Today we start a two part series that was put together from Smithsonian Collections. This set is no longer available but it is called Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties. It was originally released as a six vinyl album set and then re-released on 4 CDs. In 1973, Smithsonian Collections released "The History of Classic Jazz". Compiled by jazz essayist and historian Martin Williams, the album featured tracks from over a dozen record labels spanning several decades and genres of American jazz, from ragtime and big band to post-bop and free jazz. But there was a flaw in this set, there wasn't any big band recordings. So to fix this, another set was released compiled by Martin Williams and Gunther Schuller that featured the Big Bands. This week I'll be playing selections from CDs one and two. There is some great music in this set and I hope you enjoy the selections. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com