You meet ardent collectors among jazz fans who simply must have each and every album of their favourite music that has been published. Some even possess only records of just a few bands or soloists. But the majority of jazz buffs will most likely act spontaneously once they know what they like: When they hear exciting music of the kind they prefer, they will try to get it on record. Like this they accumulate a large quantity of music and the mixture is quite exciting.
The glorious time of the big bands which was followed by the dance hall craze in the swing era started in the 1920s. Bandleader Fletcher Henderson and his arranger Don Redman developed the style of the big bands. They organized the band completely different from the way it was done in classical jazz. Now they had a brass section with more trumpets and trombones, a reed section with several saxophones and a strong rhythm section. The result was a new powerful sound, based on sophisticated arrangements fired by hot solos. The Henderson band that employed soloist like Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Chu Berry on tenor and trumpeters Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge and Henry “Red” Allen was the role model for many following big bands.
Benny Goodman, the King of Swing of the 1930s, learned a lot from Henderson. He copied his big band concept and played his arrangements. Henderson wrote some of his best pieces for Goodman. The encyclopedia includes many recordings of Goodman’s big band in the 1930s and 1940s. The powerful sound of a swinging big band, distributed by radio and on records,attracted more and more people and the number of successful bands grew immensely. Even well-informed jazz enthusiasts find it hard to name the best among the many bands. Satchmo-fans will stick to their idol and confer the title on Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, others think Duke Ellington’s band was the greatest, or maybe one of the white bands led by Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey.
For many connoisseurs however Count Basie’s orchestra was the ideal of a big band, fiercely swinging and relaxed. In 1932 Basie formed his first band with members of the Bennie Moten orchestra and he successfully led big bands for many years. He worked with soloists such as the trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison and Buck Clayton, saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans and the famous All American Rhythm Section with Walter Page on Bass, Freddie Green on guitar and the drummer Jo Jones. In 1939 the Basie band performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York City, playing two concerts “From Spiritual to Swing” which were organized by the promoter and Basie fan John Hammond.
CD061 - Lionel Hampton (1951) Vol.1
CD062 - Lionel Hampton (1954) Vol.2
CD063 - Casa Loma Orchestra (1931-33) Vol.1
CD064 - Casa Loma Orchestra (1933-37) Vol.2
CD065 - Benny Goodman (1935) Vol.1
CD066 - Benny Goodman (1935-36) Vol.2
CD067 - Benny Goodman (1936) Vol.3
CD068 - Benny Goodman (1936-37) Vol.4
CD069 - Benny Goodman (1937) Vol.5
CD070 - Benny Goodman (1938) Vol.6
CD 61: Lionel Hampton 1951
LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (McHugh - Gaskill)
02. Cool Train (Hampton - Bailey)
03. Gladysee Bounce (Hampton - Outcault)
04. Airmail Special (Christian - Hampton - Mundy)
05. Gate Steps Out (Hampton)
06. A Kiss Was Just A Kiss (Wolff - Tishman)
07. Alone (Hamner - Hampton)
08. Love You Like Mad (Friedman - Fox)
09. Crying (Hampton - Hampton)
10. Helpless (Hampton - Hampton)
11. Jumpin' With G.H. (Hampton - Hampton)
12. Samson's Boogie (Hampton - Dixon)
13. Gabby's Gabbin' (Jones - Hampton)
14. Don't Flee The Scene Salty (Hall - Hampton)
15. Kingfish (Jones - Hampton)
16. Oh, Lady Be Good (Gershwin - Gershwin)
17. Oh, Rock (Hampton)
CD 62: Lionel Hampton 1954
LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. The Chase (Gordon)
02. Stardust (Carmichael - Parish)
03. Mark VII (Hampton)
04. Love For Sale (Porter)
05. Wailin' At The Trianon (Hampton)
06. How High The Moon (Lewis - Hamilton)
