Jazz Focus

The pianist extraordinaire in solo and with his Rhythm recording extended and uninhibited tracks for Associated Transcriptions in 1939 . . Waller singing and playing along with John "Bugs" Hamilton on trumpet, Gene "Honeybear" Sedric on clarinet and tenor sax, John Smith on guitar, Cedric Wallace on bass and Slick Jones on drums.

The virtually forgotten Ernie Henry was considered to be possibly the most accomplished alto sax player in Bebop after Charlie Parker. His career was cut short by addiction and ill health, but he made numerous recordings, including these with James Moody (including Art Blakey, Cecil Payne, Dave Burns and James Forman) and Tadd Dameron (with Fats Navarro and Charlie Rouse) for Blue Note and Savoy.

The Dukes had a bad rap among jazz fans by 1961 . . their previous records had been stereotypical "dixieland" novelties with occasional good playing. These 1961/2 sessions feature the Assuntos (Frank, Fred and Jac) along with Jerry Fuller, Gene Schroeder, Jim Atlas, Charlie Lodice and either Jim Hall or Herb Ellis on guitar. Great mainstream dixieland with a vocal feature for Frank Assunto and a broad repertoire spanning dixieland, marches, contemporary Broadway tunes and a folk number or two.

Largely forgotten white New Orleans clarinet player Parenti had a long and busy career initially in his hometown, but then in New York and Miami. He was a solid, dependable player whose jazz abilities were overlooked sometimes, but here are on full displace in trios (with Dick Wellstood and Sam Ulano) and quartets (with Hank Duncan, George Wettling, Milt Hinton, Armand Hug, Abbie Brunies and Chink Martin).

Great sessions done in the fall of 1949 and January, 1951 when James Moody was touring Europe. He is featured heavily on both tenor and alto saxes, with help from a variety of unsung Swedish jazz players of the day including Lars Gullin, Arne Domnerus, Gosta Theselius and Leppe Sundvall.

Muggsy Spanier was a mainstay on the Chicago jazz scene in the 1920's - influenced primarily by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, he remained true to his style for the rest of his career. Here are some of his first recordings, with the Bucktown Five and Stomp Six (with Volly De Faut on clarinet, Mel Stitzel on piano and Ben Pollack on drums), the Danny Altier Orchestra (with Maury Bercov on clarinet, Jess Stacy on piano and George Wettling on drums) and the Charles Pierce Orchestra (with Frank Teschemacher on clarinet)

Immensely influential British big band from the mid 1940's through the 1960's, Ted Heath and His Music was just finding its way in the middle 1940's. Featuring soloists like Kenny Baker on trumpet, Harry Roche and Jackie Armstrong on trombone, Reg Owen on clarinet, Les Gilbert on alto, Johnnie Gray on tenor and a rhythm section of Norman Stenfalt on piano, Dave Goldberg on guitar, Charlie Short on bass and Jack Parnell on drums, this group could hold its own with any American counterparts.

The short time Johnny Hodges left Duke Ellington's band produced a bounty of recordings from his regular band and studio groups. Here is the regular group with Nelson Williams, Emmett Berry or Harold "Shorty" Baker on trumpets, Lawrence Brown (trombone), Al Sears, Rudy Williams, Flip Phillips or Ben Webster on tenor sax, Leroy Lovett or Teddy Brannon on piano, Lloyd Trottman on bass and either Sonny Greer, J.C. Heard or Joe Marshall on drums and the leader's matchless alto sax

The first band Cab Calloway led (on recording at least) had previously been known as the Missourians and before that the Original Cotton Club Orchestra. A relentlessly hot dance band, the group featured R.Q. Dickerson and Lammar Wright on trumpets, DePriest Wheeler on trombone, George Scott and William Thornton Blue dividing the clarinet and alto solos, Andrew Brown on tenor, Walter Thomas on tenor and baritone, Earres Prince on piano, Morris White on banjo, Jimmy Smith on tuba and Leroy Maxey on drums.

New Orleans trumpet player Manone was well-travelled in the 1920's . . here he is featured with his own groups in New Orleans (with Hal Jordy, Arnold Loyocano and Johnny Miller) and Chicago (with Frank Teschemacher, Wade Foster, Bud Freeman and George Wettling). Also with Barbecue Joe and His Hot Dogs (an almost unknown band with Miff Frink - a very hot trombone player) and Bennie Goodman and His Boys (with Freeman, Joe Sullivan and of course Benny Goodman)