LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE – 1925-1926 | The Classics Chronological Series – 600 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

If one CD compilation could represent a body of work that defined the art of jazz during the mid-'20s, this might be it: cornetist Louis Armstrong's first recordings as leader of his own band, beginning in November of 1925 and covering almost exactly one year of vigorously creative activity as the OKeh record label's hottest act. In addition to Lil Hardin's skills as composer, pianist, arranger, and professional advisor, Armstrong was fortunate to have in his little group rock-solid trombonist Kid Ory and clarinetist Johnny Dodds, who can be heard playing alto sax on "Come Back Sweet Papa" and "Don't Forget to Mess Around." Last but not least, Johnny St. Cyr's banjo served as the rhythmic and tonal backbone of the Hot Five. Some of these records -- "Cornet Chop Suey," "Muskrat Ramble," "Heebie Jeebies," and "Yes! I'm in the Barrel" -- became archetypal blueprints for jazz performance. Each track is packed with pleasant surprises. "Gut Bucket Blues," named in honor of a diet of entrails dictated by poverty, was one of Armstrong's very first recordings to be punctuated with friendly, vocal outbursts. Inspired by a popular dance step, "Georgia Bo Bo" was composed by Thomas "Fats" Waller. Lil Hardin's "King of the Zulus" is a masterpiece of comically enhanced jazz, topped only by a cover version waxed a few months later by Thomas Morris and the New Orleans Blue Five. The vaudeville aspect of Louis Armstrong is well represented here, particularly when he is joined by punky-voiced Lil Hardin on "Georgia Grind." May Alix, typical of music hall singers of her day, uses a shrill vibrato to serenade her "Big Butter and Egg Man." The effect, especially when tempered by a humorous vocal from the cornet player, is marvelously old-fashioned. Also included are four Vocalion sides from May of 1926 by the Hot Five -- billed as Lil's Hot Shots -- and two featuring Armstrong with Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra. Tate's high-stepping group only managed to record four titles, two in 1923 with Freddie Keppard and the two sizzling stomps issued here. With master percussionist Jimmy Bertrand hitting the cymbals with all his might, the two frantic Tate sides contrast wonderfully with the more compact, intimate sound of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five. arwulf arwulf    Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE AND HOT SEVEN – 1926-1927 | The Classics Chronological Series – 585 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Louis Armstrong's Hot Five was the most influential jazz band of the mid-'20s. The first volume of Armstrong's complete works reissued by Classics followed this group's trail of recordings from November of 1925 through those made almost exactly one year later. Opening this second volume of vintage Armstrong, the Hot Five's last three records of 1926 are peppered with hot vocals intended to entertain and amuse. May Alix shouts the lyrics to "Sunset Cafe Stomp" and Armstrong puts across an interesting tune referencing two downtrodden ethnic groups, Irish and Afro-American. "You Made Me Love You" is not the venerable vaudeville number recorded by Al Jolson in 1913, but a punchy Armstrong original similar to the quaint syncopated love songs he had cooked up with Lil Hardin when they were still working for King Oliver. In May 1927 Armstrong expanded his ensemble for the first time to become the Hot Seven. The addition of Pete Briggs on tuba and Baby Dodds at the drums resulted in a full-bodied sound that made "Willie the Weeper" and "Potato Head Blues" so remarkably and enduringly potent. Armstrong's version of Fats Waller's "Alligator Crawl" is a miracle of perfect timing and immaculate ease. If Lil Hardin Armstrong's references to domestic violence seem a bit reckless during "That's When I'll Come Back to You," listeners should be advised that Afro-American music has always caused consternation by openly referring to topics usually swept under the rug. During the autumn and winter of 1927 Armstrong scaled his band back to five pieces, revisiting Kid Ory's 1922 novelty rag "Ory's Creole Trombone," adding a sixth player in guitarist Lonnie Johnson on "I'm Not Rough," and introducing to the world one of Lil Hardin Armstrong's all-time greatest compositions, "Struttin' with Some Barbecue." arwulf arwulf  Tracklist :

