Great 1955 sessions by one of Condon's best bands (Wild Bill Davison, Bobby Hackett, Cutty Cutshall, Ed Hall, Gene Schroeder, Dick Cary, Walter Page, George Wettling) recording Bix Beiderbecke-related tunes for Columbia . . a few from other sessions featuring Pee Wee Russell, Bob Wilber, Billy Butterfield, Peanuts Hucko, Jack Lesberg, and Leonard Gaskin round out the program.
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1:07:47
Show - Buddy DeFranco in the 1940's and 50's
One of the few true Bebop clarinet players, DeFranco is here featured in his own quintets and sextets recording for Capitol and MGM with Teddy Charles, Jimmy Raney, Kenny Drew, Max Roach and others playing standards and a few originals.
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56:28
Duke Ellington - 1934, 35
At the dawn of the Swing Era, Ellington was in a bit of a funk . . his recording opportunities were less and the Depression had limited opportunities. Fortunately, his creativity came back quickly, mostly in answer to the swing style beginning to establish itself. With a band including Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Otto Hardwick, Wellman Braud (replaced by both Hayes Alvis and Billy Taylor), Sonny Greer and Ivy Anderson, he always sounded like himself.
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1:13:13
Show - Joe Sullivan solos and trios
Great 1940's and 50's sessions by the Chicago stride pianist doing solos and trios (with Walter Page, Bob Casey and George Wettling) of unpublished Fats Waller compositions!
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55:04
Rex Stewart 1940/41
The legendary cornetist at the halfway point in his tenure with Duke Ellington, featured on four small group sessions. Two sessions are his own group of Ellingtonians recording for RCA Victor (including Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Ellington, Jimmy Blanton and Sonny Greer) and two for the Hot Record Society . . one of those by Rex Stewart's Big Seven (with Brown, Barney Bigard, Billy Kyle, Brick Fleagle, Wellman Braud, Dave Tough) and one by Jack Teagarden's Big Eight (Bigard, Webster, Kyle, Fleagle, Billy Taylor and Tough).