DJANGO REINHARDT – 1944-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 945 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Thanks to a certain high ranking Nazi official whose penchant for jazz music caused him to violate the aggressively racist policies of his own government, Django Reinhardt was able to perform his music throughout most of the Occupation without being deported, involuntarily sterilized, or exterminated along with many of his fellow Gypsies. Nevertheless, weary of an imposed police state and shaken by Allied "precision" bombardment of Paris, Reinhardt and his second wife Naguine attempted to flee to Switzerland by way of Thonon-les-Bains at Lac Leman in 1943. Apprehended and jailed at Thonon, they were set free by the same fortuitous fluke in the Nazi establishment. Given the disruptive nature of these harrowing circumstances, it is not surprising that the only recordings known to have been made with Reinhardt in attendance during the year 1944 are three sides cut on November 3, almost exactly six months after the birth of Babik Reinhardt. Performed by a big band led by tenor saxophonist Noel Chiboust, they constitute the first three selections on the thirteenth volume in Django Reinhardt's portion of the Classics Chronological Series. Recorded in January 1945, tracks four through seven are attributed to the Jazz Club Mystery Hot Band, a mostly American group consisting of Reinhardt, trumpeter Bernie Privin, tenor saxophonist Peanuts Hucko, pianist Mel Powell, bassist Joe Schulman, and drummer Ray McKinley. The Classics chronology skips over a number of recordings that Reinhardt made during 1945, including an unaccompanied guitar solo and performances by several groups of varying size. A handful of titles, played by the U.S. Air Transport Command Band under the direction of Sgt. Jack Platt, do appear as tracks 8-11. The producers of this collection chose to "cut to the chase" by delving into the first months of 1946 when Reinhardt recorded with two distinctively different Hot Club Quintettes. On January 31 and February 1 he was reunited with violinist Stéphane Grappelli in London (tracks 12-19), and on May 15 he cut four sides with a reconfigured Quintette without a violinist and greatly modernized by the innovative technique of clarinetist/alto saxophonist Hubert Rostaing (tracks 20-23). Reinhardt's postwar career (1945-1953) was characterized by what seems in retrospect to have been a puzzling gradual wane in popularity. This appears to have set in at once, for his response to a paucity of regular work during the spring of 1946 led Reinhardt to invest in a set of brushes, paints, and other materials necessary for quiet reflection as he began expanding his improvisational energies to include light as well as sound as his personal system of poetics evolved from the audible to the visual. This is a useful if incomplete sampling of Reinhardt's late wartime and immediate postwar recordings. For a more complete chronology of Reinhardt's entire surviving musical legacy, consult the exhaustively thorough Integrale series, available in 20 double-disc volumes from Fremeaux & Associes. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist :

BUD FREEMAN – 1945-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 942 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third Bud Freeman CD in Classics' reissues of all of his early sessions as a leader has some memorable performances. The classic tenor heads an all-star octet (with trumpeter Yank Lawson, trombonist Lou McGarity and clarinetist Edmond Hall) on four hot numbers; he creates a pair of hilarious verbal introductions to a couple of satirical V-Disc numbers ("The Latest Thing In Hot Jazz" and "For Musicians Only"); and on "The Atomic Era," Freeman performs an unusual duet with drummer Ray McKinley. However, this CD gets a lower rating than expected because 12 of the 21 performances showcase the Five De Marco Sisters, a pleasant but fairly mediocre swing vocal group. Although there are some good solos and ensembles on those selections, the recordings overall are only of interest to completists. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    I'm Just Wild About Harry    3:04
 Eubie Blake / Noble Sissle
2    Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    I Got Rhythm    2:34
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
3    Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Where Have You Been?    2:53
 Cole Porter
4    Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Ol' Man River    3:17
 Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
5    Eight Squares And A Critic–    The Latest Thing In Hot Jazz    1:16
 Traditional
6    Bud Freeman And The V-Disc Jumpers–    For Musicians Only (A Musical Treatise On Jazz)    6:07
 Traditional
7    The V-Disc Jumpers–    Love Is Just Around The Corner    4:45
 Lewis Gensler / Leo Robin
8    Bud Freeman And His Boys–    Coquette    4:44
 Johnny Green / Gus Kahn / Carmen Lombardo
9    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Flat River, Missouri    2:59
 Shannon
10    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    It's Been A Long, Long Time    2:34
 Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
11    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Love Is Such A Crazy Thing    2:53
Unknown
12    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Chico Chico (From Porto Rico)    2:44
 Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
13    Bud Freeman And Ray McKinley–    The Atomic Area    2:43
 Eddie Sauter
14    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Hop, Skip And Jump!    2:41
 Milton Drake / Al Hoffman / Jerry Livingston
15    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)    3:02
 Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk
16    Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    I'll Tell You How I Feel    2:52
Unknown
17    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Sweet I've Gotten On You    2:56
 Brad Reynolds / Willard Robison
18    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Blue    3:10
 Kenny Dorham / Horace Silver
19    Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Her Majesty's Dance    2:43
Unknown
20    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    Doin' What Comes Natur'lly    2:50
 Irving Berlin
21    Five DeMarco Sisters Acc. By Bud Freeman And His Orchestra–    That Wonderful Worrisome Feeling    3:06
Hoffman / Roberts / Livingstone