Andre Kostelanetz, 1934-1946

Andre Kostelanetz 78s for our January 5th--what could be better?  We have Andre's two 12-inchers for RCA Victor--Chant of the Weed/Rumba Fantasy (1935) and Revenge with Music (1934).  And I may be the only person in the world--and a Boomer, no less--who doesn't think the "weed" in Don Redman's Chant of the Weed means marijuana.  I think it's one of the many back-to-Africa songs of the period--otherwise, what is the "Come home" stuff about?  It's a joint calling out to the smoker?  Seems like a stretch.

I mean, when your joints are calling you to "come home," it's voluntary rehab time.

And we have six V-Disc sides, most of which cut off abruptly at their close (I didn't do it).  The most glaring example is the clipped closing kettledrum on Warsaw Concerto, and I think I just originated a phrase ("clipped closing kettledrum").  Not sure.

The 1938 Brunswick sides--Turkey in the Straw and Bugle Call Rag--are even further than the two RCA sides from the Kostelanetz sound we're used to, with Rag sounding in places like Spike Jones before Spike Jones.  And the V-Disc recordings, though they date from Andre's Columbia period, don't have quite the same soupy, distantly miked sound.  It's what Kosty might have sounded like had he stayed at RCA.

The Kostelanetz original, Impressions of Basie (Count Basie, of course), is fun, even if it's the usual orchestrated boogie-woogie masquerading as concert jazz.  Listen to the Rock Around the Clock phrases at the start!

All have been carefully processed by me with VinylStudio.  I created the playback curves mostly from scratch--the Columbia presets were little help.  Interestingly the V-Disc Warsaw Concerto sounds as muddy and murky as the Columbia release, though they're different recordings.  Maybe the engineers erred on the side of emphasizing the lower frequencies, afraid they'd lose the percussion or something.  They didn't.

Part 1  Andre Kostelanetz Part 1

Part 2  Andre Kostelanetz Part 2

Chant of the Weed (Donald Redman)--Andre Kostelanetz Presents (Victor 36161; 1935)
Rumba Fantasy--Same
Oklahoma! Medley--AK and His Orch. (Columbia 7417-M; 1944)
Medley from Snow White and Pinocchio--AK and His Orch. (V-Disc 609; 1946)
Saint Louis Blues--Same
Impressions of Basie (Kostelanetz)--AK and His Orch. (V-Disc 147; 1944)
Malaguena (Lecuone)--Same
Fire Dance (De Falla)--AK and His Orch. (V-Disc 639; 1946)
Turkey in the Straw--AK Conducts (Brunswick 8214; 1938)
Bugle Call Rag--Same
Revenge with Music--AK Presents (Victor 36142; 1934)
Warsaw Concerto (Addinsell)--AK and His Orch. (V-Disc 549; 1945)


Lee