LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1929-1930 | The Classics Chronological Series – 557 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On March 1, 1929, Eddie Condon managed to assemble a completely unrehearsed band in a recording studio at Liederkranz Hall in New York City, where two of the greatest jazz records of the entire decade were waxed and soon issued under the name of Fats Waller & His Buddies. Four days later, Condon was in a different studio with a band led by Panamanian pianist Luis Russell. This ten-piece orchestra was identified on record as Louis Armstrong's Savoy Ballroom Five. Their "Mahogany Hall Stomp" perfectly embodies both the leader's personality and jazz itself at the end of the 1920s. The Armstrong chronology jumps to July of 1929 with four beautiful Fats Waller melodies and into September with a string of pretty tunes that seem to anticipate popular taste during the 1930s. In December of 1929 Armstrong made a series of records with Luis Russell's orchestra. This placed him in the same group with trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen, something that should have happened more often. Hoagy Carmichael sat in on December 13th to assist Armstrong in singing "Rockin' Chair." On January 24, 1930, the era of sweet bands seems to have officially opened with "Song of the Islands," garnished with three violins and vibraphone played by Paul Barbarin while the band's valet sat in on the drums. Moving into the spring of 1930, a duet rendition of "Dear Old Southland" paired the trumpeter with pianist Buck Washington. As the Great Depression settled over the listening public, Armstrong recorded numerous pop songs in front of a large, lightly sweetened orchestra. His trumpet and persona transform even the least of these ditties into precious delicacies that still nourish and satisfy many years after their creation. arwulf arwulf    Tracklist :

KING OLIVER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1930-1931 | The Chronogical Classics – 594 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 What you've got here are King Oliver's final recordings as a leader. Big bands were still figuring themselves out in 1930, moving from one decade's definitive flavor into another stylistic space as yet unspecified. Hovering over everything was the gruesome specter of fiscal disaster. This did strange things to the music business. Pop culture became partly mummified by a creeping sentimentality that would emerge again during the age of Cold War conformity. During the 1930s and the 1950s jazz endured and continued to evolve, as it always will under any circumstances. With his best decade behind him, King Oliver presided over an orchestra that occasionally sounds a bit sleepy. During their best moments, these guys are almost as solid as Bennie Moten's band, or maybe the Moten orchestra of 1927. "Mule Face Blues" and "Stingaree" are features for Henry "Red" Allen. "Boogie Woogie" is a high-potency stomp containing not one speck of the definitive eight-to-the-bar formula usually associated with the term. On "Stop Crying," Buster Bailey blows into his clarinet with unusual ferocity and Ward Pinkett launches into a frantic scat vocal. Speaking of singers, if you're going to listen back on music from around 1930, it is necessary to make concessions to notions of popular taste. Otherwise, you'll be operating with no historical context whatsoever. If you think George Bias was a silly vocalist, check out some of the singing on records from the same time period by Fats Waller & His Buddies or Duke Ellington. Not everybody is going to sound as hip as Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon or Baby Cox. When three members of the band formed a vocal trio and sang on some of the recordings made in 1931, the results were entertaining in ways that maybe we ought to allow ourselves to rediscover. It's a shame that King Oliver's recordings taper off at this point. Like most other bands on the scene at that time, this one could have picked up steam again as new players, composers and arrangers would have helped it adapt to changing times. By the end of the 1930s, Eddie Condon or the guys at the Library of Congress could have rekindled popular interest in Joe Oliver. Even if by then he'd given up blowing his horn he could have succeeded as nominal leader of a New Orleans-styled jazz band, or something more modern-sounding. But this is pure speculation. Papa Joe died in abject poverty in Savannah, Georgia on the 10th of April, 1938. With five volumes of his work available from Classics, there's a lot of King Oliver to explore, and it's all worth your while. arwulf arwulf