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 :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1928-1929 | The Classics Chronological Series – 570 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By June of 1928 Louis Armstrong had refined himself and his ensemble to the point where nearly every record they made was a study in collective genius, as the mature edition of the Hot Five resounded with Zutty Singleton's popping cymbals and Earl Hines' modernistic piano. The entire idiom of classic jazz is defined in part by the lively, well-oiled precision of "Fireworks," the humorous dialogue leading into the leader's velvety vocal on "A Monday Date" and the stunning vocal trio harmonies laid over Fats Waller's "Squeeze Me." On July 5, 1928, the Five found themselves surrounded by six other players to form a big band designated for posterity as Carroll Dickerson's Savoyagers. This interesting experiment in upsizing pointed in the direction that Armstrong was headed, for within one year, with violinist Dickerson in tow, the trumpeter would be performing in front of a significantly larger ensemble. For the time being, Armstrong's sextet began calling itself his Orchestra or, when Don Redman was in on the gig, his Savoy Ballroom Five. This portion of the Armstrong chronology is deliciously packed with some of his greatest moments on record. "Weather Bird" is an especially satisfying Hines/Armstrong duet update of King Oliver's "Weather Bird Rag." At the beginning of 1929 Armstrong headed back to New York City, where on the 5th of March he recorded the famous "Knockin' a Jug" with Jack Teagarden, Happy Caldwell, Joe Sullivan, Kaiser Marshall, and Eddie Lang. On the same day a gorgeous rendition of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" was presented by the Luis Russell Orchestra in one of its most dazzling incarnations: drummer Paul Barbarin, bassist Pops Foster, guitarist Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Condon on the banjo, Russell at the piano, and a front line of Teddy Hill, Charlie Holmes, Albert Nicholas, J.C. Higginbotham, and Louis Armstrong. arwulf arwulf    Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 512 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Continuing the complete chronological reissue of Louis Armstrong's output for Decca during the swing era, this set finds Satch at his most exhibitionistic (hitting dozens of high notes on "Swing That Music"), fronting Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra, doing a "Pennies from Heaven" medley with Bing Crosby, joining in for two collaborations with The Mills Brothers and, on four selections, even making charming (if weird) music with a group of Hawaiians. Not essential but quite enjoyable. Scott Yanow   Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ALL STARS – 1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1072 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1947, Armstrong put together his first set of all-stars, including many old friends and colleagues. With Jack Teagarden as the constant on the majority of these sides, we see the personnel shift by year's end, bringing Peanuts Hucko and Barney Bigard into the clarinet seat, with drumming chores split between George Wettling, Cozy Cole (on a four-song orchestra date), and Big Sid Catlett. Kicking off with six tunes from the May 1947 New York Town Hall concert, the set also features a two-song Giants of Jazz session, with Pops in the company of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, Lionel Hampton, Mel Powell, and Louis Bellson, and finishes up with four more studio sides and four performances from a 1947 Decca concert album recorded at Boston's Symphony Hall. This is Pops moving from his big-band sound to a smaller, more comfortable group, getting ready for another run at success. Cub Koda     Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ALL STARS – 1947, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1144 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Louis Armstrong's All-Stars were the perfect postwar traditional jazz band, with Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, and Barney Bigard backed by Dick Cary, Arvell Shaw, and Sidney Catlett. Here on one disc are nearly all of the recordings made at Boston's Symphony Hall on November 30, 1947. The first four selections from this concert were issued on the previous volume of the complete recorded works of Louis Armstrong on the Classics Chronological Series. The Symphony Hall transcriptions were among the first extended Armstrong records to be made available to the public. Although eight of these titles were once issued in two parts, they are seamlessly presented here as uninterrupted jams. The most expanded track, clocking in at just over seven minutes, is "Steak Face," containing what is probably the longest drum solo ever recorded by Sid Catlett. The title comes from Armstrong's nickname for Catlett. In addition, Arvell Shaw was given room for an extended bass solo on "How High the Moon." The stylistic range represented here is enormously satisfying, encompassing old favorites like "High Society" and "Mahogany Hall Stomp" as well as progressive ideas from Duke Ellington ("C-Jam Blues") and Coleman Hawkins ("Boff Boff," also known as "Mop! Mop!"). There are marvelous vocals by Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong, and Velma Middleton, who spools out a magnificent rendition of Buddy Johnson's "Since I Fell for You." arwulf arwulf     Tracklist + Credits :

