‘The Ultimate 30’s & 40’s
Reefer Songs’
A bumper crop of Original,
Reefer influenced Jazz, Blues & Swing
from
1930’s & 1940’s
America.
RELEASE DATE
April 2004
Marijuana
has been around from the beginnings of time and has played
a key role in various civilizations. In the first
half of the 20th Century jazz culture took hold, marijuana was
still legal and proved popular with the musicians of the day,
some would say influencing and helping them along their way.
Even so its use was still kept relatively underground in an already
conservative America, resulting in the use of various alisas
such as ‘Jive’, ‘Golden Leaf ’, ‘Texas
Tea’, ‘Viper’ and others too numerous to mention.
Eventually Middle Class White American worries over its corrupting influences
won the day and it was banned in 1933 in 33 states with the rest following suit
some 3 years later.
In many ways these were the pop records of the day, as they were often no more
than 3 mins long and obtained national appeal from the Radio and Record Companies.
( This was the bedrock on which pop culture was laid ). This is an important
cultural record of a time long since gone but the songs should be loved and remembered
- forever.
The use of Marijuana within society and it’s influence on musicians whether
it is legal or not has never gone away- nor will it.
TRACK LISTING:
1)‘The Reefer Song’ by Fats Waller – 1943
2) ‘Reefer Man’ by
Cab Calloway- 1932
3) ‘Wacky
Dust’ by Ella Fitzgerald & the Chick Webb Orchestra-1938
4) ‘Killin’ Jive’ by The Cats & The
Fiddle-1939
5) ‘Sweet Marihuana Brown’ by Barney Bigard
Sextet-1945
6) ‘Viper Mad’ by Sidney Bechet with The Noble Sissle’s
Swingers- 1938
7) ‘Mellow Stuff’ by Lil Johnson-1937
8) ‘Here Comes The Man with the Jive ’ by Stuff Smith & His
Onyx Club Boys- 1936
9) ‘Save The Roach for Me ’ by
Buck Washington-1944
10) ‘When I Get Low I Get High’ by
Chick Webb & His Orchestra-1936
11) ‘Weed Smokers Dream’ by
The Harlem Hamfats-1936
12) ‘The Stuff is Here’ by
Georgie White-1937
13) ‘Reefer Head Women’ by Jazz
Gillum & His Jazz Boys-1938
14) ‘Weed’ by Bea
Foote-1938
15) ‘I’m Gonna Get High’ by Tampa
Red & the Chicago Five-1937
16) ‘Light Up’ by
Buster Balley’s Rhythm Busters-1938
17) ‘Jack I’m
Mellow’ by Trixie Smith-1938
18) ‘Smoking Reefers’ by
Larry Adler-1938
19) ‘Knockin’ Myself Out’ by
Yack Taylor-1941
20) ‘All the Jive is Gone’ by Andy
Kirk and His Twelve Clouds Of Joy-1936.
Press Notes
" A
bumper-crop of weed inspired jazz from the swing era - This
collection makes great listening even if you're
not a viper ."
5 Star review, Florence Halfon,Uncut, May 2004.
" It's difficult to see why fans of jazz, blues and swing wouldn't enjoy
this collection. "
Michael Cragg, Record Collector, May 2004.
" Many of the classics from the golden era of jazz cigarettes are now collected
on this brilliant compilation. It makes for a high-energy, hugely entertaining
listen. "
Ally Fogg, Big Issue in the North, May 2004.
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