Clarence Williams (1893-1965) was an uncommonly resourceful African-American businessman whose tireless efforts as composer, publisher, producer, pianist, accompanist, and bandleader had a profound effect upon the development of jazz and blues during the 1920s and ‘30s. The Timeless label's second volume devoted to
Williams as a leader concentrates upon his last great period of productivity: 1934-1937. It is designed for people with an insatiable appetite for old-style jazz, as not everyone wants 13 alternate takes woven throughout a double-CD set loaded with 47 tracks. Despite the date given on the album cover, the chronology covered herein begins near the end of June 1934 with a session involving Clarence Williams' Washboard Band. The scrub board and drum kit percussionist on more than half of the sessions in this collection is from St. Louis-born Floyd Casey. On some of the recordings midway through the second disc, he is replaced by washboard virtuosi
Willie Williams or Bruce Johnson, cardinal member of the
Washboard Rhythm Kings. Other mainstays of the
Clarence Williams stable of talent were cornetist Ed Allen and clarinetist
Cecil Scott. Vocals are attributed to the ubiquitous ‘30s pop singer
Chick Bullock, William Cooley, and
Williams' wife
Eva Taylor. Guest instrumentalists worth listening for are pianists
James P. Johnson and
Willie "The Lion" Smith, as well as trombonists
Wilbur DeParis and
Dicky Wells. Reed players include
Buster Bailey,
Prince Robinson. and alto saxophonist
Louis Jordan, who made some of his first records with
Williams in 1934. Some of these, including
Jordan's vocal on "I Can't Dance I Got Ants in My Pants", may be found on
Vol. 1 of the selected recordings of
Clarence Williams on Timeless. ~ arwulf arwulf