JACK TEAGARDEN — Father Of Jazz Trombone (2004) 3CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jack Teagarden made the trombone sexy, and his pliant, lazy tone made the instrument swing like a trumpet. He was also a remarkable singer, with a warm, Texas drawl that gave everything he sang a marvelous intimacy. Such talents did not go unnoticed in the jazz world, and he worked with such notables as Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Red Nichols, Joe Venuti, Eddie Condon and Louis Armstrong, among others, throughout his long career. This three- disc box spans the years 1928 to 1947, and its 72 tracks show an amazingly consistent performer, giving the whole set a cohesiveness that makes it indispensable. Included are Teagarden's near-definitive versions of "Basin Street Blues," "Beale Street Blues," "Blue River," "Jack Armstrong Blues," "St. Louis Blues" and a couple runs at "St. James Infirmary." With his offhand, nuanced singing style, Teagarden raises songs like "Aunt Hagar's Blues" to the level of vital Americana, and no one in jazz has ever gotten more out of the trombone at any level. Combined with his early-'60s gems for Verve Records (Mis'ry and the Blues and Think Well of Me), this collection provides an overview and a wonderful introduction to an American treasure. Steve Leggett
CD One - Makin' Friends (Recordings 1928-1938)
CD Two - Jack Hits The Road (Recordings 1928-1943)
CD Three - Too Marvelous For Words (Recordings 1943-1947)

LOUIS ARMSTRONG – 1949-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1179 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Diligently reissuing all of Louis Armstrong's recordings, the Classics Chronological Series opens this volume with six sides he waxed for the Decca label during September of 1949. The first two tracks are comforting romantic pop songs sung in front of an orchestra under the direction of Sy Oliver. Much more famous and ultimately among the most lucrative recordings Armstrong ever made, "That Lucky Old Sun" and "Blueberry Hill" had the singer backed by Gordon Jenkins' squarer-sounding big band augmented with a conventional angel cake choir. Then on September 30, 1949, Armstrong recorded with Sy Oliver's band again, this time in two duets with Billie Holiday, one of his greatest admirers. Note that "My Sweet Hunk o' Trash" and "You Can't Lose a Broken Heart" were both composed by James P. Johnson, king of Harlem stride piano. The next chapter in the Armstrong story consists of pure, unadulterated traditional jazz played by a new edition of his All-Stars. The nucleus of Jack Teagarden, Barney Bigard, and Arvell Shaw was greatly fortified by the presence of pianist Earl Hines and percussionist Cozy Cole. Seven of these titles were initially issued in two parts owing to the limitations of the 10" phonograph record. Happily, and thanks to careful editing, Classics now presents each selection as a continuous extended performance, most effectively in the case of the nearly nine-minute "Bugle Call Rag." Garnished with a laid-back "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" and a smokin' five-minute dash through "Panama," these are some of the best Armstrong jams of the early '50s.   arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1283 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This series on the Classics label will be of great interest to collectors of classic jazz. The sessions are in chronological order and highlight alternate takes and radio broadcasts of historic jazz. 1951-19522 contains 23 tracks on a single disc including versions of "Big Butter and Egg Man," "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," "Takes Two to Tango," and " Indian Love Call." While the disc is definitely directed toward collectors, anyone with an interest in this period of jazz will also enjoy it. Al Campbell   Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG – 1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1402 (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 22nd volume in Classics Records' chronological survey of the complete recordings of Louis Armstrong is a bit of a transitional one. It features Armstrong's last recordings for Decca Records, opening with a handful of studio versions of songs that were featured in the movie The Glenn Miller Story (including yet another take on "Basin Street Blues") and moves on to a pair of novelty songs, the utterly goofy "Spooks?" and a completely unnecessary rendition of Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees" turned into a song. The miracle is that Armstrong's vocal almost -- almost -- makes "Trees" work as a legitimate song, but in the end a boat won't float if its design prevents it from doing so, and "Trees" just leaves one