New Pop Records

Jazz albums were fairly esoteric items until 1950, when Columbia's first Benny Goodman collection made a smash success. Since then, a dozen new jazz labels have sprung up (mostly on the West Coast), and by last week the major record companies were up to their spiral grooves in the hot and the cool. On its new "X" label, RCA issued ten LPs, first of a whopping series of 100 LPs dubbed from "vault originals."

Most of the first "X" recordings go back to the '20s, when many a later famed jazzman was playing with a now all but forgotten outfit, e.g., Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller and Jimmy McPartland turn up in Ben Pollack and His Orchestra. Others from the '20s: Eddie Condon's Hot Shots, Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. From the '30s: Jimmie Lunceford and His Chickasaw Syncopators and the legendary Jimmy Yancey, who beats out eight beautiful blues and boogies. RCA engineers managed to clean up the old masters until the recorded sound is as smooth as last year's models.

More recent jazz styles appear on Norman Granz's Clef label, the best of them in Count Basie Big Band, one of the two or three full-size bands that still remember how to play with true jazz feeling, and the Lionel Hampton Quartet, in four long selections (including a razzle-dazzle chase chorus between Hampton's vibraharp and Oscar Peterson's piano). Columbia reels off a big jam session that includes a dizzying 63 choruses of The Huckle-Buck, played by Trumpeter Buck Clayton & Co. Pacific Jazz features the original inventions of the Russ Freeman Trio. Discovery has the bleep-bloop piano playing of Beryl Booker with her trio. Capitol includes Lennie Tristano and his fantastic a-rhythmical meanderings in a new clutch of EPs.

Other new pop records:

You're Blase (Phil Harris; Victor). A collection of ditties grunted by the most expressive monotone on records. In the name tune, and such oldies as Stars Fell on Alabama, he develops effortlessly all the sillier qualities of pop-song rhymes.

The Zither (Ruth Welcome; Cook). Zitherist Welcome captures some of the faded charm of Old Vienna (even in Greensleeves and September Song) and the recording captures some of the sweetest sounds on disks.

Love Affair (Felicia Sanders; Columbia). An intense lament with a fine tune, sung in a rough-tender style that puts Songstress Sanders right on top of the vocal heap.

The Man Upstairs (Kay Starr; Capitol). Typical advice on where to go for help in the clutch--to God himself. Climbing the bestseller steps.

Pee Little Thrigs (Al "Jazzbo" Collins; Capitol). The ultimate in pop-bent nursery stories. Narrator Collins scrambles the familiar words into loony spoonerisms, either causes total listener collapse or total disinterest.

They Didn't Believe Me (The Hi-Lo's; Trend). A new vocal quartet that perks up its smooth work with subtly timed vocal exclamation points, gives full delight to the happy old lyrics.

Why Didn't You Tell Me? (Marti Stevens; M-G-M). A heartbroken complaint, sung by Newcomer Stevens (TIME, March 8) in a voice that recalls Jane Froman.

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