Founded in Kansas City in 1918 by drummer Carleton Coon and pianist Joe Sanders as The Coon-Sanders Novelty Orchestra, they found fame via broadcasts of their ‘live’ performances from the city’s Muelebach Hotel on radio WDAF, which could be heard across the USA, becoming the Night Hawk Orchestra because they played the late-night spot through to 1a.m..
After making an early recording for Columbia in 1921, they recorded for Victor through the 1920s and into the 1930s, becoming hugely popular as they very much set the tone for the Roaring Twenties with their hot jazz-influenced novelty dance music for which the post-war decade became famous.
Sadly, their career was curtailed when Carleton Coon died suddenly in 1932 from an infection at the age of 38.
This great-value 69-track 3-CD set comprises most of their career recordings, including some of the early renditions of compositions which went on to become jazz and Great American Songbook standards like “Deep Henderson”, “After You’ve Gone” and “ Darktown Strutters Ball”.
It naturally includes all their ten career hits including “Some Little Bird”, “Night Hawk Blues”, “Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby” and “Flamin’ Mamie”.
It is a comprehensive showcase for their distinctive and innovative style, and a highly evocative insight into a fascinating strand of the music during a significant musical decade.
- 1 -
1. Some Little Bird
2. Night Hawk Blues
3. Red Hot Mama
4. My Daddy's Dreamtime Lullaby
5. Oriental Love Dreams
6. There's No One Just Like You
7. Why Don't My Dreams Come True?
8. Lazy Waters
9. Moonlight and You
10. Show Me the Way
11. Some of These Days
12. I'm Gonna Charleston Back To Charleston
13. Alone At Last
14. Yes Sir! That's My Baby
15. That's All There is
16. Everything is Hotsy Totsy Now
17. Hong Kong Dream Girl
18. Dreaming of Tomorrow
19. I Can't Realize
20. Flamin' Mamie
21. Louise You Tease
22. Moon Deer (Indian Love Song)
23. Everything's Gonna Be Alright
- 2 -
1. Sittin' Around
2. Deep Henderson
3. My Baby Knows How
4. Brainstorm
5. I Need Loving
6. High Fever
7. I Ain't Got Nobody
8. Roodles
9. Smilin' Skies
10. Mine All Mine
11. Is She My Girl Friend
12. Stay Out of the South (If You Want To Miss a Heaven On Earth