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JELLY-ROLL MORTON – 1928-1929 | The Chronogical Classics – 627 (1992) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This CD traces Jelly Roll Morton's period in New York, starting with his second record date in the Big Apple. A few of the sessions have Morton joined by an excess of musicians, with the results certainly being spirited, if bordering on getting out of control. "Tank Town Bump" and "Red Hot Pepper Stomp" are the best of these numbers. In addition, Morton is heard on four excellent piano solos (including "Seattle Hunch" and "Freakish"), leading a nucleus taken from the Luis Russell Orchestra on four other songs, and playing as a sideman with vaudevillian clarinetist Wilton Crawley's pickup band, sometimes to hilarious effect. One of the true jazz giants, every recording by Jelly Roll Morton is well worth acquiring in one form or another. Scott Yanow  
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JELLY-ROLL MORTON – 1939-1940 | The Chronogical Classics – 668 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD has (with the exception of two songs from a slightly later radio broadcast) the final recordings of pianist-composer Jelly Roll Morton. Best are his piano solos (such as "The Crave," "The Naked Dance," and "King Porter Stomp") and selections in which he backs his own vocals (including "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say," "Don't You Leave Me Here," and "Mamie's Blues"). Morton's three band dates (which resulted in the final dozen titles) are slightly disappointing because he was obviously trying to write a hit and not having any success. The songs are all forgettable except "Sweet Substitute" and the standard "Panama." But overall, this CD (along with the others in the Classics reissues series) are easily recommended to fans of vintage classic jazz who do not own the more complete five-CD Bluebird Morton set. Scott Yanow
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BILLY BANKS AND HIS ORCHESTRA + JACK BLAND AND HIS RHYTHMAKERS – 1932 | The Chronogical Classics – 969 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The real spark behind the Rhythmakers can be summed up in three words: Henry "Red" Allen. Teamed with surrealistic reedman Pee Wee Russell (who plays a lot of tenor sax in addition to his famously wry clarinet), Red stirred up the Rhythmakers in the same way that he completely transformed every band he ever worked with. In addition to the dynamic front line, these snappy sides from 1932 are worthwhile mainly for the presence of pianists Joe Sullivan and Fats Waller, bassists Al Morgan and Pops Foster, and drummers Gene Krupa and Zutty Singleton. What about the nominal leader? Well, Billy Banks sounded more than a little like Cab Calloway in 1932, even singing some of the same topical hits. Billy seems to have gotten waylaid en route to the studio on April 18th. The band cooked up a steaming "Bugle Call Rag" while waiting for the singer to arrive. This is the only instrumental track on the entire album. It is followed by "Oh Peter (You're So Nice)" which has a vocal by Red Allen. Finally Banks showed and sang "Margie" in his rather shrill voice, sounding almost goofy after the wonderfully husky tones of Allen. The session of May 10th uses an unidentified band. Banks tried hard to be clever, scatting up a storm on "The Scat Song," but there are less kicks to be had with this group. As if to make up for a missed opportunity, Banks sang "Oh Peter" on May 23rd with the original ensemble except for Krupa, who was replaced by the mighty Zutty. Billy scats nicely on "Who's Sorry Now?" and "Take It Slow and Easy." These are strong performances, tough stomps played by a band that gradually works Billy down to a hipper delivery. "Bald Headed Mama" focuses on a theme revived years later by Professor Longhair ("Bald Head") and Lou Donaldson ("Wig Blues"). The epicenter of this album is the session of July 26th, 1932. Fats Waller and Pops Foster gas up the band so solidly that Banks sounds vicariously hipper than ever. Red Allen wails while Pee Wee plays only tenor sax, the clarinet being handled by Jimmy Lord. Strum support from simultaneous banjo and guitar certainly doesn't hurt. The most exciting track is "Mean Old Bed Bug Blues" with a very funny falsetto vocal chorus by Fats. W.C. Handy's "Yellow Dog Blues" bumps along at a good clip, with a marvelous piano solo after the perky vocal. "Yes Suh!" is pure vaudeville call-and-response. There's no telling who was in the band on August 18th 1932. About half of this material is quite rare, and it's good to have all of Banks' work on one disc. The album closes with Jack Bland and His Rhythmakers, a racially mixed band that blows the roof off of the "Hen House Door." This is one of Red Allen's wildest vocals on record. "Shine on Your Shoes," popularized by Fred Astaire, features unnervingly wholesome vocalist Chick Bullock, who advises everyone to face each dawn with polished footwear, either literally or metaphorically. The band cooks so hard it doesn't matter who the vocalist is! Bullock was the most heavily recorded vocalist of the 1930s, and this track is, without question, the best side he ever piped in on.
