Louisiana, Fidgety Feet and Maple Leaf Rag – 1956
Red Nichols and his Five Pennies
The cornetist and his band play 3 numbers
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Although much of the music on his popular television series was on the corny side, Lawrence Welk always liked Dixieland and occasionally featured guest players for a number or two.
On Dec. 29, 1956 before a live audience, Welk presented Red Nichols and the Five Pennies for three songs.
Nichols had been one of the busiest and most significant musicians during the second half of the 1920s, appearing on a countless number of recordings.
After a period out of the spotlight, he made a major comeback in the late 1940s that continued until his death in 1965 and even included the semi-fictional Hollywood film The Five Pennies in which he was portrayed by Danny Kaye.
Here he is in 1956 with his Five Pennies (trombonist King Jackson, clarinetist Bill Wood, pianist Al Stevenson, drummer Ronnie Culver, and the brilliant bass saxophonist Joe Rushton) playing enthusiastic versions of “Louisiana,” “Fidgety Feet” (with the Welk Orchestra), and “Maple Leaf Rag.”
-Scott Yanow
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