New Pop Records

The late '30s were the good vintage years for swing, and the demand for the real stuff goes up as the supply disappears. Two years ago, Columbia reached back among the cobwebs and, to the cheers of the connoisseurs, issued a transcript of Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. The best news for swing fans since that occasion is Columbia's new album: Jazz Concert No. 2--a transcription of 37 tunes performed by Goodman and his gang on radio programs in 1937-38. The gang is all there--Gene Krupa on the drums, Harry James on the trumpet, Teddy Wilson at the piano, and Goodman, of course, on the clarinet. Fully warmed up and stimulated by cheering jitterbugs, they play with a brashness rarely caught on records. Among the best numbers: Bugle Call Rag, Shine, Time on My Hands.

Other new pop records:

Ralph Sutton at the Piano (Circle LP). An inventive young (29) white man who lost his heart to ragtime, Sutton catches a lot of the bounce--and a lot of the warmth--of the great Negro jazzmen. His repertory is authentic: Drop Me Off in Harlem, I'm Coming Virginia, Love Me or Leave Me, etc.

Hi-Diddle-Diddle (Phil Harris and the Bell Sisters; Victor). Basso-Crooner Harris goes back to his childhood here, but the tune is lively and the near nursery-rhyme lyrics pleasant.

It's In the Book (Johnny Standley; Capitol). Something about "grandma's lye soap," in which Comedian Standley wows a studio audience and makes it clap hands in unison.

I Went to Your Wedding (Patti Page; Mercury). The sight of a man coming down the aisle "wearing a smile" makes his old girl bust into tears; unquestionably the weepiest item since Cry.

Mad About Cha (Billy Williams Quartet; Mercury). Over a persistently throbbing chant, frantic Billy begins his revelations quite normally, but works up to what sounds like a pathological climax.

Once to Every Heart (Jo Stafford; Columbia). A tender ditty with a tune that is a bit too contrived to become a top hit with the jukebox juniors. Songstress Stafford's appealing voice is closely matched by some mellow trombones.

Puppy Love (Dorothy Collins; Decca). A moistly sentimental song that should embarrass even teenagers. It has a spoken chorus that harks back to the days of early vaudeville.

The Zulu Warrior (Josef Marais, Miranda, Mitch Miller; Columbia). Lots of drums, a chanting chorus, a few words in English (more in Bantu) and, eventually, some horns make this a nice novelty.

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