Artist: Bobby Hackett
     Album: At The Jazz Band Ball
     Label: The International Music Company AG
     Year: 1952; release : 2002
     Format, bitrate: ape
     Time: 63:28
     Size: 255 (150+105) Mb

     In the detailed liner notes, Jack Sohmers anticipates some of the criticisms to this full-length recording, particularly the dated style of clarinetist Gene Sedric, whom Sohmers admits "seem[s] most out of place here." Nonetheless, and despite the less-than-stellar sound quality (although evidently much improved due to the restoration efforts of Jack Towers), there is outstanding work from both trumpeter and leader Bobby Hackett and trombonist Vic Dickenson, whose style was fully developed by 1952. While some will undoubtedly prefer Hackett's later collaborations with Jack Teagarden, there is no denying the impressive slide and lip work of Dickenson, who later reunited with Hackett for additional recordings (Live at the Roosevelt Grill, Live at the Roosevelt Grill, Vol. 2, and Live at the Roosevelt Grill, Vol. 3 (all Chiaroscuro releases). The Storyville selections actually come from ten different radio broadcasts from Lou Terrasi's club in midtown Manhattan. While the rhythm section changed, the front line remained constant. The tunes are typical of those performed by Hackett at the time: Dixieland favorites ("Saints" and "Original Dixieland One Step"), swing ("Perdido"), and a ballad or two ("There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie"). The trumpeter is in fine form; his warm sound, smooth delivery, and upbeat demeanor are all present. Dickenson, too, is near-perfect, his smears, growls, and total control a pleasure. The arrangements are fairly typical for the style of music, with the three horns loose and wild. Dickenson and Hackett fans should be pleased. ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide

     Artist: Magnificent Seventh's Brass Band
     Album: Authentic New Orleans Jazz Funeral
     Label: Mardi Gras Records
     Years: 1994
     Quality: MP3@192 kbps
     Size: 96.18 МБ
     Total time: 72:07

Уникальнейший компакт диск, о похоронной процессии в Новом Орлеане, играют настоящие музыканты, которые обслуживают это ритуальное действие. Стиль Second Line. Брасс бэнд играет в два сузафона, интересная трактовка известных джазовых тем.

     Certainly one of the most unique sights in New Orleans is that of a traditional jazz funeral in progress. The brass band is decked out in stately uniforms and is led through the streets by a professional mourner, who leads the crowd in song and dance. The bereaved accompany the casket, while other members of the funeral procession follow. This second line winds its way through the streets en route to the body's final resting place, where the music goes from solemn to joyous and the celebration begins for the one freed from earthly troubles. This CD takes the listener through all parts of such a service, with an informative narration by Milton Batiste, one of the great figures in the brass band tradition in New Orleans. These include the wake of inspirational gospel tunes, followed by the dirges, as the crowd accompanies the casket en route to the final resting place, and the joyful sendoff as the preacher cuts loose the body and the soul of the parishioner goes on home to be with the Lord. Batiste himself was accorded this traditional ceremonial tribute when he passed in March of 2001.>>>

     Artist: The Original Memphis Five
     Album: Columbias 1923-1931
     Label: Retrieval records
     Years: 1923-1931, release: 2000
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Time: 76:01
     Size: 90,5+70,7 MB



     The Original Memphis Five may have been geographically challenged (they weren't from Memphis, or North or South Carolina, either, even though they also recorded as the Carolina Cotton Pickers, but were actually based in New Orleans) but they certainly didn't entertain idleness, recording over 400 sides between forming in 1917 and disbanding in 1931. Led by the trumpet of Phil Napoleon and featuring at various times Miff Mole or Charles Panelli on trombone and Jimmy Lytell on clarinet, and sometimes the trombone and clarinet brother duo of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, the Original Memphis Five were a clear, melodic, and swinging ensemble, and the group's best tracks are as joyous as the arrival of warm spring weather. This set collects all of their Columbia sides from between 1923 and 1931, including "Walk, Jenny, Walk!," two versions of the group's signature "St. Louis Gal" (one done early and one done late in their Columbia stay, making it easy to hear the rapid advancements in the recording technology of the day just by comparing the two), "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'," "How Come You Do Me Like You Do," and the sparkling "Throw Down Blues." Obviously there is a lot more to the story (like some 375 tracks more), but this collection will give listeners a pretty good idea of what Napoleon and Company brought to the table. ~ Steve Leggett, All Musjc Guide

     Artist: Kid Ory
     Album: The Original Jazz
     Label: Verve
     Year: 1957
     Format, bitrate: MP4, VBR 320
     Time:53:25
     Size: 107MB




     The band was a working one and their collaborative spirit proves to be a vital asset, with trumpeter Marty Marsala and the obscure guitarist Frank Haggerty particularly strong soloists. So the story goes, pianist Cedric Haywood seduced the rhythm section into swinging with an ear towards the Count Basie style and at times there's so much going on musically that one might mistake this septet for a group larger in size.
     Apart of the long out of print Mosaic boxset, this LP has never been reisued on CD.

     Artist: Warsaw Stompers
     Album: New Orleans Stompers
     Format: FLAC (cue, log, scans)
     Size: 353 MB
     Year: 1964 (1959-64)
     Label: Polskie Nagrania (2008)
     Runtime: 49:27




     For traditional jazz lovers, to listen to New Orleans Stompers is a true regale... The group of "Stompers" have reached their culmination the standard the aimed at, their individual style... Everything they played was frawless, as regards both the style and the precision in performing. We never met before in traditional jazz with such easiness, expression, technique an perfect tunning.

     Artist: Oscar Peterson
     Album: Solo'75
     Year: 1975, release: 2004
     Format, bitrate: Mp3, 128 kb/s
     Time: 00:50:11
     Size: 46 Mb




Oscar Peterson is Qutte simply one of the greatests jazz piano players of all time. This rare and stunning solo concert from 1975 gives a chance to see Peterson up close in an intimate setting and appreciate just how good he really is. The shaw includes swinging performances of Indiana, At Long Last Love, Mirage and A medley led by The Ellington Classics.

     Artist: Byron Stripling
     Album: If I Could Be With You: Byron Stripling and Friends Play Louis Armstrong
     Years: 1995, 1998; release:2003(Re-Issue)
     Label: Nagel-Heyer--NH 1010
     Quality: mp3;320kb/s
     Total Time: 69:02
     Total Size: 149 Mb


     Nagel Heyer has taken upon itself to reissue two live performances in Hamburg by trumpet player/vocalist Byron Stripling and some very good friends. The only previously unissued cut is "I'm Confessin' That I Love You." Although consistently written off by some as old fashioned and jaded, many jazz musicians love to play this traditional jazz, (Dixieland, if you must), irrespective of the jazz genre they are usually associated with. Take bass player Greg Cohen, for instance. He is one of the foremost avant-garde musicians on today's scene. But he's here strumming his bass doing "Slow Drag" Alcide Pavageau on such cuts as "If I Could Be With You" and "When It's Sleepy Down South."

The play list, with fresh exciting arrangements by Randy Sandke, runs the gamut of Louis Armstrong material from the Hot Five and Hot Seven periods to material he used during his later years. Tunes like "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" and "West End Blues" changed the face of jazz playing and singing forever and influenced virtually every jazz musician of note who came after. Stripling's trumpet and vocalizing, while not copying Armstrong -- his trumpet doesn't reach for those very high notes Armstrong was noted for and his voice isn't as gravelly -- yet takes on the same joie de vivre that oozed out of every Armstrong performance, albeit live or on record. Stripling sounds so earnest on "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans," one feels he is itching to get in the first plane back to the Crescent City. And he ends with Armstrong's signature "Oh, Yeh." Stripling's friends play with like feeling and verve. Kenny Davern on "If I Could Be With You" plays a clarinet as sublime as one will ever hear. Joel Helleny's full trombone sound dominates "Big Butter and Egg Man" with Greg Cohen's bass once more deeply involved. The group brings the house down with a rousing "Tiger Rag" fortified by Allan Vache's excellent clarinet solo and Joe Ascione's pulse quickening drumming. And, of course, there's the presence of the inestimable Bob Haggart on bass on six cuts. He was playing this music before some of his cohorts on this session were born. This is a fun album and is recommended.

