Jazz Focus

Who Can Your Regular Be - The Arcadian Serenaders . . Great hot dance band from St. Louis in 1924/5 featuring either Wingy Manone or Sterling Bose with Cliff Holman, Avery Loposer, Johnny Riddick and Felix Guarino . .many of them were either from New Orleans or worked there, so the sound is very much the New Orleans dance band sound of the 1920's

WETF Show The Willies - 1940's and 50's small group sessions by the remarkable alto saxist Willie Smith - known for his years playing lead for Lunceford and Harry James, Smith was a stylist on alto and a good arranger as well.  He is presented here with his own groups as well as ones led by Nat King Cole, Billie Holliday, Al Casey, Corky Corcoran, Gene Krupa and Shorty Sherock and featuring those notables as well as Charlie Shavers, Billy May, Les Paul, Murray McEachern, Harry Edison, Teddy Wilson, Allan Reuss and Israel Crosby

Back Beat Boogie - Harry James and His "New" Jazz Band in 1956.  When James scaled back his big band, he used his key sidemen (Nick Buono, Juan Tizol, Willie Smith, Herbie Steward, Larry Kinnamon, Foy Blanton, and Buddy Rich) to launch this interesting group.  Never commercially recorded, these sides come from transcriptions for the USMC and feature vocals by Buddy Rich and Peggy King.  Also, two bonus cuts of small groups from the James band of the mid-late 1940's featuring Willie Smith.

Just You, Just Eddie Heywood . . the fine pianist leading his 1940's sextet on recordings made for Commodore, VDisc and Decca and featuring Doc Cheatham, Dick Vance, Henry Parr Jones, Vic Dickenson, Henry Coker, Lem Davis, Marshall Royal, Al Lucas, Jack Parker and others, with a guest appearance by Bing Crosby

Tap Room Swing - Albert Nicholas in the 1930's.  Small group sessions featuring the great New Orleans clarinetist with Clarence Williams (with Eva Taylor and Willie The Lion Smith), Alex Hill (with Gene Sedric, Claude Jones, Joe Thomas and Benny Carter), Freddie Jenkins and HIs Harlem Seven/Bernard Addison and His Rhythm (with Joe Turner, Kirby Walker and Adrian Rollini), The Little Ramblers (with Ward Pinkett, Bill Dillard, Adrian Rollini, Jack Russin and Danny Barker) and the Louis Armstrong Orchestra (live, with Red Allen, J.C. Higginbotham, Pops Foster and Charlie Holmes)

Unaccustomed As They Were - Famous musicians playing alternate instruments . . recordings of Benny Goodman on bass clarinet, alto and baritone saxes, Jimmy Dorsey on baritone sax and cornet (with Joe Venuti), Tommy Dorsey on trumpet, Ed Hall on baritone sax (with Claude Hopkins), Jack Teagarden on cornet (with Irving Mills), Barney Bigard on tenor sax (with Ellington), Milt Hinton on tuba (with Tiny Parham), Buster Bailey on alto (with Clarence Williams), Pee Wee Russell on tenor sax (with Red Nichols), Coleman Hawkins on clarinet (with Fletcher Henderson) and Bud Freeman on clarinet (with Bunny Berigan).

52nd Street All Stars - the great clarinetist Tony Scott put together an album for Coral in 1958 celebrating the 52nd Street scene from the 1930's and 40's  - featuring Bebop players like Red Rodney, George Wallington and Roy Haynes, transitional players like Al Cohn, Mundell Lowe and Tommy Flannagan and Swing stars like Coleman Hawkins, Pee Wee Russell, J.C. Higginbotham, Emmett Berry and Al Casey

An influential group in Chicago from 1957-1965, the Original Jass All Stars was founded by Swing era clarinet- and saxophonist Franz Jackson who united several African-American jazz players of the 1920's to play traditional, New Orleans-styled music.  Bob Shoffner, John Thomas, Al Wynn, Rozelle Claxton, Ralph Tervalon, Lawrence Dixon, Bill Oldham and Richard Curry are heard playing selections from their five LPs from the period.

A great little band from the Famous Door in 1936-7 . . trumpet and vocalist Louis Prima was fresh from New Orleans and not yet his later Las Vegas persona . . here he plays superb trumpet and sings in the style of Louis Armstrong, abetted by clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, who called this the happiest musical time of his life . . .lots of fun but great jazz as well (and an audio clip from the film they appeared in as well)

.Coleman Hawkins with the Mound City Blue Blowers, Chocolate Dandies and McKinney's Cotton Pickers 1929-1931, featuring Benny Carter, Pee Wee Russell, Red McKenzie, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Fats Waller, Jimmy Harrison, Don Redman, Claude Jones, Sidney DeParis, Bobby Stark, Rex Stewart, Muggsy Spanier and Jack Russin