Jazz Focus

Great white dance band that recorded prolifically for many companies under many pseudonyms. Featuring soon-to-be stars Johnny Mince on clarinet, Pee Wee Erwin on trumpet, Dick Clark on tenor sax, Mike Doty on alto and Ward Silloway and Les Jenkins on trombones, the real centerpieces were the leader's arrangements, which were terrific examples of the early swing style.

Early British Trad - The beginnings of the traditional jazz boom in England - New Orleans-styled dixieland by Freddy Mirfield's Garbage Men, Freddy Randall and His Band and George Webb's Dixielanders . .Wally Fawkes, Humphrey Lyttleton, Al Mead, Johnny Dankworth, Bruce Turner . . great hot sounds by young musicians!

The great trumpeter and tenor saxophonist were on tour with Benny Goodman's Sextet (which never recorded) in the spring of 1950 and were engaged, singly and together, for three recording dates for Vogue. Joined by Goodman bandmates Dick Hyman and Ed Shaughnessy on one session and Gerald Wiggins and Kenny Clarke on the other two (with Pierre Michelot on all sides), Eldridge and Sims created a prototype for mainstream jazz!

Great trio sides with Freeman's tenor sax backed by Jess Stacy and George Wettling in a series of sides for Commodore in 1938 and 1939. Along with that are the two sides by "Four of the Bobcats" from Bob Crosby's band - Eddie Miller, Bob Zurke, Bob Haggart and Ray Bauduc. If that weren't enough - there is Freeman's comic skit "Private Jives" with Everett Sloan and Gertrude Lawrence . . .

The first regular band Chick Webb had at the Savoy Ballroom before Ella Fitzgerald joined. Taft Jordan, Bobby Stark, Sandy Williams, Pete Clark, Edgar Sampson, Elmer Williams, Joe Steele, Don Kirkpatrick, John Truehart, John Kirby and Webb himself created some classic big band sounds largely directed by the compositions and arrangements by Sampson. Records for Columbia, OKeh, Decca.

Great Capitol recordings from a fairly unheralded period in Ellington's career. These show his abilities as a soloist - accompanied by bass and drums he has free reign to interpret his own works (some standard, some not) and one magnificent version of "All The Things You Are" from 1957.

James P. Johnson solos - Great solo piano recordings by the great Harlem Stride master from 1921-1930. Several standards and pop tunes, but mostly originals by Johnson!

Great band that made numerous LPs for Decca from 1951-58 organized around themes - Jelly Roll Morton, Ragtime, King Oliver, ODJB, etc. Featuring the core members - Yank Lawson, Lou McGarity, Bill Stegmeyer, Lou Stein, Bob Haggart and Cliff Leeman, the group was occasionally expanded by Peanuts Hucko, Cutty Cutshall, Billy Butterfield, Bud Freeman and George Barnes - a selection of their dixieland and swing work!

The flute wasn't a prominent instrument in jazz or dance bands before the 1950's, but here are some excellent outliers . . the Cuban Albert Socarras recorded with Bennett's Swamplanders, Lizzie Miles and Clarence Williams (with Ed Allen, King Oliver, Arville Harris and Cyrus St. Clair) and Wayman Carver was with Benny Carter, Spike Hughes, Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald (Taft Jordan, Red Allen, Bobby Stark, Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry, Teddy McCrae, Don Kirkpatrick, Teddy Wilson, Sid Catlett and others) and as a bonus, Charles Frazier with Willie Bryant's Orchestra.