Turn On the Heat - Hot Dance Band Sides 1925-1931

Undeniably the most productive and jazz-connected of the four musically inclined Lanin brothers, clarinetist, drummer, and bandleader Sam Lanin is the hero of this enjoyable compilation released by Rivermont Records in January of 2007. Its 27 tracks reproduce historic hot jazz and dance band recordings made during the years 1925-1931 by a dizzying procession of ensembles, some with colorful names like the Broadway Broadcasters, the Ipana Troubadours, Lynn Cowan & His Boulevard Theatre Orchestra, Chic Nelson's Collegians, and the Benjamin Franklin Hotel Dance Orchestra. These monikers represent only the tiniest tip of the iceberg as Sam Lanin is believed to have used more than 170 different names for his many recording ensembles. Sifting the personnel listing reveals the presence of trumpeters Sylvester Ahola, Jimmy McPartland, Phil Napoleon, and Red Nichols; trombonists Miff Mole, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller; reedmen Larry Binyon, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman; pianists Arthur Schutt and Rube Bloom; banjoist Harry Reser; string bassist Joe Tarto, percussionists Stan King, Justin Ring, Vic Berton, and Sam Lanin, as well as a character by the name of Andy Sannella, who operated the clarinet and alto saxophone but was also an accomplished steel guitarist. The vocalists on this collection embodied the prevailing pop aesthetic of the mid- to late '20s. They are Billy Jones, Arthur Fields, John Andrews, Paul Small, Irving Kaufman, and Scrappy Lambert. The jazziest numbers are George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" Elmer Schoebel's "South Bound," Rodgers & Hart's "You Took Advantage of Me," and Ray Henderson's "Turn on the Heat." Nominations for most interesting Tin Pan Alley titles are "There's a Blue Ridge in My Heart, Virginia," "Keep Sweeping the Cobwebs off the Moon," and "Do You? That's All I Want to Know!" Several Sam Lanin retrospectives have appeared on compact disc, and all appear to be of comparable value and interest. This cedar chest of nostalgic delights should be opened and enjoyed during rural road travel, calorific picnic luncheons, and protracted bubble baths.