New CD Additions to the Library


Gene Ammons:
Gene Ammons
Gene Ammons was a blues inflected, mainstream tenor
saxophonist. He began with the big bands, but became prominent
in the late 50's and early 60's with small group work. These
selections showcase his tendency to swing with a touch of the blues.
(Added: February 5, 2001)


Count Basie:
Standing Ovation
(This album was recorded live at the Tropicana
Hotel, Las Vegas in 1969. It features a lot of Basie standards
as well as lots of solo space by legendary tenor saxophonist Eddie
"Lockjaw" Davis and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison)
(Added: February 22, 1999)


Nat King Cole:
Nat King Cole Sings the Blues
(These are late 50's studio recordings with Nat Cole
singing classics by W.C. Handy, "The Father of the Blues." Nelson
Riddle does good orchestrations)
(Added: December 15, 2000)


Bing Crosby:
Bing with a Beat
(This album, from 1957, features Bing with
Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band. It's an album of dixieland
style swing on some old, old songs. It's Bing at his best.)
(Added: March 14, 1999)


Bing Crosby:
Bing: A Musical Autobiography (2 vols)
(In 1954, Decca released a massive, five volume boxed set
of Bing Crosby classics. Not only are Bing's important recordings captured,
but Bing's narration between songs is informative and intelligent.)
(Added: November 1, 1999)


Duke Ellington:
The Popular Duke Ellington
(A 1966 studio album. Ellington and his great side men
were near the end of their careers.This album revisits several
Ellington classics. Lots of solo work and orchestral tone colors.)
(Added: February 3, 1999)


Ella Fitzgerald:
Ella in Hollywood
(Recorded live in 1961 at the Crescendo Nightclub in Hollywood,
this album contain some of the best scat singing on record.)
(Added: January 17, 1999)


Ella Fitzgerald:
Rhythm Is My Business
(A big band album recorded in 1962.
The orchestra is arranged and conducted by the blues keyboard specialist, Bill Doggett.)
(Added: January 17, 1999)


Erroll Garner:
Classic Cuts
(Erroll Garner was one of the most original stylists
in jazz. This album compiles twenty of his best performances
from the mid-50's to the mid-60's.)
(Added: March 26, 1999)


Benny Goodman:
The Benny Goodman Story
(The soundtrack to the 1955 movie.
All the great Benny Goodman numbers with original arrangements
and most of the original musicians.)
(Added: February 9, 1999)


Bobby Hackett & Jack Teagarden:
Jazz Ultimate
(Hackett [a trumpeter] and Teagarden [a trombonist]
are two of the most admired instrumentalists in traditional jazz.
They weren't quite dixielanders, but they were influenced by the
dixieland style. In this album, they blow well on some old jazz tunes.)
(Added: March 1, 1999)


Stan Kenton:
The Stage Door Swings
(This album was recorded in 1960. It has
never been released on CD. It features the innovative
Kenton orchestra with unusual and jazzy versions of familiar
show tunes.)
(Added: February 22, 1999)


Jimmy McPartland:
Jimmy McPartland's Dixieland
(Jimmy McPartland was a legendary Chicago trumpeter.
This album, also from the late 50's, features a more
relaxed brand of dixieland.)
(Added: February 17, 1999)


Phil Napoleon:
Phil Napoleon in the Land of Dixie
(In the 1920's, Phil Napoleon was leader of the legendary
"Original Memphis Five." This 1957 album, recorded near the end
of his career, is one of the best dixieland albums ever put to vinyl.)
(Added: February 17, 1999)


Jimmy Rushing:
Five Feet of Soul
(Another big band album, this one recorded in 1963.
The orchestra is composed mainly of Count Basie sidemen.
Arrangements are by the Count Basie saxophonist and arranger, Al Cohn
(Added: January 17, 1999)


Jimmy Rushing:
Little Jimmy Rushing and the Big Brass
(A great combination of blues and big band swing. Jimmy
Rushing is in top form, but the band is full of jazz legends who blow the
roof off. This album was recorded in 1958.)
(Added: December 15, 2000)


Frank Sinatra:
I Remember Tommy
(This album was recorded in 1961, just after Sinatra
established his new record company, Reprise. Using arranger
Sy Oliver, Tommy Dorsey's best swing arranger, Sinatra revisits
some classic numbers from the Dorsey years.)
(Added: November 1, 1999)


Frank Sinatra:
Sinatra's Sinatra
(This is another album from the early Reprise period. With arranger
Nelson Riddle, Sinatra sings several of his Capitol and Columbia
classics, including "I've Got You Under My Skin," "All the Way," and more.)
(Added: November 1, 1999)


Maxine Sullivan:
Songs from the Cotton Club
(This is a collection of early songs by Harold Arlen
and Ted Koehler, who wrote for the Cotton Club Parade from 1931-34.
Maxine Sullivan, singing near the end of her career, gives a lilt to
all these songs, some famous and some forgotten.)
(Added: March 22, 1999)


Jack Teagarden:
This is Teagarden!
(These Capitol studio recordings from the 1950's feature
the legendary trombonist playing and singing some of the
jazz standards that he made famous.)
(Added: March 3, 1999)


Sarah Vaughan:
After Hours
(This is a sultry album of ballads. Sarah's
distinctive stylistic traits are shown to good advantage.
Listening to this will help you on the vocal quizzes and test.)
(Added: March 14, 1999)


Joe Williams and Count Basie:
Joe Williams Sings and Count Basie Swings
(A collection of classic cuts, recorded in 1955 and 1956
--lots of swing and blues.)
(Added: February 1, 1999)


Lester Young:
Small Band Sides: 1942-50
Lester Young achieved national recognition with
Count Basie in the 30's. He did many great small groups dates in
the 1940's. This CD is a generous sampling of those.
(Added: February 5, 2001)