DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1930, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 596 (1991) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Although susceptible to some of the commercial pressures that other bands were feeling in 1930, which accounts for the inclusion of a few pop numbers and some added vocalists, in general the recordings of Duke Ellington were at the same high level in 1930 that they had been in 1929. There are many gems on this set, including "Double Check Stomp," a remake of "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Old Man Blues," and the two earliest recordings of "Mood Indigo," and even a throwaway such as "That Lindy Hop" is still worth hearing. The Rhythm Boys (Bing Crosby, Al Rinker, and Harry Barris) guest on "Three Little Words," and star soloists throughout the program include Cootie Williams, Tricky Sam Nanton, Barney Bigard, and Johnny Hodges. Scott Yanow     Tracklist + Credits :

NAT "KING" COLE – 1949-1950 | The Chronogical Classics – 914 (1996) FLAC (tracks), lossless

With his amazingly warm and intimate vocal style, Nat King Cole could handle any song he came across, transforming it into a cool expressive croon that is unsurpassed in the pop realm. This collection includes perhaps his most famous song, the string-drenched "Mona Lisa," but it also features several lesser known pieces, many of them falling into the novelty song category, a genre Cole practically defined with his assured singing and often innovative (and spare) arrangements. "The Horse Told Me" is a case in point. Essentially a game of whispers turned into a song, Cole's easy vocal puts it over while the odd arrangement, a mix of junkyard percussion and classy piano, keeps it fresh. Another highlight here is "Calypso Blues," which features a marvelously controlled vocal set over a sparse bongo track, and it indicates how versatile Cole was. There is really no song or style he couldn't make his own. While this release is relatively narrow in its focus, it shouldn't be passed over by Cole fans. Steve Leggett  
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RED NORVO AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1933-1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1085 (1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Aside from a handful of early pioneers such as Harry A. Yerkes, Charles Hamilton Green, and Jimmy Bertrand, Red Norvo was the first person to regularly play jazz on the xylophone. He also led the way in presenting that kind of music on vibraphone and marimba. This first volume of his complete recordings in chronological order documents Norvo's outstanding experiments in chamber jazz and small group swing during the years 1933-1935. Also covered in detail is the next phase of Norvo's career, as he led a big band either graced with or encumbered by jazz/pop vocalists. The first two sessions, recorded for the Brunswick label during the spring and autumn of 1933, resulted in four pieces unlike anything else being presented to the public at that time. "Knockin' On Wood" and "Hole in the Wall" are zippy features for xylophone with support from clarinetist Jimmy Dorsey and a sympathetic trio of pianist Fulton McGrath, guitar virtuoso Dick McDonough, and bassist Artie Bernstein. "Dance of the Octopus" and Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist" are rendered by a quartet that positively glows with the fascinating combination of Norvo's sublime marimba and Benny Goodman's colorful bass clarinet. The Swing Septet sessions of 1934 are remarkable for the combined presence of four men remembered today for having helped to shape the course of musical history by leading their own swing bands during the 1930s and '40s: Teddy Wilson, Artie Shaw, Charlie Barnet, and Red Norvo. The lineup on the following session -- apparently Norvo's only date as a leader during the year 1935 -- is every bit as formidable, as Bunny Berigan and Chu Berry appear alongside Wilson, Bernstein, George Van Eps, and Gene Krupa. These first 12 tracks are worth the price of admission. A 13th selection, "Gramercy Square," is an instrumental sweet serenade with richly rumbling reeds behind the xylophone. Its original flip side, "Decca Stomp," is a smooth but caffeinated foxtrot, correctly appraised in the liner notes as a premonition of what John Kirby's Sextet would be playing by the end of the decade. But something has surely changed -- these sessions from January of 1936 were a turning point as Norvo now began leading a semi-sweet jazz orchestra gilded at first with weirdly chosen vocalists. The trio heard singing "Polly Wolly Doodle" also tried to handle "The Wedding of Jack and Jill" but this is terminally cute stuff, strangely disconcerting after all of the honest jazz heard earlier in the chronology. Things get even more bizarre with Mae Questal -- the original voice of Popeye's Olive Oyl -- squealing and giggling as she sings "The Music Goes 'Round and Around" in her overgrown little girl's voice. This Betty Boop routine actually works better than her attempt at presenting "The Broken Record," a clever song re-creating the exact pace of a skipping 78-rpm platter. While Wingy Manone's rendition of this song is charming [see Classics 828], Questal's alarming hiccup effect is distracting at best. Finally, six melodies recorded in February 1936 and subsequently issued on the Champion label are deadened by trumpeter Stew Pletcher's attempts at romantic vocalizing. If only he'd kept his horn glued to his lips, these would have been pleasant instrumentals, but there's nothing that can be done about it now. arwulf arwulf