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 – 1950-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1233 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This chapter in the Chronological Classics Louis Armstrong series continues during a particularly fertile period with Armstrong surrounded by great sidemen and performing with others. A pair of tracks here, "Life Is So Peculiar" and "You Rascal You," showcase Satchmo in front of Louis Jordan's Tympani 5, and "Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "Can Anyone Explain?" are duets with Ella Fitzgerald. The sidemen on Armstrong's dates are a venerable crew from a fascinating era, and include Barney Bigard, Jack Teagarden, Cozy Cole, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and Earl Hines, among others. There are also three Armstrong-led cuts featuring Velma Middleton on vocals: "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "The Hucklebuck," and the collection's closer, "Big Daddy Blues."  -> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa'<-
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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 – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1352 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 21st chapter in the Classics Louis Armstrong chronology documents the great jazz trumpeter's steady development into a mainstream pop vocalist with recordings made for the Decca label between September 22, 1952, and October 22, 1953. The first four titles are among the most heavily sugared he ever recorded; although Pops could make even "White Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland" sound good, the Gordon Jenkins Orchestra & Chorus had a way of drenching everything in Karo syrup. It's a pity the voices were used on "Listen to the Mockingbird," as Louis sounds marvelous intoning the words to this old-fashioned melody, originally published in 1855 by a Philadelphian Afro-American music instructor named Septimus Winner. On February 23, 1953, Armstrong was in Detroit making records with an orchestra using arrangements by Sy Oliver; his performance of "Your Cheatin' Heart" was waxed only weeks after the sudden death of Hank Williams. During the spring and summer of 1953 Armstrong was able to record with a reasonable number of solid jazz players -- most importantly clarinetist Barney Bigard, trombonist Trummy Young, tenor saxophonist Sam Taylor, pianists Joe Bushkin and Marty Napoleon, bassist Arvell Shaw, and drummer Cozy Cole. Two extra-long performances, "Basin Street Blues" and "Otchi-Tchor-Ni-Ya," were recorded in Los Angeles during June of 1953 for intended inclusion in The Glenn Miller Story, a Universal motion picture starring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson. Both tracks perk up halfway through with pyrotechnic drumming by Gene Krupa. Although Bigard, Young, Shaw, and Cole were with Armstrong on the session that took place on July 16, 1953, they had to contend with relatively corny material and square arrangements foisted upon the world by the Jack Pleis Orchestra. The following session, featuring a big band billed as Louis Armstrong & the Commanders, resulted in two more Christmas tunes and three perfectly reasonable big-band ballads, the best of which was Armstrong's own composition "Someday You'll Be Sorry." This itinerary is a good illustration of Armstrong's career as it stood in the early '50s, represented by a little bit of jazz surrounded by a whole lot of pop, some of it rather overbearing. While "Someday" is a record of which Armstrong was justifiably proud, "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" typifies the kitschy excesses of the U.S. entertainment industry during the Truman/Eisenhower era. arwulf arwulf       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 :  

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1943-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 801 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This interesting CD mostly reissues the V-Discs of Count Basie's Orchestra, performed during a time when the musicians' union strike kept the Basie band off records. Lester Young is heard back with Basie on five numbers from May 27, 1944. Otherwise, the band was much more stable than most swing bands of the war years, making it to December 1944 when it was able to resume its recordings for the Columbia label. There was not much change in the orchestra's swinging style during this era, as can be heard on such enjoyable pieces as "G.I. Stomp," "Yeah Man!," "Circus in Rhythm," two versions of "Taps Miller," and "Old Manuscript." Scott Yanow  Tracklist + Credits :

