Jazz Focus

Sidney Bechet in Paris 1949, 52 and 57 . . all sessions featuring Bechet on soprano as the only horn, with Lil Armstrong, Zutty Singleton, Eddie Bernard, Pierre Michelot, Kenny Clarke, Al Leavitt, Martial Solal

Swedish Jazz - recordings made in Sweden by jazz players influenced by late swing and early bop musicians - Lars Gullin, Arne Domnerus and many others

Woodlore - Phil Woods' first recordings!  1954-57 with the Hall Overton Quartet, George Wallington Quartet, Jimmy Raney Quintet and the first under his own name (featuring the pre-Star Wars John Williams on piano!).  Also with Kenny Dorham, John Wilson, Knobby Totah, Nick Stabulas, Teddy Kotick.

Jack Teagarden - recordings for Period and Decca in the mid 1950's just after he put together his own Dixieland Sextet - featuring Jimmy McPartland, Fred Greenleaf, Dick Cary, Charlie Teagarden, Ed Hall, Kenny Davern, Jay St. John, Norma Teagarden, Carl Kress, Walter Page, Ray Bauduc, and Jo Jones

Echoes of Ellington - 1976 concert by Chris Barber's Jazz and Blues Band featuring Russell Procope and Wild Bill Davis . . also with Pat Halcox, John Slaughter and John Crocker.  Great British trad band that had branched out into blues and swing and is here presenting some of the finest solo work by Procope and Davis.

Eddie South . . recordings in the late 1930's and 40's of the "Dark Angel of the Violin" - mostly with his own trio and quartet but with a guest appearance on the Vaughn Monroe Show - featuring Billy Taylor, Hank Jones and others.

Jim Cullum, Sr Jazz Band - jazz from San Antonio in the 1960's and 70's - traditional jazz tracks with Jim Cullum Sr and Jr, Cliff Gillette, and others . .

WETF Show!

Mills Blue Rhythm Band 1934-36 featuring Red Allen, J.C. Higginbotham, Buster Bailey, Tab Smith, Edgar Hayes, Crawford Wethington and Joe Garland with a lot of great Garland arrangements.

Freddy Gardner - great (if under-remembered) saxophonist in England in the 1930's and 40's - these are great jazz recordings under his own name as well as with Benny Carter, Bert Ambrose , Buck and Bubbles and others . . including Norman Payne, Cecil Norman, Ted Heath, Bill Mulraney and others

James Moody and Art Blakey - early Bop/Cool/Hard Bop from Blue Note, 1947 and 48.  Larger bands featuring Moody, Blakey, David Burns, Kenny Dorham, Ernie Henry, Sahib Shihab, Musa Kaleem, Cecil Payne and others - arrangements by Payne, Dorham, and Gil Fuller.