Jazz Focus

A protege of Benny Goodman's at the end of his life, Hasselgard had a short but eventful career.  After coming to the US in 1946 or so, he played with many big names, including Teddy Wilson, Red Norvo, Barbara Carroll, Barney Kessel, Wardell Gray and Goodman himself.  These are three sessions issued under Hasselgard's name as well as four airchecks from the Click with the Benny Goodman Septet.

Millinder went from fronting the Mills Blue Rhythm Band in the 1930's to leading his own, more blues-based group in the 1940's and 50's.  This first edition recorded for Decca and included musicians like Stafford Simon and Sam "The Man" Taylor on tenors, Ernest Purce on baritone, Tab Smith and Ted Barnett on altos with a cameo from Buster Bailey on clarinet.  Trumpets included William "Chiefie" Scott, Archie Johnston and modernists Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Guy and Freddie Webster along with Bill Doggett on piano, George Duvivier or Abe Bolar on bass and Panama Francis on drums.  The real star was Sister Rosetta Tharpe both singing and playing a very early version of rock and roll electric guitar.

The great New Orleans trumpeter Allen accompanies singers for Decca and Vocalion - Victoria Spivey, Rosetta Howard, Trixie Smith, Blue Lu Barker and the remarkable Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon . . also featuring Lil Armstrong, Ulysses Livingston, Sammy Price, Wellman Braud, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Rupert Cole, Albert Nicholas, Charlie Holmes, Luis Russell and Pops Foster.

Great series of V-Disc sessions featuring the clarinetist Hucko as leader (with Lou Stein, Mundell Lowe, Jack Lesberg, Dave Tough, Bobby Hackett, Cliff Strickland and Fred Ohms) and with Joe Bushkin (with Liza Morrow, Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Ernie Caceres, Morey Feld, Ohms) and Johnny Blowers (with Chris Griffin, Bill Stegmeyer, Herb Winfield, Dave Bowman)

Great performances taken from radio broadcasts, live dates and concerts featuring the jazz side of the Miller Orchestra . . solos by Bob Price, Clyde Hurley and John Best (trumpet), Willie Schwartz and Ernie Caceres (clarinet), Hal McIntyre (alto), Tex Beneke and Al Klink (tenor), Chummy McGregor (piano) and Moe Purtill (drums)

Little known black band of the 1930's here featured  in their last set of recordings for Columbia and Variety.  The first set has Red Allen on trumpet, JC Higginbotham on trombone and Joe Garland on tenor and bass sax . .the second group has the reorganized band with Charlie Shavers and Harry Edison on trumpet, Harry Arnold on tenor, Wilbur DeParis on trombone and Lucky Millinder singing.  Both groups feature Tab Smith on alto and soprano and Billy Kyle on piano.

Singer and pianist (born Howard Joyner) had a long series of recordings for Decca in the 1930's - these feature Manny Klein, Benny Carter, Rex Stewart, Buster Bailey, Barney Bigard, Russell Procope, Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson, Clarence Holiday, Elmer James, Billy Taylor and Cozy Cole

Great small swing band led by trumpeter Newton with alto and soprano sax player Tab Smith as music director and arranger -in 1939 it recorded six instrumental sides for Vocalion and backed Billie Holiday on three sessions (two for Vocalion and one for Commodore) although Hot Lips Page and Charlie Shavers replaced Newton on the Vocalion Holiday sides.  Also featuring either Kenny Kersey or Sonny White on piano, Johnny Williams on bass, Eddie Dougherty on drums, Kenneth Hollon on tenor sax and Stanley Payne on alto.

Several Decca sessions from the mid to late 1930's featuring Barker and Armstrong leading bands performing their own tunes - Chu Berry, Robert Carroll, Buster Bailey, Joe Thomas, Charlie Shavers, Teddy Cole, Ulysses Livingston, Danny Barker, Wellman Braud, O'Neil Spencer and others!  

The Casa Loma Orchestra (a collective organization led by Glen Gray) was one of the most influential and imitated white dance bands of the early 1930's. By 1939 the band was largely the same, but they had transitioned to a more conventional swing style featuring soloists Grady Watts and Sonny Dunham on trumpet, Billy Rauch and Pee Wee Hunt on trombone, Murray McEachern on trombone and alto sax, Clarence Hutchenrider on clarinet, Pat Davis on tenor sax, Joe Hall on drums and, driving the whole group, Tony Briglia on drums.