Jazz Focus

Live sessions featuring an otherwise unrecorded version of Turk Murphy's band in May, 1968 at the Concord Armory and the Muskataquid Club with Ed Johnson, Turk, Jack Crook, Pete Clute, Bob Carroll, Smokey Stover and Pat Yankee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Pete Brown - the legendary alto sax (and occasional trumpet) player in countless bands of the 1930's and 40's had a fantastically humorous and bouncy style evident on sessions with Buster Bailey, Midge Williams and Leonard Feather featuring players like Charlie Shavers, Bill Coleman, Joe Marsala, Benny Carter, Bobby Hackett, Billy Kyle and O'Neil Spencer. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

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!. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

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. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

These are some of the fruits of Ralph Peer's first "Road Trip" for OKeh records . . he brought the recording studio on the road to New Orleans in March, 1924 and then again in January 1925 and recorded some local dance bands and Jazz groups.  Here we will be listening to groups led by Johnny DeDroit, Tony Parenti, Norman Brownlee, Oscar Celestin and Armand Piron as well as the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, The Halfway House Orchestra and the Original Crescent City Jazzers.  These groups featured musicians as well known as Tony Parenti, Leon Roppolo, Paul Mares, Santo Pecora, Sharkey Bonano, Sterling Bose, Kid Shots Madison, Lorenzo Tio, Jr. and Harry Shields as well as a host of other lesser known players. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Three sessions for the new Decca record label featuring the Earl Hines Orchestra that was playing at the Grand Terrace in Chicago.  Walter Fuller, George Dixon and Trummy Young in the brass section, Omer Simeon, Darnell Howard and Cecil Irwin in the reeds .. . Jimmy Mundy and Quinn Wilson doing arrangements and Wallace Bishop on drums . . great band, great jazz solos! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Three groups of chamber jazz . . the Bechet-Spanier Big Four with Sidney Bechet, Muggsy Spanier, Carmen Mastren, Wellman Braud. .. The Delta Four with Roy Eldridge, Joe Marsala, Carmen Mastren, Sid Weiss and Rex Stewart's Feetwarmers with Rex Stewart, Barney Bigard, Django Reinhardt and Billy Taylor.  All 1935-40! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

The Rhythmic Eight - a subset of the Bert Firman Orchestra, recording in London from 1927-30.  Some excellent British musicians (Arthur Lally, Johnny Helfer, Bert Read, Norman Payne) joined by some travelling Yanks (Perley Breed, Sylvester Ahola, Frank Guarente, Danny Polo, Joe Brannelly) to record stocks and special arrangements of contemporary pop tunes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

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 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support

Roy Eldridge - the first Roy Eldridge Orchestra (an octet including his brother Joe, Teddy Cole and Zutty Singleton) live from the Three Deuces in New York in 1937; another version of a similar group doing 1943 transcriptions (a nonet with Joe, Ike Quebec, Tom Archia and Harold West), and a band (another nonet with Franz Jackson, Clyde Hart and gteat clarinet by Prince Robinson) captured live at the Arcadia Ballroom in Chicago in 1939. Some of the best Swing trumpet ever recorded! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-clark49/support