shaking one's head. What makes this installment worthwhile, though, is that it closes out with nine of the 11 songs that were featured on Armstrong's marvelous 1954 Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy LP from Columbia Records, including fine versions of "Ole Miss," "Beale Street Blues," "Loveless Love," and what may well be the definitive version of "St. Louis Blues," which comes in at just under nine minutes in length. The remaining two tracks from the 1954 Handy sessions, "Yellow Dog Blues" and "Sing 'Em Low," will presumably open Classics' 23rd installment of Armstrong's musical biography. The only truly essential tracks here are the Handy tunes, which have been reissued by Columbia anyway, complete with a full track listing and a couple of alternate takes, so unless you're collecting the complete Classics Armstrong series, this installment isn't particularly vital, although thanks to the Handy sides, it's a solid listen. Steve Leggett   Tracklist + Credits :  

SY OLIVER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1945-1949 | The Chronogical Classics – 1190 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sy Oliver's main contributions to jazz history were his arrangements in the 1930s for Jimmie Lunceford and during the first half of the '40s for Tommy Dorsey. In 1947, he had a big band that recorded four sessions for MGM but quickly flopped, lacking its own musical personality and being born at a time when big bands were breaking up. This interesting CD is full of rare material. Oliver sings "Seventh Avenue" on a V-Disc from 1945, leads his big band on all 16 of its recordings from 1947, and heads a couple studio bands for sessions in 1949. Overall, Oliver has vocals on ten of the 23 numbers and also features singers Henry Wells, Tommy Roberts, Joe Bailey, Bobby Marshall, Charles McCormick, and the Aristokats. Although some of the sidemen are well-known swing veterans, in general they are confined to ensembles, with only a few of the tunes being worthwhile instrumentals. The music is enjoyable enough but one can easily understand why the Sy Oliver Orchestra never caught on. Scott Yanow
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SY OLIVER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1949-1952 | The Chronogical Classics – 1365 (2004) FLAC (tracks), lossless

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HENRY "RED" ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1937 | The Chronogical Classics – 590 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fourth in the Classics label's five-CD series of Red Allen recordings reissues 20 obscure performances from a seven-month period. Although Red Allen was mostly playing with big bands during the 1930s, these small-group sides gave him a chance to be showcased quite a bit more than usual. Allen takes vocals on each of the tunes and, although many of the songs are long forgotten, his trumpet solos and the improvisations of altoist Tab Smith, clarinetist Buster Bailey and Ted McRae on tenor keep one's interest. This is actually the weakest of the five CDs but all are worth picking up. Scott Yanow
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HENRY "RED" ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1941 | The Chronogical Classics – 628 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The final of the five Classics CDs that document the early recordings of trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen covers music from three very different bands. Allen is first heard singing and playing trumpet on eight pop tunes he uplifts with a recording group in 1937 that features altoist Tab Smith. Allen also plays four Dixieland standards with a hot septet in 1940 that includes trombonist Benny Morton, clarinetist Edmond Hall and pianist Lil Armstrong. The final eight numbers (four of which were previously unreleased) showcases his regular band from 1941 (with trombonist J.C. Higginbottham and clarinetist Edmond Hall) really romping through some hard-swinging performances, including "K.K. Boogie" and a two-part version of "Sometimes I'm Happy." All five of these Classics CDs are easily recommended; this is one of the better ones. Scott Yanow
