HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Jimmy Rushing

Birth of Swing Jazz: Jimmy Rushing

Jimmy Rushing

Source: Keep Swinging


Born 26 August 1901 in Oklahoma City, though more famous as a vocalist, Jimmy (James) Rushing (aka Mr. Five By Five) was a pianist as well. He began to travel the Midwest in 1923 as an itinerant blues vocalist. He worked briefly with Jelly Roll Morton in California before joining Walter Page and the Blue Devils, with whom he made his first recording in Kansas City in 1929: 'Blue Devil Blues' (Vocalion 1463) [DAHR / Lord].

 

'Blue Devil Blues'   Jimmy Rushing w Walter Page & the Blue Devils

Recorded 10 Nov 1929 in Kansas City   Matrix KC-612   Vocalion 1463

Trumpet: Hot Lips Page / James Simpson   Trombone: Dan Minor

Clarinet / alto sax: Buster Smith

Alto sax:  Ted Manning   Tenor sax: Reuben Roddy 

Piano: Charlie Washington   Guitar: Reuben Lynch   Tuba: Walter Page

Composition: Walter Page

 

Rushing joined Count Basie in 1935 and remained with him until Basie dismantled that band in 1950. They would reunite on occasion in the fifties and sixties. Rushing had first encountered Basie when the latter hired onto the band of Bennie Moten in 1930 as a pianist. Moten was in the business of making a larger orchestra out of what had been the smaller jazz ensemble. 'Won't You Be My Baby' (Victor 23028) was Rushing's first track with Basie in Moten's operation [Lord]. Switching over to Basie's orchestra upon Moten's death in 1935, Rushing's first recordings with Basie's band were in the latter's Smith-Jones Incorporated on November 9, 1936: 'Evenin'' and 'Boogie Woogie'.

 

'Won't You Be My Baby'   Jimmy Rushing w Bennie Moten

Recorded 27 Oct 1930 at Lincoln Hall in Kansas City   1 of 2 takes:

R62909-1 issued on Hep CD1070-2   62909-2 issued on Victor 23028

Trumpet: Ed Lewis / Hot Lips Page / Booker Washington

Trombone: Thamon Hayes   Valve trombone / guitar: Eddie Durham

Clarinet / various sax: Harlan Leonard / Woody Walder / Jack Washington

Piano: Count Basie   Piano / accordion: Ira "Buster" Moten

Banjo: Leroy "Buster" Berry   Tuba: Vernon Page   Drums: Willie McWashington

Composition: Moten / Rushing

 

'Good Morning Blues'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 9 Aug 1937 in NYC   1 of 2 takes:

62511-A or 62511-B both issued on Decca 1446

Trumpet: Bobby Moore / Ed Lewis / Buck Clayton

Trombone: Dan Minor / George Hunt / Eddie Durham

Alto sax: Jack Washington (also baritone) / Earl Warren

Tenor sax: Lester Young / Hershal Evans

Piano: Count Basie   Guitar: Freddie Green / Eddie Durham

String bass: Walter Page   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: Basie / Durham / Rushing

 

'Blues in the Dark'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 3 Jan 1938 in NYC   Matrix 63123-A   Decca 1682

Trumpet: Ed Lewis / Karl George / Buck Clayton

Trombone: Benny Morton / Dan Minor / Eddie Durham

Alto sax: Jack Washington (also baritone) / Earl Warren

Tenor sax: Lester Young / Hershal Evans

Piano: Count Basie   Guitar: Freddie Green / Eddie Durham

String bass: Walter Page   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: Basie / Rushing

 

'Now You Will Be Good'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 16 Feb 1938 in NYC   Matrix 63288-A   Decca 1728

Composition: Arthur Terker / Harry Jentes / Harry Pease

 

'The Blues I Like to Hear'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 16 Nov 1938 in NYC   Matrix 64748-A   Decca 2284

Trumpet: Buck Clayton / Harry "Sweets" Edison / Ed Lewis / Shad Collins

Trombone: Dicky Wells / Dan Minor / Benny Morton

Alto sax: Earl Warren / Jack Washington (also baritone)

