PEARL BAILEY – 1947-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1293 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second volume in Classics' welcome wrap-up of Pearl Bailey's early career begins at the end of 1947, with Bailey fresh from the success of her film debut, Variety Girl, and its career-making song, "Tired." During the next two years, she would refine her approach to jive rhythm and sweet singing, a relaxed sense of vocal cool that fused the exquisite phrasing of Billie Holiday to the hip majesty of Cab Calloway. The first two sessions include her usual studio orchestra of the time, led by Mitchell Ayres and featuring great work from Peanuts Hucko on clarinet and the Charioteers on vocal backing. Most of the rest are small-group dates, during which she recorded some of her finest material; present are two of her best performances, the gloriously swinging, exuberant duets "Baby, It's Cold Outside" featuring Hot Lips Page and "Saturday Night Fish Fry" featuring Moms Mabley. Even the obscure songs from this period are filled with great moments, as on the solos "Johnson Rag" and "Not Tonight," as well as her appearance with Tony Pastor on "Mamie Is Mimi." Fans looking to find more excellent material after enjoying a collection like Ain't She Sweet! will find much to love here on these sides, originally recorded for Columbia and Harmony. John Bush
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GEORGE AULD – 1940-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1322 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Smooth and sometimes flashy tenor saxophonist Georgie Auld was heavily featured with Benny Goodman, Bunny Berigan, and Artie Shaw, whose band Auld attempted to front after Shaw, suffering psychological distress at finding himself mobbed by hyper-appreciative fans, retreated to Mexico in order to obtain some sort of privacy. Eight sides from January and February 1940 sound a lot like the previous Shaw orchestra; Kay Foster's vocals sweeten up five of these, while "This Is Romance," "Juke Box Jump," and "Sweet Sue" are solid, danceable big-band instrumentals. The orchestra was not a success and soon threw in the towel, partly because, unlike Shaw's previous material, these records came out on the little Varsity label rather than Victor's Bluebird imprint. Cut to the spring of 1944, and music of an entirely different sort. A "saxtet" co-led by Auld, Ben Webster, and Coleman Hawkins makes four sides for the progressive Apollo label, with Charlie Shavers, Israel Crosby, and Specs Powell in the band, among others. Hawkins naturally steers, with Webster riding shotgun. "Porgy" and "Uptown Lullaby" are languid ballads, while the exciting "Pick-Up Boys," with its off-mike vocal interjections, is perfectly matched by "Salt Peanuts," which in 1944 placed these musicians on the cutting edge of new jazz. This exquisite session makes the whole package worth having. The rest of the chronological survey shows Auld leading his orchestra in an up-to-date fashion. Five sides were recorded for Apollo only five days after the "saxtet" date, now bolstered with groovin' arrangements by Budd Johnson. The presence of Al Cohn and Howard McGhee doesn't hurt, either. Auld shows off a bit on a luxuriant "Concerto for Tenor" and steams up the place during "Taps Miller." "I Can't Get Started," bifurcated so as to fit on either side of a 10" record, is essentially Auld's homage to Coleman Hawkins. In February and March of 1945, Auld gathered together an exceptionally hot band for a brief spate of recordings issued on the Guild label. Auld's perceptive personnel choices included Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Butterfield, Freddy Webster, Trummy Young, Al Cohn, Manny Albam, Chubby Jackson, Erroll Garner, and Shadow Wilson! Patti Powers had a pretty little voice while Gordon Drake, whose droopy balladeering bordered on the soporific, served as a sort of laudanum poultice on "I Fall in Love Too Easily." Not surprisingly, the instrumentals ("Georgie Porgie," "In the Middle," and "Co-Pilot") provide more excitement and gratification. arwulf arwulf
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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 855 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first 20 recordings led by Artie Shaw are reissued on this CD. The great swing clarinetist's original idea was to lead a small big band with strings in 1936. The initial session (from June 11) has four horns, a string quartet, and a four-piece rhythm section, heard at their best on "The Japanese Sandman" and "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody." By the second session, two months later, a fifth horn had been added and the lineup included tenor saxophonist Tony Pastor (who also took vocals), singer Peg Lacentra, and arranger Jerry Gray playing one of the violins. Highlights of the unusual (and short-lived) orchestra include "Sugar Foot Stomp," "Thou Swell," and "The Skeleton in the Closet." This band had a lot of potential, but unfortunately the general public preferred louder, larger, and less-subtle ensembles, so Shaw reluctantly broke up his first orchestra early in 1937. Scott Yanow