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REX STEWART – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1016 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After leaving Duke Ellington's Orchestra, cornetist Rex Stewart went to Europe for a few years, recording extensively. This entry in Classics' "complete" series has a four-song studio session and a jam cut shortly before Stewart went overseas plus sessions in Paris (including six tunes from a concert) and Stockholm. The music is fairly erratic overall. There are some fireworks on a quartet date with pianist Billy Kyle, bassist John Levy, and drummer Cozy Cole, and the two-part, privately recorded "I May Be Wrong" has its moments. With the exception of a previously unreleased alternate take of "Blue Jay" from 1945 (which has a vocal by Joya Sherrill) that had been discovered and was tagged on to the end of this CD, the other selections find Stewart heading a group also including trombonist Sandy Williams (he has some of his best late-period solos), John Harris on clarinet and alto, tenor-saxophonist Vernon Story, pianist Don Gais, Simon Brehm or Fred Ermelin on bass, and drummer Ted Curry. Stewart sings "Run to the Corner" and Honey Johnson is strangely country-oriented on "Waitin' for the Train to Come In"; otherwise the performances are instrumentals. Although Stewart plays in his usual fiery mainstream swing style, some of the arrangements are a bit boppish and do not work that well, plus the recording quality is decent but not great. The overall results are not without their strong moments but are a little uncomfortable and not too essential. However, it is nice to have this formerly scattered music put out in coherent order. Scott Yanow
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BUSTER BAILEY – 1925-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 904 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Other than four titles from 1959 and an obscure 1958 LP, all of clarinetist Buster Bailey's recordings as a leader are on this definitive CD from the European Classics label. Bailey -- a virtuoso whose occasional display of a wild sense of humor (best heard on "Man With a Horn Goes Berserk") was always a surprise when one considered his cool and subtle tone -- starts off the reissue with two rare (and scratchy) performances from 1925. Otherwise, he heads an all-star group filled with fellow Fletcher Henderson sidemen in 1934, backs singer Jerry Kruger, and heads several overlapping combos mostly consisting of members of John Kirby's Sextet; Kirby's influence is strongly felt throughout the later selections. Highlights overall include "Shanghai Shuffle," "Dizzy Debutante," "The Blue Room," and "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie." Highly recommended. Scott Yanow
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RED NORVO AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1938-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1192 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is the fourth volume in the chronologically reissued recordings of Red Norvo on Classics. Norvo was married to Mildred Bailey from 1933-1939, and they made a lot of records together. Every side that appeared under her own name has been brought out in a parallel series, while all those originally issued under the heading of the Red Norvo Orchestra are woven into the Norvo chronology. That is why there are several volumes in the Red Norvo story that feel a lot like chapters in the life and times of Mildred Bailey. This feisty little woman was at her best when singing wistful songs of love and longing in her rather small, warmly pleasant voice. She would also dig right into a hot swing number and could occasionally be heard encouraging the band with little energetic exclamations, slightly off-mike. With one exception, all of her performances on this disc have merit. Unable to shake an apparent penchant for topical inanities caricaturing ethnic minorities, Norvo and Bailey opted for something called "Wigwammin'." Recorded in June 1938, this trite piece of rubbish trivializes life on an Indian reservation with stupid lyrics and periodic choruses of Hollywood-style "Indian" war whoops from the band. Bailey sings on 11 out of 23 tracks, and thankfully the rest of her thematic choices were more dignified. "Put Your Heart in a Song" and "The Sunny Side of Things" constitute a pair of optimistic essays brimming with good advice. "Jump Jump's Here" is a smart strut, sounding like one of Lil Hardin Armstrong's enthusiastic routines. "Cuckoo in the Clock" and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" typify Bailey's approach to the silly novelty genre. Fats Waller's version of Ella Fitzgerald's "Tasket" tune, recorded in London exactly one month to the day after Mildred's, would out-swing everybody else's renditions, including Ella's original. Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer's "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," introduced in the 1938 motion picture Jezebel, comes across like a charmingly antiquated piece of vaudeville, maybe even a throwback to the Paul Whiteman orchestra where Norvo and Bailey first met. This apparently deliberate spoof of older-styled entertainment features a rather funny, stilted vocal by "the Three Ickkies" -- Norvo, Bailey, and a guy by the name of Terry Allen. An ickkey, of course, was the official hep-talk tag for an un-hip individual. Speaking of ickkies, Norvo chose to sacrifice six entire tunes to Terry Allen, a morbidly tepid vocalist when left to his own designs. Only the band and the leader's xylophone solos redeem those ill-starred selections. Each of the five instrumental tracks are solidly swung, with the two Charlie Shavers compositions -- "Undecided" and "Rehearsin' for a Nervous Breakdown" -- sounding exceptionally fine. [Note that the enclosed discography contains a factual error, something relatively uncommon for the Classics label. Although personnel on the session dated September 29, 1938, lists essentially the John Kirby Sextet plus Red Norvo, this cannot be the case, as the Norvo big band is clearly audible, trombones and all.] The Norvo orchestra's personnel began to change, and irreversible damage was sustained when clarinetist Hank D'Amico left during the spring of 1939 to join Richard Himber. By June of that year, Norvo's orchestra would dissolve, paving the way for an entirely new phase of his career. arwulf arwulf  
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MILDRED BAILEY – 1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1187 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is volume five in the Classics Mildred Bailey chronology. It contains all of the Vocalion records she made between January 18 and June 14, 1939. For all of her concessions to mainstream pop culture, Mildred Bailey was a blues-inflected jazz singer with traditional roots reaching back into the early '20s. Each of the ensembles featured on this particular compilation are decidedly hipper than most of her previous backup bands. Bailey's March 16, 1939 session with pianist Mary Lou Williams, guitarist Floyd Smith, bassist John Williams and drummer Eddie Dougherty resulted in a series of fine and soulful renderings of old time melodies like the "Arkansas Blues," "Gulf Coast Blues," "You Don't Know My Mind Blues" and Russ Columbo's "Prisoner of Love." Sixteen of this compilation's 22 tracks feature the John Kirby Sextet. This brilliant and creatively concise group had a frontline of trumpeter Charlie Shavers, clarinetist Buster Bailey and alto saxophonist Russell Procope; its well-oiled rhythm section contained pianist Billy Kyle, bassist John Kirby and drummer O'Neill Spencer. This little band was capable of handling material from the jazz, pop and European classical traditions; the Bailey/Kirby magic is most evident on Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine," Ziggy Elman's "And the Angels Sing," Lovie Austin and Alberta Hunter's "Down Hearted Blues" and the "Tit Willow" aria from Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado. On most of the Kirby sides, xylophonist Red Norvo can be heard obviously enjoying the opportunity to collaborate with exceptionally gifted improvisers. Premonitions of things to come! Norvo dissolved his big band in June 1939, not long after the recording of "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," and began working with smaller, more modern-sounding ensembles. While Red Norvo would become an integral participant in the bop revolution of the '40s and '50s, Mildred Bailey's career gradually decelerated during the '40s, particularly after her health began to deteriorate. The records she cut during the first half of 1939 add up to some of the best music she ever made. For that reason, this particular installment in Mildred Bailey's Classics chronology is most highly recommended. arwulf arwulf  
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MILDRED BAILEY – 1940-1942 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1279 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Volume seven in the Classics Chronological survey of recordings originally released under the name of Mildred Bailey compiles what appear to be all of the titles produced between April 2, 1940 and February 12, 1942. During this period the singer performed with bands led by Alec Wilder and Harry Sosnick, and may be heard harmonizing with the Delta Rhythm Boys on "Jenny" and "When That Man Is Dead and Gone." Even as she spent part of her time bobbing around on the surface of Wilder's chamber pop ensemble (fortified with a flute, no less than three bass clarinets and Mitch Miller's oboe, and English horn), Mildred Bailey continued to interact with the some of the top jazz musicians on the scene at that time. This album's enclosed session discography indicates the presence of drummer Kenny Clarke, pianists Herman Chittison, Billy Kyle, and Teddy Wilson, and trumpeters Billy Butterfield and Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge. The hipper arrangements were scored by Eddie Sauter, famous for his work with Benny Goodman and Mildred Bailey's ex-husband Red Norvo. arwulf arwulf  
