Knuckles O’Toole- Goes To Paris

This week, we are highlighting a collection of small records, EP’s if you will.  We are starting with this one.  Not sure why I bought it other than it was Parisian and small.  I spent a big price though.  $4.  Almost a dollar per inch radius.  Apparently, this began life as 99 cents.

Surprisingly enough, there was no Knuckles O’Toole.  It was the the pseudonym employed by various keyboard players for a series of honky tonk style piano records,  Such luminaries to record under the moniker include Dick Hyman and David Harkness.  I am unsure who O’Toole really was on this record, which was released sometime on Waldorf Music Hall, Inc.  

Pretty much what you would expect.  A old timey honky tonk piano-y churning out French tunes.  Pretty decent songs.  Good record.  An easy listen at the very least.  I know what you are thinking.  I am going to go with my old favorite “Under The Paris Skies”.  Wrong. I am actually going with “Left Bank”.  I still enjoyed the version of “Paris Skies”.  I just liked “Left Bank” a bit more.

Satisfactory.

Big Tiny Little and Pete Fountain- Mr New Orleans meets Mr Honky Tonk

Here is a record from two members of Lawrence Welk’s band (who was featured earlier this week).  Pianist Big Tiny Little of course stayed with Welk for some time whereas clarinetist Pete Fountain ended his stint over a solo with Fountain adding that bourbon and champagne don’t mix.  Both have been on this site before so buying this was a no brainer.  Also, this was one dollar which aided the purchase.

Released by Coral Records in 1960, a year after Fountain had left Welk.  Pretty good collection of Tin Pan Alley standards including works by Lew Pollack, Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Fats Waller, and Hoagy Carmichael among others.  Really fits the musicians well.  Both really excel on this record.  Good times.  I was quite pleased with this.

For a sample, I am still going back to my favorites and this time, here is “Limehouse Blues”.  I probably mentioned this last time I posted this song but I am still taken aback by Julie Andrew’s performance of this song in the Getrude Lawrence bio-pic Star!.  I watched it twice during Christmas.  Anyway, both musicians cut loose on this track. They really capture the spirit of the thing. I am pretty sure I posted the video below before, but I like Julie Andrew so tough.

Good little record no pun intended.  Satisfactory.

Knuckle Fingers Joe-Honky Tonk Piano

 

Here is another piece of old timey music that I bought for ….. $2?  Should have been cheaper.  I am not sure if there was a song on here that I liked or at the time of purchase I just had a thing for pian-ee.  For some reason or another I keep buying these old timey records and keep getting disappointed. And for yet another reason, I still keep on a buying them.

This came out on Custom Records, a budget label run by the Bihari Brothers, who were apparently legends in the world of budget labels.  I believe this came out some point in the sixties.  I am also pretty sure old Knuckles Joe is a studio band.I probably posted this before but to me this gag only gets slightly old.

 

Other than the old school bar room piano .  There is not much else to say about this record.  For a sample, I went with “Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight” with the slightly out of tune sound.  Almost makes you want to throw a mug of beer across the bar.

Meh.  But I will not let this deter me from future old timey purchases.