Where Swing is King!
“Indian Summer” Composed by Victor Herbert (music) and Al Dubin (lyric); arranged by Johnny Watson. Recorded by Jan Savitt and His Top Hatters for Decca on October 3, 1939 in New York. Jan Savitt, directing: [..]
“Tuesday at Ten” Composed and arranged by Lloyd “Skip” Martin. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on June 11, 1941 in New York.(*) (*) This is take one, which was not issued [..]
“Uncle Bud” Composed and arranged by William Johnson. Recorded by Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra for Bluebird on May 15, 1941 in New York. Erskine Hawkins, trumpet, directing: Sammy Lowe, first trumpet; Wilbur “Dud” Bascomb, [..]
“Ad Lib on Nippon” Composed by Duke Ellington with input by Jimmy Hamilton; arranged by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for RCA Victor (Studio B) on December 20, [..]
“For You” Composed by Joe Burke and Al Dubin; arranged by Sy Oliver. Recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra for Victor on January 20, 1941 in New York. Tommy Dorsey, first and solo trombone, [..]
“Lover’s Leap” Composed and arranged by Bob Higgins. Recorded by Les Brown and His Orchestra for Columbia on February 25, 1946 in New York. Les Brown, directing: Al Muller, Bob Higgins, Don Jacoby and Jimmy [..]
“Something to Remember You By” Composed by Arthur Schwartz (music) and Howard Dietz (lyric); arranged by Gil Evans. Recorded by Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra for Columbia on February 6, 1942 in New York. Claude [..]
“Danza Lucumi” Composed by Ernesto Lecuona y Casado; arranged by William Grant Still. Recorded by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra for Victor on October 8, 1940 in Hollywood. Artie Shaw, clarinet, directing: Charles William “Billy” [..]
“Naked City” Composed and arranged by Raymond Scott. Recorded by Raymond Scott and His Orchestra for Swing House in January of 1956 in New York. The story: Raymond Scott (real name Harry Warnow, 1908-1994), was [..]
“Mysterioso” Composed and arranged by Artie Shaw.(*) Recorded by Artie Shaw and His Gramercy Five for Victor in Hollywood on August 2, 1945. Artie Shaw, clarinet, directing: Roy Eldridge, trumpet; Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, piano; Barney [..]
“A String of Pearls” Composed by Jerry Gray; arranged by Billy Maxted. Recorded by Billy Maxted and His Manhattan Jazz Band for Liberty probably in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1967. Billy Maxted, piano, directing: Bob [..]
“Loose Lid Special” Composed and Arranged by Sy Oliver. Recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra for Victor Records July 15, 1941 in New York. Tommy Dorsey, first and solo trombone, directing: Chuck Peterson, first trumpet; [..]
“Dizzier and Dizzier” (aka “Katy”) Composed and arranged by Gerald Wilson. Recorded by Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra for RCA Victor on May 6, 1949 in Chicago. John B. “Dizzy” Gillespie, trumpet, directing: Benny Harris [..]
“Back to the Land” Composed by Lester Young. Recorded by the Lester Young Trio in late March-Early April 1946 for Mercury Records in Los Angeles, California. Lester Young, tenor saxophone; Nat “King” Cole, piano; Buddy [..]
“I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You” Composed by Victor Young; probably arranged by Larry Wagner. Recorded by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra for Capitol in early 1959. Glen Gray, [..]
“You’ve Got Me Crying Again” Composed by Isham Jones (music) and Charles Newman (lyric); arranged by Victor Young. Recorded by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra for ARC/Brunswick on March 7, 1933 in New York. Victor Young [..]
“Pussy Willow” Composed and arranged by Bill Finegan. Recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra for RCA Victor on March 16, 1949 in New York. Tommy Dorsey, first trombone, directing: Vern Arslan, Jack Dougherty, Chuck [..]
“Hollywood Hangover” Composed and arranged by Wilbur “Buck” Clayton. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra live at the Regal Theater in Chicago on May 26, 1945. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Shelton “Scad” Hemphill, first [..]
“Downstream” Composed by H. Lawrence, B. Nieson and Jay Milton; arranged by Joe Lippman. Recorded by Bunny Berigan and His Orchestra for Victor on March 15, 1938. Bunny Berigan, trumpet, directing: Steve Lipkins, first trumpet, [..]
“Monsoon” Composed and arranged by Art Shaw. Recorded by Art Shaw and His New Music for Thesaurus Transcription Service on December 15, 1937 in New York. Art Shaw, clarinet, directing: Norman Ayers, first trumpet; Chuck [..]
“Bluesette” Composed by Jean-Baptiste “Toots” Thielemans. Recorded by Hank Jones on November 11, 1991 for Concord Jazz in performance at Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, California. Hank Jones, solo piano. The story: Henry Jones Jr. [..]
“Blue Rhapsody” Composed by Bill Challis and Paul Rickey; arranged by Bill Challis. Recorded by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra for Decca on February 14, 1946 in New York. Glen Gray directing: Ray [..]
“Smoke Dreams” Composed by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed; arranged by Jimmy Mundy. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor on December 9, 1936 in New York. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Harry [..]
“Time Remembered” Composed by Bill Evans. Recorded by Bill Evans for Milestone Records on August 21, 1962 in New York. Bill Evans, piano, directing: John H. “Zoot” Sims, tenor saxophone; Jim Hall, guitar; Ron Carter, [..]
“Tuxedo Junction” Composed by William Johnson, Julian Dash and Erskine Hawkins; head arrangement organized by William Johnson(*) and then modified by the Berigan band. (*) Gary Letts has advised: “Bunny is playing the published stock [..]
“Shadows” Composed by Frankie Carle; arranged by Jerry Gray. Recorded by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra for RCA Bluebird on November 9, 1939 in New York. Artie Shaw, clarinet, directing Harry Geller, first trumpet; Bernie [..]
“It’s Time to Jump and Shout” Composed and arranged by Eddie Durham. Recorded by Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra for Vocalion on January 5, 1940 in New York. Jimmie Lunceford, directing: Eugene “Snooky” Young, first [..]
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” Composed by Harold Arlen; arranged by Bob Haggart. Recorded by Bob Crosby and His Orchestra for Decca on February 8, 1937 in New York. Bob Haggart, bass, [..]
“Mean to Me” Composed by Fred E. Ahlert (music) and Roy Turk (lyric); arranged by Freddie Slack. . Recorded by Will Bradley and His Orchestra for Vocalion on October 26, 1939 [..]
“Moten Swing” Composed by Bennie and Buster Moten; arranged by Ray Conniff. Recorded by Bunny Berigan and His Orchestra live from a broadcast over WABC-New York from Roseland Ballroom in New York City in October [..]