Jump For Joy!

1	St. James Infirmary / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:12
2	Walkin' in a Daze / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:41
3	Take Your Shoes off, Baby / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:50
4	La Danse / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:36
5	Baby, It's Cold Outside / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:00
6	The Hucklebuck / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:00
7	Baby, Look at You / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:03
8	Lovin' Mama Blues / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:14
9	Jump for Joy / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:22
10	Limehouse Blues / Oran Thaddeus Page Take 1 2:53
11	Limehouse Blues / Oran Thaddeus Page Take 2 2:50
12	Now You're Talking My Language / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:51
13	(Back Home Again In) Indiana / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:50
14	When You're Smiling / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:56
15	I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me / Oran Thaddeus Page previously unreleased / Alternate Take 2:35
16	Why Did I Always Depend on You? / Oran Thaddeus Page 2:33
17	Long Gone Blues / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:06
18	Got an Uncle in Harlem / Oran Thaddeus Page previously unreleased / Alternate Take 3:08
19	Jeety-Boat Joad / Oran Thaddeus Page previously unreleased / Alternate Take 3:13
20	Blow, Champ, Blow / Oran Thaddeus Page previously unreleased 3:03
21	There Ain't No Flies on Me / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:24
22	Miss Larceny Blues / Oran Thaddeus Page 3:02

Barnes & Noble

In the heartfelt notes that accompany this superior collection, the noted jazz scholar Dan Morgenstern speaks of “the joy” that radiates from the music of Hot Lips Page. That joy can be felt throughout the wide selection of material here featuring Page as trumpeter and singer, leader and sideman. One of the finest horn players of the Swing era, a period overflowing with exceptional instrumentalists, Page maintained his distinctive style until his death in 1954. He excelled in the blues. “St. James Infirmary” and “Walking in a Daze,” from his own 1947 session, find Page deep in his element, but he’s just as persuasive blowing behind Billie Holiday (“Why Did I Always Depend On You?,” “Long Gone Blues”) and enlivening a Big Joe Turner session from 1939. Page’s tremendous gifts as a trumpeter are exhibited on four tracks credited to Chu Berry and his Stompy Stevedores, an all-star offshoot of the Cab Calloway band, and two Teddy Wilson numbers that also spotlight Berry and the unique clarinet player Pee Wee Russell. As R&B began to take hold in the late '40s, Page’s comfort with the blues allowed him to easily accommodate changing styles. His 1949 septet date features some wonderful Louis Jordan-style features, including the uproarious “Got an Uncle in Harlem” and the good-time stomp “Ain’t No Flies on Me.” Nothing, though, can touch the sly interplay between Page and Pearl Bailey on their 1949 hit version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Jump for Joy only addresses part of the Hot Lips Page legacy, but there’s enough here to turn anyone into a devoted fan of this underrated jazz figure. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

Because this is a mix of solo sessions from one era (the late '40s and early '50s) and Hot Lips Page's work in the bands of Pete Johnson, Chu Berry, Teddy Wilson, and Billie Holiday from another era (the late '30s), it's too scattered to function as an overview or as a detailed snapshot of a particular aspect of Page's career. There's still some material here for Page fans to enjoy, particularly as some of the tracks were previously unreleased. On the solo sides, he comes off as similar but inferior to Louis Armstrong, though enjoyable on his own terms if comparisons with that behemoth are avoided; the interpretation of Ravel's "La Danse" is a highlight. A young Pearl Bailey duets with him on "Baby It's Cold Outside" and a previously unreleased alternate take of "The Hucklebuck." A young Joe Turner is the vocalist on the Johnson sides, and here the main collector attraction is the previously unreleased "Jump for Joy." More such goodies include a previously unreleased alternate take of "Limehouse Blues" (as part of Berry's band); two previously unissued performances as a member of Wilson's orchestra; and, finally, previously unavailable alternate takes of "Got an Uncle in Harlem" and "Jeety-Boad Joad" (both from 1949) and the hitherto unissued "Blow, Champ, Blow" (from 1950). Richie Unterberger