Jazz Focus

Lighter Than A Feather - Red Norvo's Hickory House Band 1936

Small group featuring arrangements by Norvo and Eddie Sauter before Norvo's big band with Mildred Bailey came together (although she guests on one live side, as do Red McKenzie and Mae Questal).  With Stew Pletcher, Herbie Haymer, Don McCook, Ram Ramirez, Howard Smith, Dave Barbour, Pete Peterson and Moe Purtill.

The Blues Revival in the 1930's - Vocalion and Decca sides by Ida Cox, Trixie Smith and Grant and Wilson 1938-1940 featuring Red Allen, Charlie Shavers, Hot Lips Page, J.C. Higginbotham, Sidney Bechet, Edmond Hall, James P. Johnson, Fletcher Henderson, Sammy Price, Charlie Christian, Teddy Bunn and Lionel Hampton

Benny Carter was renowned for his playing and arranging and those acknowledgements go back to his first professional associations.  Here are recordings he did between 1928 and 1931 with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Orchestra, Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, The Chocolate Dandies and McKinney's Cotton Pickers (featuring Don Redman, Coleman Hawkins, Sidney DeParis, Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark, Joe Smith, Jimmy Harrison, Claude Jones, Ed Cuffee, Prince Robinson, Fats Waller, Todd Rhodes, and J.C. Higginbotham)

Keith Ingham New York 9 . . .recordings made in 1992 and 2001 for the Jump label featuring some of the best in the business - Randy Reinhardt, Dan Barrett, Phil Bodner, Ken Peplowski, Scott Robinson, James Chirillo, Greg Cohen, Murray Wall, Vince Giordano, Keith Ingham and Arnie Kinsella playing Ingham's arrangements and rearrangements of swing classics and unknowns alike....

Jelly Roll Morton the sideman . . Recordings made by the legendary New Orleans pianist, composer and arranger with OTHER groups- although the Jelly Roll influence is everywhere.  Recordings with Johnny Dunn's Original Jazz Hounds, Wingy Manone and His Orchestra, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Edmonia Henderson and WIlton Crawley and His Orchestra (1923-1934)

J.J. Johnson  first sessions as leader for Savoy and Prestige 1946-1949. Great early Bebop with Sonny Rollins, Kenny Dorham, Bud Powell, Leo Parker, Cecil Payne, John Lewis and others!

Pic-A-Rib with Ben Pollack . . .small band dixieland sides from the legendary drummer stretching from 1939 to 1952.  Featured in the various editions of the band are Muggsy Spanier, Charles LaVere, Ben Kanter, King Guion, Matty Matlock, Dick Cathcart, Ted Vessely, Moe Schneider, Ray Sherman and Jack and Charlie Teagarden.

You'se A Viper - Stuff Smith and His Onyx Club Boys.  Great Vocalion, Commodore and live sides featuring this busy 52nd street band and some of the hottest music of the era.  Jazz violin never sounded so good backed up by Jonah Jones, Cozy Cole, Clyde Hart, Ben Webster and Buster Bailey

Benny Carter in Europe . . All these recordings were made in the first half of 1936 in Paris or London. Carter went over to play and arrange for the Willie Lewis Band and then to work for the BBC Radio Orchestra.  These are fantastic records of his own arranging and playing (alto, tenor, clarinet, piano and trumpet) with a variety of musicians including Joe Hayman, Bobby Martin, Tommy McQuarter, Andy McDevitt, Buddy Featherstonaugh, Bernard Addison and Gene Rogers

Jimmy Harrison - great trombonist of the 1920's who was an influence on Jack Teagarden  .Harrison is heard here with Charlie Johnson, Fletcher Henderson, Chick Webb, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Benny Carter and Clarence Williams