Jazz From the Hills is an album by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins

Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...

 and The Country All-Stars. It is a reissue of sessions from 1952-1956.

History

Atkins formed a number of studio bands as his leadership in the RCA studios of Nashville began to take shape in the early 50's. Built on the nucleus of Atkins and Homer & Jethro (who played on many of his early recordings), the Country All-Stars included other session musicians depending on who was available. Jerry Byrd

Jerry Byrd

Gerald Lester "Jerry" Byrd was an American musician who played Lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music.-Career:...

, who for two years played duets with Chet on the WSM radio show "Two Guitars", recalls that they recorded between sessions. "It was another way to make $41.00! That was the session scale back then."

The first All-Stars recordings began in 1952 in Nashville with Atkins, Homer & Jethro, Jerry Byrd and bassist Ernie Newton. The second session included bassist Charles Grean and fiddler Dale Potter. In 1953 the All Stars found themselves at a session in New York and found time to record again. A Chicago session, minus Atkins, was recorded in 1953 with Homer & Jethro, Rulle, Rubenstein and Frigo. Another New York session in 1956 included Atkins, Homer & Jethro, Grean, Davis, Goldberg and Barnes. The songs from that session were never released until Jazz From the Hills.

In later interviews, Atkins was critical of his playing in the sessions. He stated: "I was real ignorant musically in those days, and just played with a lot of fire because I didn't know any better."

Originally released in 1953 as a 10-inch vinyl record titled String Dustin', the record showcased Atkins, Henry "Homer" Haynes, Ken "Jethro" Burns, Jerry Byrd and Dale Potter playing older pop and jazz material. The record, as with all All Star recordings, received little promotion from RCA.

The re-issue includes the original vinyl record release plus additional tracks that include the 1956 session with jazz guitarist George Barnes

George Barnes (musician)

George Barnes was a world-renowned swing jazz guitarist, who claimed he played the first electric guitar in 1931, preceding Charlie Christian by six years. George Barnes made the first recording of an electric guitar in 1938 in sessions with Big Bill Broonzy.-Biography:George Barnes was born in...

. (Barnes played rhythm guitar on the original demos Atkins did for RCA in 1947.) The extensive song-by-song liner notes are by music historian and journalist Rich Kienzle, based on new interviews with Atkins, Byrd, Jethro Burns and Dale Potter. A detailed discography is included.

Side one

1. "Marie" (Berlin) - 2:38
2. "In a Little Spanish Town" (Lewis, Young, Wayne) - 2:47
3. "When It's Darkness on the Delta" (Levinson, Symes
   Marty Symes
   Marty Symes was an American lyricist.Symes was born in Brooklyn New York in 1904. His first significant collaborator was composer Jerry Livingston. In 1932 they wrote "Darkness on the Delta", which became a hit for Mildred Bailey. The next year the Casa Loma Orchestra recorded their "Under the...
   
   , Neiburg
   Al J. Neiburg
   Allen J. Neiburg was an American lyricist. He was born on 22 November 1902 in St. Albans, Vermont and received his education at Boston University. He is known for writing lyrics for such songs as "I'm Confessin' " , "It's the Talk of the Town" and "Under a Blanket of Blue"...
   
   ) - 2:46
4. "Sweet Georgia Brown
   Sweet Georgia Brown
   "Sweet Georgia Brown" is a jazz standard and pop tune written in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey .The tune was first recorded on March 19, 1925 by bandleader Ben Bernie, resulting in a five-week No. 1 for Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra...
   
   " (Bernie, Casey, Pinkard) - 3:01

Side two

1. "The Lady in Red
   The Lady in Red (Allie Wrubel song)
   The Lady in Red is a 1935 song with lyrics by Mort Dixon and music by Allie Wrubel.- In Caliente and beyond :It is a Latin-sounding tune featured in the soundtrack of the 1935 film In Caliente. The song took on a life of its own, becoming a staple of Warner Bros...
   
   " (Dixon, Wrubel) - 2:03
2. "Stompin' at the Savoy
   Stompin' at the Savoy
   "Stompin' at the Savoy" is a 1934 jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson. It is named after the Savoy Ballroom.Although the song is credited to Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and Edgar Sampson, and the lyrics by Andy Razaf, in reality the music was written and arranged for Chick Webb's band by...
   
   " (Sampson, Goodman, Webb) - 2:48
3. "Midnight Train" (Atkins, Burns) - 2:42
4. "Indiana March" (composer unknown) - 2:38

CD Track Listing: (Bear Family (BCD-15728AH) release Jazz From the Hills)

1. "Stompin' at the Savoy" (Sampson, Goodman, Webb) - 2:48
2. "Tennessee Rag" (Atkins) - 2:26
3. "Do Something" (Green, Stept) - 2:37 (Homer Haynes - vocals)
4. "My Little Girl" (Van Tilzer, Lewis, Dillon) - 2:21
5. "It Goes Like This (That Funny Melody)" (Caesar, Friend) - 2:25 (Jethro Burns - vocals)
6. "Midnight Train" (Atkins, Burns) - 2:42
7. "What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You) (Pee, Grier, Tomlin, Hatch) - 2:20 (Homer Haynes - vocals)
8. "Marie" (Berlin) - 2:38
9. "Fiddle Patch" (Potter) - 2:20
10. "Fiddle Sticks" (Potter) - 2:06
11. "In a Little Spanish Town" (Lewis, Young, Wayne) - 2:47
12. "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Bernie, Casey, Pinkard) - 3:01
13. "The Lady in Red" (Dixon, Wrubel) - 2:03
14. "When It's Darkness on the Delta" (Levinson, Symes, Neiberg) - 2:46
15. "Indiana March (master)" (composer unknown) - 2:38
16. "The Vacation Train" (Smith, Korsen) - 2:14
17. "Indiana March (take 1)" (composer unknown) - 2:34
18. "Song of the Wanderer (Where Shall I Go)" (Moret) - 2:15
19. "Royal Garden Blues
    Royal Garden Blues
    "Royal Garden Blues" is a blues song composed by Clarence and Spencer Williams in 1919. Popularized in jazz by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, it has since been recorded by numerous artists and has become a jazz standard...
    
    (master)" (Williams, Williams) - 2:22
20. "I'll See You in My Dreams" (Jones, Kahn) - 2:44
21. "Royal Garden Blues (take 1)" (Williams, Williams) - 2:16

Personnel

• Chet Atkins - guitar (except "Vacation Train")
• Henry "Homer" Haynes - guitar, vocals
• George Barnes - guitar (on "Song of the Wanderer", "Royal Garden Blues", "I'll See You in My Dreams")
• Ken "Jethro" Burns - mandolin, vocals, guitar on "Vacation Train"
• Jerry Byrd - lap steel, vocals
• Dale Potter - fiddle
• Charles Grean - bass
• Bob Davis - piano
• Johnny Frigo - bass
• Ernest "Ernie" Newton - bass
• Marty Rubenstein - piano
• Frank Rulle- drums
• Irving Goldberg - drums