1953-1954

The 11th installment in the Classics Earl Hines chronology charts the pianist and bandleader's professional progress during a time period running between May 1953 and August 1954. This entertaining segment of the Hines story includes eight excellent sides cut for the King label in New York, 14 selections recorded in Los Angeles for the Nocturne label, and lastly a five-and-a-half minute interview with Hines himself. The four King instrumentals ("Hot Soup," "Sleep Walking," "In the Attic," and "Space Ship") demonstrate how adaptable Hines was during these transitional years. This compilation opens with two surprisingly fine and funny vocals by world-famous pugilist Sugar Ray Robinson, while "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" and "When I Dream of You" are sung by 30-year-old crooner Johnny Hartman. "Crazy Rhythm" was done up by four members of the band (including trombonist Dicky Wells!) who transformed themselves into a vocal group billed as the Hines Varieties, while "Almost Like Being in Love" and "I Don't Hear Sweet Music Any More" were sung by sax and flute man Jerome Richardson. Hines himself was the featured vocalist on "New Orleans," "Pennies from Heaven," "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me," and "I'm a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird." (This last number dates back to the mid-'20s when it was first recorded by Eva Taylor and the Clarence Williams Blue Five with Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet.) All of these diverse treats, along with cameo appearances by reedmen Budd Johnson, Morris Lane, Aaron Sachs, and Haywood Henry, make this one of the great "variety packs" in the Earl Hines discography. ~ arwulf arwulf|