard record (I digitized The Cousins' songs ages ago, and can't find the actual record at this moment to scan, but if I find it later, I'll add it to this post).
George Girard and his New Orleans Five - Liebestraum (MP3) | The Cousins - Some of These Days (MP3) | My Gal Sal Label (JPG) | Liebestraum Label (JPG)
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