Jazz Focus

Mingus Fingers . . early (1945-49) recordings by various Charles Mingus groups on the West Coast - a mix of swing, bop and almost Third Stream experiments, most composed and arranged by Mingus.  Featuring Buddy Collette, Karl George, Eric Dolphy, Willie Smith, Maxwell Davis, William "Brother" Woodman, Britt Woodman, Henry Coker, Wilbert Baranco, Lady Will Carr, Claude Trenier

Jack Teagarden and Pete Fountain . . they never recorded together, but they did each record albums with similar big band backing in 1960 or so . . featuring T's trombone and singing with Charlie Teagarden and Eddie Miller and Pete playing the blues with Miller and lots of West Coast studio guys . .

WETF Show . . Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk for Blue Note  . .1947, 52. . also featuring Sahib Shihab, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Clarke and others.  Great small group bop/hard bop music through the prism of both Jackson's and Monk's different, but complimentary, visions.

Clarence Williams . . sides done mostly with larger bands, 1933-37.  Ed Allen, Charlie Gaines, Eva Taylor, Cecil Scott, Prince Robinson, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Cyrus St. Clair and Floyd Casey doing some interesting proto-swing sides

James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band . .recordings made in the 1990's running the gamut from ragtime and Jelly Roll through late period swing.  Featuring Jon Erik Kellso, Bob Smith, Kim Cusack, Russ Whitman, Rod MacDonald, Dave Sager, Mike Karoub, Wayne Jones, Paul Klinger, Pierre Ferran, Mike Walbridge and the Chenille Sisters

Chu Berry - another show finishing up his recordings under his own name - mostly with Roy Eldridge . .also Irving Randolph, Lionel Hampton, Buster Bailey, Benny Payne, Jerry Jerome, Russell Procope, Teddy Wilson and Israel Crosby . .great jazz of the 1930's!

Paul Barbarin/Eddie Condon on Atlantic . .two very different traditional jazz groups . .one from New Orleans featuring Barbarin, John Brunious, Willie Humphrey, Lester Santiago, Danny Barker, Bob Thomas and Milt Hinton and the other celebrating Chicago with Condon, Max Kaminsky, Cutty Cutshall, Pee Wee Russell, Bud Freeman, Dick Cary, George Wettling and Leonard Gaskin

Spud Murphy . . not a household name, Spud Murphy was one of the most prolific arrangers for big bands in the 1930's and 40's.  Here we have some of the almost unknown records under his own name as well as his arrangements performed by Jimmie Joy, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Seger Ellis and Joe Haymes . . featuring Joe Venuti, Sterling Bose, Irving Fazola, Nate Kazebier, Joe Harris and many others.

Chu Berry and Hot Lips Page - sides for Commodore and Varsity (featuring George Matthews, Buster Bailey, Clyde Hart and others) as well as a Teddy Wilson session featuring Pee Wee Russell!  A couple of Chu features with Lionel Hampton rounds out the program.

Bing, Oh Where Can You Be . . early recordings of Bing Crosby with the Rhythm Boys, Paul Whiteman, Gus Arnheim, the Dorsey Brothers . . also his first solo records with Red Nichols, Matty Malneck, Eddie Lang, Snoozer Quinn, Frank Trumbauer, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, etc.