Down in the Mouth Blues
Context
Unusual instrumental duo for cornet and reed organ, attributed to Arthur Ray and Bubber Miley, recorded in New York in 1924 under the name Texas Blues Destroyers. The duo recorded the same title for three companies within a few weeks (Pathé Actuelle, Ajax, then Vocalion/Brunswick on October 7, 1924). Miley's playing, later Duke Ellington's star soloist, unfolds over a spare organ that gives the side a strange atmosphere, rare at the time.
In the genealogy of jazz
This track belongs to Harlem: Henderson, Redman, Ellington, Blues, spirituals, work songs. Among the origins and influences of Harlem: Henderson, Redman, Ellington: Chicago, Stride (Harlem piano).