Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, August 3

Duke Ellington


Sonny Stitt (Jay Jay Johnson's Boppers) * * * Afternoon In Paris * * * Stitt's Bits: The Bebop Recordings, 1949 - 1952 * * * Prestige

Sonny Stitt * * * Quartet Nice Work If You Can Get It * * * Stitt's Bits: The Bebop Recordings, 1949 - 1952 * * * Prestige

Sonny Stitt (Gene Ammons Band) * * * New Blues Up and Down * * * Stitt's Bits: The Bebop Recordings, 1949 - 1952 * * * Prestige

Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, Paul Motian * * * Gloria's Step * * * The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions 1961 * * * Riverside

Vadim Eilenkrig * * * C'est Si Bon * * * The Shadow of Your Smile * * * Butman Music

Oleg Butman * * * Road to the Paradise * * * Passion * * * Butman Music

Blind Boy Fuller with Sonny Terry * * * Mistreater, You're Going To Be Sorry * * * (1935 - 1940) Wolf

Hokum Boys & Jane Lucas * * * Hip Shakin' Strut * * * Shake Your Wicked Knees * * * Yazoo

Original Dixieland Band * * * Dangerous Blues * * * The 75th Anniversary * * * Bluebird

Andy Kirk * * * There's Rhythm in the River * * * Moten Swing * * * Pro-Arte

Gene Krupa & His Orchestra * * * Let Me Off Uptown * * * The Chronological: 1941 * * * Classics

Duke Ellington * * * Echoes of the Jungle * * * Creole Rhapsody * * * Living Era

Duke Ellington * * * Uptown Downbeat * * * Creole Rhapsody * * * Living Era

Duke Ellington * * * Wanderlust * * * The Duke's Men, Vol. 2 * * * Columbia

Duke Ellington * * * A Blues Serenade * * * The Duke's Men, