LESTER YOUNG — The "Kansas City" Sessions (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This is a CD overflowing with classic performances. The great Lester Young is heard with the 1938 version of the Kansas City Six, a group also including trumpeter Buck Clayton (in prime form), Eddie Durham on electric guitar (where he preceded Charlie Christian) and trombone, the rhythm guitar of Freddie Green, bassist Walter Page, and drummer Jo Jones. The four selections (all of which are joined by an alternate take apiece) are most notable for Young's switching to clarinet on some of the pieces. His clarinet solo on "I Want a Little Girl" sounds eerily like Paul Desmond's alto of 15 years later. These classic cool jazz performances have delightful interplay between the two horns. The second part of the reissue features the 1944 Kansas City Six in which Young (sticking to tenor) and trumpeter Bill Coleman are joined by a three-piece rhythm section and trombonist Dickie Wells. Wells, who takes some very colorful and nearly riotous solos, rarely sounded better, and the four selections are highlighted by three equally rewarding versions of "I Got Rhythm" and two of "Three Little Words." The CD concludes with the four titles by 1938's Kansas City Five, which was essentially the early Kansas City Six without Young. Clayton is once again in top form, and Durham's guitar solos were among the first worthwhile examples of the electric guitar on record. This gem is highly recommended for all jazz collections. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Kansas City Six–    Way Down Yonder In New Orleans (#2)    3:00
2    Kansas City Six–    Way Down Yonder In New Orleans    2:57
3    Kansas City Six–    Countless Blues    3:01
4    Kansas City Six–    Countless Blues (#2)    2:59
5    Kansas City Six–    Them There Eyes (#2) 2:57
Vocals – Freddie Green
6    Kansas City Six–    Them There Eyes 2:58
Vocals – Freddie Green
7    Kansas City Six–    I Want A Little Girl    2:53
8    Kansas City Six–    I Want A Little Girl (#2)    2:54
9    Kansas City Six–    Pagin' The Devil    2:57
10    Kansas City Six–    Pagin' The Devil (#2)    2:55
11    Kansas City Six–    Three Little Words (#2)    3:19
12    Kansas City Six–    Three Little Words    2:52
13    Kansas City Six–    Jo Jo    3:17
14    Kansas City Six–    I Got Rhythm (#3)    3:15
15    Kansas City Six–    I Got Rhythm (#2)    3:15
16    Kansas City Six–    I Got Rhythm    3:16
17    Kansas City Six–    Four O'Clock Drag    2:51
18    Kansas City Six–    Four O'Clock Drag (#3)    2:50
19    Kansas City Five–    Laughing At Life    3:05
20    Kansas City Five–    Good Mornin' Blues    2:51
21    Kansas City Five–    I Know That You Know    3:04
22    Kansas City Five–    Love Me Or Leave Me    2:47
Credits :
Bass – John Simmons (tracks: 11 to 18), Walter Page (tracks: 1 to 10, 19 to 22)
Drums – Jo Jones
Guitar – Freddie Green (tracks: 1 to 10, 19 to 22)
Piano – Joe Bushkin (tracks: 11 to 18)
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Lester Young (tracks: 1 to 18)
Trombone – Dicky Wells (tracks: 11 to 18)
Trombone, Electric Guitar – Eddie Durham (tracks: 1 to 10, 19 to 22)
Trumpet – Bill Coleman (tracks: 11 to 18), Buck Clayton (tracks: 1 to 10, 19 to 22)
Notes.
Recorded in New York City.
Tracks 1 to 10 recorded September 28, 1938.
Tracks 11 to 18 recorded March 27, 1944.
Tracks 19 to 22 recorded March 16, 1938.

KANSAS CITY 5, 6 & 7 – 1938-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 912 (1996) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits :

HARRY JAMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1939 | The Chronogical Classics – 903 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Trumpeter Harry James was very consistent in his musical tastes throughout his career. This CD, which has the first 22 selections that James recorded as a leader, starts off with eight numbers in which the trumpeter (still a Benny Goodman sideman at the time) uses many of Count Basie's top sidemen (including trombonist-arranger Eddie Durham, tenor saxophonist Herschel Evans and singer Helen Humes) for swinging performances highlighted by "Life Goes to a Party" and "One O'Clock Jump"; James' bands (particularly from the 1950s on) would often sound like a duplicate of Basie's. In addition, this CD has four tunes from 1938 in which James mostly uses Goodman players (plus baritonist Harry Carney), and he is also heard on the first six numbers by his big band (including "Two O'Clock Jump" and his earliest recording of his theme "Ciribiribin"). However, the hottest performances are four numbers in which James is backed by a boogie-woogie trio featuring either Pete Johnson or Albert Ammons on piano. This enjoyable CD is full of many examples of James' hot swing trumpet and is easily recommended to swing fans. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist + Credits :

EARL HINES AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1941 | The Classics Chronological Series – 621 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1975, when Bluebird brought out a double-LP reissue of vintage Earl Hines big-band recordings, the producers included a chain of beefy instrumentals from 1941. The Classics Chronological series zeroed in and fleshed out an important part of the picture by compiling all of Hines' 1941 material onto one CD 16 years later. What you get are eight terrific instrumentals interspersed with ten vocal tracks and a pair of fine piano solos. Since the vocal performances were aimed at the general record-buying public, they deviate noticeably from the powerhouse home base of big-band swing infused with intimations of the approaching bebop revolution. Eight instrumentals, then, form the backbone of this volume in the complete recordings of Earl Hines. "Up Jumped the Devil" and the attractive "Jersey Bounce" were designed for dancers, fairly bristling with hot drum breaks by Rudy Traylor and steamy solos by trumpeter George Dixon and tenor man Franz Jackson. Jackson composed, arranged, and blew his horn on "South Side," a cooker with solos by trumpeter Harry Jackson and Scoops Carey on clarinet. "Windy City Jive," composed and arranged by Buster Harding, has a tenor sax solo by the mighty Budd Johnson. Arranged by Eddie Durham, "Swingin' on C" overflows with great solos, including two trombone breaks by John "Streamline" Ewing. "Yellow Fire," a vivid, time-honored stomp for big band, finishes off with a percussion explosion by Traylor. Presiding over all of this excitement, Earl Hines distinguishes himself from time to time with piano breaks amid the other solos. "The Father Jumps," borrowing an ascending riff from Duke Ellington's "Merry Go Round," is a good hot jam with foamy drumming. "The Earl" is completely built around the pianist's presence, as he executes flashy tricks and wiggly runs between big-band blasts. This track showcases some of Hines' finest keyboard calisthenics. On the two unaccompanied piano solos, Hines demonstrates what could be called "Chicago stride," experimenting more than a bit with the structure of "Melancholy Baby." As for the vocalists, Billy Eckstine turns in half a dozen calorie-laden performances, the best of which is the slightly outrageous "Jitney Man," wherein he approaches the joyous theatricality of Al Hibbler. Madeline Green had a sweet little voice, but listeners are almost never able to appreciate it without the sugary backing of a vocal group calling itself the Three Varieties -- a takeoff on the Heinz condiment company's much-touted slogan, "57 Varieties." These singers try for the confectionary sound that many white big bands were hopelessly addicted to at the time. They pour syrup all over the place, and as a result some of the pop-oriented material feels at times a bit sticky. But that's what you get in a complete chronological survey of everything this bandleader did in order to stay in business over the space of eight months in 1941. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist : 

