BBC Radio 6 Music broadcast: 13th June 2017
One of the most extrovert characters in show business history, Louis Jordan with his yard-wide smile, rousing vocals and searing alto saxophone was the bridge from the minstrel show to rock and roll.
He started out with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, and ended up being the main influence on performers like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. In between, he and his Tympany Five created jump-jive music, the feel-good small band sound that bridged the swing era and r'n'b.
Nobody is more steeped in Jordan's life and work than Clarke Peters, who not only wrote, directed and starred in the West End tribute show Five Guys Named Moe, but researched behind the scenes to discover the fascinating stories of Jordan's life - his battles with illness, his perfectionism, his comedy, and his enduring influence on the likes of Bill Haley and Ray Charles.
Pacey, fast moving and packed with good humour, the series is just like a Jordan performance. As we enter his unique sound world, we hear the hits, Saturday Night Fish Fry, Outskirts of Town, Caldonia, and Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens, a string of million-sellers that made his name.
This series was first broadcast in 2008, to coincide with the centenary of Louis Jordan's birth.
Louis Jordan - Choo Choo Ch'boogie [MCA]
Clarke Peters & London Cast - Five Guys Named Moe [First Night]
Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five - Buzz Me [A Touch Of Magic]
Louis Armstrong - When You're Smiling [Columbia]
Louis Armstrong - St James Infirmary [CBS]
Louis Armstrong - Dinah [CBS]
Clarence Williams - I Can't Dance (I Got Ants In My Pants) [Classic Jazz Masters]
Chick Webb And His Orchestra - Rusty Hinge [Proper]
Chick Webb And His Orchestra - There's Frost On The Moon [Proper]
Louis Jordan - Honey In The Bee Ball [JSP]
Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five - At The Swing Cats Ball [Proper]
Louis Jordan - Keep A Knockin' [JSP]
Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five - Choo Choo Ch'boogie [JSP]
Original London Cast - Five Guys Named Moe [Rhythm Safari - First Night]
Louis Jordan - Buzz Me [BDmusic]
Louis Armstrong - When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary [Bluebird]
Clarence Williams - I Can't Dance I Got Ants In My Pants [Challenge Records International]
Louis Jordan - Rusty Hinge [Pickwick]
Chick Webb & Ella Fitzgerald - There's Frost On The Moon [Werner Last's Favourites Jazz]
Louis Jordan - Honey In The Bee Ball [JSP]
Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five - At The Swing Cats Ball [Proper]
Louis Jordan - Keep A Knockin' [Proper]
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