1. Blue Lou
All-Star Band
2. One O'Clock Jump
Metronome All-Star Band
3. Truckin'
Fats Waller And His Rhythm
4. Harlem Air-Shaft
Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra
5. Pompton Turnpike
Charlie Barnet And His Orchestra
6. Opus #1
Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra
7. All Of Me
Benny Carter And His Orchestra
8. Goodnight, My Love
Benny Goodman And His Orchestra
9. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
Frankie Newton And His Orchestra
10. One Sweet Letter From You
Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra
11. Jersey Bounce
Earl Hines And His Orchestra
12. Carioca
Artie Shaw And His Orchestra
13. Sing, Sing, Sing
Benny Goodman And His Orchestra
14. In The Mood
Glenn Miller And His Orchestra
This is a very well conceived compilation in that it features many
of the finest musicians from this era, but it is not a catalogue of
all the old chestnuts. Admittedly there are such favourites as "Sing,
Sing, Sing, " "In The Mood " and " Opus One",
but the vast majority of the tracks here are perhaps lesser known
recordings by the various bands. It must be stated, from the outset,
that the standard of the performances and material is easily equal
to the more famous selections.
The cast of soloists to be found here can only be described as stellar,
ranging from Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophone to Buddy De Franco
on clarinet. There are also some excellent moments from less familiar
players - the sadly forgotten Eddie Miller on tenor ( a musician who
could easily hold his own with his more renowned contemporaries )
Pete Brown, who somehow managed to make his alto sound like a tenor
- paving the way for such later luminaries as Cannonball Adderley,
and Frankie Newton on trumpet who was one of the keepers of the flame
passed from Louis Armstrong and before him, King Oliver.
One outstanding name that crops up on three different selections in
varying capacities is that of Benny Carter. He is the alto saxophone
soloist with the Metronome All-Stars, the arranger and clarinet player
with his own band and arranger, once again, on the Lionel Hampton
piece. He was a musician who was ranked amongst the top three alto
players , along with Johnny Hodges and Willie Smith , in this era.
He was also a highly accomplished trumpet player, good enough to be
featured soloist with the likes of Fats Waller. His clarinet playing
is a revelation on this disc and surely there has never been a better
arranger for the saxophone section as is amply illustrated on "All
Of Me ". It is no wonder that he was referred to as "King
Carter ".
Other highlights include Duke Ellington's evocative "Harlem Airshaft
", Earl Hines swinging rendition of " Jersey Bounce "
and the typically brilliant small band performance from Fats Waller
And His Rhythm. This disc is great fun - it also fills in a few gaps
for the non - completist collector.
Dick Stafford
CD Reviews
Bluebird's Best
09026639672
