Back Bay Ramblers at Ken’s Steak House June 12, 2016

8 pc band with guitar

Bill Reynolds’ Back Bay Ramblers

Dan Gabel trombone, Bill Drake guitar, Mike Peipman trumpet, Bill Reynolds leader/drums, Billy Novick alto sax and clarinet, Stu Gunn tuba/string bass, John Clark clarinet, tenor and baritone sax,  Ross Petot piano, Nancy McGhee vocals.

Bill Reynolds has revivified his Dad’s band, The Back Bay Ramblers, playing hot dance and jazz from the 20’s and 30’s.  Four members remain from a previous band: Billy Novick and John Clark reeds, Ross Petot piano, and of course, Bill Reynolds drums.  Filling in some very big boots are Mike Peipman for Jon-Erik Kelso, who now plays every Sunday at the Ear Inn in NY; Dan Gabel for Bob Connors, who moved to Florida and is collecting old movies; Bill Drake guitar for Peter Bullis banjo who is Manager of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band; and Stu Gunn for Vince Giordano, who needs no explanation.

10 musicians on a staircase

Ed’s Back Bay Ramblers

They started with their theme song, Dream Sweetheart, and played many of Ed’s favorite songs and vocals, aptly sung by Nancy McGhee.

Nancy singing

Nancy McGhee

Nancy gave a strong, effervescent singing performance, beginning with Daddy, Won’t You Please Come Home.   Nancy is a graduate of Berklee and is Choral Director at Lawrence High School Performing Arts.  She sang songs of the Boswell Sisters, An Evening In Caroline, Eva Taylor’s 1937 Clarence Williams’ Top of The Town, Mildred Bailey’s  Commentating on You.  She also touched on Ed’s favorite vocalist, Annette Henshaw, with The Right Kind of Man.

The Band played Little By Little done by the Louisiana Rhythm Kings in 1929.   Tiny Parham’s dark, somber Congo Love Song, arranged by Bob Connors.   Cho King was arranged by pianist Robin Verdier.

Dan holds megaphone with left foot

Dan holds megaphone with left foot

 

 

Alcoholic Blues, 1929 by Doc Daugherty, Dan Gabel with a slow, moaning muted trombone.

Dan was featured on The River and Me, playing trombone into a 4-foot megaphone braced on his left foot.

 

 

 

 

He took the first chorus on Red McKenzie’s 1929 Hello Lola, done by the Mound City Blue Blowers.  It featured all the guys with many marvelous solos by the front line.

trombone, trumpet, alto sax, bari sax

Front Line, Dan Gabel, Mike Peipman, Billy Novick, John Clark

 

Mike on trumpet

Mike Peipman

 

The 1951 Nullabor was the most recent tune, an Australian Band jazz revival.   It probably means ‘null arbor’, or no trees;  a grassy plain, or desert?  No one knows for sure. Bill ended it with a pulsating tom-tom drum beat.

Mike Peipman is Australian. His crystal-clear trumpet led many of the tunes.

 

Riding But Walking – My Wonderful You, arranged by Steve Wright, the interaction between the saxes was mind boggling!

Billy Novick on alto sax, John Clark on baritone sax, Bill and Stu behind them

Billy Novick on alto sax, John Clark on baritone sax

 

Stu holding tuba with string bass beside him

Stu Gunn had big boots to fill!

 

 

Fat’s Waller’s Vipers Drag was a knockout! Virtuoso bassist Stu Gunn gives the band energy and drive.  He brought two instruments, string bass and tuba, excluding Vince’s bass sax.

A full time musician, Stu Gunn plays fine classical music in local symphonic orchestras, and is fantastic on Jazz and Blues.

 

 

 

 

Bill in black tux and bow tie, as are all members of the band.

Bill Drake on guitar

 

 

 

Bill Drake’s acoustic rhythm guitar is barely heard by the audience.  You can ‘feel’ him more than hear him, but he adds depth to the music that would definitely be missed!

 

 

couple in their early 90's dancing, and they're good!

John and Gisella really enjoy dancing!

 

 

 

John and Gisella Bruneccini couldn’t resist dancing!

 

 

 

 

 

Ross smiling at camera - Ross Never smiles when he's playing!

Ross Petot is renowned for playing stride piano.

 

 

Ross played a solo on Clarence Williams Longshoreman’s Blues, improvising but never straying far from the melody.  It was arranged by Billy who was on clarinet.

Shadows on The Swanee also had Ross’s fine piano.

