First Recordings with Dewey Jackson

 At age 25, Willie Humphrey made his first verified visit to a recording studio - the first of dozens of such visits he would make over the next seven decades. Dewey Jackson's Peacock Orchestra made three sides for Vocalion in St. Louis on June 21, 1926. A fourth side featured the band's drummer, Floyd Campbell, as a blues vocalist, accompanied by piano and Jackson's trumpet. Two 78s were issued: Vocalion 1039, which paired "Go 'won to Town" (as the original label reads) and the Campbell vocal, "What do You Want Poor Me to Do." Vocalion 1040 had "She's Crying for Me" and "Capitol Blues."

Dewey Jackson's Peacock Orchestra, c. 1926
Willie Humphrey: kneeling, third from left

Jackson's band followed the usual instrumentation for a large dance orchestra of the time: three brass, three saxophones (doubling clarinet), and a four-piece rhythm section. Willie was the third saxophone, playing tenor sax and clarinet. He was probably overshadowed by William Thornton Blue, a St. Louis clarinetist who was a more famous musician than Humphrey at the time. It's Blue who plays the clarinet solo in "Capitol Blues," which (by the way) features a cut-down version of the band, with only three of the horns playing. Blue is an accomplished, technically adept clarinetist, but his improvising leans toward the "gaspipe," novelty style of clarinet playing that was all too common in the 1920s. 

"She's Cryin' for Me" is the only fully-scored piece recorded at the session; "Capitol Blues" and "Go 'won to Town" sound like head arrangements. "Cryin'" was written by New Orleanian Santo Pecora; it was a popular tune at the time - there are several other recorded versions of the piece from the same period. The Peacock Orchestra's version is well-rehearsed, although the clarinet trio is kind of sloppy, and the tempo drops as the performance progresses. 

Willie makes his real mark on the session with his clarinet solo on "Go 'won to Town." It's a searing statement, displaying the fine technique, rhythmic freedom, and deep blues feeling that would characterize his music in later years. This well-constructed solo shows Humphrey's attitude toward blues improvisation to be totally committed and serious. Unfortunately, it would be ten years before he would have another chance to record, and then he was given even less solo space. 

Listen to "Go 'won to Town" here.