Hoagy Carmichael & Bix Beiderbecke: Barnacle Bill the Sailor

Records hardly get stranger than this. An integrated, all-star cast convenes to record a tune most of them thought was beyond stupid. In fact, Bix later told a friend he had had no idea the side would even be released. But release it RCA-Victor did a Depression was on, after all despite the fact that the musicians, led by trickster Joe Venuti, happily inserted profanity into the chorus. Bix, already a veteran of rehab, had been a stranger to the studio since fainting during a session the previous Fall. His 20-bar solo begins triumphantly and then ends, like his life soon would, a total mess. That Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman would take over for a turn that is tight and remarkably accomplished well, that just makes sense.