Tenor sax: Hershal Evans / Lester Young

Piano: Count Basie   Guitar: Freddie Green

String bass: Walter Page   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: Buster Smith   Arrangement: Buster Smith

 

'Evil Blues'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 4 Feb 1939 in NYC   Matrix 64984-A   Decca 2922

Trumpet: Ed Lewis / Harry "Sweets" Edison / Shad Collins / Buck Clayton

Trombone: Dicky Wells / Dan Minor / Benny Morton

Alto sax: Earl Warren / Jack Washington (also baritone)

Tenor sax: Lester Young / Chu Berry

Piano: Count Basie   Guitar: Freddie Green

String bass: Walter Page   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: Basie / Edison / Rushing

 

'Undecided Blues'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 28 Jan 1941 at Liederkranz Hall  in NYC   Matrix 29585-1   OKeh 6071

Trumpet: Buck Clayton / Harry "Sweets" Edison / Al Killian / Ed Lewis

Trombone: Dan Minor / Dicky Wells / Ed Cuffee

Alto sax: Tab Smith / Earl Warren / Jack Washington (also baritone)

Tenor sax: Don Byas / Buddy Tate

Piano: Count Basie   Guitar: Freddie Green

String bass: Walter Page   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: Rushing

 

'Sent For You Yesterday'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Film: 'Choo Choo Swing'   1943   IMDb   LOC

Composition: Basie / Durham / Rushing

 

'Jimmy's Blues'   Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra

Recorded 6 Dec 1944 at Liederkranz Hall  in NYC   1 of 2 takes:

CO33954-1 issued on Columbia 36831   CO33954-2 issued on CBS 54163 (France)

Trumpet: Harry "Sweets" Edison / Al Killian / Joe Newman / Al Stearns

Trombone: Dicky Wells / Ted Donnelly / Eli Robinson / Louis Taylor

Alto sax: Jimmy Powell / Earl Warren

Tenor sax: Buddy Tate / Lucky Thompson   Baritone sax: Rudy Rutherford

Piano: Count Basie   Guitar: Freddie Green

String bass: Rodney Richardson   Drums: Shadow Wilson

Composition: Rushing

 

Rushing released his first album, 'The Jazz Odyssey of Jimmy Rushing Esq', in 1956. In 1958 he toured the United Kingdom with trumpeter, Humphrey Lyttelton. He released numerous albums until his final recordings traced by Tom Lord and Steve Siegel to 'The You and Me That Used to Be' on 29 and 30 April 1971.

 

'New Orleans'   Jimmy Rushing w the Buck Clayton Orchestra

Recorded 6 Nov 1956   Matrix CO56717

From the album 'The Jazz Odyssey of James Rushing Esq'   Columbia CL963

Trumpet: Buck Clayton   Trombone: Vic Dickenson

Clarinet: Tony Parenti   Piano: Cliff Jackson

String bass: Walter Page   Drums: Zutty Singleton

Composition: Hoagy Carmichael

 

'I Left My Baby'   Jimmy Rushing w the Count Basie Orchestra

WCBS-TV broadcast recorded 8 Dec 1958 in NYC

See the album 'The Real Sound of Jazz'   Pumpkin 116   1985

Trumpet: Roy Eldridge / Joe Newman /Joe Wilder / Doc Cheatham / Emmett Berry

Trombone: Vic Dickenson / Dicky Wells / Benny Morton

Alto sax: Earl Warren   Tenor sax: Coleman Hawkins / Ben Webster

Baritone sax: Gerry Mulligan   Piano: Count Basie

Guitar: Freddie Green   String bass: Eddie Jones   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: Andy Gibson / Basie / Rushing

 

'Evenin''   Jimmy Rushing w the Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band

Recorded Oct 1958 at the BBC Jazz Club in London 

From the CD 'The Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band with Jimmy Rushing'   Upbeat Jazz URCD174

Trumpet: Humphrey Lyttelton / Bobby Pratt / Duncan Campbell / Eddie Blair / Bert Courtley

Trombone: Keith Christie / John Picard / Eddie Harvey

Alto sax: Tony Coe (also clarinet) / Ronnie Ross

Tenor sax: Jimmy Skidmore / Kathy Stobart

Baritone sax: Joe Temperley   Piano: Ian Armit

String bass: Brian Brocklehurst   Drums: Eddie Taylor

Composition: Harry White / Mitchell Parish   1933

 

