The Jonah Jones Quartet “I Dig Chicks!”

Though Jonah Jones made over 30 records, I seem to see (in affordable bins) the ones from the Fifties (this, from 1959) more than the ones from the Sixties—maybe they released more of the older ones—on Capitol—for that late Fifties, sunken rec-room, hi-fi crowd. I love the theme records, like one I already covered—songs from the movies. This one, even better, is (mostly) all songs with women’s names as titles: “Rosetta,” “Linda,” “Louise,” “Judy,” “Lillette,” “Chlo-E” (interesting spelling of that one—a couple songs are not spelled the same on the album cover and the label), “Cecilia,” “Tangerine,” “Marchetta,” and to mix it up a little, “Mandy, Make Up Your Mind.” And, “Blue Lou”—which I assume refers to a woman, and not fellow horn player “Blue Lou” Marini (who is a man, and was not yet of legal age at the time of this recording). Jonah Jones plays a mean (if jaunty) trumpet—and sings on some of the numbers (generally my favorites). Also, included, the first song, “I Dig Chicks,” which serves as a kind of intro. Just in case you’re about to be offended by the too-literal album cover photo—an enormous “excavator” (not to be confused with a backhoe—which would have been problematic because of a somewhat similar, offensive, annual calendar: “Backhoes and Hoes”)—hoisting, in the air, four (white) women—all fully dressed (though it almost doesn’t matter, getting-the-point-wise)—the back cover takes great pains to insist that the title really refers to cute little baby chickens—by featuring several (19! Believe it or else!) cute baby chicken cartoon drawings—one hatching right out of its egg! There is only one song, here, that I was previously familiar with—the instrumental version of “Tangerine”—which I knew, from Sinatra’s version, is about a woman, not citrus fruit—though it was later used to advertise “Figurines diet bars” (which I found quite delicious, back when). “Cecilia” is not the Simon & Garfunkel song (none of that “getting up to wash my face” nonsense), but rather, it’s an older, more innocent song in which Jonah Jones sings: “Does your mother know you’re out, Cecilia?” And, “How ’bout a little kiss?” Definitely hatching baby cartoon chicken territory—still a good song.

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