Jazz Focus

Show - Eddie Heywood Sextet

Just You, Just Eddie Heywood . . the fine pianist leading his 1940's sextet on recordings made for Commodore, VDisc and Decca and featuring Doc Cheatham, Dick Vance, Henry Parr Jones, Vic Dickenson, Henry Coker, Lem Davis, Marshall Royal, Al Lucas, Jack Parker and others, with a guest appearance by Bing Crosby

Show - Territory Bands of the Southwest

Great regional bands of the late 1920's from the Southwest and Midwest featuring up and coming players like Julia Lee, Budd Johnson, Jimmy Crawford, Buster Smith, Hot Lips Page, Jimmy Rushing, Jack Washington and Walter Page with several well known local groups who were fortunate enough to make records!

Show - Tony Scott and the 52nd Street All Stars

52nd Street All Stars - the great clarinetist Tony Scott put together an album for Coral in 1958 celebrating the 52nd Street scene from the 1930's and 40's  - featuring Bebop players like Red Rodney, George Wallington and Roy Haynes, transitional players like Al Cohn, Mundell Lowe and Tommy Flannagan and Swing stars like Coleman Hawkins, Pee Wee Russell, J.C. Higginbotham, Emmett Berry and Al Casey

Show - Jay McShann and His Orchestra featuring Charlie Parker

The last great Kansas City big band from 1940-43 featuring Charlie Parker as its main soloist, although pianist McShann was one of the best of his generation.  Live broadcasts and studio sessions for Decca show this important transitional group which also has Orville Minor, Paul Quinichette, John Sparrow and John Jackson soloing as well as singer Walter Brown.

Johnny Dodds and Jimmy Blythe

Chamber Jazz from New Orleans via Chicago . .Dodds along with pianist Blythe, trumpeter Natty Dominique and drummer Baby Dodds are featured on most of the tracks, calling to mind the band the Dodds brothers had at Kelly's Stables during this period - also with R.Q. Dickerson on trumpet, Bud Scott on banjo, Jimmy Bertrand and Jasper Taylor on washboard and Julia Davis on vocals

Adrian Rollini - Chamber Jazz, 1927

Rollini was primarily known for his work on bass saxophone, but he was adept on piano, goofus and hot fountain pen, all of which are heard on these sides, made in the spring and fall of 1927.  He is here with Red Nichols' Five Pennies (with Miff Mole, Jimmy Dorsey, Pee Wee Russell, Art Schutt, Vic Berton), Joe Venuti's Blue Four (with Eddie Lang) and Annette Hanshaw (with Venuti, Lang and Schutt). 

Lester Young on Savoy- 1944, 45, 46, 49

Legendary tenor sax player Young had just left Basie's band when he recorded a session with Johnny Guarnieri for Savoy (with Billy Butterfield, Hank D'Amico and Cozy Cole), starting a short but fruitful partnership with the label - later sessions featured him with the Count Basie rhythm section (Basie, Freddie Green, Rodney Richardson and Shadow Wilson), the Count Basie Orchestra without Basie (led by alto player Earl Warren, with Dickie Wells, Harry Edison, Jo Jones, Freddie Green and Clyde Hart) and his own touring band (with Jesse Drakes, Jerry Elliott, Junior Mance and Roy Haynes)

Show- Clyde Hart .. Dixieland to Bebop

Clyde Hart . . unheralded pianist who recorded with everyone from Red Allen and Eddie Condon to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.  A transitional figure from swing to bop, Hart died of TB at the very moment he was being embraced by the modernists.  This is a selection of recordings made during 1944 and 45 (he died in March, 1945) featuring Hart with Eddie Condon, Dizzy Gillespie, Tiny Grimes, Trummy Young, Charlie Parker, Don Byas, Hot Lips Page, Ben Webster, Lester Young and Charlie Shavers

Show - Dizzy Gillespie at the Spotlite - 1946

WETF show - Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra live from the Spotlite in NY, May 1946.  Great big band Bebop featuring Dave Burns, James Moody, Ray Abrams, Howard Johnson, Milt Jackson, Kenny Clarke and a rare (maybe unique) appearance by Thelonious Monk as a band pianist

Show- Fats Navarro on Savoy

The great, if somewhat forgotten Bebop trumpet player who was really the only rival to Dizzy Gillespie in terms of range, power and sound.  This program features his recordings for the Savoy label - under his own name and with Dexter Gordon, Eddie "LockJaw" Davis and Tadd Dameron.  In addition to these musicians, listen also to Ernie Henry, Leo Parker, Charlie Rouse and Art Blakey.