BENNIE MOTEN's KANSAS CITY ORCHESTRA – 1930-1932 | The Classics Chronological Series – 591 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The final of the four "complete" Bennie Moten Classics CDs, which contain all of the orchestra's recordings except for a dozen alternate takes, has the band's final selections from 1930 (including some vocals by Jimmy Rushing) and then all of the music from Moten's classic final session of Dec. 13, 1932. With trumpeter Hot Lips Page, trombonist Dan Minor, Eddie Durham (the main arranger) on trombone and guitar, baritonist Jack Washington, Ben Webster on tenor, bassist Walter Page and pianist Count Basie, the orchestra at times almost sounds like the Count Basie big band of 1937. "Toby," the original version of "Moten Swing," "The Blue Room," "Milenberg Joys," "Lafayette" and "Prince of Wails" are among the many memorable selections. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    The Count    3:10
 Tom Gordon
2    Liza Lee 3:01
 Bud Green / Sam H. Stept
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
3    Get Goin' (Get Ready To Love) 3:00
 Tot Seymour
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
4    Professor Hot Stuff    3:21
 Count Basie / Eddie Durham / Bennie Moten
5    When I'm Alone 3:15
 Bennie Moten / Jimmy Rushing
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
6    New Moten Stomp    2:52
 Bennie Moten
7    As Long As I Love You (Jeanette) 3:07
 Bennie Moten / L. Wood
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
8    Somebody Stole My Gal 3:02
 Leo Wood
Vocals – Count Basie
9    Now That I Need You 3:00
 Count Basie / Bennie Moten / Pinetop Smith
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
10    Bouncin' Round    3:08
 Bennie Moten
11    Ya Got Love 3:14
 Al Goodhart / Al Hoffman / Oliver Nelson
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
12    I Wanna Be Around My Baby All The Time 2:55
 George W. Meyer / Joe Young
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
13    Toby    3:24
 Eddie Barefield / Bennie Moten
14    Moten Swing    3:18
 Bennie Moten
15    The Blue Room    3:18
 Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
16    Imagination 3:25
 B. Russell
Vocals – The Sterling Russell Trio
17    New Orleans 2:59
 Hoagy Carmichael
Vocals – Jimmy Rushing
18    The Only Girl I Ever Loved 3:10
 Bobby Ziegler
Vocals – The Sterling Russell Trio
19    Milenberg Joys    2:45
 Walter Melrose / Jelly Roll Morton
20    Lafayette    2:45
 Count Basie / Eddie Durham
21    Prince Of Wails    2:49
 Elmer Schoebel
22    Two Times 3:07
Sauberg
Credits :    
Banjo – Leroy Berry (tracks: 1 to 21)
Bass [String] – Walter Page (tracks: 13 to 22)
Brass Bass – Vernon Page (tracks: 1 to 12)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Eddie Barefield (tracks: 13 to 22)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jack Washington (tracks: 1 to 21)
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Harlan Leonard (tracks: 1 to 12)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Woody Walder (tracks: 1 to 12)
Directed By – Bennie Moten
Drums – Willie McWashington
Piano – Count Basie
Piano Accordion, Piano – Ira "Buster" Moten (tracks: 1 to 12)
Tenor Saxophone – Ben Webster (tracks: 13 to 21)
Trombone – Dan Minor (tracks: 13 to 21), Thamon Hayes (tracks: 1 to 12)
Trombone, Guitar – Eddie Durham
Trumpet – Booker Washington (tracks: 1 to 12), Ed Lewis (tracks: 1 to 12), Oran "Hot Lips" Page, Joe Keyes (tracks: 13 to 21), Dee Stewart (tracks: 13 to 21)

JIMMIE LUNCEFORD AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1934-1935 | The Classics Chronological Series – 505 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second of Classics' reissuance of all the master takes of Jimmie Lunceford's recordings finds the orchestra gaining in popularity and in power. Among the highlights (most of the songs were arranged by Sy Oliver or Ed Wilcox) are "Since My Beat Gal Turned Me Down," "Rhythm Is Our Business," "Shake Your Head," "Sleepy-Time Gal," "Four or Five Times" and "Swanee River." The high musicianship and clean ensembles (along with the showmanship) are most impressive and the concise solos (particularly from altoist Willie Smith, tenor saxophonist Joe Thomas and trumpeter Sy Oliver) are enjoyable and fit in logically as part of the arrangements. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Chillum, Get Up 3:03
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Henry Wells, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
Written-By – Parker
2    Solitude 3:10
Vocals – Henry Wells
Written-By – Ellington, DeLange
3    Rain 3:20
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Henry Wells, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
Written-By – Swansstrom, Morgan, Ford
4    Since My Best Gal Turned Me Down 3:30
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Henry Wells, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
Written-By – Quicksell, Ludwig
5    Jealous 3:07
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Henry Wells
Written-By – Finch, Little, Malie
6    Rhythm Is Our Business 3:08
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Chorus – Jimmie Lunceford And His Orchestra
Vocals – Willie Smith
Written-By – Lunceford, Cahn, Chaplin
7    I'm Walking Through Heaven With You 3:12
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Henry Wells
Written-By – Lunceford
8    Shake Your Head (From Side To Side) 2:52
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Written-By – Gerow, Cahn
9    Sleepy Time Gal 3:08
Alto Saxophone – Jimmie Lunceford
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Written-By – Lorenzo, Alden, Whiting
10    Bird Of Paradise 3:20
Arranged By – Eddie Durham, Edwin Wilcox
Written-By – Ellington
11    Rhapsody Junior 3:23
Arranged By – Eddie Durham, Edwin Wilcox
Written-By – Ellington
12    Runnin' Wild 3:11
Arranged By – Willie Smith
Vocals – Sy Oliver
Written-By – Gibbs, Grey, Wood
13    Four Or Five Times 3:07
Arranged By, Vocals – Sy Oliver
Written-By – Gay, Hellman
14    (If I Had) Rhythm In My Nursery Rhymes 3:01
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Willie Smith
Written-By – Ray, Lunceford, Cahn, Chaplin
15    Babs 3:07
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
Written-By – Ahlert, Young
16    Swanee River 2:45
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Written-By – Foster
17    Thunder 3:04
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Dan Grissom
Written-By – Manners, Lewis
18    Oh! Boy 3:10
Arranged By – Eddie Durham
Written-By – Durham, Lunceford
19    (You Take The East, Take The West, Take The North) I'll Take The South 2:40
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
Written-By – Palmer, Klages
20    Avalon 3:05
Arranged By – Eddie Durham
Written-By – Jolson, De Sylva, Rose
21    Charmaine 2:50
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom
Written-By – Rapee, Pollack
22    Hittin' The Bottle 3:07
Arranged By – Eddie Durham
Vocals – Sy Oliver
Written-By – Arlen, Koehler
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – LaForest Dent
Bass – Moses Allen
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Dan Grissom (tracks: 10 to 22)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Earl Carruthers, Willie Smith
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Joe Thomas
Drums, Vibraphone – Jimmy Crawford
Guitar – Al Norris
Leader, Arranged By – Jimmie Lunceford
Orchestra – Jimmie Lunceford And His Orchestra
Piano, Celesta – Edwin Wilcox
Trombone – Elmer Crumbley (tracks: 9 to 22), Henry Wells (tracks: 1 to 8), Russell Bowles
Trombone, Guitar – Eddie Durham (tracks: 9 to 22)
Trumpet – Eddie Tompkins, Paul Webster (tracks: 9 to 22), Sy Oliver, Tommy Stevenson (tracks: 1 to 8)

JIMMIE LUNCEFORD AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1935-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 510 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although there have been a few GRP/Decca samplers released domestically, the best way for serious collectors to acquire the recordings of Jimmie Lunceford are by getting the reissue CDs put out by the European labels. On Classics' third Lunceford set, the personnel stays the same (except for one minor change) during the 15-month period that is covered. The well-rehearsed unit continued to grow and develop during this time. Among the highpoints of the CD are "My Blue Heaven," "Organ Grinder's Swing," "Harlem Shout" and "Slumming on Park Avenue." Although one can do without the occasional Dan Grissom vocals, the concise solos, tricky charts and hip singing of Sy Oliver make this music well worth investigating by fans of the swing era. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    My Blue Heaven 3:10
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Violin – Al Norris
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
2    I'm Nuts About Screwy Music 3:03
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Willie Smith
3    The Best Things In Life Are Free 3:20
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Dan Grissom
4    The Melody Man 3:06
Arranged By, Vocals – Sy Oliver
5    Organ Grinder's Swing 2:37
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
6    On The Beach At Bali-Bali 2:57
Arranged By, Vocals – Sy Oliver
7    Me And The Moon 3:02
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
8    Living From Day To Day 3:04
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom
9    'Tain't Good (Like A Nickle Made Of Wood) 3:11
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
10    Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) 2:55
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
11    I Can't Escape From You 3:00
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom
12    Harlem Shout 3:01
Arranged By – Eddie Durham
13    (This Is) My Last Affair 2:48
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom
14    Running A Temperature 3:00
Arranged By – Eddie Durham
Vocals – Sy Oliver
15    Count Me Out 3:12
Arranged By – Eddie Durham
Vocals – Dan Grissom
16    I'll Sell You In My Dreams 2:46
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Dan Grissom
17    He Ain't Got Rhythm 2:43
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Joe Thomas
18    Linger Awhile 2:32
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom
19    Honest And Truly 2:59
Arranged By – Edwin Wilcox
Vocals – Dan Grissom
20    Slumming On Park Avenue 3:01
Vocals – Dan Grissom, Sy Oliver, Willie Smith
21    Coquette 3:10
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Dan Grissom
22    The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down 2:50
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Vocals – Sy Oliver
23    Ragging The Scale 3:09
Arranged By – Sy Oliver
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Ed Brown (tracks: 21 to 23), LaForet Dent (tracks: 1 to 20)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Dan Grissom
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Earl Carruthers, Willie Smith
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Joe Thomas
Directed By – Jimmie Lunceford
Drums, Vibraphone – Jimmy Crawford
Guitar – Al Norris
Piano, Celesta – Edwin Wilcox
Trombone – Elmer Crumbley, Russell Bowles
Trombone, Guitar – Eddie Durham
Trumpet – Eddie Tompkins, Paul Webster, Sy Oliver

