Jazz Focus

Dick Johnson - great Boston alto player with Dave McKenna, Wibur Ware

Dick Johnson - great Boston alto player on two albums from the 1950's for Emarcy and Riverside including Dave McKenna, Wilbur Ware and Philly Jo Jones . .great swing and bebop

Duke Ellington - the Blanton - Webster band, live and transcriptions

The great 1940-41 Ellington band with Ben Webster and Jimmy Blanton (and Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Ray Nance, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, Tricky Sam Nanton, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Sonny Greer) doing live and radio transcription versions of the great tunes they recorded for RCA Victor.

Jelly Roll Morton the sideman

Jelly Roll Morton the sideman . . Recordings made by the legendary New Orleans pianist, composer and arranger with OTHER groups- although the Jelly Roll influence is everywhere.  Recordings with Johnny Dunn's Original Jazz Hounds, Wingy Manone and His Orchestra, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Edmonia Henderson and WIlton Crawley and His Orchestra (1923-1934)

John Hardee - Texas Tenor !

John Hardee was in the classic line of Texas tenor players - here are just about all the recordings made under his name during the 1940's - sessions for Blue Note and other companies, featuring him with Tiny Grimes, Sid Catlett and many other great players of the day

The California Ramblers, 1924-1930

Incredibly hot dance band of the 1920's - the California Ramblers recorded hundreds of sides under their proper name as well as pseudonyms such as the Vagabonds, Golden Gate Orchestra, Goofus Five, University Six, Varsity Seven and others.  This is a selection of the records made by the larger band (for the most part) featuring jazz players like Adrian Rollini, Chelsea Quealey, Bill Moore, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Bobby Davis and others.

Irving Fazola - sideman recordings

The great New Orleans clarinetist known as Faz played with a bewildering variety of bands during the 1930’s and recorded with many - here is a sample of his work with Glenn Miller, Seger Elllis, Claude Thornhill, Bob Crosby (live), Billie Holiday, and Sharkey Bonano.

Show - Irving Fazola with Bob Crosby's Bobcats

The New Orleans clarinetist Fazola was a mainstay with the Bob Crosby Orchestra for almost two years in the late 1930's and recorded frequently with them.  His sides with the eight piece Bob Cats in the New Orleans style are classics - featuring trumpets Yank Lawson and Billy Butterfield, trombonist Warren Smith, tenor sax Eddie Miller and a rhythm section of Bob Zurke or Jess Stacy on piano, Nappy Lamare on guitar, Bob Haggart on bass and Ray Bauduc on drums

Show - Muggsy Spanier big band 1941-42

The Chicago cornetist Spanier was known primarily for small group records, but his early 1940's big band was in the mold of the Bob Crosby Orchestra . . .featuring clarinetist Irving Fazola, tenor saxophonist Nick Caiazza and pianist Dave Bowman, the band played respectable swing and firey Jazz - both on studio and live dates.

Show - Lester Young . .sides for Aladdin, 1940's

Great tenor player at the end of his greatest period.  These were sessions done on the West Coast in the middle 1940's for Aladdin records featuring Howard McGhee, Vic Dickenson, Willie Smith, Don Albany, Chico Hamilton and others.

The Whoopee Makers - Ben Pollack sidemen 1929-

The Whoopee Makers was a catch-all name for a series of recording dates made by mostly white jazz musicians in New York in  the late 1920's and early 30's.  These recordings feature mostly members of the Ben Pollack Orchestra of the period, including Jimmy McPartland, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Fud Livingston, Bud Freeman, Ray Bauduc and Pollack himself, with a few appearances by the Dorsey Brothers and others.