Jazz Focus

The Mills Brothers in the 1930's - Four Boys and A Guitar in 1932-37 by themselves and with Duke Ellington, Don Redman, Cab Calloway, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Have It Ready - Fletcher Henderson's Dixie Stompers recordings.  Done from 1925-1928, these were a parallel recording band to the full Henderson group . .featuring a smaller band using mostly stock arrangements but with great jazz . . Joe Smith, Tommy Ladnier, Rex Stewart,Bobby Stark, Charlie Green, Jimmy Harrison, Buster Bailey, Don Redman, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Dixon, Ralph Escudero, June Cole and Kaiser Marshall --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Wilbur De Paris' New New Orleans Jazz Band - Original compositions in Trad Jazz style from the 1950's.  This innovative yet traditional band combined older players (Sidney DeParis, Doc Cheatham, Omer Simeon, Garvin Bushell, Sonny White, Don Kirkpatrick, Freddie Moore, Wilbert Kirk) with the leader's interesting compositions and arrangements . --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

WPA Rag . .Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red in the 1930's with the Chicago Five and others . . This style is often called the "Bluebird Blues" because of the sound being associated with hundreds of records on Bluebird in the 1930's and early 40's.  Broonzy and Tampa Red were seasoned recording stars from the 1920's on and here adapt nicely to swing, with great contributions from Punch Miller, Bill Owsley and Buster Bennett. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Joe Thomas!  Another podcast by the criminally underrated trumpet player Joe Thomas.  Known for playing with Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, Barney Bigard and a host of others . .these mid 1940's sides feature him at his peak - his own band recording for HRS (featuring his wife Babe Matthews on vocals with Lem Davis, Ted Nash and Jimmy Jones), with the Don Byas All Star Quintet with Johnny Guarnieri and the Joe Marsala Sextet in a wild amalgam of dixie, swing and bop featuring Adele Girard on harp, Chuck Wayne on guitar and Charlie Queener on piano (guest appearance by Leonard Feather on piano and Linda Keene on vocals) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Paul Ricci - unheard clarinet of the Swing Era!  Centered around six virtually unknown trio (clarinet and piano with Carl Kress on guitar) recordings from 1938, this salute to Ricci includes sides he did with Joe Haymes (featuring Joe Venuti), Dean Kincaide (with Yank Lawson, Cutty Cutshall and Peanuts Hucko), Brad Gowans (Billy Butterfield and Joe Dixon), Bob Howard (Bunny Berigan and Frank Signorelli), Miff Mole (Harry James) and two rare and very original recordings by the Carl Kress Quintet --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Juba Dance - Omer Simeon in the 1940's and 50's.  Great mainstream and dixieland recordings by the legendary Simeon who recreates and even excels his 1926 recording of "Shreveport Stomp" with Jelly Roll Morton in 1956 with the Wilbur De Paris New New Orleans Jazz Band (several other tunes with them featuring Sidney DeParis, Sonny White, Wilbert Kirk and Rudy Rutherford).  Also in trios with James P. Johnson and Pops Foster and Sammy Price and Zutty Singleton as well as a Blue Note date with Art Hodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Sidney Bechet live - the John Reid recordings...private recordings made by Bechet's Boswell from 1939-44.  Some were rehearsals for his upcoming Victor recording sessions (Reid was the producer) and some were casual dance or party dates.  Featuring Henry Goodwin, Sandy Williams, Don Donaldson, Sonny White, Don Frye, Max Miller, Wilson Myers, Manzie Johnson, Sid Catlett, Kenny Clarke and Freddie Moore --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

WETF Show - For Dancers Only - The Sy Oliver arrangements for Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra for Decca (1934-38) featuring Willie Smith, Eddie Tompkins, Trummy Young, Dan Grissom, Eddie Durham, Al Norris, Jimmy Crawford, Paul Webster, Eddie Wilcox and Joe Thomas!   Listen to my earlier podcast for the first volume of the Lunceford recordings, featuring arrangements by Eddie Wilcox, Willie Smith and Eddie Durham --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

WETF Show Here's Your Change - Toots Mondello!  Hardly anyone knows his name anymore, but Toots was one of the great lead alto players of the Swing Era . . he was also an excellent soloist on alto and clarinet - hear his work with his own group (including two tunes of the Rudy Wiedoeft variety with a trio), Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton (with Ziggy Elman, Ben Webster, Jerry Jerome, and Clyde Hart), Dick McDonough (with Bunny Berigan and Adrian Rollini), Bob Haggart (Chris Griffin, Peanuts Hucko and Paul Ricci), and Deane Kinkaide (Peanuts Hucko, Yank Lawson and Cutty Cutshall) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support