Jazz Focus

Mainstream - more Vanguard sides featuring the Vic Dickenson Septet (with Ruby Braff, Shad Collins, Edmund Hall, Sir Charles Thompson, Steve Jordan, Walter Page, Les Erskine and Jo Jones) and the Mel Powell Septet (with Braff, Hall and Henderson Chambers)

New Music of Reginald Foresythe - original music by a true original.  The black British pianist who was known as the composer of Earl Hines' them "Deep Forest" and things like "Dodging a Divorcee" and "Serenade to a Wealthy Widow" and his very unusual arrangements for woodwinds and rhythm.  His last date in the US featured soon to be swing stars Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Toots Mondello, Hymie Schertzer and Johnny MInce!

Mel Powell on Vanguard . .great trio, quartet and quintet sessions from 1954 and 1955 featuring Ruby Braff, Paul Quinichette, Skeeter Best, Bobby Donaldson and Oscar Pettiford with the great Mel Powell on piano

WETF Show - Black and White keys . . recordings featuring pianists recorded for the Black and White label in the early and mid 1940's. ..Nat Jaffe, Cliff Jackson, Dick Cary and Gene Schroeder assisted by George Wettling, Joe Grauso and Bob Casey 

Ben Webster in the 1940's - matchless tenor sax player guesting with several groups from 1944-46 . . Tony Scott (with Dizzy Gillespie, Trummy Young), Benny Carter (Buck Clayton, Sid Catlett and Al Grey), Al Hall (Dick Vance, Clyde Hart) and Teddy Wilson (Buck Clayton).

Recordings from the mid to late 1940's led by clarinet players exploring the new Bebop sounds - Hank D'Amico (with Frankie Newton and Don Byas), Tony Scott (with Dizzy Gillespie, Trummy Young and Ben Webster), Aaron Sachs (with Gene DiNovi, Tiny Kahn, Clyde Lombardi and Terry Gibbs) and Buddy DeFranco (with Teddy Charles and Harvey Leonard)

The Basie Bunch .. recordings for Vanguard in 1957 featuring Buck Clayton, Emmett Berry, Vic Dickenson, Benny Green, Earl Warren, Lucky Thompson, Nat Pierce, Hank Jones, Freddie Green, Kenny Burrell, Walter Page, Aaron Bell, Jo Jones, and on one number, Basie himself!

The Little Ramblers - small group recordings from the California Ramblers . . Goofus Five, Little Ramblers and the Five Birmingham Babies featuring Adrian Rollini, Bobby Davis, the Dorsey Brothers, Red Nichols, Bobby Moore, Chelsea Quealy, Sam Ruby and Abe Lincoln among others - great hot jazz from the mid 1920's!

Lucky Thompson - sides recorded by the great and largely forgotten tenor sax man from 1944-54 with Hot Lips Page, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Freddie Green, Clark Terry, Slim Gaillard, Marshall Royal, Buck Clayton, Karl George, Dickie Wells, Urbie Green, Milt Jackson, Al Haig, Willie Smith, Howard McGhee . .

Three sessions focused around clarinetist Leonard "Bujie" Centobie . . George Hartman and His Orchestra with Julian Laine, Roy Zimmerman, Johnny Castaing, Vernon Brown, Frank Froeba, Jack Lesberg and George Wettling.  Mike Lo Scalzo and His Dixieland Woodchoppers with Phil Napoleon, Brad Gowans, Chuck Wayne and Tony Spargo.