Journeyman string bassist Leonard Gaskin was on the jazz scene for close to sixty years, from the inception of bebop to the mainstream sounds of the 1980s. In addition to being an outstanding musician, Gaskin was also an artist who was very aware of his importance in jazz, and the importance of jazz to American culture. Today we share some of his perceptions about this Soundie, one that I sent him of a VHS tape many years ago.
Gaskin viewed a reel of “Skeets” Tolbert Soundies and he responded enthusiastically, thrilled to see trumpet player Leonard Hawkins and string bassist Ebeneezer Paul on screen. Leonard commented, “These were two good friends who I used to jam with, play with regularly, out in Brooklyn. Neither is as well-known as they should be, and Leonard was out of the music by the 1950s. The pianist is also very familiar, his first name is Bob. [Bob Harley]. The funny thing is how they picture a nightclub in Harlem. I mean, there were some pretty fancy clubs, but most were not as well appointed, shall we say, as the one you see on screen here. Or maybe it’s just that I played in too many dives.”
Campbell “Skeets” Tolbert had been active in jazz since the early 1930s. By the following decade he had developed a rapid staccato style similar to that of Pete Brown, one that we often refer to as “jump blues.” In 1940, he signed a contract with Decca Records, and the company released more than 40 recordings as “Skeets Tolbert and his Gentlemen of Rhythm.” By 1944, Tolbert had a totally new set of sidemen, and he was playing clubs in Harlem and Brooklyn. His featured trumpet player, Leonard Hawkins, is present on a large number of early bebop recordings, among them Dexter Gordon’s first sides under his own name.
As Leonard mentioned, the nightclub set here is very well appointed, and director William Forest Crouch finds a nice balance between the band and the featured dancer. The opening credits note that “Rosemary” graces the Panoram screen. But as Jeannie Bayer, Soundie dancer and friend, pointed out, “No, that’s not Rosemary. Don’t know who Rosemary might be. That’s my friend Brownie Davis.” Regardless of the strange miscredit on screen, Brownie Davis does not get in the way and adds some glamour to the Soundie … and to the jump blues performance of Tolbert’s band. Come to think of it, Tolbert is a pretty fine vocalist as well.