CD 63: Casa Loma Orchestra 1931-33
CASA LOMA ORCHESTRA
01. Alexander's Ragtime Band (Berlin)
02. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet (Murphy - Wenrich)
03. Wanna Be Around My Baby All The Time (Young - Mercer)
04. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby (Hill - Waller)
05. White Jazz (Gifford)
06. Black Jazz (Gifford)
07. Maniac's Ball (Gifford)
08. Clarinet Marmalade (Shields - Ragas)
09. Smoke Rings (Washington - Gifford)
10. I Never Knew (Pitts - Eagan - Karsh)
11. Indiana (McDonald - Hanley)
12. Blue Jazz (Gifford)
13. Thanksgiving (Mercer - Carmichael)
14. The Lady From St. Paul's (Gifford)
15. The Dance Of The Lame Duck (Gifford)
16. Rhythm Man (Gifford - Watts)
17. New Orleans (Carmichael)
18. Blue Prelude (Gifford)
19. Wild Goose Chase (Gifford)
GLEN GRAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA
20. Dardanella (Bernard - Black)
21. Casa Loma Stomp (Gifford)
CASA LOMA ORCHESTRA
22. Buji (Gifford)
CD 64: Casa Loma Orchestra 1933-37
CASA LOMA ORCHESTRA
01. Lazy Bones (Mercer - Carmichael)
02. Sophisticated Lady (Ellington - Mills - Parish)
03. It's The Talk Of The Town (Symes - Neiburg - Levinson)
04. That's How Rhythm Was Born (Gifford)
05. Heat Wave (Berlin)
06. I Got Rhythm (Gershwin - Gershwin)
07. Ol' Man River (Kern - Hammerstein II)
08. A Hundred Years From Today (Young - Washington)
09. Limehouse Blues (Furber - Braham)
10. Dallas Blues (Garrett - Ward)
11. Moon Country (Carmichael)
12. Milenberg Joys (Roppolo - Mares - Morton)
13. Out Of Space (Bishop - Gifford - Thorpe)
14. Chinatown, My Chinatown (Schwartz - Jerome)
15. Nagasaki (Warren - Dixon)
16. Blue Moon (Rodgers - Hart)
17. Lookie, Lookie, Lookie, Here Comes Cookie (Gordon)
18. Copenhagen (Davis)
19. Royal Garden Blues (Williams - Williams)
20. Rose Of The Rio Grande (Warren - German - Leslie)
21. Jungle Jitters (Clinton)
22. Bugle Call Rag (Pettis - Meyers - Schoebel)
23. A Study In Brown (Clinton)
CD 65: Benny Goodman 1935
BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. The Dixieland Band (Mercer - Hanighen)
02. Blue Moon (Rodgers - Hart)
03. Throwin' Stones At the Sun (Simon - Hueston - Mysels)
04. Down Home Rag (Sweatman)
05. Singing A Happy Song (Rothberg - Pollack)
06. Clouds (Kahn - Donaldson)
07. I Was Lucky (Meskill - Stern)
08. Night Wind (Rothberg - Pollack)
09. Hunkadola (Yellen - Friend - Meyer)
10. I'm Livin' In A Great Big Way (Fields - McHugh)
11. Hooray For Love (Fields - McHugh)
12. The Dixieland Band (Mercer - Hanighen)
13. Japanese Sandman (Egan - Whiting)
14. You're A Heavenly Thing (Young - Little)
15. Restless (Satterfield)
16. Always (Berlin)
17. Get Rhythm In Your Feet (Robinson - Livingston)
18. Ballad In Blue (Carmichael)
19. Blue Skies (Berlin)
20. Dear Old Southland (Creamer - Layton)
21. Sometimes I'm Happy (Caesar - Youmans)
22. King Porter Stomp (Morton)
23. The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (Koehler - Arlen)
24. Jingle Bells (Pierpont)
CD 66: Benny Goodman 1935-36
BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Santa Claus Came In The Spring (Mercer)
02. Goodbye (Jenkins)
03. Madhouse (Mundy)
04. Madhouse (Mundy)
05. Sandman (Freed - Lake)
06. Yankee Doodle Never Went To Town (Freed - Hanighen)
07. No Other One (Seymour - Lawnhurst)
08. Eeeny Meeny Miney Mo (Mercer - Malneck)
09. Basin Street Blues (Williams)
10. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (Johnson)
11. When Buddha Smiles (Brown - Freed)
12. It's Been So Long (Donaldson - Adamson)
13. Stompin' At The Savoy (Goodman - Webb - Sampson - Razaf)
14. Goody Goody (Mercer - Malneck)
15. Breakin' In A New Pair Of Shoes (Franklin - Stept - Washington)
16. Get Happy (Koehler - Arlen)
17. Christopher Columbus (Razaf - Berry)
18. Know That You Know (Caldwell - Youmans)
19. Star Dust (Carmichael - Parish)
20. You Can't Pull The Wool Over My Eyes (Mencher - Newman - Ager)
21. The Glory Of Love (Hill)
22. Remember (Berlin)
23. Walk, Jennie, Walk (Shafer - Wooding - Creamer)
CD 67: Benny Goodman 1936
BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. House Hop (Goodman - Mundy)
02. Sing Me A Swing Song (Adams - Carmichael)