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ELLA FITZGERALD – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 998 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Welcome to a richly rewarding segment of the all too often overlooked plateau that lies between Ella Fitzgerald's recordings with Chick Webb's orchestra during the second half of the 1930s and her triumphant reign as one of the world's most popular jazz singers during the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. The recordings she made between February 26, 1945, and March 1, 1947, illustrate this woman's amazing versatility as she teamed up with an extraordinarily variegated range of vocalists and instrumentalists. Her pleasant collaborations with the Ink Spots and the Delta Rhythm Boys and a few titles with big-band accompaniment serve as appetizers for "Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)," a disturbingly funny calypso number featuring Louis Jordan & His Tympany 5. Here Ella and Louis put across a performance even more outrageous than Sarah Vaughan's eccentric West Indian suicide song "De Gas Pipe She's Leaking, Joe." While Jordan's band grinds out spicy Caribbean dance music, Ella proudly explains how, fed up with being physically abused, she beat her husband to death with various kitchen utensils. Jordan, who calmly states that he's singing his portion of the duet while stretched out inanimate in the shopping district, admits that he was an abusive drunkard who often beat his wife. This incredibly humorous sendup of the horribly tragic and all too common specter of domestic violence leading to homicide is sustained largely by the female vocalist, who repeatedly describes her husband-killing technique, defiantly exclaims "he had it coming," and even communes with the spirit of Bessie Smith by insisting that she'd do it again even "if I was to die in the electric chair." This interesting compilation also contains a pair of duets with Louis Armstrong, some pleasant performances backed by bands led by pianists Billy Kyle and Eddie Heywood, and some really wild V-Disc collaborations with drummer and scat singer Buddy Rich. Never a dull moment! arwulf arwulf  
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ELLA FITZGERALD – 1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1153 (1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

In her live performances of 1949, Ella Fitzgerald (who turned 33 that year) often showed the influence of bebop in her phrasing and improvising. However, her studio recordings for Decca (all 21 selections that she cut that year on are on this CD) are surprisingly absent of bebop, instead alternating ballads and bluish pieces with a few swing-oriented numbers. Fitzgerald sounds typically wonderful and cheerful, but the arrangements (for the orchestras of Sy Oliver, Gordwillon Jenkins, and Sonny Burke) are often closer to middle-of-the-road pop music than to jazz. Fitzgerald sounds in fine form on such numbers as "Old Mother Hubbard," "Happy Talk," "Black Coffee," "In the Evening," and "I Hadn't Anyone Till You," imitating Louis Armstrong a bit on "Basin Street Blues." In addition, there are two numbers with Louis Jordan's Tympany Five (including "Baby It's Cold Outside") and two forgettable selections with the Mills Brothers. This CD is a real gap-filler (few of these selections are ever reissued), but not essential. Scott Yanow
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PEARL BAILEY – 1944-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1213 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Pearl Bailey was a magnificent jazz singer and comedienne. Check her out in front of the Cootie Williams Orchestra! That's Bud Powell back there behind the piano. Cleanhead Vinson and Lockjaw Davis are in the reed section. Pearl seems perfectly at home with this early modern-sounding big band, and Cootie puts extra sass in his horn to complement the lady's personality. Herman Chittison leads a much smaller and more intimate ensemble for "He Didn't Ask Me," a subtly soft-spoken lament with wistful incidental whistling. Pearl attracted a lot of attention by being unusually tough, candid, and outspoken in ways that few pop vocalists had ever dared to pursue. For a black woman to assert herself in this way anywhere near the mainstream was particularly refreshing during the late '40s. Pearl's high-stepping improvisations on "St. Louis Blues" are spectacular, but her relaxed conversational musings on "Tired" are perfectly timed theater, naturally hip and funny as hell. "I Ain't Talkin'" has a similar easy perfection about it. Some of this material is pure entertainment. "Personality" turns out to be a metaphor for booty. "That's Good Enough for Me," "Say It Simple," and "Get It Off Your Mind" are clever routines. Some of this stuff seems like it was inspired by Cole Porter's high camp. The Mitchell Ayres Orchestra likes to pour on a little extra glitz, and low-tech reverb makes it seem like Pearl is performing in a gymnasium. Finally, there's a two-part duet with Frank Sinatra. They sound at ease with each other: two actors with seasoned pipes who enjoy tearing apart a slow song note for note and phrase by phrase. arwulf arwulf