'St. Louis Blues'   Jimmy Rushing w the Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band

Recorded Oct 1958 at the BBC Jazz Club in London 

From the CD 'The Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band with Jimmy Rushing'   Upbeat Jazz URCD174

Trumpet: Humphrey Lyttelton / Bobby Pratt / Duncan Campbell / Eddie Blair / Bert Courtley

Trombone: Keith Christie / John Picard / Eddie Harvey

Alto sax: Tony Coe (also clarinet) / Ronnie Ross

Tenor sax: Jimmy Skidmore / Kathy Stobart

Baritone sax: Joe Temperley   Piano: Ian Armit

String bass: Brian Brocklehurst   Drums: Eddie Taylor

Composition: WC Handy   1914

 

'Rushing Lullabies'   Jimmy Rushing   Album

Recorded June 1959 in NYC   Columbia CL 1401

Sax: Buddy Tate   Piano: Ray Bryant   Organ: Sir Charles Thompson

Guitar: Skeeter Best   String bass: Gene Ramey   Drums: Papa Jo Jones

Composition: WC Handy   1914

 

'I'm Coming Virginia' w 'Going to Chicago Blues'   Film

Jimmy Rushing w Joe Williams backed by the Count Basie Orchestra

Recorded 8 July 1962 at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island

Composition 'I'm Coming Virginia': Donald Heywood / Will Marion Cook

Composition 'Going to Chicago Blues': Basie / Rushing

 

'Good Morning Blues'   Piano by Jimmy Rushing

Ralph J. Gleason's 'Jazz Casual' television broadcast 26 Oct 1962

See the 'Jazz Casual' album on Koch Jazz KOCCD-8561

Composition: Basie / Durham / Rushing

 

'Five Feet of Soul'   Jimmy Rushing   Album

Recorded 22/23 Jan 1963   Issued on Colpix CP446 / Colpix SCP446

Trumpet: Bernie Glow / Snooky Young / Marky Markowitz / Joe Newman

Trombone: Jimmy Cleveland / Urbie Green / Billy Byers / Willie Dennis

Alto sax: Gene Quill / Phil Woods

Tenor sax: Zoot Sims / Budd Johnson

Baritone sax: Sol Schlinger   Piano: Patti Bown   Guitar: Freddie Gren

String bass: Milt Hinton   Drums: Gus Johnson   Arrangement: Al Cohn

 

'The You and Me That Used to Be'   Jimmy Rushing   Album

Recorded 29/30 April 1971   Issued on RCA LSP4566

Cornet / violin: Ray Nance

Tenor sax: Zoot Sims / Al Cohn / Budd Johnson (also soprano)

Piano: Dave Frishberg

String bass: Milt Hinton   Drums: Mel Lewis

 

Rushing passed away of leukemia on 8 June 1972 in NYC. Other major artists with whom he had worked include pianist, Duke Ellington, clarinetist, Benny Goodman, trumpeter, Dizzy Gillespie, and pianist, Dave Brubeck.

 

Sources & References for Jimmy Rushing:

Don Amerman (Musician Guide)

Browse Biography

Richard S. Ginell (All Music)

Verve Music Group

VF History (notes)

Wikipedia

Scott Yanow (Syncopated Times)

Rushing in Film & Television: IMDb

Recordings by Rushing: Catalogs:

45 Worlds   Discogs   Music Brainz   RYM   SHS

Recordings by Rushing: Select Compilations:

Count Basie & His Orchestra: Vocals Jimmy Rushing / SMS 17:

Discogs

The Essential Jimmy Rushing / Vanguard VSD 65/66 / 1974:

Discogs

Good Morning Blues: Count Basie and His Orchestra featuring Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes / MCA Records MCA2-4108 / 1977:

Discogs

Jazz & Blues Collection / Editions Atlas WIS CD 648 / 1996:

Discogs

Recordings by Rushing: Sessions:

DAHR (1929-1947)

Tom Lord: leading 39 of 270 sessions 1929-1971

Authorities Search: VIAF

 

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