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CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1159 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's no denying that it's good to hear every single record that Charlie Barnet's band made during the 1930s. This is, after all, part of our cultural heritage, and every piece of the puzzle helps to place the entire body of Barnet's work -- indeed that of every popular big band from the 1930s -- in perspective. Nevertheless, 18 of its 23 tracks come with vocals, and several of these are packed in corn syrup, as it were, in an effort to appease the appetites of the record-buying public. Bob Parks carefully squeezes out the lyrics to "When I'm With You," and Kurt Bloom seems to be emulating Ozzie Nelson on "You're Looking for Romance." Joe Hostetter asks the revealing question "Where Is My Heart?" and trundles out a stable-full of "Empty Saddles." This acts as a benign sequel to his marvelously entertaining vocal on "I'm an Old Cowhand," which was recorded only a few minutes earlier on the same day [see Classics 1133 -- Charlie Barnet 1933-1936]. The leader of the band sings on no less than seven tracks, sounding a little like Dean Martin during "Rainbow on the River" and periodically supplying tasty fills with his saxophones. He's really delightful at the helm of the bouncy, swinging "Long Ago and Far Away" and sounds particularly smooth on "Until the Real Thing Comes Along." Barnet could be oddly charming, as any one of his 11 wives could probably testify. Three tracks feature a vocal group billed as the Barnet Modernaires. Their treatment of "Bye Bye Baby" is precise and polished, conforming closely to the prevailing style of conventional 1930s white big band vocal groups. Fats Waller's cheerful rendition -- recorded only two days earlier -- is much groovier than this squeaky clean routine, but he was making jazz and the Modernaires were playing to the pop market. "Make-Believe Ballroom" was used as the theme song of Martin Block's WNEW radio program. Block began using the title near the end of 1934, having swiped it from Al Jarvis, a DJ on KFWB in Los Angeles. The all-night Milkman's Matinee also ran on WNEW, hosted by Stan Shaw from 1935 until Art Ford took it on in 1942. There's nothing quite like hearing a team of sober adults singing "Everything's 'Grade A' at the Milkman's Matinee" in perfect harmony. As for the instrumental tracks, the Barnet treatment of Irving Berlin's "Always" swings handsomely, and four titles recorded for Irving Mills' Variety label are interesting examples of a band in transition. "Take My Word" is superb smooth and easy dream music, with Barnet's sax sounding something like what Coleman Hawkins blew back in 1933 when he and Charlie were both making records for the Banner label. "Swingin' Down to Rio" is plenty hot, and the other two numbers are straightforward swing, right out of the Fletcher Henderson book. For this session, conducted in direct violation of his contract with Victor/Bluebird Records, Barnet unearthed the name of a hot dance band from the 1920s to masquerade with his orchestra on this one occasion as the California Ramblers. The next leg of the Charlie Barnet story will demonstrate the blossoming of a creative, hard-swinging jazz band. arwulf arwulf  
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CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1194 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Charlie Barnet started making records in 1933. While building his band and expanding its repertoire he used a lot of pop vocalists and even sang some of the songs himself. "Shame On You" is Barnet's 12th and last appearance on record as a vocalist in this part of the chronology. His prior experience as a movie actor served him well, as he warmly administered each song with what could be described as "stage presence." Many of the singers heard throughout the chronologically reissued recordings of Charlie Barnet are frankly less interesting to listen to than Barnet himself. Kathleen Long and Kurt Bloom are only incidental to the tracks they sing on; the best thing about "He Walked Right In" is the way the bandmembers swing as if they were participating in a jam session for the Commodore label. With all due respect for the singing abilities of Judy Ellington, real jazz heads might begin to feel that they keep stumbling over pop vocals while seeking out the excellent instrumentals that abound in Barnet's recordings of the late '30s. This particular volume contains a veritable gold mine in a full dozen selections uncluttered by singers mouthing Tin Pan Alley lyrics. Half of the tracks reissued here are instrumentals, more than on any of the other volumes in this series covering Barnet's output from 1933 through 1940. Five out of seven titles recorded for the Variety label in August of 1937 are lively jams without crooners, and the band is