     Artist: Earl Hines
     Album: Spontaneous Explorations 2CD
     Label: Red Baron
     Years: 1964, 1966, release: 1994
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 124 mb
     Total time: 29:52 + 36:20
     AMG Rating

     This two-CD set contains a pair of very exciting sessions by the great pianist Earl Hines. The earlier set, recorded the same day as his historic "comeback" concert at the Little Theater, was Hines's first solo session since 1956 and is full of stunning performances. The later session finds Hines, a veteran of the 1920s, sounding quite comfortable in a trio with two young modernists: bassist Richard Davis and drummer Elvin Jones. The pianist, in fact, sounds quite youthful throughout these classic recordings, taking wild chances and constantly pushing himself. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: California Ramblers
     Album: The Little Ramblers
     Label: Tumeless Historical
     Years: 1924-1927; release: 1997
     Format, bitrate: Flac
     Time: 69:47
     Size: 270 Mb
     AMG Rating

     There were two distinctly different ensembles that recorded under the name of the Little Ramblers. One was an often racially integrated swing band that came out with about 20 sides on Victor's Bluebird subsidiary during the mid-'30s. The original Little Ramblers, and the subject of a Timeless CD compilation released in 1997, were a hot jazz and dance band that recorded for Columbia during the mid-'20s, while making scads of records for numerous other labels under various names, the most famous being the California Ramblers. The folks at Timeless eliminated the Little Ramblers' first four recordings, beginning the chronology with the session of September 18, 1924. "Deep Blue Sea Blues" was based upon the melody "Asleep in the Deep," an elegy for drowned sailors published in 1897. Beginning with "Those Panama Mamas," Adrian Rollini added the bass saxophone to his arsenal of uncommon instruments; the two preceding titles have him using the kazoo and the goofus, a sort of rubber-necked melodica shaped like a saxophone. Several players are worthy of special mention: trumpeters Red Nichols and Chelsea Quealey; trombonists Tommy Dorsey and Abe Lincoln; pianist Irving Brodsky; and drummer Stan King, a fine percussionist who also played the kazoo. Vocals are attributed to Billy Jones (that's him being silly on "Don't Bring Lulu"); Arthur Hall ("In Your Green Hat"); Arthur Fields ("I Wonder What's Become of Joe?"); and Ed Kirkeby ("And Then I Forget"), an enterprising individual who managed the California Ramblers and their affiliated bands and exerted a powerful influence upon their style and repertoire. It was Rollini who revived the Little Ramblers as a swing band in the mid-'30s; by then Kirkeby was poised and ready to become Fats Waller's manager.

     Artist: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
     Album: Plays Jelly Roll Morton
     Label: Columbia
     Years: 1992-1993; release: 1993
     Format, bitrate: MP3 @ 320kps
     Time: 51:31
     Size: 116MB



     The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, an innovative group that combines R&B with New Orleans parade rhythms, pays tribute to the great Jelly Roll Morton on this CD. Actually the DDBB mostly ignores Morton's original recordings (and leaves out some of his themes) in an unusual set that does not find them neglecting their own individuality. A few Danny Barker monologues add to the authenticity of this music, which takes great liberties with Morton's compositions. Trumpeter Gregory Davis (who duets with guest pianist Eddie Bo on "Dead Man Blues") is the most impressive soloist, though it is the sound of the rollicking ensembles (propelled by the sousaphone of Keith Anderson) that gives this set its sense of purpose. Purists, however, should avoid this one.

     Artist: Johnny Costa
     Album: Neighborhood
     Label: Savoy
     Year: 1955; release: 1989
     Format, bitrate: mp3@320 kb/s
     Time: ~ 49 min
     Size: 103MB (+ Covers HD Front/Back LP/CD)
     AMG Rating


The late Johnny Costa was best known for his long tenure as the pianist and music director for the public television series Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, but this trio date (originally released on LP as The Amazing Johnny Costa) from a decade prior to the start of that career shows him as a fully developed musician with a variety of influences. Accompanied on most tracks by bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Kenny Clarke, his style is a mix of Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Earl Hines, with a bit of Willie "The Lion" Smith. The highlights include a pretty and occasionally wild "Tea for Two," an interesting reworking of "Caravan," and the elegant "La Mer (Beyond the Sea)." This 1989 reissue may require somewhat of a search, but is well-worth acquiring by fans of his series of dates for Chiaroscuro in the years leading up to his death in 1996.

     Artist: The Left Bank Bearcats
     Album: Dixieland
     Label: W&G, Somerset
     Year: 1957
     Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s
     Time: 36.57
     Size: 62.2 MB



     The Left Bank Bearcats were a fine Dixieland band based in France. Consisting of leader/trombonist Marcel Durand, trumpeter Aron Dubois, clarinetist Jacques Bonner, pianist Bernard Gaste, banjoist Robert Eluist, guitarist Louis Marquant, bassist Jon Gautreaux, and drummer Jacques Cas, the group recorded three LPs during 1956-1958.

