Jazz Focus

Stratosphere - the Jimmie Lunceford Decca recordings, part 1.  Featuring the arrangements of Eddie Wilcox, Willie Smith and Eddie Durham (part 2 will feature Sy Oliver's charts) . . great solos by Eddie Tompkins, Paul Webster, Sy Oliver, Elmer Crumbley, Willie Smith, Joe Thomas, Earl Carruthers, Eddie Wilcox, Al Norris, Mose Allen and Jimmy Crawford . . the arrangements and incredible saxophone section are really the stars on these 1934-38 sides.

Never Too Much - Coleman Hawkins Quintet from January to March, 1945.  Howard McGhee, Sir Charles Thompson, Oscar Pettiford or Eddie Robinson, Denzil Best with guests Allan Reuss and Vic Dickenson in Swing-to-Bop transition records made for Asch and Capitol

Zaggin' With Zig - The Ziggy Elman Orchestra Bluebird sides from 1938-39 featuring mostly members of the Benny Goodman Orchestra (Hymie Schertzer, Dave Matthews, Toots Mondello, Noni Bernardi, Jerry Jerome, Babe Russin, Art Rollini, Jess Stacy, Milt Raskin, Johnny Guarnieri, Ben Heller, Al Kendis, Nick Fatool, Artie Bernstein) doing some excellent Jazz as well as pop standards.  Two bonus cuts by Toots Mondello and His Orchestra leading virtually the same band (with Claude Thornhill) for Varsity.  Sorry in advance for some technical glitches on this one - the narration part was slightly compromised by a microphone issue, but the music is fine!

WETF Show In A Jam - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra recording for Capitol Transcriptions in 1946 and 1947 . . between the end of his recordings for Victor and the beginning of his Musicraft contract with repertoire from both . . featuring Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, Harold "Shorty" Baker, Taft Jordan, Joe Nanton (his final recordings), Lawrence Brown, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney along with Duke, Oscar Pettiford and Sonny Greer

Guitar in High - Teddy Bunn . . great guitarist whose career stretched from the 1920's to the 1960's.  Here we will listen to sides from 1938-40 including those he made with the Mezzrow-Ladnier Quintet (Mezz Mezzrow, Tommy Ladnier, Pops Foster and Manzie Johnson), Rosetta Crawford (Mezzrow, Ladnier and James P. Johnson), the Frankie Newton Quintet/Port of Harlem Jazz Men (Frankie Newton, J.C. Higginbotham, Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Pops Foster, Sid Catlett), Sidney Bechet Quartet (Bechet, Foster, Catlett) and by himself in a virtually unique solo guitar session from 1940

Old Bottles, Older Wine - the Gil Evans Orchestra on Pacific Records, 1958, 1959 . . Arrangements by the innovative Gil Evans of Jazz standards from earlier eras featuring Cannonball Adderley, Budd Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Chuck Wayne, Johnny Coles, Bill Barber, Elvin Jones, Steve Lacy, Ray Crawford, Art Blakey and of course Evans himself.

Apropos more now than ever, this is a tribute to a very HOT band from Philadelphia in the summer and fall of 1932.  The Washboard Stompers featured Taft Jordan and Valaida Snow on trumpets, Ben Smith and Carl Wade on saxes, Eddie Miles on piano, Ghost Howell on bass and Steve Washington on banjo and vocals with assists from Bella Benson and Lavada Carter

The Gene Kardos Orchestra was a busy and frequently recorded band in the early 1930's - based at the Gloria Palast in the Bronx, they were one of the few white groups playing really hot dance music during the Depression years.  While they recorded under Kardos' name (and a variety of pseudonyms) for Victor, Melotone and the ARC labels, it was featured under the name of their pianist, Joel Shaw for recordings made for the Crown label.  These records were, if anything, hotter than the Kardos sides - featuring no well known Jazz players, this band was known to swing harder than its competition - Ben Pollack, Casa Loma and the Dorsey Brothers.

WETF Show - Benny Goodman in 1945/6 . . from December '45 to Jan '46 - one radio show and two transcription sessions featuring the big band (with Stan Getz, Bernie Privin and Mel Powell) and the Trio, Quintet and Sextet (with Powell, Red Norvo, Mike Bryan and others).  Some of Goodman's greatest and least inhibited playing under his own name

Swingin' Minstrel - Clancy Hayes!  The banjo player and singer with Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band (Bill Napier, George Probert, Jack Buck, Pud Brown), Art Hodes, Yank Lawson's Yankee Clippers (Cutty Cuttshall, Pee Wee Russell, Dave McKenna), Salty Dogs (Lew Green, Kim Cusack, John Cooper, Wayne Jones, Mike Walbridge) and his own quartet with Jess Stacy or Ralph Sutton . .great tunes and singing with a mix of West Coast, Chicago and New York Dixieland musicians.