Duke Ellington’s Red Hot Band was played by the Cotton Club Orchestra in 1927.

 

 

 

They closed with Joe Steele’s Top and Bottom, front line playing in staccato,   saxes interweaving, twining around each other.

Bill Reynolds closes his eyes and listens

Bill Reynolds closes his eyes and listens

 

 

Bill Reynolds has a passion for this music.  Ed Reynolds is looking down and smiling.

The Back Bay Ramblers brought a level of style and sophistication of jazz that is rarely heard today.  We would like to hear them more often!

Bill has many CD’s  of the various Back Bay Ramblers available for sale.

 

 

CD:  The original band’s first album was in 1986, with Scott Philbrick, Johnny Battis & Billy Novick (no trombone), Robin Verdier, Jimmy Mazzy, Stu Gunn and Bill Reynolds
Original band(Thank you for this, Steve Wright.  He and Bob Connors joined the band when Johnny Battis left.)

 

 

There will be no Sunday afternoon Jazz at Ken’s Steak House for the summer.  Stay tuned – we’ll definitely let you know when it’s back!

 

 

 

 

Bill Reynold’s Back Bay Ramblers at Ken’s Steak House

7 pc Real Trad Jazz Band!

Bill Reynold’s Back Bay Ramblers

This was Traditional Jazz at its height, leader Bill Reynolds choosing tunes mostly from the early 20’s that we have never heard before.  This was an enchanting revival of Bill’s Dad, Ed Reynolds’ Back Bay Ramblers.  The musicians were all dressed in tuxedos, because his father insisted that “The ‘Band had to be dressed as well as the listeners”, and the listeners in Ed’s time wore fancy dresses and tuxes.

This was Ed’s concept and style of music.  It was not only popular music of the day, but it also contained a lot of jazz.  Ed took pop music and chose tunes that had a lot of section work between horn, trumpet, saxes, and clarinet.   What the arrangements did was feature very tight section work by these four professional musicians.  It was all written, except for the solos.  Ed respected good musicianship, you couldn’t fake it, so you had to be a good reader and good technician to play this music.

Bill’s Back Bay Ramblers were definitely up to the task. He has two amazing sax players in Billy Novick and Mark Earley, Mike Pipeman taking the lead on trumpet, the ubiquitous Dan Gabel, leader of the Abletones Big Band, on trombone, Ross Petot magnetic on piano, with Jim Guttman’s string bass and Bill’s drum working in sync to maintain the proper Trad beat; music to our ears!

Some of the first tunes were requested by Dan Gable, Hello Lola, that was played by a star studded band in 1929, The Mound City Blue Blowers with Coleman Hawkins (ts) Charles “Pee Wee” Russel (cl); Glenn Miller (tb) William “Red” McKenzie (kazoo); Jack Bland (g); Eddie Condon (bj); Pops Foster (b); Gene Krupa (d);  Bill said he hoped this band would make them proud.

Nancy smiling and singing

Nancy McGhee has a great feeling for this music.

Bill introduced Nancy McGhee with Dreaming ‘Bout My Man 1931, done by Hunters’ Serenaders, a Territory Band.  Nancy is a beautiful and talented vocalist, a graduate of both Berklee and The New England Conservatory. She teaches music at Lawrence High School…. and is also Bill’s cousin.

She sang Concentrating on You that was done by Connie Boswell in 1931.  She was featured on Honeybunch, made popular by Jane Green in 1926. Down Among The Sugar Canes, sung by Lilian Roth in the 1930’s.

 

The Ramblers played Duke Ellington’s Riding But Walking that Duke’s Cotton Club Orchestra played in 1926. Fine trumpet by Mike Peipman who took the lead on every tune.  It’s on their Red Hot Band CD, and for sale.

Both saxes were marvelous together on the 1929 That’s Where You’re Wrong 1929.  Dan Gabel was blowing his trombone into a megaphone.  More about that later.

Mark on bari sax, with tenor and alto beside him

Mark has a collection of saxes.

 

 

 

Top and Bottom was recorded by the Joe Steele Orchestra in 1929.  Trumpet lead, with the band backup. Nice bass by Jim Guttmann.  Mark Early on baritone sax.

 

 

 

Raising The Roof was done by Henderson’s Roseland Orchestra in 1929, starting here with two clarinets, then Mark moving to tenor sax.  Very abrupt ending – this was repeated on many tunes, always catching the audience by surprise.

Ross looking at camera with smile

Ross Petot looks great in a tux!