WILLIE BRYANT AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1935-1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 768 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Don't let this one fall through the cracks! Willie Bryant's Orchestra was an exceptionally fine big band, teeming with skilled jazz musicians during the mid-'30s Bryant was born in New Orleans and raised in Chicago. By 1926 he was dancing professionally and eventually appeared in duet performance with Bessie Smith. His band came together towards the end of 1934, and by the January 4, 1935 they were making great records for the Victor label. Teddy Wilson and Cozy Cole were the backbone, and recognizably strong players like Benny Carter and young Ben Webster greatly fortified the ranks. While each solo by Ben Webster is priceless, you'll get a lot out of meeting the rest of the guys in the band, like Robert "Mack" Horton and his husky, growling trombone, outrageously featured at the beginning of "The Sheik." Bryant's sense of theater was highly developed, and it served him well during the more topical numbers. Of all the humorous routines ever created in imitation of a revival meeting, one of the very funniest and most solidly swung is "Chimes at the Meeting." Bryant impersonates an oily, opportunistic preacher who is obviously only interested in the contents of the collection plate. Calling each member of the congregation by name, he is soon inventing all kinds of characters while pointedly pronouncing nicknames for each soloist in the band. At one point Bryant, lending his voice to the imaginary individual "Brother Goldberg," sings an imaginative scat vocal built upon the time-honored syllables "Oy" and "Yoy." The bizarre vaudeville patter fits perfectly over an exciting big band stomp that makes it very difficult to sit still! "Steak and Potatoes" is a hilarious ode to the enigma of Love versus Food. Willie makes it clear that he would always opt for a table full of greasy, hot goodies rather than messing with Love, even if it does "make you feel like a thousand Mickey Mouses running up and down your spine." Again, the combination of top-notch big band swing and a humorous vocal line is irresistible! Accessible to an even wider audience on Victor's affordable Bluebird series during the year 1936, Bryant continued to use this same formula with great success. There is a flute solo -- quite rare in jazz back then -- by Charles Frazier during "The Right Somebody to Love," which has a funky vocal by trumpeter Jack Butler. If Bryant's polished southern drawl sounds a bit conspicuous at times, it definitely conjures up a minstrel show when combined with Butler's enthusiastic clowning on "I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)." Taft Jordan sings up a passion during "All My Life," a song made famous during this same time period by Thomas "Fats" Waller. "Cross Patch" was also a hit for Waller, but Bryant's band cooks it hotter, with a beefy baritone sax intro by Stanley Payne. This music really grows on you. It occupies a sort of limbo between the formative swing of the early 1930s and the fully mature jazz of the early 1940s. Bryant only made a handful of records after 1936 -- following one Decca date in '38, economic pressures forced him to take his band apart. Given the smooth sound of his singing and speaking voice, it is not surprising that Willie went on to work as an emcee, a deejay and even in television. He did lead a band in Harlem during the year 1946, and after hearing these wonderful sides from the middle 1930s, you might ask yourself, did the 1946 Bryant band make any records? This calls for further investigation. arwulf arwulf 