"Buddy Bolden" was originally a song about farting, the notorious "Winin' Boy" dates from Morton's tenure as a Storyville cathouse piano player. Jelly's Library of Congress recording of his erstwhile theme song contains some of the most sexually explicit lyrics ever sung into a recording microphone. "Winding Boy" was a term used to describe a "tireless stud." While we're on the subject, James Scott's "Climax Rag" is pleasantly stimulating, as are all eight selections from September of 1939. This wonderful disc ends with two delightful solos including "Original Rags," Scott Joplin's masterpiece of 1899. arwulf arwulf  
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DON REDMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1931-1933 | The Chronogical Classics – 543 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first of three Don Redman Classics CDs consists of his orchestra's earliest sessions. Although Redman's big band never hit it as big as his former employers' (Fletcher Henderson and McKinney's Cotton Pickers), it was an impressive outfit, thanks to the leader's advanced arrangements. Among the key sidemen on these performances are trumpeters Red Allen (who is on the first two sessions) and Sidney DeParis, tenor saxophonist Robert Carroll, and pianist Horace Henderson. Highlights include "Chant of the Weed" (Redman's atmospheric theme song), "I Heard," "How'm I Doin'," and "Hot and Anxious." The main Don Redman CD to get. Scott Yanow
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DON REDMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1933-1936 | The Chronogical Classics – 553 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The great arranger Don Redman made Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in the mid-1920s the first real swing band, but during the swing era itself, Redman was little known to the general public. His big band (heard here on the second of three "complete" Classics CDs) failed to really catch on, although it stayed together throughout the 1930s. After recording a bunch of sessions in 1933, Redman's orchestra only cut two sides in Jan. 1934 and then none until May 1936. There are vocals on 22 of the 25 selections on this CD; of the three instrumentals, this version of "Christopher Columbus" might not be by Redman. The leader's charming vocals are fine, but the nine by Harlan Lattimore are of lesser interest, and Chick Bullock dominates a six-song session. There are some good solos along the way, particularly by trumpeter Sidney DeParis, trombonists Benny Morton and Claude Jones and the forgotten tenor Robert Carroll, but this CD is primarily for completists. Scott Yanow 
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LUIS RUSSELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1926-1929 | The Chronogical Classics – 588 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Classics Russell collection and the label's later 1929-1934 disc round up the entire output by the Panamanian bandleader. And while some know them better for the fact they eventually morphed into Louis Armstrong's first big band in the early '30s, Russell's outfit originally cut some of the best sides to surface during the music's transition from early jazz to big band music. The cream of the tracks were recorded between 1929-1930, when the group included such top soloists as trumpeter Henry Allen, trombonist J.C. Higginbotham, saxophonists Charlie Holmes and Albert Nicholas, bassist Pops Foster, and drummer Paul Barbarin. The majority of the collection spotlights this period, with such standouts as "Jersey Lightning," "The New Call of the Freaks," and "African Jungle." Starting things off, though, are eight numbers from Russell's first sessions as a leader (this was while he was still with King Oliver). Featuring Victoria Spivey on vocals and two Jell Roll Morton alums in Kid Ory and George Mitchell, the Chicago-cut sides, while not on par with the later large-band tracks, still impress with their mix of New Orleans and Chicago styles. A quality disc that's best left to completists; newcomers should first consider JSP's superior-sounding Savoy Shout collection as a starting point. Stephen Cook  
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LUIS RUSSELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1930-1934 | The Chronogical Classics – 606 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It's a shame this and the earlier Classics collection split up the bandleader's prime 1930 recordings, but such is the way of a strictly chronological series. Those wanting just one disc that covers most of Russell's best work will want to pick up JSP's Savoy Shout disc, which includes 22 cuts from 1929-1930. But for collectors in need of all of the recordings Russell cut before Louis Armstrong practically swallowed up his band whole in 1934, the two Classics discs will certainly do the trick. And while this later disc pales a bit to the 1926-1930 collection, its first half does feature classic work from Russell's band and its spin-off combo, J.C. Higginbotham and His Six Hicks. Along with Higginbotham's own irrepressible trombone work, these sides also offer a wealth of solo treats from such band standouts as trumpeter Henry Allen and saxophonists Charlie Holmes and Albert Nicholas. The later 1931 and 1934 recordings might not match up to earlier classics like "Panama" and "Song of the Swanee," but they still include enough fine performances amongst the filler to keep the quality level up. A worthwhile disc, but one that's probably best suited for Russell completists. Stephen Cook