     Artist: Louis Armstrong And His All-Stars
     Album: Ambassador Satch (bonus tracks)
     Years: 1955 - 1956, release: 2009
     Label: Columbia
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 114 mb
     Total time: 53:47
     AMG Rating

It may be hard to realize this now, when Louis Armstrong's place in the jazz pantheon is so obvious that his hometown named its airport after him, but in the cool-jazzing, hard-bopping mid-'50s, Armstrong was generally considered the moldiest of moldy figs by the hipster crowd. However, Columbia house producer George Avakian had faith in Armstrong's traditional New Orleans jazz, and began to reposition Armstrong not to the hardcore jazz crowd, but to the casual music fan who might find Miles Davis or the Modern Jazz Quartet a bit forbidding. AMBASSADOR SATCH was recorded in 1955 during a European festival tour, showcasing Armstrong's big band, the All-Stars, at the peak of their form. These sets were recorded before Armstrong made his late-'50s transition into being primarily a vocalist who rarely played the cornet; both his singing and playing are typically fine throughout. It may not have been cool at the time, but this is music built to last. The 2000 reissue includes three studio recordings from the same era. ~ cduniverse.com

As Louis Armstrong traversed the globe, bringing jazz to every corner of it, live recordings became the norm. This reissue brings together 1955 concert recordings with the All-Stars from Milan and Amsterdam, buffeted with three previously unreleased bonus studio tracks recorded in New York and Hollywood. Both Satchmo and the All-Stars are in top-notch form here, playing with a real spirit of abandon. Another real good one to add to the collection.

     Artist: Billy Banks
     Album: Billy Banks 1932
     Label: Classics
     Year: 1932, release: 1998
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 139 mb
     Total time - 65:58

Этот превосходный джазовый вокалист интересен в первую очередь тем, что одинаково свободно пел как мужским, так и женским голосами. В самый трудный год Великой депрессии, 1932й, Ирвинг Миллс, легендарный продюссер и богатый бизнесмен, принимавший непосредственное участие в создании и становлении оркестров Дюка Эллингтона и Джимми Ланцефорда, заметил этого необычного исполнителя и создал коллектив, в который пригласил тогда ещё совсем молодых, но уже популярных белых и темнокожих музыкантов: Henry "Red" Allen, Wee Russell, Fats Waller, Eddie Condon, Pops Foster, и Zutty Singleton. В некоторых сессиях этого замечательного альбома вы услышите также Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins и Tommy Dorsey. Что из этого получилось - судить вам, но мне этот альбом очень и очень понравился! lex

The real spark behind the Rhythmakers can be summed up in three words: Henry "Red" Allen. Teamed with surrealistic reedman Pee Wee Russell (who plays a lot of tenor sax in addition to his famously wry clarinet), Red stirred up the Rhythmakers in the same way that he completely transformed every band he ever worked with. In addition to the dynamic front line, these snappy sides from 1932 are worthwhile mainly for the presence of pianists Joe Sullivan and Fats Waller, bassists Al Morgan and Pops Foster, and drummers Gene Krupa and Zutty Singleton. What about the nominal leader? Well, Billy Banks sounded more than a little like Cab Calloway in 1932, even singing some of the same topical hits. Billy seems to have gotten waylaid en route to the studio on April 18th. The band cooked up a steaming "Bugle Call Rag" while waiting for the singer to arrive. This is the only instrumental track on the entire album. It is followed by "Oh Peter (You're So Nice)" which has a vocal by Red Allen. Finally Banks showed and sang "Margie" in his rather shrill voice, sounding almost goofy after the wonderfully husky tones of Allen. The session of May 10th uses an unidentified band. Banks tried hard to be clever, scatting up a storm on "The Scat Song," but there are less kicks to be had with this group. As if to make up for a missed opportunity, Banks sang "Oh Peter" on May 23rd with the original ensemble except for Krupa, who was replaced by the mighty Zutty. Billy scats nicely on "Who's Sorry Now?" and "Take It Slow and Easy." These are strong performances, tough stomps played by a band that gradually works Billy down to a hipper delivery. "Bald Headed Mama" focuses on a theme revived years later by Professor Longhair ("Bald Head") and Lou Donaldson ("Wig Blues"). The epicenter of this album is the session of July 26th, 1932. Fats Waller and Pops Foster gas up the band so solidly that Banks sounds vicariously hipper than ever. Red Allen wails while Pee Wee plays only tenor sax, the clarinet being handled by Jimmy Lord. Strum support from simultaneous banjo and guitar certainly doesn't hurt. The most exciting track is "Mean Old Bed Bug Blues" with a very funny falsetto vocal chorus by Fats. W.C. Handy's "Yellow Dog Blues" bumps along at a good clip, with a marvelous piano solo after the perky vocal. "Yes Suh!" is pure vaudeville call-and-response. There's no telling who was in the band on August 18th 1932. About half of this material is quite rare, and it's good to have all of Banks' work on one disc. The album closes with Jack Bland and His Rhythmakers, a racially mixed band that blows the roof off of the "Hen House Door." This is one of Red Allen's wildest vocals on record. "Shine on Your Shoes," popularized by Fred Astaire, features unnervingly wholesome vocalist Chick Bullock, who advises everyone to face each dawn with polished footwear, either literally or metaphorically. The band cooks so hard it doesn't matter who the vocalist is! Bullock was the most heavily recorded vocalist of the 1930s, and this track is, without question, the best side he ever piped in on.