Tracklist :

1 Throwin' Stones at the Sun 2:57

Billy Hueston / Sammy Mysels / Nat Simon

2 It's Over Because We're Through 3:33

Willie Bryant 

3 A Viper's Moon 3:20

Willie Bryant 

4 Chimes at the Meeting 2:56

T. Jones

5 Rigamarole 2:31

Harold Mooney

6 'Long About Midnight 2:58

Alex Hill / Irving Mills

7 The Sheik 2:49

Ted Snyder / Francis Wheeler

8 Jerry the Junker 2:43

Clarence Stout / Clarence Williams

9 The Voice of Old Man River 3:03

Willie Bryant / Harry White

10 Steak and Potatoes 3:03

Willie Bryant

11 Long Gone (From the Bowlin' Green) 2:46

W.C. Handy / Chris Smith

 12 Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) 2:54

George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / Gus Kahn

 13 Is It True What They Say About Dixie? 2:13

Irving Caesar / Sammy Lerner / Gerald Marks

 14 All My Life 3:21

Sidney Mitchell / Sam H. Stept

 15 The Right Somebody to Love 3:09

Lew Pollack / Jack Yellen

 16 The Glory of Love 3:27

Billy Hill

 17 Ride, Red, Ride 2:27

Lucky Millinder / Irving Mills

 18 Moonrise on the Lowlands 3:33

Jerry Levinson / Al J. Neiburg

 19 Mary Had a Little Lamb 3:11

Matty Malneck / Marty Symes

 20 I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones) 2:43

Chris Yachich

 21 Cross Patch 2:36

Vee Lawnhurst / Tot Seymour

 22 I'm Grateful to You 3:17

J. Fred Coots / Joe Davis

THE THREE KEYS – 1932-1933 + BON BON AND HIS BUDDIES – 1941-1942 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1141 (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Two very obscure series of recordings, both featuring singer Bon Bon (George Tunnell), are reissued in full on this intriguing CD. Bon Bon is best-known for his stint with Jan Savitt's orchestra during the late 1930s/early '40s. On the first 16 selections, he is heard as a pianist-vocalist with the Three Keys, a group also featuring guitarist Slim Furness and bassist Bob Pease; all three musicians sing together. The music is enjoyable jive although not as creative as the Mills Brothers or the Spirits of Rhythm. Among the better selections are "Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn," "Nagasaki," and "Oh By Jingo." Also on this CD are the six surviving selections from two dates by Bon Bon and his buddies during 1941-42. In both caes, the artist is joined by a swing septet. Among the sidemen are trumpeter Je Thomas, clarinetists Buster Smith and Jimmy Lytell, and pianist Billy Kyle, although guitarist Eddie Durham (doubling on trombone) gets solo honors on the first four songs. Bon Bon was an appealing vocalist and this CD should be of strong interest to swing specialists. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1    The Three Keys–    Moon Indigo    3:42
2    The Three Keys–    Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins    3:04
3    The Three Keys–    Jig Time    2:21
4    The Three Keys–    Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn    2:56
5    The Three Keys–    Basin Street Blues    2:49
6    The Three Keys–    Wah-Dee-Dah    2:54
7    The Three Keys–    Nagasaki    2:49
8    The Three Keys–    Fit As A Fiddle    2:25
9    The Three Keys–    Anything For You    3:06
10    The Three Keys–    That Doggone Dog Of Mine    2:51
11    The Three Keys–    Rasputin    2:41
12    The Three Keys–    Oh! By Jingo    2:30
13    The Three Keys–    Heebie Jeebies    2:36
14    The Three Keys–    Song Of The Islands    2:51
15    The Three Keys–    I've Found A New Baby    3:07
16    The Three Keys–    You Can Depend On Me    3:15
17    Bon Bon And His Buddies–    I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire    2:37
18    Bon Bon And His Buddies–    Blow, Gabriel, Blow    2:27
19    Bon Bon And His Buddies–    Sweet Mama Papa's Getting Mad    3:06
20    Bon Bon And His Buddies–    All That Meat And No Potatoes    2:56
21    Bon Bon And His Buddies–    Seeing You Again Did Me No Good    2:44
22    Bon Bon And His Buddies–    Sleepy Old Town    2:55
Credits :    
1-16
Bass, Vocals – Bob Pease
Guitar, Vocals – Slim Furness
Piano – George "Bon Bon" Tunnell
17-20    
Alto Saxophone – Jackie Fields
Bass – Al Hall
Clarinet – Buster Smith
Drums – Jack Parker  
Piano – James Phipps
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Trombone, Guitar – Eddie Durham
Vocals – George "Bon Bon" Tunnell
21-22
Piano – Billy Kyle
Bass – Haig Stephens
Clarinet – Jimmy Lytell
Drums – O'Neil Spencer
Trumpet – Red Solomon
Guitar – George Van Eps
Trombone – Russ Jenner

