Jazz Focus

The long series of recordings for Victor and Bluebird led by Lionel Hampton featured a wide array of black and white jazz musicians of the period - here we focus on those including members of the Duke Ellington band - Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Rex Stewart, Cootie Williams, Sonny Greer and Billy Taylor along with Buster Bailey, Edgar Sampson, Jess Stacy, Allan Reuss, Cozy Cole and Clyde Hart . .all featuring the leader on vibes, piano, drums and vocals! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Great recordings done for Concord (live and in studio) in Tokyo in the twilight of the singer Maxine Sullivan's career - superb versions of standards and not-so-standards backed by one of the great young groups of the period - Scott Hamilton, John Bunch, Chris Flory, Phil Flanagan, Chuck Riggs --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Great early recordings for Pathe and Perfect by Annette Hanshaw - one of the first "crooners" of Tin Pan Alley tunes . . accompanied by Vic Berton, Adrian Rollini, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Jimmy Lytell, Irving Brodsky and Rube Bloom --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

The great New Orleans clarinet and soprano sax player Bechet leading some small groups for RCA Victor in 1940 and 1941 - great arrangements of both standards and originals featuring Red Allen, Gus Aiken, Sidney DeParis, Henry Goodwin, Sandy Williams, J.C. Higginbotham, Vic Dickenson, Lem Johnson, Cliff Jackson, Don Donaldson, James Tolliver, Bernard Addison, Wilson Myers, Wellman Braud, Manzie Johnson, J.C Heard and Sid Catlett among others . .  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

The Bennie Moten band was the primary African-American band in Kansas City and the Oklahoma, St. Louis and Chicago regions for almost the entirety of the 1920's . . here we have their first recordings for OKeh and first two for Victor, chronically their development from 1923's New Orleans-styled group to the almost Fletcher Henderson sound of 1926 featuring Woodie Walder on clarinet, Lammar Wright on cornet, Thamon Hayes on trombone, Harlan Leonard on alto and Moten himself on piano. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Louis Jordan was a fine jazz player, but his fame lay more in the direction of novelty and entertainment with a healthy dose of blues and what came to be known as Rhythm and Blues (and early Rock and Roll).  Here, he is at the start of his bandleading career with some great arrangements of blues and old standards featuring himself on alto and baritone saxes along with Courtney Williams, Lem Johnson, Stafford Simon, Clarence Johnson, Arnold Thomas and others. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Great meetings of like instruments - Trombone Choir with Benny Morton, Bill Harris, Vic Dickenson and Claude Jones; Trumpet Ensemble with Roy Eldridge, Joe Thomas and Emmett Berry; Sax Ensemble with Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Tab Smith and Harry Carney . . great rhythm sections all featuring Johnny Guarnieri! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Claude Thornhill led several of the most innovative bands of the Swing Era.  With french horns, tubas and a clarinet section he created arrangements like "Snowfall" that were almost impressionistic . . by 1947 he was using arrangers like Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and Rusty Dedrick who incorporated bebop and soon to be "Cool" influences into his style as well . . great soloists such as Lee Konitz, Danny Polo, Red Rodney, Barry Galbraith and Mickey Folus are also featured on these studio recordings for Columbia and electric radio transcriptions. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Hawkins at the peak of his ability - his tenor sax is here featured with quartets including Teddy Wilson, Eddie Heywood, Jr., Israel Crosby, Oscar Pettiford, Cozy Cole and Sid Catlett --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

A studio version of the Gene Krupa Orchestra from the 1950's featuring re-arrangements of his hits from the 1940's - with Anita O'Day, Roy Eldridge, Dave McKenna, Barry Galbraith Eddie Shu, Aaron Sachs, Jimmy Cleveland, Ernie Royal, Kai Winding, Urbie Green, Phil Woods, Eddie Wasserman and Hank Jones! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support