 

 

 

Ross Petot is marvelous on piano, anchoring the band with rhythmic motion.

Here comes Marjorie is a peppy tune that was played by Benny Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra in 1930.

Mike on trumpet

We’re fortunate to have Australia’s Mike Peipman here in New England!

 

 

Really modern for this band, Stomp Miss Hannah was done by Australian Lazy Ade Monsborough in 1951. He  was an important force and a popular figure for decades in his native country.  We have our own Australian, Mike Pipeman, who plays trumpet in many New England Bands.

The Back Bay Ramblers’ version was arranged by Billy “The Kid” Novick.
Fantastic saxophones!   

 

 

Bill on choke cymbal, reading script

Bill Reynolds on choke cymbal

 

Good Feeling Blues was done in 1929 by Zack White and His Chocolate Beau Brummels,  The whole band played an abrupt quarter beat on the first measure, and then there was a brief silence before the band continued with the melody, playing in stop time, with Bill on choke cymbal.  Great trumpet with two saxes, and Ross on piano solo. They have never played this before. Amazing!

 

 

The Musical Stevedores’ Happy Rhythm from 1929 was taken slower than written, but still fast; Dan on magnetic muted trombone.

Nancy returned with Without You Sweetheart, done by the Vincent Lopez Orchestra in 1927.  Nancy’s vocal brought it fresh nuance, backed by Ross’s piano.

Absolutely amazing saxophones by Billy Novick and Mark Earley

Absolutely amazing saxophones by Billy Novick and Mark Earley

 

Lotta Sax Appeal was done in 1929 by Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy.  Mary Lou Williams was arranger, composer and piano player for Andy Kirk.

Ross took a piano intro, with Billy leading on alto sax.  The range and diversity of our two saxophones was captivating!

 

 

It’s on the Back Bay Ramblers’ CD,  Red Hot Band.  Billy asked if anyone knew what year this was.  Jeannine James won a CD for picking the year of this tune.  It wasn’t very difficult – 1929 of course.

I’m Gonna Meet My Sweety Now was sung by 19-year-old Kate Smith in 1927.  The Ramblers played it as an instrumental, featuring Dan on trombone, playing through a megaphone.

That idea came from a famous trombone player, Spiegel Wilcox, who went to see Paul Whitman, with trombone player Sammy Lewis. Spiegel saw the megaphone jerry-rigged up to a bird cage holder, with Sammy playing trombone through the megaphone. Spiegel thought it sounded amazing and made one himself and used it frequently.
Dan Gabel was creative, supporting the megaphone with his feet!

Dan Gabel, wearing red sox, playing trombone, megaphone beside him Dan playing trobone through megaphone held up by his two feet up off the ground

That To Do was recorded by Benny Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra.  This needed audience participation, with all of us obliging with “Yeah” and “Right”.  It’s on the Ramblers CD Cuttin’ Up.  Dan added flair with his ‘laughing trombone’.  Billy played clarinet, Mark tenor sax, with fascinating interplay between drum and sax.

The River and Me. Recorded by Duke. Dan playing on megaphone traded 4’s with Billy’s clarinet.  It’s a good swinging tune that was specially arranged for the band.

Vipers Drag – was recorded by Cab Calloway in 1930.  Finally a song we knew, but we’ve never heard it played this way.  Dan making guttural, talking, trombone sounds; Mike’s muted trumpet playing riffs.  The whole band made the melody come alive.

There was time for one more tune; brought Nancy back for 1929 I Have to Have You.
It was an enchanting evening, with Bill’s Back Bay Ramblers playing the beautiful music rooted in the 1920’s, just as Ed Reynolds had.  Thank you, Bill!

Also:
The Ramblers played the previous night to a full house of GBVS (Greater Boston Vintage Society) dancers dressed in vintage attire at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA.  Dance floor was loaded, and they were actually screaming when Nancy sang, she had an instant fan club!

Dance floor filled with young people in 20's attire, having a ball!

GBVS in vintage attire dancing to the Back Bay Rambles.

So what is the future for this style of music?  
The 20’s will return – it will soon be 2020.  See you there!
To hire the band, or get a CD: email drumkits@verizon.net 

Bill Reynolds’ Back Bay Ramblers at Primavera Ristorante, April 9, 2015

7 pc trad jazz band, with guitar and 2 reeds

Bill Reynolds’ Back Back Ramblers

Mike Peipman trumpet, John Clark clarinet/alto, tenor, and baritone sax, Billy Novick clarinet/alto sax, Dan Gabel Trombone, Scott Philbrick guitar,  Herb Gardner keyboard, Stu Gunn tuba/string bass, Nancy McGhee vocals, Bill Reynolds leader/drums.

