Jazz Focus

Stompin' Around - 1935 radio transcriptions of the Casa Loma Orchestra featuring Gene Gifford arrangements and solos by Sonny Dunham, Grady Watts, Billy Rausch, Clarence Hutchenrider, Pat Davis, Joe Hall and Tony Briglia . .great on the cusp of swing playing!

Trumpeter Art Farmer was in France and Sweden with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the Fall of 1954 and recorded with several groups, including two under his own name . . these sides feature Clifford Brown, Jimmy Cleveland, Anthony Ortega and Clifford Solomon from the Hampton band as well as Swedish stars Ake Persson, Bengt Hallberg, Arne Domnerus and Lars Gullin playing Quincy Jones arrangements and blending the hard bop and cool styles

ohnny Dodds and Jimmie Noone on Decca . . 1937 and 1938 sessions for the two innovative New Orleans clarinetists backed by a swing band including Charlie Shavers, Pete Brown, Teddy Bunn and others

Ella and Louis - great duos by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong from three albums 1957-59 backed up by Russ Garcia's Orchestra and the Oscar Peterson Quartet with Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Louis Bellson or Buddy Rich

Dick Johnson - great Boston alto player on two albums from the 1950's for Emarcy and Riverside including Dave McKenna, Wilbur Ware and Philly Jo Jones . .great swing and bebop

The great 1940-41 Ellington band with Ben Webster and Jimmy Blanton (and Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Ray Nance, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, Tricky Sam Nanton, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Sonny Greer) doing live and radio transcription versions of the great tunes they recorded for RCA Victor.

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)

John Hardee was in the classic line of Texas tenor players - here are just about all the recordings made under his name during the 1940's - sessions for Blue Note and other companies, featuring him with Tiny Grimes, Sid Catlett and many other great players of the day

Incredibly hot dance band of the 1920's - the California Ramblers recorded hundreds of sides under their proper name as well as pseudonyms such as the Vagabonds, Golden Gate Orchestra, Goofus Five, University Six, Varsity Seven and others.  This is a selection of the records made by the larger band (for the most part) featuring jazz players like Adrian Rollini, Chelsea Quealey, Bill Moore, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Bobby Davis and others.

The great New Orleans clarinetist known as Faz played with a bewildering variety of bands during the 1930’s and recorded with many - here is a sample of his work with Glenn Miller, Seger Elllis, Claude Thornhill, Bob Crosby (live), Billie Holiday, and Sharkey Bonano.