Masters of Classic Jazz: Swing Greats (2000)

About this title: This double CD has the master takes from five radio transcription sessions recorded during 1943-1944. The music is particularly valuable because a recording strike kept many of these musicians largely off records during the era. Heard from are the Eddie Heywood Sextet, a quintet featuring tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and trumpeter Hot Lips Page, a combo with altoist Pete Brown and trumpeter Jonah Jones, the Red Norvo sextet (with clarinetist Aaron Sachs), and the Stuff Smith trio. The music (mostly heated swing) is excellent but the packaging could be better since the programming on this 38 ... read more

Tracks:

1. 'Tain't Me [Davis/Palmer]
2. Woke up Clipped [Webster]
3. Said Zed [Unknown]
4. Blue Skies [Berlin]
5. Bugle Call Rag [Meyers/Pettis/Schoe]
6. Begin the Beguine [Porter]
7. 'Nuff Said [Webster]
8. The Little Jump [Unknown]
9. I Surrender, Dear [Clifford/Barris]
10. To a Wild Rose [MacDowell]
11. Carry Me Back to Old Virginny [Bland]
12. The Hron [Webster]
13. Ain't Misbehavin' [Brooks/Razaf/Waller]
14. The Man I Love [Gershwin/Gershwin]
15. She's Funny That Way [Moret/Whiting]
16. Dirty Deal [Webster]
17. Caravan [Tizol/Ellington/Mil]
18. Minuet in Swing [Smith]
19. Tezol [Webster]
20. That's the Lick [Unknown Composer]
21. Melody in F [Rubinstein]
22. Lover Man [Ramirez/Davis/Sherm]
23. Don't Blame Me [Fields/McHugh]
24. Blue Skies [Berlin]
25. Dee Dee's Dance [Best]
26. Desert Sands [Smith]
27. Coquette [Kahn/Green/Lombardo]
28. I Surrender, Dear [Barris/Clifford]
29. Rosetta [Hines/Woode]
30. The Red Jumps [Allen]
31. Red Dust [Henderson]
32. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise [Seitz/Lockhart]
33. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You [Crosby/Washington]
34. Prelude to a Kiss [Ellington/Gordon/Mi]
35. Tea for Two [Caesar/Youmans]
36. Low Down Blues [Unknown]
37. Clyde's Blues [Unknown]
38. Humoresque [Dvorak]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.