Back Bay Ramblers are the result of the late Ed Reynolds dream.  He created a great Traditional Jazz Band in the 1980’s that would record the rarely heard tunes of the 1920’s.  Ed passed in 2014 at age 90.  (More about Ed and his band below.)

His son, drummer Bill Reynolds, promised him he would continue the Back Bay Ramblers.   Ed would be proud of the band that Bill has meticulously created; it is absolutely outstanding!!  (He added tuxedos for class par excellence.)  Most of these talented musicians lead bands of their own.  This band uses structured arrangements, as did the larger earlier bands.

In New Orleans Traditional Jazz Bands were all improvisation, with emphasis on musicians’ solos.  But as the music spread northward in the 20’s and 30’s, the bands grew larger to play in bigger rooms around the country, in restaurants and hotels in Chicago, Detroit.  Their music became Hot Tunes, they played to larger dancing crowds.  This obviously made written arrangements necessary, with tight sections playing in syncopation.  The music was written and arranged so they could play together, sometimes on the same note, sometimes in harmony.  It’s a balance of simplicity and complexity.

Tonight’s Back Bay Ramblers began with a tom-tom drum beat intro to Dream Sweetheart, words and music by Bud Green, 1932.  Bill Reynolds has made this their theme song.

pretty and talented blonde vocalist

Nancy McGhee

 

They continued with Daddy, Won’t You Please Come Home, introducing the lovely and talented Nancy McGhee (who happens to be Bill’s cousin).
She is a classically trained vocalist. She graduated from Berklee and then went to the New England Conservaory.  She is currently choral director at Lawrence High School

 

She continued with a tune written by Walter Donaldson and sung by The Boswell Sisters  in 1931, An Evening in Caroline.   It starts slowly with two clarinets, backed by guitar, then the brass comes in and it jumps up into two-beat barn burner!

Dan Gabel trombone, Mike Peipman trumpet, Bill Reynolds drums

Dan Gabel trombone, Mike Peipman trumpet, Bill Reynolds drums

Structured arrangements mean many rehearsals.  Billy Novick and John Clark were familiar with the Back Bay Ramblers Book, but Dan and Mike were not.  This was especially difficult for Mike, who was home in Australia at the time they were rehearsing and missed all but the last full band rehearsal.  Mike and Dan played spectacular solos, and representing the brass section of a big band, they nailed it!

1929 Little by Little, four piece front line, nice exchange between Billy on clarinet and Scott’s guitar.  A great Tiny Parham tune, Congo Love Song, played by two mellow alto saxes, and a vivid Congo drum beat.

Nancy was back with  Top of The Town a 1937 Jimmy McHugh tune made for the movie of the same name.  McHugh was a Boston native.  His songs had an infectiously swinging quality that instantly endeared them to the listener.  Perfect for Nancy.

The Ramblers used arrangements from various people.  Cho King, a tune by Sonny Clay was arranged by Robin Verdier.

Scott on guitar

Scott Philbrick

The 1919 Alcoholic Blues was written by Edward Laska with music by  Albert  Von Tilzer.  (Tilzer also wrote Take Me Out To The Ball Game in 1908.)

Some of these tunes the Ramblers played were written for guitar, others for banjo. Scott and Stu stayed in sync.  Scott switched between guitar and banjo.  When Stu Gunn played string bass, Scott played guitar.  When he played tuba, Scott played banjo.

Scott is  like vanilla extract in a cake; you can’t taste it when it’s there, but you know when it’s left out.

 

Stu on string bass

Marvelous bass man, Stu Gunn

 

 

 

Stalwart Stu Gunn instinctively moves from string bass to tuba, playing chords that maintain that very essential Traditional Jazz beat.

When he isn’t playing in a Jazz Band, you’ll find him playing classical music in several local symphonies.

 

 

 

 

Nancy returned with I Have to Have You, backed by soft trumpet; and one of Bill’s favorites, a Bob Connors arrangement, That Wonderful Something (is Love).

For those who don’t know Bob Connors, he led a marvelous band in the 1970’s, The Yankee Rhythm Kings; they excelled at Lu Watters two-beat California jazz. Bob was the original leader of The Back Bay Ramblers.  Their book has 121 arrangements; Connors wrote 91 of them.