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MIDGE WILLIAMS AND HER JAZZ JESTERS – 1937-1938 | The Classics Chronological Series – 745 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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MAXINE SULLIVAN – 1941-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1020 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although not as essential as the first Classics Maxine Sullivan CD, this set has its strong moments too. Sullivan was always a simple and subtle singer who swung lightly and mostly stuck to the melody while uplifting the themes with her intelligent expressiveness. The first eight selections on this disc find her joined by the John Kirby Sextet on such numbers as a remake of "Loch Lomond," "St. Louis Blues" and "My Ideal." The two numbers from March 19, 1942 ("Beside the River Clyde" and "How Do I Know It's Real") list the singer as again being joined by Kirby's Sextet but the backup group is clearly larger and using slightly different instrumentation. Sullivan is also heard backed by a rhythm section and strings on four selections, on two numbers apiece with the Teddy Wilson Quintet and Benny Carter's Orchestra (the young tenor Dexter Gordon has a solo on "Looking for a Boy"), and performing six tunes (including several remakes) with strings, the prominent harp of Laura Newell, a rhythm section, and clarinetist Hank D'Amico. The 1944-46 titles have also been reissued by Tono, although the 1941-42 selections with Kirby have long been scarce. In her early to mid-'30s at the time, Maxine Sullivan sounds both youthful and mature during her interpretations, very much in prime form. Scott Yanow  
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MILLS BLUE RHYTHM BAND – 1936-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 731 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fifth and final Classics CD by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band starts out at the same high level as the fourth set. With trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen, trombonist J.C. Higginbottham, altoist Tab Smith and tenor saxophonist Joe Garland in the band (pianist Billy Kyle soon joined up as well), along with a solid rhythm section, the orchestra could swing quite hard, as shown on such numbers as "St. Louis Wiggle Rhythm," "Merry-Go-Round," "Big John's Special" and "Algiers Stomp." However, by 1937 (when the second half of this CD was recorded), Allen, Higginbottham and Garland had departed. The music is still worthwhile, with Smith and young trumpeters Harry "Sweets" Edison and Charlie Shavers in the band, but the enthusiasm was starting to drop. Due to the heavy competition from the many better-known orchestras, the Mills Blue Rhythm Band would soon become a forgotten part of history, but as the five Classics CDs show, the orchestra did create quite a bit of worthwhile music in the 1930s. Scott Yanow
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JOHN KIRBY AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1938-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 750 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first of three Classics CDs reissuing all of the John Kirby Sextet's recordings during its prime years (1938-1943) has the group's earliest 22 recordings. Although the first five numbers were originally issued under the name "John Kirby & His Onyx Club Boys," the famous personnel were already in place: bassist Kirby, trumpeter Charlie Shavers (then only 21), altoist Russell Procope, clarinetist Buster Bailey, pianist Billy Kyle, and drummer O'Neil Spencer (who took an occasional vocal). The group's unique cool-toned sound, tricky ensembles, and often atmospheric music definitely stood out during an era dominated by loud big bands. There are quite a few classics on this CD, including "Rehearsin' for a Nervous Breakdown," the original version of Shavers' "Undecided," "Dawn on the Desert," "Royal Garden Blues," and "Nocturne." Highly recommended, as are the two other Classics Kirby discs. Scott Yanow
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