fortified by the presence of the great trumpeter Frankie Newton. Credited here to someone named Wrubel, "Emperor Jones" is better known as Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol's "Jubilesta," also known as "Moonlight Fiesta," also known as "Puerto Rican Chaos" (might as well slap a fourth title on it). Pianist Joe Myrow composed "Surrealism," a quirky study with Latin beats sounding like something by Raymond Scott or maybe Red Norvo in a strange mood. Barnet seems not to have made any commercial studio recordings during the year 1938. In January of 1939, his band began performing at the Famous Door, a popular nightclub on 52nd Street. They also resumed making records for Bluebird, grinding out three exceptionally fine instrumentals on January 20th. These include an elegant big-band swing adaptation of the old "Tin Roof Blues" and a wild, hard-swinging ride called "Knockin' at the Famous Door," during which Barnet takes a lot of nimble risks with his saxophone. February and March were hot times for this band, as it cooked up the "Swing Street Strut" -- a rolling boil for jitterbugs -- and managed excellent interpretations of Duke Ellington's "The Gal from Joe's," Slim Gaillard's "Jump Session," and Juan Tizol's beautiful "Night Song." arwulf arwulf
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CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1226 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1939 Charlie Barnet made some of the best records of his entire career. Inspired by the example of Duke Ellington, he developed his orchestra into a formidable swing machine that sometimes seemed more closely connected to the Afro-American tradition than most of the other white big bands on the scene at that time. This volume in the Barnet chronology contains eight tracks with vocals by Judy Ellington (no relation to Duke!) and five by an insufferable droopy-voiced nerd by the name of Larry Taylor. Often sounding sweet and harmless, Judy did some of her best singing with Barnet in 1939. "Strange Enchantment" has a film noir intro and Barnet's alto sax sounds deliberately mysterious. "The All-Night Record Man" appears to be a sequel to "Milkman's Matinee," a nocturnal program on WNEW hosted by Stan Shaw. But the artistically substantial recordings are the 11 instrumentals, beginning with possibly the hippest version of Rudolf Friml's "Only a Rose" ever waxed by a jazz band. Listeners get a taste of Barnet's soprano sax during Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem," and his alto bubbles over as he navigates the devilish changes of "Scotch and Soda." These tracks were all recorded on April 5, 1939, a session noteworthy for expressive trumpeting by Bob Burnet, Johnny Mendell, and guest artist Charlie Shavers. Barnet also used his soprano sax on "Miss Annabelle Lee," a tune traceable back to the 1925 repertoire of the California Ramblers, the band whose name he borrowed the second time he broke his Victor contract to record for the Variety label in May of 1937 [see Classics 1159 -- Charlie Barnet 1936-1937]. "Lazy Bug," a collaborative opus by Barnet and Juan Tizol, has the ethereal feel of an Ellington dream. Barnet's flair for wild musical ideas manifests itself in the eccentric progressions of his "Midweek Function." Barnet's approach to "I Never Knew" -- Ted Fiorito's best jazz tune -- was to jump and swing like mad. On July 17, 1939, Barnet's band recorded Ray Noble's "Cherokee." This one record would help to establish the Charlie Barnet Orchestra's popularity for years to come. Legend has it Billy May came up with the famous arrangement en route to the studio. This excellent disc culminates with a steaming stomp entitled "The Last Jump (A Jump to End All Jumps)." arwulf arwulf
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CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1266 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

So inspired was Charlie Barnet by two of the all-time greatest Afro-American jazz orchestras that he acknowledged their influence with instrumental works conceived and rendered in honorary emulation of their respective styles. "The Duke's Idea" sounds a lot like an Ellington opus, as Barnet delivers a credible imitation of Johnny Hodges with his alto saxophone and Bob Burnet growls through his trumpet in the manner of Cootie Williams. "Count's Idea" carefully re-creates the Kansas City swing style of William Basie's formidable big band. The remaining tracks from the same date have chirping vocals by Judy Ellington and one prescription tranquilizer of a tune sung by a syrupy fellow calling himself Del Casino. This session -- and its successor conducted one month later in October of 1939 -- took place in Los Angeles. "Ogoun Badagris" is the name of a Haitian voodoo Loa. The Loas are powerful ancestral mystery spirits, directly traceable to the deities of the West African pantheon. How interesting that Barnet concocted this exciting rhythmic exercise bearing the name of a particularly fierce and awesome spiritual entity. One can only wonder how aware he was of the power inherent in the name. This is certainly one of Barnet's all-time hottest recordings, with exuberant drumming by Ray Michaels. The melody itself bears more than a passing