He and his wife now live in Florida.  He’s retired from music, but keeps busy restoring archived movies and silent films.  If you’re interested in movie history, he has a vast collection of rare films that you won’t find anywhere else.

A Bennie Moten tune, That Too, Do had audience participation and everyone in the band responding “Yeah” and “Right”; another Bob Connors arrangement.

Herb at keyboard

Herb Gardner

 

Herb Gardner was invaluable, transitioning the musicians from one section to another and offering just the right chords behind soloists.

He’s been the pianist-in-residence here at Primavera, playing with numerous bands on piano, trombone and vocals.

 

 

Mike on trumpet

Mike Peipman is originally from Australia

 

Bill did the tom tom drum intro to their newest tune – 1951 – the Australian Nullabor.  Robin Verdier’s Monte Carlo Jazz Ensemble plays this all the time.

Mike says it means ‘flat plain with no trees’ –  “null arbor”?   It may have come from the Australian aborigines, with heavy drum accents.

 

 

 

Bill on drums

Bill Reynolds, leader

 

Bill’s drum continued the beat into ‘Leven Thirty Saturday Night.  This was a Frank Powers arrangement – he was a reed player from Chicago who did many arrangements for Ed’s band.

It is also the name of one of the albums that Ed Reynold’s original Back Bay Ramblers recorded for Bob Erdo’s Stomp Off Records. Some are still available. (See below)  All of the tunes played today came from these CDs.

 

Vocalist singing and pointing at the audience

Nancy is crazy about her man.

 

Nancy was back for Dreaming About My Man.  She really feels the words and puts heart and soul into her singing.

Fat’s Waller’s Concentrating on You was recorded by Hunter’s Serenaders, a territory band from Omaha, Nebraska.

Ed Reynolds liked territory bands and often used some of their tunes.

 

Ridin’ but Walkin’, a 1929 Fats Waller tune was played at The Cotton Club.  The Ramblers did it justice. It brought out Clark’s tenor sax – nice, Billy on clarinet with drum beat tapping on the choke cymbal, Mike on muted trumpet.    Short but in the groove!

The River and Me was recorded by the Absolut Duke Ellington, who played it every night at the Cotton Club.  It’s a fabulous swinging tune.  The Ramblers used the Frank Powers arrangement. Trombone, trumpet, clarinet and tenor sax, Stu Gunn pushing them on string bass, all the musicians pushed the boundaries with some profound, imaginative swinging!  They raised goose bumps!

Right Kind of Man was sung by Ruth Etting in 1929.  Nancy’s fine vocal was followed by two alto saxes taking 32 bars in multi-dimensional harmony.  Billy Novick and John Clark are always pushing music forward, expanding on it.

Back to instrumentals, Vipers’ Drag is a 1930 Fats Waller tune made popular by Cab Calloway.

Jungle Blues was arranged by Billy Novick.  He and Bill Reynolds have been ‘partners in crime’ for over 30 years.  Two clarinets harmonizing backed by steady drum beat.

Bill on alto, John on bari sax

Dynamite! Billy Novick and John Clark on various reeds

 

Nancy with arms outstretched

Nancy feels so blue!

 

 

Nancy was back with Nobody Cares, backed only by Herb Gardner on piano.  She’s so blue, you can absolutely feel it!

 

 

Ed would definitely be proud of this band; it is absolutely outstanding! Their passion for this music is obvious.  Hot Dance Music at its best!!   We hope to hear more from them really soon.

Meantime, you can still get the fine music.  Bill still has several CDs from Ed’s band.

Red Hot Band
Cuttin’ Up
‘Leven Thirty Saturday Night (4 left)
My Mom is in Town (1 left)
… also LPs and Cassettes of Boston Shuffle

Get in touch with Bill Reynolds at drumkits@verizon.net for any of these.

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Ed Reynolds beaming with arms folded across his chest.

Ed Reynolds

Ed Reynolds, New England’s premier Jazz Historian and collector of Traditional Jazz records, deftly drew rarely heard traditional jazz ditties from 1925 to 1931 for his outstanding jazz musicians from our area and New York City.
Karen Cameron is originally from North Dakota.  She was with Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians, and has sung with the Artie Shaw Band and other commemorative big bands around the country.

These are Ed Reynold’s Back Bay Ramblers 2001 at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival.  This band played some of the finest 1920’s period music at the festival.  This is not swing – this is Traditional Jazz-Hot Dance Music at its best!
The musicians standing on a descending staircase, some in front