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 988 (1998) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Here's a crash course in the flashy post-WWII big band sound of Count Basie's Orchestra. This was a much different act from the Basie band of 1944-45. The entire presentation had changed considerably in just a couple of years. Arrangers had a lot to do with such rapid transformation, along with creative young players like J.J. Johnson, Paul Gonsalves and Illinois Jacquet. Basie himself was maturing already into that famously glib, tinkling pianist who could and did occasionally play his ass off. A number of stylistic modes are clearly at work during the summer of 1946. Two sentimental pop vocals, one lightweight novelty tune and a solid Jimmy Rushing blues are interspersed with several exciting instrumentals. Buster Harding cooked up a few heavy-handed boogies, Tadd Dameron contributed the stimulating, modern composition "Stay On It," and Harry "Sweets" Edison composed and arranged "Mutton Leg," a sizzling feature for Illinois Jacquet. This would be the saxophonist's last extroverted studio recording with this band, and the eight selections from 1946 were the last of Basie's mid-'40s Columbia sides. Signing up with Victor for the next three years, Basie continued to move in step with rapidly evolving developments in pop, bebop and rhythm and blues. The Victor sides have not been reissued very often, and have proved much more difficult to obtain than Basie's earlier recordings from the Columbia and Decca catalogs. The people in charge of the Classics chronological series are to be commended for making these historical recordings available. The Victor material is markedly varied, revealing an orchestra searching for its next stylistic identity. "Open the Door, Richard" is one of the coolest versions of this silly piece of neo-vaudeville ever recorded, mainly because of Harry "Sweets" Edison's very hip, high-voiced spoken delivery. "One O'Clock Boogie" is recognizable Basie, but two lush ballads, arranged by Hugo Winterhalter, of all people, are atypical for this band. "Futile Frustration," though nominally co-composed by Basie, is a jaggedly futuristic Raymond Scott-styled experiment by Jimmy Mundy. Two live V-Disc jams, each exceeding the four-minute mark, feature Basie and rhythm with a snappy front line of Roy Eldridge and Illinois Jacquet. Art Ford, square peg in a round universe, introduces "Lady Be Good." "Jammin' on a V-Disc," which has a line that sounds uncannily like Sun Ra's "Space is the Place," runs at a brisk clip with wonderful solos from both of the horns. Illinois bites the reed to make his sax squeal and everybody rocks. Buddy Rich is in his element here, as the assignment calls for furious drumming. This segment of the chronology ends with three excellent instrumentals including smart remakes of "St. Louis Boogie" and "Swingin' the Blues." The pianist switches over to Hammond organ in the middle of "Basie's Basement," an authentically low-down blues graced with echoes of Fats Waller's personality. The rest of the fine music recorded by Basie and his men during the month of May 1947 appears at the beginning of the next volume of the complete recordings of Count Basie in chronological order. arwulf arwulf   Tracklist + Credits :

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1281 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This solid entry in the Classics Chronological Series contains all of the titles recorded by Count Basie and his orchestra between January 17 and July 25, 1952, a period during which this band was signed to Norman Granz's Clef record label. Basie, who had been forced to scale his group down to septet and octet dimensions for more than a year beginning in 1950, had begun recording with a powerful new 16-piece unit in April of 1951. Nine months on, this ensemble was well on the way to virtually redefining the art of big-band jazz. Input from arranger/composers Sy Oliver, Buster Harding, and Neal Hefti add a luster to the proceedings that cannot be diminished by the passage of time. Key participants include trumpeters Joe Newman and Charlie Shavers, trombonist Jimmy Wilkins, and reedmen Marshall Royal, Ernie Wilkins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Paul Quinichette, whose Lester Young impersonations were positively uncanny. Small wonder that Pres suffered from an identity crisis on hearing his style replicated so deliberately right there in the reed section of an orchestra led by the same man in whose band he, Lester Young, had developed that style 15 years earlier. Quinichette sounds wonderful. He sounds like Lester Young.  arwulf arwulf   Tracklist :

BENNY CARTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 552 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fourth CD in Classics' complete chronological reissue of Benny Carter's early recordings as a leader finds Carter (on alto, trumpet, clarinet, tenor and even one vocal) leading orchestras in London, Laren, the Hague, Paris and (for the final three selections) New York. Highpoints include "Nagasaki," "I'm in the Mood for Swing," "Blues in My Heart," "I'm Coming Virginia" (from a three-song session that also features Django Reinhardt) and "Melancholy Lullaby." In addition, the great tenor Coleman Hawkins plays a prominent role on four of the performances. Carter is in top form throughout these often formerly rare but very vital swing recordings. His fans should quickly acquire all of these invaluable Classics releases. Scott Yanow     Tracklist + Credits :

