Don Redman's Orchestra: Mickey Finn (1946)

Mickey Finn
written by Don Redman
performed by Don Redman's Orchestra
recorded 29 January 1946
released as Swan 7501 in May 1946

Don Redman, Bernie Peacock - alto saxes
Don Byas - tenor sax
Oran "Hot Lips" Page, Dick Vance, Harold "Money" Johnson - trumpets
Henderson Chambers - trombone
Bob Wyatt - piano
Cozy Cole - drums
all other personnel is unknown

This is one of two releases by Don Redman on a fairly obscure label. As a matter of fact, these recordings were so rare that the Classics label missed these titles (or simply couldn't find them to include them) when they were releasing the Chronological recordings of Don Redman!

An ad in the 25 May 1946 Billboard magazine lists 9 releases (7501-9) on Swan and one on the Pick-Up label (1001), both located at 1600 Broadway in New York. This was their first release. The earliest mention was from 23 March, under the Pick-Up banner, in an article about new disc making firms. They placed an ad in the 22 June issue advertising a new release (7510). And, finally an ad in the 14 December issue for two releases by The Stardusters (8000-1). They were still listed, in Billboard, as a "disk maker" on 31 May 1947 and, again, 24 January 1948. So, that makes one release on Pick-Up and 12 on Swan, all released between March and December 1946.

As for this recording, Hot Lips Page has the blistering solo after Cozy Cole makes room, of course!