The Hi-De-Ho Man [Rev-Ola]

• Artist: Cab Calloway
• Rating:
• Release Date: 2006
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Jazz

Review

Similar in some ways to a fabulous 1974 Columbia double LP bearing the same title, yet typical of many Internet-age reissue compilations, this grab bag of mid- to late-period Cab Calloway material comes with vintage posters, publicity photographs, and an informative biographical essay but no discographical information whatsoever. That means no recording dates, no personnel, no real context for where, when, or for which labels these recordings were made. Listeners who know nothing about Cab Calloway can now experience a smattering of his flashiest performances on the same superficial level as the record-buying public of the 1940s. Calloway himself would probably approve of this approach, since only passing reference is made to the presence of great instrumentalists like Dizzy Gillespie. Opening with a 1942 remake of his magnum hit, "Minnie the Moocher," this 26-track sampler touches upon some of Calloway's most inspired and a few of his more hackneyed moments on record, mingling hepcat masterpieces like "Two Blocks Down, Turn to the Left" and a smart rendition of Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" with Tennessee Ernie Ford's rockabilly-flavored "Shot Gun Boogie" and Sidney Lippman's misogynistic charade entitled "Your Voice." The best moments occur when Calloway digs into a number that he really enjoys, like "Hey Now! Hey Now!," "A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But a Bird," or "Everybody Eats When They Come to My House." His sophisticated interaction with a smooth vocal group billed as the Cabaliers on "I Want to Rock" and the quasi-operatic outbursts that open and close "The Hi-De-Ho Man" are superb. Historical oddities included here are a hotdog-simple tribute to Joe Louis and a musical segment from the 1943 motion picture Stormy Weather entitled "Geechie Joe." ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Minnie the Moocher (Lyrics)	Cab Calloway, Irving Mills, Clarence Gaskill	Cab Calloway	(3:15)
Your Voice		Cab Calloway	(2:38)
The Hi-De-Ho Man	Cab Calloway, Buster Harding	Cab Calloway	(3:00)
Everybody Eats When They Come to My House (Lyrics)	Jeanne Burns	Cab Calloway	(2:45)
Foo a Little Bally-Hoo	Cab Calloway, Buster Harding	Cab Calloway	(3:01)
Two Blocks Down, Turn to the Left	Dick Rogers, Freddy James	Cab Calloway	(3:13)
Boo Wah! Boo Wah!	Larry Clinton, Buster Harding	Cab Calloway	(2:47)
One for My Baby	Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer	Cab Calloway	(3:20)
Are You All Reet?	Cab Calloway	Cab Calloway	(3:03)
Que Pasa Chica?	Dave Rivera	Cab Calloway	(2:32)
The Calloway Boogie	Cab Calloway	Cab Calloway	(3:03)
Ol' Joe Louis	Cy Coben	Cab Calloway	(2:33)
Frosty Morning		Cab Calloway	(2:36)
Come on with the "Come On"	Cab Calloway	Cab Calloway	(2:54)
The Jungle King	Willie Dixon	Cab Calloway	(3:15)
The Honeydripper	Joe Liggins	Cab Calloway	(2:55)
Roomin' House Boogie	Jessie Mae Robinson	Cab Calloway	(3:23)
Hey Now! Hey Now!	Cab Calloway, Elton Hill	Cab Calloway	(2:54)
I Beeped When I Shoulda Bopped	Bernie Wayne, Paul Brenner	Cab Calloway	(2:36)
I Want to Rock	Larry Clinton, Buster Harding	Cab Calloway	(2:48)
Are You Hep to the Jive? (Lyrics)	Cab Calloway, Buck Ram	Cab Calloway	(2:48)
Shot Gun Boogie	Ernest J. Ford	Cab Calloway	(2:48)
A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But a Bird	Babe Wallace	Cab Calloway	(2:51)
Oh! Gram'pa	Cab Calloway	Cab Calloway	(3:02)
San Francisco Fan	Sammy Mysels	Cab Calloway	(3:20)
Geechie Joe [From Stormy Weather]	Cab Calloway	Cab Calloway	(3:19)

Credits

Dave Penny (Producer), Dave Penny (Liner Notes), Joe Foster (Synthesizer), Joe Foster (Producer), Andy Morten (Artwork), Andy Morten (Design), Richard Taiter (Synthesizer)