03. Would Do Anything For You (Hill - Hopkins - Williams)
04. In A Sentimental Mood (Kurtz - Mills - Ellington)
05. I've Found A New Baby (Palmer - Williams)
06. Swingtime In The Rockies (Goodman - Mundy)
07. These Foolish Things (Marvell - Strachey - Link)
08. House Hop (Goodman - Mundy)
09. There's A Small Hotel (Rodgers - Hart)
10. You Turned The Tables On Me (Alter- Mitchell)
11. Here's Love In Your Eyes (Rainger - Robin)
12. Pick Yourself Up (Kern - Fields)
13. Down South Camp Meetin' (Henderson)
14. St. Louis Blues (Handy)
15. Love Me Or Leave Me (Donaldson - Kahn)
16. When A Lady Meets A Gentleman Down South
17. (Krakauer - Cleary - Oppenheim)
18. You're Giving Me A Song And A Dance (Ager - Symes)
19. Organ Grinder's Swing (Hudson - Parish - Mills)
20. Peter Piper (Whiting - Mercer)
21. Riffin' At The Ritz (Miller)
22. Alexander's Ragtime Band (Berlin)
CD 68: Benny Goodman 1936 - 37
BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Somebody Loves Me (Gershwin - MacDonald - DeSylva)
02. 'Tain't No Use (Lane - Magidson)
03. Bugle Call Rag (Pettis - Meyers - Schoebel)
04. Jam Session (Mundy)
05. Goodnight My Love (Revel - Gordon)
06. Take Another Guess (Mencher - Newman)
07. Did You Mean It? (Greer - Dixon)
08. When You And I Were Young, Maggie (Butterfield)
09. Gee! But You're Swell (Baer - Tobias)
10. Smoke Dreams (Brown - Freed)
11. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Trad.)
12. He Ain't Got Rhythm (Berlin)
13. Never Should Have Told You (Franklin - Friend)
14. This Year's Kisses (Berlin)
15. You Can Tell She Comes From Dixie (Ager - Symes)
16. Goodnight My Love (Revel - Gordon)
17. Want To Be Happy (Youmans - Caesar)
18. Chloe (Song Of The Swamp) (Moret - Kahn)
19. Rosetta (Hines - Woode)
20. Peckin' (James - Pollack)
21. Can't We Be Friends? (Swift - James)
22. Can't We Be Friends? (Swift - James)
23. Sing, Sing, Sing (intro. Christopher Columbus) Part 1 & 2 (Prima/Berry-Razaf)
CD 69: Benny Goodman 1937
BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Rod 'Em (Williams)
02. When It's Sleepy Time Down South (Rene - Rene - Muse)
03. Afraid To Dream (Revel - Gordon)
04. Changes (Donaldson)
05. Bob White (Watcha Gonna Swing Tonight) (Hanighen - Mercer)
06. Sugar Foot Stomp (Oliver - Armstrong)
07. Can't Give You Anything But Love (Fields - McHugh)
08. Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day (Koehler - Arlen)
09. Let That Be A Lesson To You (Whiting - Mercer)
10. Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks (Whiting - Mercer)
11. I've Hitched My Wagon To A Star (Whiting - Mercer)
12. Popcorn Man (Hudson - Klein - Livingston)
13. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart (Rainger - Robin)
14. Mama, That Moon Is Here Again (Rainger - Robin)
15. Loch Lomond (Trad.)
16. Camel Hop (Williams)
17. Life Goes To A Party (James - Goodman)
18. Life Goes To A Party (James - Goodman)
19. It's Wonderful (Smith)
20. Thanks For The Memory (Rainger - Robin)
21. If Dreams Come True (Sampson)
22. I'm Like A Fish Out Of Water (Whiting - Mercer)
23. Sweet Stranger (Ager - Yellen)
CD 70: Benny Goodman 1938
BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Don't Be That Way (Sampson - Goodman)
02. One O'clock jump (Basie)
03. Please Be Kind (Cahn - Chaplin)
04. Ti-Pi-Tin (Grever)
05. Ooooo - Oh Boom! (Riley)
06. Always And Always (Wright - Forrest - Ward)
07. Make Believe (Kern - Hammerstein II)
08. The Blue Room (Rodgers - Hart)
09. It's The Dreamer In Me (Dorsey - Van Heusen)
10. Lullaby In Rhythm (Hirsch - Profit - Sampson - Goodman)
11. I Never Knew (Kahn - FioRito)
12. That Feeling Is Gone (Hirsch - Wallace)
13. Sweet Sue-Just You (Harris - Young)
14. Feelin' High And Happy (Koehler - Bloom)
15. Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (Nemo - Redmond - Ellington)
16. Why'd Ya Make Me Fail In Love? (Donaldson)
17. Don't Wake Up My Heart (Lewis - Meyer - Wendling)
18. (I've Been) Saving Myself For You (Cahn - Chaplin)
19. Big John Special (H. Henderson)
20. My Melancholy Baby (Norton - Burnett)
21. Wrappin' It Up (Henderson)
22. What Goes On Here In My Heart? (Robin - Rainger)