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HENRY "RED" ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1929-1933 | The Chronogical Classics – 540 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first of a five-volume CD series released by the European Classics label that reissues all of the recordings led by trumpeter Red Allen during 1929-41 is one of the best. The great trumpeter is first heard fronting the Luis Russell Orchestra for such classics as "It Should Be You" and "Biff'ly Blues," he interacts with blues singer Victoria Spivey, and on the selections from 1933 (two of which were previously unreleased) he co-leads a group with tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Not all of the performances are gems but there are many memorable selections including "How Do They Do It That Way," "Pleasin' Paul," "Sugar Hill Function,," and "Patrol Wagon Blues." Other soloists include trombonists J.C. Higginbottham and Dicky Wells, clarinetist Albert Nicholas and altoist Charlie Holmes. Scott Yanow
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HENRY "RED" ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1933-1935 | The Chronogical Classics – 551 (1990) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The second of five CDs put out by the European Classics label that document trumpeter Red Allen's 1929-41 recordings has three titles from a session co-led with tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, eight songs from 1934 and a dozen from the following year. Allen takes vocals on most of the tracks and, even if not all of the songs are gems, there are many highlights including "Pardon My Southern Accent," "Rug Cutter Swing," "Believe It, Beloved," "Rosetta" and "Truckin'." The strong supporting cast includes trombonists Dickie Wells and J.C. Higginbotham, clarinetists Buster Bailey and Cecil Scott and, on one date, tenorman Chu Berry. All five of the Red Allen Classics CDs are recommended. Scott Yanow
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HENRY "RED" ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1935-1936 | The Chronogical Classics – 575 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third of five Classics CDs that cover Red Allen's recordings of the 1930s has the contents of six complete sessions from a ten-month period. Allen (who has vocals on all but one of the 24 selections) is assisted by such classic players as trombonist J.C. Higginbotham, Cecil Scott (on tenor and clarinet), altoist Tab Smith and several strong rhythm sections. Among the more memorable swing performances are "On Treasure Island," "Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle," "Lost," "Algiers Stomp" and "I'll Sing You a Thousand Love songs." The fairly obscure recordings (cut during an era when the big bands really ruled) have long been underrated. Scott Yanow
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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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HENRY "RED" ALLEN – 1944-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1067 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Having served heroically as a front-liner in so many hot bands during the 1920s and '30s, the mighty Red Allen waded into the middle of the 1940s ready to cook like a merry demon. Listeners are very fortunate to have the entire session of May 5, 1944, as it includes "The Theme," a six-minute jam that suggests part of the root system of R&B. An interesting thing occurs during Red's solo: the piano starts vamping on the bassline to "Call of the Freaks," a piece that both Red and trombonist J.C. Higginbotham had recorded some 15 years earlier with Luis Russell's orchestra. "Ride! Red! Ride!" is fast and frantic, a raucous two and a half minutes of over the top blowing and shouting. The transition from this rumble in the parking lot to the relaxation of the following track might cause whiplash. "Just a Feeling" features alto saxophonist Don Stovall, keening in a languid, Johnny Hodges sort of way. "Dark Eyes" begins as a sort of rhumba, with an incredibly funny vocal by Red and another member of the band who plies him with questions. They then pick it up and shake it hard. "Dear Old Southland" features J.C. Higginbotham's trombone. "Red Jump" is the perfect embodiment of the phrase "swing to bop." Boogie-woogie manifests as "Get the Mop," a shout-along stomp soon to be plagiarized by certain opportunistic white musicians for their own financial benefit. Red Allen quietly sued and won the case. This is the story behind the pop novelty "Rag Mop." With a cry of "wamp! wamp!," Red Allen charges into "The Crawl," a blistering ride that ends with basement blasts from the trombone. Red also "wamps" his way into "Buzz Me," a song strongly associated with Louis Jordan. Red's version is nastier and tougher, a bit like full-force Hot Lips Page.