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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 886 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS NEW MUSIC – 1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 929 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although Artie Shaw's big band did not catch on in 1937, they did record regularly for Brunswick, generally featured superior songs (with a few vocal novelties tossed in), and had impressive musicianship. On the third of the Classics label's Artie Shaw records, highlights include a few eccentric vocals by Leo Watson; the two-part "Blues March"; the original recording of Shaw's theme, "Nightmare"; and fine versions of "Just You, Just Me," "Free for All," and "Nonstop Flight." The clarinetist-leader, Tony Pastor on tenor, and trumpeter John Best are the band's main soloists, but Artie Shaw would have to wait until 1938 before hitting it big. Scott Yanow
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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1938 | The Classics Chronological Series – 965 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After an extensive series of recordings in 1937, Artie Shaw & His Orchestra did not record for seven months. When they returned to the studios, it was with a new contract for the Bluebird label. Their first Bluebird recording resulted in a giant hit with "Begin the Beguine," which immediately catapulted the orchestra to the top of the swing world. The band's personnel had become stronger -- Billie Holiday (whose lone recording with Shaw is here, "Any Old Time") and Helen Forrest joined Tony Pastor on vocals -- and such memorable charts as "Indian Love Call," "Back Bay Shuffle," a remake of "Nightmare," "Non-Stop Flight," "What Is This Thing Called Love," "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise," "Copenhagen," and "It Had to Be You" are among the highlights. All of the recordings by Artie Shaw & His Orchestra in 1938 are on this highly enjoyable disc. Scott Yanow
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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1007 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As 1939 began, Artie Shaw had the most popular band in jazz, topping Benny Goodman and recording best-selling records for Bluebird. This CD covers a two-month period, as Shaw's band (which features tenor saxophonist Georgie Auld, Tony Pastor on vocals and tenor, drummer Buddy Rich, and singer Helen Forrest) showed that they could swing as hard as anyone. Highlights include "Lover Come Back to Me," "Carioca," "Rose Room," and "I'm Comin' Virginia," although there are also a lot of so-so Forrest vocals. Scott Yanow
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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1045 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although the pressure of being a sudden celebrity and the leader of America's number one swing band was clearly getting to Artie Shaw in 1939, his band was excellent, his playing was top-notch, and his solidly selling records kept on being made. The sixth Classics CD in their Artie Shaw series (which reissues all of the master takes from the clarinetist's sessions as a leader) includes such fine numbers as "One Night Stand," "One Foot in the Gutter," "Traffic Jam," "Serenade to a Savage," and Shaw's "Moonray." The key players include Shaw, tenorman Georgie Auld, singer Helen Forrest, drummer Buddy Rich, and Tony Pastor on tenor and vocals. Scott Yanow
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ARTIE SHAW AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1087 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Artie Shaw reached the pinnacle of stardom in 1939, becoming a celebrity and having his band rated at the top of the swing world, at least in popularity. But Shaw did not enjoy the experience much, was under constant pressure, and in late November he left the bandstand and fled to Mexico. His band (which struggled on briefly under Georgie Auld's leadership) broke up a few months later. Running out of money, on March 3, 1940, Shaw gathered together a large studio orchestra (with a full string orchestra) and recorded six songs, including one ("Frenesi") that became a giant hit. This CD concludes with part of a second date (from May 13) with a different studio band. It would be a few months before Artie Shaw formed his third orchestra. Despite the turmoil, there are fine performances to be heard on this intriguing disc, the seventh Shaw CD put out by Classics. Scott Yanow
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