I Know What You're Puttin' Down

Louis Jordan recorded I Know What Youre Puttin Down in New York on October 10 1946 with his Tympany Five, including Carl Hogan on guitar, Wild Bill Davis on piano, Jesse Simpkins on bass, Joe Morris on drums, and James Wright on tenor saxophone. The Decca session paired Jordans vocal and alto saxophone with the bands compact jump-band arrangement. Released by Decca in May 1947, the single appeared with Jack Youre Dead and extended Jordans mid-1940s run of hitmaking small-band records. Its comic lyric, punchy phrasing, and tight horn-led backing fit the sound that made Jordan one of the dominant rhythm and blues performers of the decade. I Know What Youre Puttin Down remained part of Jordans postwar Decca catalogue through reissues and film-related compilations. The song also documents the crossover between his record work and screen appearances around Reet Petite and Gone.