resemblance to Buster Harding's "Lady Day." On a much sillier level, "The Wrong Idea" sends up every existing stylistic gimmick then current in popular big-band music: cute licks, steel guitar (an apparent jab at Alvino Rey), gargling Clyde McCoy-styled trumpet, even raucous "bad" notes amid wavering Guy Lombardo reeds. After a goofy spoken introduction over the strains of "Make Believe Ballroom," Billy May (as "Slappy Happy") sings about bands that "bring you down," altering Sammy Kaye's slogan as he urges listeners to "swing and sweat with Charlie Barnet." As if to assert the primacy of what he considered authentic jazz, Barnet's next selection was called "The Right Idea." This is straight-up big-band swing with no tricks or frills, followed by "Night Glow," an attractive opus for alto sax and big band. Judy Ellington made 21 records with Charlie Barnet, and "Two Hearts Are Better Than One" was to be her last. Mary Ann McCall was the new vocalist when the band returned to the studio in New York on December 11, 1939. McCall sounds sweet and slightly timid on her first half-dozen sides, even when trying to sound hip on "Between 18th and 19th on Chestnut Street." Four remaining instrumentals round off the package nicely. "Clap Hands! Here Comes Charlie," yet another vintage tune from the 1925 repertoire of the California Ramblers, gets a red-hot treatment that almost outdoes a similar version of this song recorded by Count Basie's orchestra on August 4, 1939. Three hot jams recorded in January of 1940 demonstrate exactly why this band was so popular among dancers and fans of undiluted big-band jazz. arwulf arwulf
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CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1318 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 In what appears to be a premonition of the recording industry's postwar fascination with star vocalists, this volume in the Charlie Barnet chronology seems almost like part of the Mary Ann McCall chronology instead. After making a handful of tentative-sounding sides with the band in December of 1939, McCall quickly developed into a stronger and more self-assured vocalist. While sugary sweet at times, her usual mode is snappy, fresh, and cheeky. Barnet's orchestra invariably dishes out excellent backing, and the leader plays fine and sensuous saxophone throughout, but McCall is featured on a whopping 18 of the 24 tracks. Furthermore, Larry Taylor's groaning on "You and Who Else?" knocks the tally of instrumentals down to a paltry five, which feels like a reversion to the vocal pop epidemic of 1936. Anyone hungry for wordless jazz will naturally fasten onto each instrumental track with passionate persistence. Barnet blows tenor sax in proud and skillful emulation of Coleman Hawkins on "A Lover's Lullaby," and "Leapin' at the Lincoln" is a really fine big-band bounce brimming with hot solos. "Shake, Rattle and Roll" features Bus Etri's electrified guitar during the intro -- he also executes a passage of authentic electric blues guitar before McCall's vocal on "Wanderin' Blues," introducing an element quite unusual for a 1940 white big band. "Reminiscing" is a pensive dirge-like apparition and "Flying Home" nearly cuts the Hampton/Goodman original for sheer force and caloric intensity. But this is mainly a Mary Ann McCall disc, ideal for those who enjoy her style of singing. arwulf arwulf
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CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1439 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Volume seven in the complete Classics Charlie Barnet chronology contains what appear to be all of the records he made for Victor's budget-priced Bluebird series between May 8 and September 17, 1940. Barnet, a rich kid from New York, began making records with his big band in 1933, gradually outgrowing the conventions of polite pop music and mastering the soprano, alto and tenor saxophones while following in the footsteps of great Afro-American bandleaders like Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie. When the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles burned down on October 2, 1939, all of the Barnet orchestra's instruments and sheet music were completely incinerated. Barnet was able to borrow arrangements from Basie and Benny Goodman; trumpeter Billy May also conveniently produced charts and original compositions for the band, including the expansive and very impressionistic six-and-a-half minute "Wings over Manhattan." Vocalists heard on this compilation are Mary Ann McCall, Larry Taylor and Harriet Clark. Instrumental gems include "No Name Jive"; Ellington's "Rockin' in Rhythm," "The Sergeant Was Shy" and "Ring Dem Bells"; a Harlan Leonard tune called "Southern Fried" (also known as "Hairy Joe Jump") and the original rendition of the famous "Pompton Turnpike." Although "Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga" and Barnet's "The Reverie of a Moax" are runners up for weirdest title, the prize in this category goes to "Wild Mab of the Fish Pond"; the obscure reference might very well have something to do with Percy Bysshe Shelley (and not, hopefully, with his ill-fated wife Harriet Westbrook). arwulf arwulf
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