Jay McShann

Jay McShann

Photo: William P. Gottlieb

Source: Time Goes By

Born on 12 January 1916 in Muscogee, Oklahoma, bandleader and pianist, Jay "Hootie" McShann, left Oklahoma for the Kansas City music scene in 1936, forming his own orchestra that same year. He was with his band in Wichita, Kansas, when he was recorded live at the Trocadero Ballroom on August 9, 1940: 'Jumpin' at the Woodside' and 'Walkin' and Swingin'. Those aren't thought to have been issued until several decades later on Stash CD 542. More broadcasts followed in November and December from KFBI Radio to later be issued on Onyx ORI221: 'I've Found a New Baby' and 'Body and Soul' in November, and six titles in December including 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'Wichita Blues'. A couple titles in February of 1941 saw later issue on Verve 060246804735: 'I'm Getting Sentimental Over You' and 'Margie'.

McShann won a contract with Decca in 1941, his first recordings for that label in Dallas, Texas, on April 30, 1941: 'Swingmatism', 'Hootie Blues' 'Dexter Blues', 'Vine Street Boogie', 'Confessin' the Blues' and 'Hold 'Em Hootie'.

'Swingmatism'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

McShann's first studio recording

30 April 1941 in Dallas   Matrix93730-A   Decca 8570

Trumpet: Harold Bruce / Buddy Anderson / Orville Minor

Trombone: Taswell Baird

Alto sax: John Jackson / Charlie Parker

Tenor sax: Harold Ferguson / Bob Mabane   Piano: McShann

Bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Gus Johnson

Composition: William Scott / McShann

'Hootie Blues'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

30 April 1941 in Dallas   Matrix 93731-A   Decca 8570

Trumpet: Harold Bruce / Buddy Anderson / Orville Minor

Trombone: Taswell Baird

Alto sax: John Jackson / Charlie Parker

Tenor sax: Harold Ferguson / Bob Mabane   Piano: McShann

Bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Gus Johnson   Vocal: Walter Brown

Composition: Parker / McShann / Walter Brown

'Hold 'Em Hootie'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

30 April 1941 in Dallas   Matrix 93735-A   Decca 8570

Trumpet: Harold Bruce / Buddy Anderson / Orville Minor

Trombone: Taswell Baird

Alto sax: John Jackson / Charlie Parker

Tenor sax: Harold Ferguson / Bob Mabane   Piano: McShann

Bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Gus Johnson

Composition: McShann

'Confessin' the Blues'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

30 April 1941 in Dallas   Matrix 93734-A   Decca 8559

Trumpet: Harold Bruce / Buddy Anderson / Orville Minor

Trombone: Taswell Baird

Alto sax: John Jackson / Charlie Parker

Tenor sax: Harold Ferguson / Bob Mabane   Piano: McShann

Bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Gus Johnson   Vocal: Walter Brown

Composition: McShann

McShann's 'Get Me on Your Mind' rose to #7 on Billboard's R&B in 1943. McShann and/or his orchestra were giant magnets in support of other musicians. Significantly so was vocalist, Jimmy Witherspoon, with whom McShann began to work after World War II (having been drafted in 1944). McShann backed Witherspoon in 1945-48, later in 1957 and 1959. His first-known titles with Witherspoon had been in July of 1945 with his Jazz Men: 'Confessiin the Blues' and 'Hard Working Man Blues'. His last in circa January of 1959 were such as 'Goin' Down Slow' and 'I'll Get By'.

'Get Me On Your Mind'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

2 July 1942 in NYC   Matrix 70994-A   Decca 4418   #7 on Billboard's R&B

Trumpet: Orville Minor / Buddy Anderson / Bob Merrill

Trombone: Lawrence Anderson / Taswell Baird

Alto sax: John Jackson / Charlie Parker

Tenor sax: Fred Culliver / Bob Mabane   Baritone sax: James Coe

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Leonard "Lucky" Enois

Bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Gus Johnson   Vocal: Al Hibbler

Composition: Gus Johnson / John Tums

'Shipyard Woman Blues'   Jay McShann & His Sextet

2 July 1945 in Chicago   Matrix 20236 (311)   Premier 20911 / Mercury 8014

Trumpet: Major Evans ?   Alto sax: E. Gregor ?

Tenor sax: ?  Piano: McShann

Bass: ?   Drums: Jesse Price   Vocal: Jimmy Witherspoon

Composition: Witherspoon

'Barfly Blues'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

7 May 1947 in Los Angeles   Matrix 820   Mercury 8049

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Mitchell "Tiny" Webb or Oscar Moore

Bass: Percy Gabriel   Drums: Jesse Price   Vocal: Jimmy Witherspoon

Composition: William Dorsey Tennyson

'All My Geets Are Gone'   Jay McShann & His Orchestra

7 May 1947 in Los Angeles   Matrix 820   Mercury 8049

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Mitchell "Tiny" Webb or Oscar Moore

Bass: Percy Gabriel   Drums: Jesse Price   Vocal: Jimmy Witherspoon

Composition: Johnny Davis

'Sloppy Drunk'   Jay McShann Quartet

10 June 1947 in Houston   Matrix 820   Mercury 8046

Piano: McShann   Tenor sax: Seeward Evans (out)

Bass: Percy Gabriel   Drums: Jesse Price   Vocal: Walter Brown

Composition: Brown

In 1949 McShann's 'Hot Biscuits' reached #9 on Billboard's R&B. In 1955 McShann backed Kansas City rocker, Priscilla Bowman, on titles like 'Hands Off' and 'Hootie Blues'. The former topped Billboard's R&B at #1.

