Shellac Stack No. 44 acknowledges the rather painful and inauspicious start of 2015 while keeping an optimistic eye open. We salute bandleader and composer Ben Black, listen to some “Sweet Georgia Brown” records, hear some theatre organ in Chicago, and wonder about a mystery trombone player on a Lou Gold record. Scrappy Lambert, Chick Bullock, and … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 43 starts out with a special Christmas promo disc from Capitol in 1949 then brings you an assortment of musical delights ranging from Don Redman and Duke Ellington to Zez Confrey and Jan Garber. We throw in some hot Western Swing for good measure and pause to ask “Have you met Yvette”? As … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 42 salutes a couple terrific “ARC” dance bands of the mid-1930s, dusts off some blues and western swing records, and bids a (premature) adieu to summer. Hot jazz, sweet vocalists, and some incredible piano pyrotechnics round things out.

Shellac Stack No. 41 takes you on a musical summer vacation around the U.S.! Our destination is the late 1920s for more than a dozen sides recorded by Victor in locations other than New York and Chicago. From the campus of Harvard University to the Memphis Auditorium, to Savannah, to St. Louis, to Butte, Montana, you’ll … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 40 comes along and shakes that thing with songs about June, Dragnet, skirts, and much more! We tip the hat to summer ragtime piano festival season with records from Lee Stafford and Wally Rose, and we listen to songs from the Bing Crosby film Two For Tonight. One record in this week’s stack, … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 39 features a half-dozen songs in “period” recordings, coupled with later 78-era revivals. With performances from Charles Hart and Elliott Shaw to Isham Jones, Leo Reisman, Pat Flowers, Burt Farber, and more, we remember some famous (and not-so-famous) songs that were good enough to enjoy a second life!

Shellac Stack No. 38 reveals fabulous music from “Blue” bandleaders (Blue Barron and Blue Steele), a great swing version of “Stardust,” odds ‘n’ ends from the Liberty Music Shop label, Mr. Jo-Jo Spoons, and more! It’s another eclectic and fun bunch of 78s on the Shellac Stack! I’ve also recently produced a CD reissue of … Continue reading »

Shellac Stack No. 37 takes you from the Vaudeville houses of the 1920s to the beaches of Honolulu. With performances by stride pianist extraordinaire Johnny Guarnieri, Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra with Bix, and the obscure Mississippi Juvenile Quartette, it’s another variety show at 78 rpm!

Shellac Stack No. 36 features piano blues from Jimmie Gordon, medleys from Fred Astaire and Eddie Cantor films, comedy songs from Dan W. Quinn and Arthur Fields, a scarce early record by Glenn Miller’s Orchestra, and more!

Shellac Stack No. 35 begins with a nod to recent astronomical events, moving on to hot jazz from Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, and others. Also in the lineup: Ben Pollack, Johnny Maddox, Gayla Peevey, Roger Wolfe Kahn, and more!