Jazz Focus

Bands led by Slim Lamar, Sunny Clapp, Phil Baxter and Mart Britt . . .all Texas and Tennessee musicians (and at least one - Tony Almerico - from New Orleans) playing high quality dance music with a surprising amount of hot jazz thrown in - definitely showing that New York and Chicago weren't the only centers of the jazz world in the late 1920's!

Live recordings from a residence in Washington D.C. that found Lester Young at the end of his career but in remarkably good shape - accompanied by the Bill Potts Trio

Louis Armstrong's first recordings in Chicago after over a year away in New York - the first Hot Fives and accompaniments to Hociel Thomas, Chippie Hill and Blanche Calloway.

Louis Armstrong recorded a little of everything over a career in the studios that spanned almost a half a century.  Here are examples of Cuban, Mexican, French, Irish and African songs he made his own!

Great sides from 1927-34 led by and featuring Hawaiian musicians active in Los Angeles and New York- Andy Iona, Sol K. Bright, Sol Hoopi, King Nawahi and others using traditional steel guitar and string ensembles enlivened by horns in most cases.

Great sides featuring the largely forgotten pianist with Punch Miller, Darnell Howard, Cicero Thomas, George James, Bill Johnson and W.E. Burton among others!

Great selection of duos and rhythm section sides with the great Boston pianist backing major soloists!

Second set of great recreations of Louis' 1920's small group recordings done in 1956 - with Yank Lawson and George Barnes in addition to the All-Stars (Louis, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Billy Kyle, Squire Girsh, Barrett Deems)

Great recreations of Louis' 1920's small group recordings done in 1956 - with Yank Lawson and George Barnes in addition to the All-Stars (Louis, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Billy Kyle, Squire Girsh, Barrett Deems)

Two sessions by Freeman (with Dick Cary, George Barnes, Don Lamond) for Capitol and the rest of the George Wettling session featuring Freeman, Jonah Jones, Milt Hinton and Dave Bowman from 1955.