Jazz Focus

Exploring the highways and byways of Classic Recorded Jazz - from the Ragtime era to the day before yesterday!

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Episodes

Monday Jan 06, 2025

Herschel Evans . .Basie's "other" tenor sax player doing sideman sessions with Harry James, Lionel Hampton and Mildred Bailey.  Hear Chris Griffin, Vernon Brown, Benny Carter, Dave Matthews, Charlie Shavers, Teddy Wilson and Jess Stacy among others!  Studio recordings and a jam session from the Bill Savory collection.

Sunday Jan 05, 2025

The great pianist and composer Morton is here featured in some especially small groups - duos with cornetist King Oliver, clarinetist Volly De Faut and alto saxophonist Teddy Smith and trios with the Dodds brothers, Omer Simeon, Barney Bigard, Tommy Benford and Zutty Singleton.

Sunday Jan 05, 2025

The Berigan band featured many young jazz players including Georgie Auld on tenor, Joe Dixon on clarinet, Joe Bushkin on piano and Ray Conniff on trombone, but the star was the leader and his matchless trumpet improvisations.  These Thesaurus transcriptions capture the spirit of the group on live dates although they were done in the studio with a very high quality audio . .many tunes are better versions of the ones they did for Victor, but several were never recorded elsewhere!

Sunday Jan 05, 2025

Red Nichols' Five Pennies and Louisiana Rhythm Kings in 1930 . .for Brunswick and Brunswick "Heat" transcription recordings . . featuring Rollini on bass sax and goofus, Benny Goodman and Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet, Bud Freeman and Babe Russin on tenor sax, Jack Russin and Joe Sullivan on piano, Gene Krupa on drums and Glenn Miller on trombone . . unusually hot records for the time period!

Monday Dec 23, 2024

Hoagy's first records with territory bands and also as a member of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.  Songs like "March of The Hoodlums" should really be revived!  Hoagy sings, arranges, composes and plays piano (and cornet) on these records.

Monday Dec 23, 2024

J.J. Johnson  first sessions as leader for Savoy and Prestige 1946-1949. Great early Bebop with Sonny Rollins, Kenny Dorham, Bud Powell, Leo Parker, Cecil Payne, John Lewis and others!

Monday Dec 23, 2024

Knocky Parker - the amazingly versatile pianist whose career went from Texas Blues (he learned from Blind Lemon Jefferson), Western Swing (The Light Crust Doughboys) and traditional Jazz (Doc Evans, Carol Leigh and Yank Lawson/Bob Haggart) . . he does some fantastic versions of Joe Sullivan showpieces

Monday Dec 23, 2024

Recordings by the house band at Nick's in 1945 featuring Muggsy Spanier, Pee Wee Russell, Miff Mole, Ernie Caceres and Lou McGarity among others . .Good straight ahead Dixieland/Traditional Jazz by a band that was doing it every night!.

Monday Dec 23, 2024

One of the best (and most underrated) Jazz singers of the 1930's was Mildred Bailey - a member of the Coeur D'Alene native American tribe, she grew up in Seattle where, with her brother Al Rinker, began performing in the Jazz style of the 1920's.  After being hired by Paul Whiteman, she began singing on recording sessions in New York in the early 30's.  She married Red Norvo in 1933 and was featured with his band, being billed as "Mr. and Mrs. Swing" until the early 40's.  During that time she made many recording sessions with Jazz players who appreciated her style.  The three sessions on this show feature Bunny Berigan, Johnny Hodges, Chris Griffin, Chu Berry, Mary Lou Williams, Teddy Wilson, Floyd Smith and others as well as first rate singing.

Monday Dec 23, 2024

Milton Brown and His Brownies! Western Swing in the 1930's - great jazz by a string group and a superb vocalist!  This group was more jazz than country and featured one of the first electric guitarists to be be recorded - Bob Dunn, as well as an excellent barrelhouse piano player named Fred "Papa" Calhoun.

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