     Artist: George Shearing
     Album: Shearing On Stage
     Label: Capitol/EMI Music Distribution
     Year: 1958; release:2000
     Format, bitrate: MP3 VBR(256-320)
     Time: 39:24
     Size: 72 MB



This LP (along with four other live sets from the period) has been reissued on a Mosaic CD box set. Unlike some of his mood music albums, this date has variety in tempos and moods along with plenty of solo space for the leader, vibraphonist Emil Richards and guitarist Toots Thielemans (who switches to harmonica on "Caravan"). Armando Peraza's Latin percussion joins the group on two of the nine songs. Highlights of this well-rounded set include "September in the Rain," "Roses of Picardy," "I'll Remember April" and "East of the Sun." Get the Mosaic set. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: The Dirty Dozen
     Album: Ears to the Wall
     Label: Mammoth
     Format: FLAC (cue, log, scans)
     Size: 348 MB
     Total playing: 47:17



     It's amazing what you can find in the 99 rack in some record stores. On this release, the Dirty Dozen drops "Brass Band" from their name and adds a keyboardist and a trap set drummer, instead of the New Orleans brass band style separate bass drummer and snare drummer. Traditionalists may bitch and moan about the band's changes; nevertheless, Ears To the Wall sho' nuff be some fonky stuff. It's neat to hear the tuba (technically, it's a sousaphone) play the bass parts along with the trap set drummer. This mostly instrumental old-school-meets-new-school release should be satisfying to anyone who is looking for something a little different. ~ Tim Griggs, All Music Guide

     Artist: Jack Teagarden
     Album: Jazz Maverick
     Label: Roulette Records
     Year: 1960, release: 1961
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 84,9 mb
     Total time: 38:05

Jack Teagarden started 1960 off with his first studio recording for Roulette Records, Jazz Maverick, in New York City on January 2 of that year -- he and the band are in great form, no surprise given how tight they were on-stage during this period, with Big T and trumpeter Don Goldie sharing the vocals (especially on "Aunt Hagar's Country Home") and romping and stomping through pieces like "High Society" at breakneck speed (and also showcasing clarinetist Henry Cuesta on the latter number along with T and Goldie); Goldie's richly atmospheric "Blues Dawn" and the unexpectedly inventive and clever "Tin Roof Blues" are also just about worth the price of admission. And the whole record is worth retrieving as a killer artifact by a first-rate working jazz band of the period, and one of the finest, most representative bodies of music to emerge from the Dixieland legend's Indian Summer of recording.