'Hot Biscuits'   Jay McShann and the Band That Jumps the Blues

14 July 1948 in Los Angeles   Matrix 165A1   Downbeat 165   #9 on Billboard's R&B

Trumpet: Geechie Smith   Alto sax: Frank Sleets

Tenor sax: Buddy Floyd

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Mitchell "Tiny" Webb

Bass: Ralph "Chuck" Hamilton   Drums: Jesse Sailes

Composition: McShann

'Buttermilk'   Jay McShann and the Band That Jumps the Blues

14 July 1948 in Los Angeles   Matrix 172A1   Downbeat 172   #15 on Billboard's R&B

Trumpet: Geechie Smith   Alto sax: Frank Sleets

Tenor sax: Buddy Floyd

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Mitchell "Tiny" Webb

Bass: Ralph "Chuck" Hamilton   Drums: Jesse Sailes

Composition: McShann

'Hands Off'   Jay McShann Orchestra

4 Sep 1955 in Chicago   Matrix 55-314   Vee Jay 155   #1 on Billboard's R&B

Trumpet: Orville Minor   Tenor sax: Fats Dennis

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Gene Griddins

Bass: Lucky Wesley   Drums: Al Duncan   Vocal: Priscilla Bowman

Composition: McShann / Bowman

'Another Night'   Jay McShann Orchestra

4 Sep 1955 in Chicago   Matrix 55-317   Vee Jay 155

Trumpet: Orville Minor   Tenor sax: Fats Dennis

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Gene Griddins

Bass: Lucky Wesley   Drums: Al Duncan   Vocal: Priscilla Bowman

Composition: McShann / Bowman

Highlighting the sixties came saxophonist and vocalist, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, for numerous recordings in Paris in 1969, later at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival (temporarily held at Lincoln Center in New York City) and, finally, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1974 to bear Vinson's 'Jamming the Blues'.

'Mr. Cleanhead Blues'   Jay McShann

9 March 1969 in Paris   Matrix 69-005

See the album 'Live In France' on Black & Blue 33.304   1984

Alto sax: Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson

Piano: McShann   Guitar: Gene Griddins

Bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Paul Gunther   Vocal: Vinson

Composition: Vinson

Highlighting the seventies was a 'Tribute to Buddy Tate' concert in October 1979 prior to dual pianos with Ralph Sutton in December, the latter to be found on Vol 1 & 2 of 'The Last of the Whorehouse Players'. McShann and Sutton would put two pianos to use again in 1989 for a third issue of 'The Last of the Whorehouse Players'.

'After Hours'   Jay McShann

6 Oct 1979 at the 'Tribute to Buddy Tate' concert at Austin College in Sherman TX

Tenor sax: Buddy Tate

Piano: McShann   Violin: Claude Williams

Bass: Henry "Buster" Smith   Drums: Paul Gunther

Composition: Avery Parrish

'The Last of the Whorehouse Players'   Dual pianos by Jay McShann w Ralph Sutton

Album recorded 15-16 Dec 1979 in NYC   See Chiaroscuro Records CR(D) 206

Bass: Milt Hinton   Drums: Gus Johnson

Dual pianos came into play again with Axel Zwingenberger at the Jazzland in Vienna, Austria, in March of 1990 for titles that would see issue on 'Swing the Boogie' and 'Blue Pianos'. McShann followed those with June sessions which titles would appear on 'Stride Piano Summit' in 1991.

'Kansas City, Here We Go!'   Dual pianos by Jay McShann w Axel Zwingenberger

28 March 1990   See the album 'Blue Pianos' on Vagabond

Bass: Milt Hinton   Drums: Gus Johnson

'Sunday'   Dual pianos by Jay McShann w Dick Hyman

15 June 1990 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco

See the album 'Stride Piano Summit' on Milestone

Trumpet: Harry "Sweets" Edison   Drums: Harold Jones

Music: Chester Conn   1926   Lyrics: Jule Styne / Bennie Krueger / Ned Miller

McShann also appeared on 'Eastwood After Hours' released in 1997, an album by various artists in honor of actor, Clint Eastwood, recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1996. McShann is thought to have made his last recordings in Toronto, Ontario, in February 2001 for an album that would be issued as 'Hootie Blues' in 2006 a couple months before his death on December 7 that year [obit / obit], his career spanning more than six decades.

'Hootie's Blues'   Jay McShann

17 Oct 1996 at Carnegie Hall for 'Eastwood After Hours'

See 'Eastwood After Hours' on Malpaso / Warner Brothers 9-45546-2

Bass: Christian McBride   Drums: Kenny Washington

Composition: Charlie Parker / McShann / Walter Brown

'Hootie Blues'   Jay McShann

McShann's last recordings

2 Feb 2001 at the Montreal Bistro in Toronto, Canada

See the album 'Hootie Blues' on Stony Plain Records SPCD 1315   2006

Saxophone: Jim Galloway   Piano: McShann

Bass: Rosemary Galloway   Drums: Don Vickery

Composition: Charlie Parker / McShann / Walter Brown