Sessionography 1941
1941
April 30, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band and guest artists
Personnel: Hot Lips Page, Joe Guy, Benny Harris (tps), Herbie Fields (cl/ts) Thelonious Monk (p) Nick Fenton (b) Kenny Clarke (d)
1. Sweet Lorraine Xanadu 107
2. My Melancholy Baby Xanadu 107
3. Don’t Let the Doorknob Hitcha Unreleased
Notes: Xanadu 107 is titled Joe Guy, Trumpet battle at Minton’s. The first two tracks also released on Thelonious Monk, After Hours at Minton’s (Definitive DRCD11197); Thelonious Monk, The Early Thelonious Monk (Moon MCD 086)
************************************************************
April/May, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band, featuring Hot Lips Page
Personnel: Hot Lips Page (tp), Joe Guy (tp) unknown, possibly Jimmy Wright (ts) Thelonious Monk (p) poss Nick Fenton (b) poss Kenny Clarke (d)
1. Baby Lips Xanadu 123
2. Topsy Onyx ORI207
Notes: Xanadu 123 is titled, Harry Sweets Edison and Hot Lips Page, Sweets, Lips and lots of Jazz; Onyx OR1207 is Hot Lips Page, After Hours in Harlem.
************************************************************
May 4, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band, featuring Hot Lips Page
Personnel: Hot Lips Page (tp), Joe Guy (tp/vcl), Thelonious Monk (p), Lloyd “Tiny” Grimes (g), Nick Fenton (b), Kenny Clarke (d). Add Sammy Davis and Kermit Scott (ts) on “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
1. Nice Work if You Can Get It Xanadu 112
2. I’ve Found a New Baby Unissued
3. Sweet Georgia Brown Onyx ORI207
Notes: The two released titles on Thelonious Monk, After Hours at Minton’s (Definitive DRCD11197) and The Early Thelonious Monk (Moon MCD 086).
************************************************************
May 4, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band, featuring Roy Eldridge
Personnel: Roy Eldridge (tp), Joe Guy (tp/vcl), Sammy Davis (ts), Al Sears (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Nick Fenton (b), Kenny Clarke (d)
1. Honeysuckle Rose Xanadu 123
2. Rear Back [vcl – Guy] Unreleased
3. Body and Soul [incomplete] Unreleased
************************************************************
May 8, 1941
Place: Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band and guest artists
Personnel: Joe Guy, Hot Lips Page (tp) Kermit Scott, Don Byas (ts) Thelonious Monk (p) Charlie Christian (g) Nick Fenton (b) Kenny Clarke (d). Add Rudy Williams (as) on “Stompin’ at the Savoy.”
1. Up on Teddy’s Hill Esoteric 548
2. Down on Teddy’s Hill Esoteric 548
3. Stompin’ at the Savoy Unreleased
Notes: Esoteric 548 is titled Harlem Jazz. The label was launched by Jerry Newman who made these recordings in the first place. The first two titles also appeared on Live Sessions At Minton’s (Everest FS 219) and The Great Dizzy Gillespie (Society SOC996)
************************************************************
May 12, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City
Minton’s House Band, featuring Charlie Christian
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp) Thelonious Monk (p) Charlie Christian (g) Nick Fenton (b) Kenny Clarke (d)
1. Stompin’ at the Savoy Esoteric 548
2. Topsy [Charlie’s choice] Esoteric 548
Notes: These titles also released on Charlie Christian/Dizzy Gillespie, 1941: Historical Performances (Vogue 600135).
************************************************************
May 18, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City
Minton’s House Band
Personnel: Joe Guy, Hot Lips Page (tp) Sammy Davis (ts) Thelonious Monk (p) Nick Fenton (b) Harold “Doc” West (d).
1. The Shiek of Araby Unreleased
2. Rose Room Unreleased
************************************************************
May 20 or 21, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City
Minton’s House Band, featuring Don Byas and Helen Humes
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp), Don Byas (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Helen Humes (vcl) (1), unknown tenor sax and bass; Kenny Clarke or, possibly Harold “Doc” West (d).
1. Stardust (1) Onyx ORI-208
2. Exactly Like You (1) Onyx ORI-208
3. I Can’t Give You Anything but Love Onyx ORI-208
4. Indiana Onyx ORI-208
Notes: Onyx ORI-208 titled Don Byas, Midnight at Minton’s.
************************************************************
May 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp), possibly Hot Lips Page or Vic Coulsen (tp) Kermit Scott (ts), Thelonious Monk (p) Charlie Christian (g) Nick Fenton (b) Kenny Clarke (d)
1. Rhythm-a-ning Xanadu 107
Notes: This title first appeared as “Meet Dr. Christian.”
************************************************************
June/July 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City
Minton’s House Band
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp/vcl), Al Sears (ts-1), Thelonious Monk (p), Nick Fenton (b), Kenny Clarke (d), Viola Jefferson (vcl), Duke Groner (vcl).
1. Theme [Epistrophy]
2. The Sheik of Araby (1)
3. Mean to me (1)
4. I got rhythm (1) (vcl – Jefferson)
5. Theme [Epistrophy] (1)
6. Theme [Epistrophy]
7. Indiana (1)
8. I’ve found a new baby (1)
9. Theme [Epistrophy] (1)
10. Theme [Epistrophy]
11. Sweet Georgia Brown
12. Everything happens to me (vcl – Groner)
13. Rear Back (vcl – Guy)
14. Meet Dr. Christian [Rhythm-a-ning]
15. I Understand (vcl – Groner)
16. Topsy
17. Theme [Epistrophy]
Notes: All titles unreleased; recording made by Jerry Newman for a Columbia University Radio Club broadcast, located in archives of WKCR – Columbia University.
************************************************************
June/July, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp) Thelonious Monk (p) Nick Fenton (b) Kenny Clarke (d). Add Al Sears (ts) on “Down, Down, Down.”
1. I Got Rhythm [Rhythm Riff]* Xanadu 112
2. Down, Down, Down Xanadu 112
3. I Found a Million Dollar Baby Xanadu 112
Notes: Xanadu 112 titled Joe Guy, Harlem Odyssey. All titles also on Thelonious Monk, After Hours at Minton’s (Definitive DRCD11197)
*The title written on the original acetate made by Jerry Newman was “Monkin’ the Blues”
************************************************************
June/July 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City
Minton’s House Band, featuring Roy Eldridge
Personnel: Roy Eldridge, Joe Guy (tp) poss. Herbie Fields (ts) Thelonious Monk (p) poss Nick Fenton (b) Kenny Clarke (d). Add possibly Sammy Davis on tenor on “Indiana.”
1. Indiana Xanadu 123
2. Body and Soul Xanadu 123
Notes: Also released on Thelonious Monk, After Hours at Minton’s (Definitive DRCD11197)
************************************************************
June/July, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City.
Minton’s House Band
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp), Jerry Newman (tb), Herbie Fields (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Nick Fenton (b), unknown (d)
1. I Surrender Dear Unreleased
************************************************************
Spring/Summer, 1941
Minton’s Playhouse, New York City
Minton’s House Band
Personnel: Joe Guy (tp), poss. Herbie Fields (cl, ts), Thelonious Monk (p) Nick Fenton (b) poss Harold “Doc” West (d).
1. You’re a Lucky Guy Xanadu 112
Notes: Also released on Thelonious Monk, After Hours at Minton’s (Definitive DRCD11197)