     Artist: Edmond Hall
     Album: Rumpus on Rampart Street
     Label: Mount Vernon Music MVS 124
     Year: 1959
     Quality: FLAC (LP-rip)
     Size: 192 Mb




The recording took place at Nola Penthouse Studio in New York in June of 1959. The line-up of musicians for this session is staggering...Edmond Hall, Omer Simeon, and Herb Hall on clarinets, Dick Cary on piano, Jimmy Raney on guitar, Al Hall on the bass, and Jimmy Crawford on drums. They play six Edmond Hall originals and four standards. The rhythm section is a real delight and Edmond's hot, intelligent, and intense soloing over top is just the iceing on the cake. Edmond Hall was the greatest and most interesting of all the early clarinettists. His expressive playing was a highlight on many recordings. His solos were always inventive and stimulating, his tone unique, and easily recognizable. ~ From liner note

     Artist: Johnny Guarnieri
     Album: Johnny Guarnieri 1946 - 1947
     Label: Classics
     Years: 1946-1947, release: 1999
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 172 mb
     Total time: 77:46
     AMG Rating:

Johnny Guarnieri first attracted attention as a wonderfully facile pianist -- and harpsichordist -- with Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five. He then became the Keynote record label's all-purpose piano man. Classically trained, then strongly influenced at any early age by Fats Waller and James P. Johnson, Guarnieri was a gifted improviser whose bag of tricks was never empty. This disc delivers a deep dose of the pianist's work for the Majestic label. Fresh from many months of active service at Keynote, Johnny sails into "All the Things You Are" almost as if running Jerome Kern through a set of Beethoven variations. The rest of the quartet enters, the song develops into a tidy bounce, and Johnny renders up a majestic unaccompanied finale. "Carioca" is a very cool demonstration of this excellent quartet in ac[center][/center]tion. "Swing for Yourself, John" walks in 4/4, its early modern harmonic runs sounding exactly contemporary for 1946. "My Gal Sal" deliberately references 1890s saloon piano, then chucks it for ultra-modern cool swing, bristling with boppish licks. Eloquently cool, "Temptation" receives an almost film noir treatment, and guitarist Tony Mottola gets most of "Guilty" to himself. Bassist Trigger Alpert is spotlighted on his own invention, "Trigger Fantasy." Accompanied only by his brother Leo and drummer Morey Feld, Johnny demonstrates what Fats Waller might have done with "Flying Home." Waller was undoubtedly on his mind as he launched "Believe It, Beloved" and chased it down with two lovely ballads. Just imagine what kind of four-handed piano records the two men could have made together had Fats lived longer than 39 years. Luckily, Johnny thrived for decades as a living extension of his Harlem stride piano heroes. Sitting in with the Tony Mottola Four, the pianist provided backing for two unnecessarily cutesy vocals by Rosemary Calvin and a bop-flavored feature for the guitar. The rest of this package consists of unaccompanied piano solos. "Nice Work" and "Mean to Me" sound to some extent like the work of Art Tatum. "Exactly Like You" has full-tilt James P. Johnson passages nestled between Tatum-like arpeggios. "Sorry, I Lost My Head" continues this fascinating blend of styles. After a couple of reflective reveries, Johnny bravely sings "Bobo the Bowery Barber" in his thin little voice. He sounds at first a lot like Fats Waller, then mimics Jerry Colonna lampooning Italian opera at the top of his lungs, and finally anticipates the weirdly cornball humor of Lenny Bruce as a homicidal Bobo brandishes his razor! The song ends with a loud, high-pitched scream and maniacal laughter. This side of Guarnieri's personality would surface periodically in the form of strange originals like "Santa Claus Is Smoking Reefers." The rest of the tracks on this album are 110 percent piano. "Plenty of Money" is delightful, "Stardust" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" are ethereal, and "Tiger Rag" clearly references its French quadrille origins, with lovely embellishments similar to what he did with "All the Things You Are" but even more stunning, as this old-time stomp would naturally demand. This, then, is a precious stash of rare recordings by an unjustly neglected master of traditional swing and transitional early modern jazz piano. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

   
   Artist: Wild Bill Davison
   Album: Wild Bill Davison/The Eddie Condon All Stars: Live! 1955 Miami Beach                   
   Label: Storyville
   Year: 1955, release: 2004
   Quality : MP3@320 kbps
   Size: 91,7 mb
   Total time: 41:23



   Cornetist Wild Bill Davison is heard as the lead voice in the 1955 version of Eddie Condon's All-Stars on this collector's LP. With clarinetist Pee Wee Russell getting in some typically unusual solos and fine work from trombonist Lou McGarity, pianist Gene Schroeder, bassist Walter Page and drummer George Wetting, the Condon Gang runs through seven Dixieland... More warhorses plus a ballad medley that peaks with Davison's chorus on "Rockin' Chair"; other highlights include "Beale St. Blues," "Singin' the Blues" and "I Want to Be Happy." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide