JIMMY BINKLEY
By : http://www.youtube.com/user/althazarr?feature=watch
Recorded in 1953. From the personal collection of Anthony Barcia. Thanks! In February, Chance did a session with the Jimmy Binkley Jazz Quintet (tenor sax, piano, bass, drums, and congas/bongos). According to Allan Roberts, Jimmy Binkley was a pianist in the Erroll Garner tradition. James H. Binkley was born in April 1930. He was on the Chicago scene in the late 1940s, but worked only sporadically as a leader; for instance, he did a 3-day stint at Club Maramba (better known for its bar-walking tenor saxophonists) in early April 1950 (contract accepted and filed by Musicians Union Local 208 on April 6). On October 19, 1950, he posted an indefinite contract at the Caldonia Club; in December he showed up at Joe's Rendezvous (indefinite contract posted on December 7; another indefinite followed on March 15, 1951, and still another on April 5). In August 1951, he moved to Club Evergreen (whose indefinite contract with Jimmy "Binkly" was accepted and filed by Local 208 on August 16, 1951).
1951 also saw Jimmy Binkley's first recording opportunity. He cut four sides for Aladdin in Chicago: Aladdin 3193 consisted of "Night Lite" b/w "Hot Smoke" under his own name, and on Aladdin 3194 his band backed blues singer Harold Burrage on "Sweet Brown Gal" b/w "Way Down Boogie." These featured the booting tenor sax work that was usually featured on Binkley's recordings, less often on his nighly gigs.
In June 1952 Binkley showed up at Joe's Rendezvous again (indefinite contract accepted and filed on June 19, followed by another on August 21). In late September, Binkley took up at the Brass Rail in the Loop (indefinite contract posted on October 2, followed up by one for another 4 weeks on December 4). In February 1953, he was at the Capitol Lounge (2 week contract posted on February 19; a 3-week extension was posted on March 5). Probably done while he was at the Capitol Lounge, the Chance session was Binkley's second recording opportunity.
The only performer besides the leader to be identified on the Chance labels is the drummer, George Green, who also contributed uptown blues vocals to two sides. (Binkley himself led the singing on "Hey, Hey, Sugar Ray.") However, the only instrumental on the date, "Midnite Wail," is credited to Binkley, Harris, and Mitchell. So we figure that Dave Mitchell was the tenor saxophonist on the date, and Tommy Mitchell, usually a drummer, contributed the additional percussion. (Otherwise, the band wouldn't have been a quintet). It's also possible that Eldee Young was the bassist (see below).
The Binkley session was one of the few that Sheridan actually recalled, perhaps because he claims some input into it. Said he, "I remember writing 'Finance Man.' We did a session with three other tunes and we were short a side. In the old days you would do four sides, and it wasn't uncommon then to write a blues on the spot, so I wrote 'Finance Man.'" Sheridan obviously remembered the recent Willie Mabon hit, "I Don't Know," because he lifts certain patterns directly from it. Bill Putnam, the decidedly non-blues-oriented proprietor of Universal Recording, managed to get cut in on the composer credits.
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