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1938 – The Classics Chronological Series – 503 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Bill (Count) Basie first shows up on record at the end of the 1920s, playing piano with Bennie Moten & the Kansas City Orchestra. Legend has it that Basie became a "Count" after Moten teasingly referred to him as "that no-account Basie." Classics No. 503 presents Basie's first recordings as a leader. On October 9th, 1936, a five-piece band cut two instrumental stomps and a pair of blues with vocals by Jimmy Rushing. Since Basie was breaking a contract by recording for the Vocalion label, the band was billed as "Jones-Smith, Inc." The "Jones" was drummer Jo Jones, and the "Smith" was trumpeter Carl Smith, filling in that day for Buck Clayton, who had a split lip. Basie opened up "Shoe Shine Boy" with a bit of his own brand of Harlem stride piano, powerfully supported by Walter Page's bass fiddle. Lester Young, shining like the rising sun, was making his very first appearance on phonograph record. Strong as nails, full of ideas and rhythmic enthusiasm, Young was obviously happy to be cooking in front of the microphone that day. On the 21st of January, 1937 the Count Basie Orchestra became a phonographic reality, utilizing former members of Walter Page's Blue Devils and Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra. Basie honored his Harlem roots by dishing up a smart instrumental treatment of Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," and a stomp dedicated to Waller's preferred cathouse, the Daisy Chain. "Roseland Shuffle" is remarkable for the extended "conversation" between Lester Young's sax and Basie's piano. Jimmy Rushing is often narrowly categorized as a blues singer rather than a versatile jazz vocalist who could sing anything, including the blues, with extraordinary passion. Rushing had developed himself as a singer of pop songs with Moten, so it's not surprising that he does so well with "Pennies From Heaven." Rushing often made it seem as though he himself had written the songs he sang. He did all he could with "Boo Hoo," a cutesy Guy Lombardo hit made into a smoking instrumental in 1937 by Fats Waller His Rhythm & His Orchestra. Waller sang on his own version of "Smarty," while Basie was wise enough to keep it instrumental. This left more room for a solo by Herschel Evans, who shared clarinet and tenor sax responsibilities with Lester Young. The March 26, 1937 version of "Boogie Woogie" is a big band expansion of the blues shuffle recorded with the small group five months earlier, and the effect is anything but redundant. What an amazing band! "One O'Clock Jump" made its very first appearance in July of '37, featuring Lester Young in all his glory. Compare his solo with that of Herschel Evans' on "John's Idea" and you'll be savoring one of the greatest tenor sax dichotomies in the history of big band jazz. Evans sounds like Coleman Hawkins or Chu Berry. Young sounds like Young and nobody else. In just a few years, half the tenors in the world would be trying to sound exactly like him. 1937 and '38 were wonderful years for this group of musicians. Things evolved steadily. New energies gradually began to pervade the ensemble: Earle Warren, Freddie Green, Eddie Durham, Benny Morton. Each man brought his personality along with his chops. The future looked, and was, very bright for Basie's Orchestra. What a treat to catch this wonderful band as it perpetually reinvented itself for all to hear. arwulf arwulf