Journey Through The Penguin Jazz Guide

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Wingy Manone - Swingin' In the Thirties



Not much Wingy out there and easily available - the Chronological Classics 1934-1935 is the Penguin reco, but luckily this comp covers many of the same songs by the New Orleans trumpeter and bandleader.
Why "Wingy" you might ask? He lost his right arm at 10 years old in a streetcar accident and got the nickname "wingy" - through use of prosthetic , he was able to play and often his injury was not noticed by the public.

 

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Django Reinhardt - The Chronological Classics 1935-1936

 

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Benny Goodman - The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings

Took me a few days to get through this 3 disc set - essential stuff and still sounds great today

 

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Fats Waller - The Chronological Classics 1934-1935

After a week of getting my Christmas music fix in, back to 30s Jazz - essential stuff here (cobbled together on Spotify from other albums including the fantastic box set (which I happily own) If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It!

 

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Jess Stacy - Ec-Stacy (25 Great Performances 1935-1945)

Again, not using the ASV comp but several other Stacy comps - Stacy was a jazz pianist who played with several groups most notably with Benny Goodman in the late 1930s-early 1940s (his piano solo during "Sing Sing Sing" on Benny's Carnegie Hall famous concert was actually cut on initial recordings happily later restored)

 

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Roy Eldridge
Uptown (with The Gene Krupa Orchestra featuring Anita O'Day)
After You're Gone

A little liberty on my behalf (but I actually think my listening is better for it). Penguin chooses an obscure (and now very expensive) Topaz Jazz CD of Eldridge's early material pre-Krupa difficult to cobble together with Spotify. BUT Penguin then forgoes the Eldridge years with Krupa (Krupa's late 30s band shows up pre-Eldridge) then Roy (a fantastic trumpeter) doesn't appear again.

So I decided to use the great compilation of Eldridge's years with the Krupa Band (which also nicely coincides with Anita O'Day's years) which SHOULD be included by Penguin. So jumping a bit again to 1941-1943 with the Krupa tracks which extended until Krupa band disbanded after Krupa was jailed for marijuana possession.

Then, for good measure listening to his Decca sides following Krupa (which does include an early 1936 "Christopher Columbus) with Eldridge as the frontman. Sadly, Spotify doesn't include the wonderful Columbia Jazz Masterpieces comp Little Jazz of Eldridge's early stuff.

 

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The Billie Holiday Collection Vol. 2

Billie's stuff on Columbia, much included here with the pianist Teddy Wilson
Volume 2 is great but I'm surprised, as Penguin often in very inclusive with box sets, that all four volumes aren't included (perhaps because this isn't the last we'll see of Billie)
In addition to Volume 2, I took it upon myself to add like 15 extra tracks from the other Columbia volumes

 

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Count Basie - The Original American Decca Recordings

 

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Jimmy Dorsey - Contrasts

From AllMusic.com

This CD puts the emphasis on the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra's jazz sides rather than the vocal best-sellers.

Covers from 1936-1943

 

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Edmond Hall - The Chronological Classics 1937-1944

Louisiana clarinetist/bandleader - no the Classics album not available but there is a comparable streaming only comp in the Jazz Foundations series

 

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Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra with Billie Holiday - Too Hot For Words

A nice set for pianist Teddy Wilson though almost all of this is included on the Billie Holiday's Columbia releases which reinforces my thoughts above of just including Billie's whole Columbia set

 

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Eddie South - The Chronological Classics 1937-1941

Cool selection because I couldn't name an jazz violinist other than Stephane Grappelly (who South plays with on a couple of Parisian sides here along with DJango Reinhardt). Talented musician on an underrepresented jazz instrument.

 

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Eddie South - The Chronological Classics 1937-1941

Cool selection because I couldn't name an jazz violinist other than Stephane Grappelly (who South plays with on a couple of Parisian sides here along with DJango Reinhardt). Talented musician on an underrepresented jazz instrument.

Ahem. Joe Venuti would like a word.

 

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Ahem. Joe Venuti would like a word.

Well yes, of course. Especially as Venuti came up earlier. But besides them….

(And yes of course Jean-Luc Ponty)

 

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Well yes, of course. Especially as Venuti came up earlier. But besides them….

(And yes of course Jean-Luc Ponty)

Stuff Smith is the only other one I can come up with at the moment.

 

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Lionel Hampton - The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions, Vol 1

Been listening to jazz despite my busy week - Penguin recommends Chronological Classic series but vol 1 of this great Victor comp actually is more inclusive so used that comp

 

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Claude Hopkins - The Transcription Performances 1935)

Excellent substitution for pianist/bandleader Hopkins instead of Penguin's suggested Chronological 1932-1934

 

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Chu Berry - The Chronological Classics 1937-1941

 

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Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert

Caught up with my listening today. Essential stuff

 

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Avery "Kid" Howard - Prelude to the Revival Vol.1

New Orleans trumpeter