Jimmy Rushing
Source: Keep Swinging
Born 26 August 1901 in Oklahoma City, though more famous as a vocalist, Jimmy (James) Rushing (aka Mr. Five By Five) was a pianist as well. He began to travel the Midwest in 1923 as an itinerant blues vocalist. He worked briefly with Jelly Roll Morton in California before joining Walter Page and the Blue Devils, with whom he made his first recording in Kansas City in 1929: 'Blue Devil Blues' (Vocalion 1463) [DAHR / Lord].
'Blue Devil Blues' Jimmy Rushing w Walter Page & the Blue Devils
Recorded 10 Nov 1929 in Kansas City Matrix KC-612 Vocalion 1463
Trumpet: Hot Lips Page / James Simpson Trombone: Dan Minor
Clarinet / alto sax: Buster Smith
Alto sax: Ted Manning Tenor sax: Reuben Roddy
Piano: Charlie Washington Guitar: Reuben Lynch Tuba: Walter Page
Composition: Walter Page
Rushing joined Count Basie in 1935 and remained with him until Basie dismantled that band in 1950. They would reunite on occasion in the fifties and sixties. Rushing had first encountered Basie when the latter hired onto the band of Bennie Moten in 1930 as a pianist. Moten was in the business of making a larger orchestra out of what had been the smaller jazz ensemble. 'Won't You Be My Baby' (Victor 23028) was Rushing's first track with Basie in Moten's operation [Lord]. Switching over to Basie's orchestra upon Moten's death in 1935, Rushing's first recordings with Basie's band were in the latter's Smith-Jones Incorporated on November 9, 1936: 'Evenin'' and 'Boogie Woogie'.
'Won't You Be My Baby' Jimmy Rushing w Bennie Moten
Recorded 27 Oct 1930 at Lincoln Hall in Kansas City 1 of 2 takes:
R62909-1 issued on Hep CD1070-2 62909-2 issued on Victor 23028
Trumpet: Ed Lewis / Hot Lips Page / Booker Washington
Trombone: Thamon Hayes Valve trombone / guitar: Eddie Durham
Clarinet / various sax: Harlan Leonard / Woody Walder / Jack Washington
Piano: Count Basie Piano / accordion: Ira "Buster" Moten
Banjo: Leroy "Buster" Berry Tuba: Vernon Page Drums: Willie McWashington
Composition: Moten / Rushing
'Good Morning Blues' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 9 Aug 1937 in NYC 1 of 2 takes:
62511-A or 62511-B both issued on Decca 1446
Trumpet: Bobby Moore / Ed Lewis / Buck Clayton
Trombone: Dan Minor / George Hunt / Eddie Durham
Alto sax: Jack Washington (also baritone) / Earl Warren
Tenor sax: Lester Young / Hershal Evans
Piano: Count Basie Guitar: Freddie Green / Eddie Durham
String bass: Walter Page Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: Basie / Durham / Rushing
'Blues in the Dark' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 3 Jan 1938 in NYC Matrix 63123-A Decca 1682
Trumpet: Ed Lewis / Karl George / Buck Clayton
Trombone: Benny Morton / Dan Minor / Eddie Durham
Alto sax: Jack Washington (also baritone) / Earl Warren
Tenor sax: Lester Young / Hershal Evans
Piano: Count Basie Guitar: Freddie Green / Eddie Durham
String bass: Walter Page Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: Basie / Rushing
'Now You Will Be Good' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 16 Feb 1938 in NYC Matrix 63288-A Decca 1728
Composition: Arthur Terker / Harry Jentes / Harry Pease
'The Blues I Like to Hear' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 16 Nov 1938 in NYC Matrix 64748-A Decca 2284
Trumpet: Buck Clayton / Harry "Sweets" Edison / Ed Lewis / Shad Collins
Trombone: Dicky Wells / Dan Minor / Benny Morton
Alto sax: Earl Warren / Jack Washington (also baritone)
Tenor sax: Hershal Evans / Lester Young
Piano: Count Basie Guitar: Freddie Green
String bass: Walter Page Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: Buster Smith Arrangement: Buster Smith
'Evil Blues' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 4 Feb 1939 in NYC Matrix 64984-A Decca 2922
Trumpet: Ed Lewis / Harry "Sweets" Edison / Shad Collins / Buck Clayton
Trombone: Dicky Wells / Dan Minor / Benny Morton
Alto sax: Earl Warren / Jack Washington (also baritone)
Tenor sax: Lester Young / Chu Berry
Piano: Count Basie Guitar: Freddie Green
String bass: Walter Page Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: Basie / Edison / Rushing
'Undecided Blues' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 28 Jan 1941 at Liederkranz Hall in NYC Matrix 29585-1 OKeh 6071
Trumpet: Buck Clayton / Harry "Sweets" Edison / Al Killian / Ed Lewis
Trombone: Dan Minor / Dicky Wells / Ed Cuffee
Alto sax: Tab Smith / Earl Warren / Jack Washington (also baritone)
Tenor sax: Don Byas / Buddy Tate
Piano: Count Basie Guitar: Freddie Green
String bass: Walter Page Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: Rushing
'Sent For You Yesterday' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Film: 'Choo Choo Swing' 1943 IMDb LOC
Composition: Basie / Durham / Rushing
'Jimmy's Blues' Jimmy Rushing w Count Basie and His Orchestra
Recorded 6 Dec 1944 at Liederkranz Hall in NYC 1 of 2 takes:
CO33954-1 issued on Columbia 36831 CO33954-2 issued on CBS 54163 (France)
Trumpet: Harry "Sweets" Edison / Al Killian / Joe Newman / Al Stearns
Trombone: Dicky Wells / Ted Donnelly / Eli Robinson / Louis Taylor
Alto sax: Jimmy Powell / Earl Warren
Tenor sax: Buddy Tate / Lucky Thompson Baritone sax: Rudy Rutherford
Piano: Count Basie Guitar: Freddie Green
String bass: Rodney Richardson Drums: Shadow Wilson
Composition: Rushing
Rushing released his first album, 'The Jazz Odyssey of Jimmy Rushing Esq', in 1956. In 1958 he toured the United Kingdom with trumpeter, Humphrey Lyttelton. He released numerous albums until his final recordings traced by Tom Lord and Steve Siegel to 'The You and Me That Used to Be' on 29 and 30 April 1971.
'New Orleans' Jimmy Rushing w the Buck Clayton Orchestra
Recorded 6 Nov 1956 Matrix CO56717
From the album 'The Jazz Odyssey of James Rushing Esq' Columbia CL963
Trumpet: Buck Clayton Trombone: Vic Dickenson
Clarinet: Tony Parenti Piano: Cliff Jackson
String bass: Walter Page Drums: Zutty Singleton
Composition: Hoagy Carmichael
'I Left My Baby' Jimmy Rushing w the Count Basie Orchestra
WCBS-TV broadcast recorded 8 Dec 1958 in NYC
See the album 'The Real Sound of Jazz' Pumpkin 116 1985
Trumpet: Roy Eldridge / Joe Newman /Joe Wilder / Doc Cheatham / Emmett Berry
Trombone: Vic Dickenson / Dicky Wells / Benny Morton
Alto sax: Earl Warren Tenor sax: Coleman Hawkins / Ben Webster
Baritone sax: Gerry Mulligan Piano: Count Basie
Guitar: Freddie Green String bass: Eddie Jones Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: Andy Gibson / Basie / Rushing
'Evenin'' Jimmy Rushing w the Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band
Recorded Oct 1958 at the BBC Jazz Club in London
From the CD 'The Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band with Jimmy Rushing' Upbeat Jazz URCD174
Trumpet: Humphrey Lyttelton / Bobby Pratt / Duncan Campbell / Eddie Blair / Bert Courtley
Trombone: Keith Christie / John Picard / Eddie Harvey
Alto sax: Tony Coe (also clarinet) / Ronnie Ross
Tenor sax: Jimmy Skidmore / Kathy Stobart
Baritone sax: Joe Temperley Piano: Ian Armit
String bass: Brian Brocklehurst Drums: Eddie Taylor
Composition: Harry White / Mitchell Parish 1933
'St. Louis Blues' Jimmy Rushing w the Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band
Recorded Oct 1958 at the BBC Jazz Club in London
From the CD 'The Humphrey Lyttelton Big Band with Jimmy Rushing' Upbeat Jazz URCD174
Trumpet: Humphrey Lyttelton / Bobby Pratt / Duncan Campbell / Eddie Blair / Bert Courtley
Trombone: Keith Christie / John Picard / Eddie Harvey
Alto sax: Tony Coe (also clarinet) / Ronnie Ross
Tenor sax: Jimmy Skidmore / Kathy Stobart
Baritone sax: Joe Temperley Piano: Ian Armit
String bass: Brian Brocklehurst Drums: Eddie Taylor
Composition: WC Handy 1914
'Rushing Lullabies' Jimmy Rushing Album
Recorded June 1959 in NYC Columbia CL 1401
Sax: Buddy Tate Piano: Ray Bryant Organ: Sir Charles Thompson
Guitar: Skeeter Best String bass: Gene Ramey Drums: Papa Jo Jones
Composition: WC Handy 1914
'I'm Coming Virginia' w 'Going to Chicago Blues' Film
Jimmy Rushing w Joe Williams backed by the Count Basie Orchestra
Recorded 8 July 1962 at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island
Composition 'I'm Coming Virginia': Donald Heywood / Will Marion Cook
Composition 'Going to Chicago Blues': Basie / Rushing
'Good Morning Blues' Piano by Jimmy Rushing
Ralph J. Gleason's 'Jazz Casual' television broadcast 26 Oct 1962
See the 'Jazz Casual' album on Koch Jazz KOCCD-8561
Composition: Basie / Durham / Rushing
'Five Feet of Soul' Jimmy Rushing Album
Recorded 22/23 Jan 1963 Issued on Colpix CP446 / Colpix SCP446
Trumpet: Bernie Glow / Snooky Young / Marky Markowitz / Joe Newman
Trombone: Jimmy Cleveland / Urbie Green / Billy Byers / Willie Dennis
Alto sax: Gene Quill / Phil Woods
Tenor sax: Zoot Sims / Budd Johnson
Baritone sax: Sol Schlinger Piano: Patti Bown Guitar: Freddie Gren
String bass: Milt Hinton Drums: Gus Johnson Arrangement: Al Cohn
'The You and Me That Used to Be' Jimmy Rushing Album
Recorded 29/30 April 1971 Issued on RCA LSP4566
Cornet / violin: Ray Nance
Tenor sax: Zoot Sims / Al Cohn / Budd Johnson (also soprano)
Piano: Dave Frishberg
String bass: Milt Hinton Drums: Mel Lewis
Rushing passed away of leukemia on 8 June 1972 in NYC. Other major artists with whom he had worked include pianist, Duke Ellington, clarinetist, Benny Goodman, trumpeter, Dizzy Gillespie, and pianist, Dave Brubeck.
Sources & References for Jimmy Rushing:
Don Amerman (Musician Guide)
Richard S. Ginell (All Music)
VF History (notes)
Scott Yanow (Syncopated Times)
Rushing in Film & Television: IMDb
Recordings by Rushing: Catalogs:
45 Worlds Discogs Music Brainz RYM SHS
Recordings by Rushing: Select Compilations:
Count Basie & His Orchestra: Vocals Jimmy Rushing / SMS 17:
The Essential Jimmy Rushing / Vanguard VSD 65/66 / 1974:
Good Morning Blues: Count Basie and His Orchestra featuring Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes / MCA Records MCA2-4108 / 1977:
Jazz & Blues Collection / Editions Atlas WIS CD 648 / 1996:
Recordings by Rushing: Sessions:
DAHR (1929-1947)
Tom Lord: leading 39 of 270 sessions 1929-1971
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