Jazz Focus

Odd pairing - Assunto founded and led the Dukes of Dixieland which was at the height of its popularity in 1962. These recordings were done for Columbia at the same time as sessions by Herb Ellis and His All-Stars. Ellis was touring with the Dukes (with also included Fred Assunto on trombone, Jac Assunto on trombone and banjo, Gene Schroeder on piano, Bob Casey on bass, Charlie Lodice on drums and on two tunes, Edmond Hall guesting on clarinet) and recorded a mainstream session under his own name featuring Buddy Tate, Ray Bryant and Gus Johnson. Roy Eldridge was also supposed to be there, but when he was delayed and missed the first two sessions, Frank Assunto stepped in, providing some of the best work of his career.

The remainder of the Panassie sessions of 1938 and the Rosetta Crawford Decca session of 1939 featuring trumpeters Tommy Ladnier and Sidney DeParis, clarinetist Mezz Mezzrow, James P. Johnson (piano), Teddy Bunn (guitar), Elmer James or Pops Foster (bass), Zutty Singleton or Manzie Johnson (drums). Two tunes from 1959 feature Mezzrow's Paris-based band.

Two great Savoy sessions by the peerless tenor saxophonist, featuring Teddy Brannon, Sanford Gold, Franklin Skeete and Max Roach . .definitely transition sessions between swing and bebop with superb ballad and uptempo playing.

Outstanding French band playing the music of the black dance bands of the 1920's - not recreations, but reinterpretations. Featuring the leader on cornet, Patrick Bacqueville on trombone and vocals, Marc Bresdin, Michel Bescont, Nicholas Montier on saxes, Gerard Gervois on tuba and Bernard Thevin on piano. Very hot and energetic live recordings!

Thelonious Monk made very few recordings as a sideman during the 1950's - here are a few samples! The Clark Terry Quartet (with Sam Jones and Philly Jo Jones), Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (with Bill Hardman, Johnny Griffin and Spanky DeBrest), Sonny Rollins' Quartet and Gigi Gryce's Quartet (with Blakey).

Excellent jazz sessions for Swing, Ultraphone and Panachord featuring the great if unrecognized black trumpet player Bill Coleman. Sessions under his name and with Garnet Clark, Eddie Brunner and Willie Lewis (also featuring Edgar "Spider" Courance, Frank "Big Boy" Goudie, Christian Wagner, George Johnson, Joe Hayman, Django Reinhardt, Tommy Benford, June Cole, Alex Combelle and Noel Chiboust).

Chicago clarinetist Teschemacher influenced a generation of hot jazz players, despite dying in a car crash when he was in his mid-20's. Here he plays with several iterations of the Austin High Gang (with Muggsy Spanier, Mezz Mezzrow, Joe Sullivan, Jim Lannigan, Eddie Condon, Gene Krupa and Red McKenzie), Wingy Manone's band (with Art Hodes), Elmer Schoebel's Friars' Society Orchestra and possibly the Original Wolverines as well as with his own group consisting of himself, Mezz Mezzrow and Rod Cless on reeds with a rhythm section.

Great sessions featuring Chicago cornetist Jimmy McPartland - the Wolverines in 1925 and Original Wolverines in 1927 (Jimmy Hartwell, Maury Bercov, Dick Voynow, George Johnson, Vic Moore, Bob Gillette), McKenzie and Condon's Chicago Rhythm Kings in 1927 (Frank Teschemacher, Bud Freeman, Joe Sullivan, Eddie Condon, Jim Lannigan, Gene Krupa) and Benny Goodman and His Boys in 1928 (Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Fud Livingston, Vic Briedis, Dick Morgan, Harry Goodman, Bob Conselman, Ben Pollack)

Four sessions featuring different singers with first class jazz accompanists doing a blues repertoire. Albinia Jones (with Dizzy Gillespie, Don Byas, Gene Sedric, Leonard Ware and Sammy Price), Helen Humes (with Herbie Fields, Bobby Stark, Prince Robinson and Leonard Feather), Pleasant Joseph (aka Cousin Joe, with Pete Brown, Leonard Hawkins, Ray Abrams) and Joe Turner (with Pete Johnson, Don Byas, Frankie Newton and Leonard Ware).