In 1959, Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds made their first trip to Ace Recording Studios in Boston, Massachusetts to cut two original instrumentals: “Banshee,” written by James K. “Hap” Snow, Art Bearon, and Stefano Torossi, and “Bottoms Up,“ written by Bearon and a fellow Williams’ student with the surname D’Angelo.

Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds – “Banshee” Single (1959) Fleetwood Records

The sessions featured the four regular Whirlwinds, Bearon on piano, Harry Lewis on saxophone, Snow on lead guitar, and Torossi on drums. In addition, a bass guitar player from Williams was invited to sit in that day–yet to be confirmed is that he was the co-author of “Bottoms Up,” D’Angelo.

Fleetwood Records’ release schedule, 1959-1960

Hap Snow recalls, “the sessions took forever and ever, there were more than twenty takes [of “Banshee”] before the engineers were satisfied.” “Bottoms Up,” on the other hand, was written on the spot at the end of the 4-hour recording session. It was used for the B-side while, “Banshee,” originally known as “Macabre” in early versions, was placed on the A-side.

A video made several years ago for Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds’ “Banshee” is on YouTube: