Journey Through The Penguin Jazz Guide

[Zeeba Neighba]

Edgar Hayes - The Chronological Classics 1937-1938

Listening to a somewhat truncated comp of this period
The pianist/bandleader was the first to record "In the Mood"

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Bunny Berigan - The Pied Piper 1934-1940

Great set - wonderful overview of trumpeter Berigan - so enjoyable in fact, I'm sorry I missed it for my original Jazz Excursion.
Berigan sounds great - sadly due to alcoholism, he would die from cirrhosis at age 33 in 1942

On a medical note, facts like this astound me because the liver is such a resilient organ that for you to be dead of cirrhosis by age 33 (granted in the 1940s), you have to had imbibed a HUGE amount of alcohol daily.

 

[Ojai Sam]

I’ve fallen behind on auditing your Penguin project.

Lots of great picks over the last few days. Like Bix, Bunny was an immense trumpet talent cut down at the peak of his artistic ability.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Harry James - The Chronological Classics 1937-1939

 

[Ojai Sam]

Harry James - The Chronological Classics 1937-1939

Mr. Betty Grable!

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Dizzy Gillespie - Complete RCA Victor Recordings 1937-1949

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

George Chisholm - Early Days 1935-1944

Scottish trombonist and bandleader. Coleman Hawkins and Fats Waller on visits to UK recorded with Chisholm
Also (per Wiki) did some acting with small rolls on TV (The Good Squad) and film (The Knack...and How to Get It and, oddly, Superman III as a street sweeper)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Bobby Hackett - Chronological Classics 1938-1940

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans - The Chronological Classics 1938-1941

Much catchier than Vincent Furnier's Savoy Sultans
He just said "You can call me Al"

Kidding aside, for an essential jazz selection, definitely the artist with the shortest Wikipedia entry - this is it

Lofton Alfonso Cooper (1911 – October 5, 1981) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.[1] He founded the Savoy Sultans and was their leader from 1937 to 1946. He was the half-brother of Grachan Moncur II

 

[axolotl]

Much catchier than Vincent Furnier's Savoy Sultans

Were they the Sultans... the Sultans of Swing?

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Were they the Sultans... the Sultans of Swing?

Harry could have been huge in jazz but he just didn't mind if he made the scene

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band

Took me a bit at 75 tracks, but essential stuff here.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Ziggy Elman - Chronological Classics 1938-1939

Jazz trumpeter and bandleader

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Ziggy Elman - Chronological Classics 1938-1939

Jazz trumpeter and bandleader

Ziggy Elman and the Spiders from Philadelphia.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Pete Johnson - Jumpin with Pete Johnson

Jazz and boogie woogie pianist -Penguin recommends Chronological Classics 1938-1939 but this is a nice later set mixing both styles

 

[axolotl]

^ Pete Johnson (as depicted) has at least one jazz hand.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Muggsy Spanier - 1939-1944

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Coleman Hawkins - Selected Sessions (1934-1943)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Ziggy Elman and the Spiders from Philadelphia.

One of the great improvised jazz song titles of all time:

 

[axolotl]

^ There's that wild and crazy War Department, again!