BENNY CARTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1946-1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1043 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Benny Carter, like Coleman Hawkins, spent the '40s rubbing shoulders with bebop's young Turks, while mostly maintaining the style he forged during the early jazz and swing years. Possibly, like Hawkins again, Carter's '30s stay in Europe opened him up to the progressive nature of jazz and the necessity of always taking advantage of the music's complexities and malleability. And while Carter didn't ape Charlie Parker's alto flights or become a fixture at Minton's Playhouse, he did head up some fine big bands that featured the likes of Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, J.J. Johnson, Max Roach, and Howard McGhee, to name a few bebop figures. This Classics discs takes in some of Carter's adventurous big band sides from 1946-1948, including a California outfit with Davis and Gerald Wilson. On the more traditional end, Carter is also heard with swing contemporaries like Buck Clayton and Ben Webster. A fine document of the fertile transition from swing to bebop. Stephen Cook     Tracklist + Credits : 

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1924-1927 | The Classics Chronological Series – 539 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD contains the first 23 recordings released under Duke Ellington's name. The initial ten selections, dating from November 1924 to June 1926, are quite intriguing because, with the exception of the very first date (resulting in "Choo Choo" and "Rainy Nights"), the primitive band does not sound like Ellington's. While the first date has cornetist Bubber Miley, trombonist Charlie Irvis (Tricky Sam Nanton's predecessor), and altoist Otto Hardwick as the front line, the following eight numbers have shifting personnel and, despite the occasional presence of trombonist Jimmy Harrison (who takes two vocals) and clarinetist Don Redman, the music is under-rehearsed and rough. But on "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (the band's theme) and "Birmingham Breakdown" from November 29, 1926, the Ellington sound was finally together and from then on the band's output was often classic. Other highlights of this historic disc are "Hop Head" and the initial version of "Black and Tan Fantasy," with such soloists as Miley, Nanton, and Hardwick, and with Duke himself on piano. Scott Yanow    Tracklist + Credits :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1927-1928 | The Classics Chronological Series – 542 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As usual with the Classics series, the music on this CD is released complete and in chronological order, covering the music originally released by several record labels but without including alternate takes. In the case of Duke Ellington, because he would frequently record the same song slightly rearranged on several occasions for different companies, there are multiple versions of some titles on this CD, but the alternate versions that he made for the labels have been left out. During the very important period covered by this disc, the Duke Ellington Orchestra (having recently found their sound) was hired by the Cotton Club as the house band and they hit the big time. Certainly it is obvious that they deserved fame since this set has classic versions of such songs as "Creole Love Call" (famous for being the first entirely wordless vocal, featuring Adelaide Hall), "Black and Tan Fantasy," their theme song "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," "Jubilee Stomp," and other hot numbers. Featured along the way are such greats as trumpeter Bubber Miley, trombonist Joe Tricky Sam Nanton, and altoist Otto Hardwick. Scott Yanow    Tracklist + Credits :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1928 | The Classics Chronological Series – 550 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During 1928, the main stars of Duke Ellington's orchestra (in addition to the leader/pianist/composer/arranger) were trumpeter Bubber Miley, trombonist Joe Tricky Sam Nanton, clarinetist Barney Bigard, and (starting in June) altoist Johnny Hodges. All of the master takes (including ones for different labels) are being reissued in the Classics series. This disc is highlighted by "Black Beauty" (particularly Ellington's solo piano version), the heated "Hot and Bothered" (featuring guest guitarist Lonnie Johnson and singer Baby Cox), "Louisiana," and "I Can't Give You Anything but Love." Two songs feature singer Ozie Ware backed by a small combo taken from Ellington's big band. This CD has plenty of timeless classics, most of which are also available in other reissue programs. Scott Yanow  Tracklist :