Jazz Focus

The early version of the classic Moten orchestra recording for Victor - featuring Lammar Wright, Ed Lewis, Paul Webster, Thamon Hayes, Harlan Leonard, Jack Washington, Woodie Walder, Sam Tall, Leroy Berry, Vernon Page and Willie McWashington with the leader on piano - some great territory jazz that became an early prototype of the Basie band of the 1930's.

Two (or possibly four) sessions with the young boppers, probably aimed at the jukebox market.  Both sessions feature the vibes of Milt Jackson and piano of Will Davis . . the McGhee date for Savoy features the trumpet playing standards and originals with Jimmy Heath on alto and bari and Percy Heath.  The Stitt session features the alto player in Detroit playing a series of very short tracks with Jackson, Davis and a local group but with particularly outstanding saxophone playing!

Great band sides with Hawkins for Keynote and Signature in 1943 and 44 featuring Bill Coleman, Andy Fitzgerald, Ellis Larkins, Jimmy Shirley, Teddy Wilson, Buck Clayton and Roy Eldridge with superb tenor sax playing from the leader at his peak!

Harlan Leonard played lead alto sax for Benny Moten from 1924-1931 and then started his own band with Thamon Hayes.  By 1939 Leonard had taken it over completely and had developed a group on the tradition of Moten and Basie, but with progressive tendencies demonstrated by the first arrangements of Tadd Dameron and outstanding playing by tenor saxophonist Henry Bridges and particularly trombonist Fred Beckett, who was cited as an important influence by J.J. Johnson later . . 

Great big band resident at the Dreamland Ballroom in Chicago during the 1920's featuring Freddie Keppard, Jimmy Noone, Joe Poston, Johnny St. Cyr, Andrew Hillaire, Fred Garland and others playing some hot but sophisticated dance music from the Jazz Age!

The long series of recordings for Victor and Bluebird led by Lionel Hampton featured a wide array of black and white jazz musicians of the period - here we focus on those including members of the Duke Ellington band - Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Rex Stewart, Cootie Williams, Sonny Greer and Billy Taylor along with Buster Bailey, Edgar Sampson, Jess Stacy, Allan Reuss, Cozy Cole and Clyde Hart . .all featuring the leader on vibes, piano, drums and vocals!

Great recordings done for Concord (live and in studio) in Tokyo in the twilight of the singer Maxine Sullivan's career - superb versions of standards and not-so-standards backed by one of the great young groups of the period - Scott Hamilton, John Bunch, Chris Flory, Phil Flanagan, Chuck Riggs

Great early recordings for Pathe and Perfect by Annette Hanshaw - one of the first "crooners" of Tin Pan Alley tunes . . accompanied by Vic Berton, Adrian Rollini, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Jimmy Lytell, Irving Brodsky and Rube Bloom

The great New Orleans clarinet and soprano sax player Bechet leading some small groups for RCA Victor in 1940 and 1941 - great arrangements of both standards and originals featuring Red Allen, Gus Aiken, Sidney DeParis, Henry Goodwin, Sandy Williams, J.C. Higginbotham, Vic Dickenson, Lem Johnson, Cliff Jackson, Don Donaldson, James Tolliver, Bernard Addison, Wilson Myers, Wellman Braud, Manzie Johnson, J.C Heard and Sid Catlett among others . . 

The Bennie Moten band was the primary African-American band in Kansas City and the Oklahoma, St. Louis and Chicago regions for almost the entirety of the 1920's . . here we have their first recordings for OKeh and first two for Victor, chronically their development from 1923's New Orleans-styled group to the almost Fletcher Henderson sound of 1926 featuring Woodie Walder on clarinet, Lammar Wright on cornet, Thamon Hayes on trombone, Harlan Leonard on alto and Moten himself on piano.