Clancy Hayes
was best known for playing banjo and singing in various Dixieland Revival bands like
Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band
and
Firehouse Five Plus Two
, though he did record a few solo albums as well.
Hayes
, who died from cancer in 1972, was a bit of an archivist, recording himself on an early reel-to-reel tape recorder unaccompanied, with various musicians in clubs or during broadcasts, though these tapes lay forgotten for decades after his passing. Fortunately, they were examined and restored as much as possible, with some limitations given that some of the source material was paper- backed magnetic tape. But
fans will enjoy hearing his unaccompanied originals like
"George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S., Robert E. Lee,"
singing and playing guitar, while he also plays ragtime piano, banjo, drums, and washboard elsewhere in this compilation.
' vocals are always warm and friendly, conveying each song in a rather informal manner. There are several so-called
Tune Termites
broadcasts from 1939, with
playing drums with brushes and alternating between singing and narrating in the novelty boogie-woogie
"It's Been a Month of Sundays Since I Saw You Saturday Night,"
accompanied by pianist
Glenn Hurlburt
. The collection ends with two original piano rags played by
that he recorded after having his cancerous jaw removed. Hopefully additional volumes in this series will appear in the future. ~ Ken Dryden