"Drink Hearty" was used in a "soundie," one of those short movies featuring the band lip-syncing over their own record. Red seems to have employed the "wamp!" whenever possible during this time period. It was how he counted off each tune. An updated "Get the Mop" sprints at an insane pace, setting the stage for "Count Me Out" and "Check Up," two boppish runs during which Red sounds almost like Fats Navarro. When he sings the blues or belts out a ballad, Red has a lot of class, as he does on the two titles finishing off his 1946 Victor recordings (and on "A Shanty in Old Shanty Town" from 1947). The next session has apparently languished for years, having never been issued before. A chump announcer introduces Red's band to a live audience during the "Saturday Night Swing Session" in 1947. Higginbotham is still on board, along with Buster Bailey, Johnny Guarnieri, and jazz accordionist Roy Ross, who vamps neatly behind the horns. Allen really stretches out, taking all kinds of chances with his horn, particularly during eight and a half minutes of "Indiana." Switching over to the Apollo label, Red actually becomes "Mr. Wamp" on a very cool walk that seems to have sprouted directly from the "9:20 Special" (aka "Tush") by Earle Warren. "Old Fool" has more of that two-voiced comedy exchange with coordinated hollering from the band. Always willing to pursue an idea to its logical extreme, Red makes room for a comprehensive list of every kind of fool. arwulf arwulf  
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FATS WALLER – 1929 | The Classics Chronological Series – 702 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Five years before the formation of his famous "Rhythm" band, Thomas "Fats" Waller created a body of solo piano recordings that proved to be only modestly successful with the record buying public of his day. Musicians, on the other hand, have always been affected -- transformed, really -- by Waller's astonishing subtlety, that powerful sensitivity inherited directly from James P. Johnson, Luckey Roberts and Willie "The Lion" Smith. Waller's profound influence upon Art Tatum and Bud Powell can be traced directly back to the piano solos included on this album. Each three-minute performance is a world unto itself, as poetic license is held in balance by the magnetic field of Waller's dramatic gravity. There is a majestic simplicity to each turn of his phrasing, informed by everything that the pianist experienced during the first 25 years of his short life. "Love Me or Leave Me" picks up where "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" left off. What had served as a lachrymose torch song for pop star Ruth Etting becomes in Waller's hands something more along the lines of a wistfully energetic stomp through the old neighborhood at three o'clock in the morning. Legend has it Waller's perky "Valentine Stomp" was dedicated to Hazel Valentine, proprietor of the pianist's favorite sporting house, the Daisy Chain. Irving Berlin's "Waiting at the End of the Road" is lonelier than "Love Me" but works itself up to a similar pitch of emotional intensity. "Smashing Thirds" and "Turn on the Heat" are, to use a dangerous word, masterpieces. Life simply doesn't get much better than this. Furthermore, let's always remember that Fats Waller was our first jazz organist. Most of his solo pipe organ recordings date from 1927. His 1929 solos on that instrument are less giddy than the earlier "Soothin' Syrup" and "Hog Maw" stomps. There is a ruminative quality to these slow meditations, something that is sure to get by anyone who is impatiently awaiting instantaneous kicks. The strikingly majestic "That's All" was the last pipe organ solo Waller would wax inside the little church in Camden, New Jersey that had been converted into a recording facility. By 1934 he had switched to the Hammond and stuck with it almost exclusively for the rest of his life. The strictly chronological approach to reissuing brings in two peculiar sides by Fats Waller & His Buddies, involving a silly frenetic barbershop quartet billed as the Four Wanderers. "Lookin' Good but Feelin' Bad" is both hyperactive humor and smoking hot jazz, during which Henry "Red" Allen seems about to make his trumpet come apart at the seams. Don't be surprised when pop star Gene Austin sings Waller's "My Fate Is In Your Hands," as the two men collaborated periodically, always with mutual respect. And brace yourself for "Big Business," nearly seven minutes of vintage Negro vaudeville with quite a bit of Jim Crow dialogue included. Listen in on the cast of "Hot Chocolates" as they make plans for "fixing" a prize fight while Fats Waller maintains a steady piano presence in the background. At the beginning of part two, one of the actors actually shouts at him to "cut out that plunkin' on that pianna and let me get my business straight!" arwulf arwulf  
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FATS WALLER – 1929-1934 | The Classics Chronological Series – 720 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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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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BLUE LU BARKER – 1938-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 704 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is one of the lesser entries put out by the European Classics label. Blue Lou Barker was a so-so singer who had the novelty hit "Don't You Make Me High"; all 21 of her prewar recordings are included on this CD. The more memorable moments are provided by the sidemen, which include trumpeters Red Allen and Charlie Shavers, clarinetist Buster Bailey, tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, and her husband, guitarist Danny Barker. Scott Yanow  
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TEDDY WILSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 521 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Swing collectors may very well find the Teddy Wilson series on Classics to be a bit troubling for, although it logically reissues all of the great swing pianist's recordings as a leader in order (skipping the alternate takes), many of the sides (those featuring Billie Holiday) are also available on Columbia's complete Lady Day program. This particular CD not only has 16 Holiday vocals (including "The Way You Look Tonight," "Pennies from Heaven," a version of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" in which she shows off the influence of Louis Armstrong, and four wonderful titles from her first recorded meeting with tenor saxophonist Lester Young), but also three instrumentals and two rarities apiece from singers Redd Harper and Midge Williams which are sure to frustrate completists. Scott Yanow
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