Red Nichols: Buddy's Habits

Track

Buddy's Habits

Group

Red Nichols and His Five Pennies

CD

Red Nichols and His Five Pennies: 1926-1930 (Fabulous/Acrobat FABCD 131)

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Musicians:

Red Nichols (trumpet), Miff Mole (trombone), Jimmy Dorsey (alto sax, clarinet), Arthur Schutt (piano), Eddie Lang (guitar), Vic Berton (drums).

Composed by Arnett Nelson and Charley Straight

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Recorded: New York, December 20, 1926

Albumcoverrednicholsandhisfivepennies-1926-1930

Rating: 82/100 (learn more)

The sanitized Hollywood biopic aside, Red Nichols was a tremendously gifted trumpeter and bandleader. There were usually more than five Pennies, but this great early edition with Miff Mole, Eddie Lang and Jimmy Dorsey was spot-on. No tuba or string bass in this lineup. “Buddy’s Habits” typifies Nichols’ brand of hot jazz. This is one of the jauntiest, most danceable melodies in the Pennies’ book, with fine solos all around. Dorsey turns in two of them, on spicy clarinet and warm alto. Lang’s guitar is exceptionally audible, and listen to his firm command of blues inflection.

Reviewer: Todd S. Jenkins

Tags:

  • 1 H.G.Klijn // Dec 29, 2008 at 07:59 PM
    The cover photo. These Five Pennies? It's Eddie Condon (not Lang), The trombone player? I don't know (but not Miff), Dorsey on clarinet? (pretty sure it's PeeWee) and drums (?) not mentioned. The photo is a still from a Vitaphone movie. Almost as bad as Danny Kay impersonating Nichols!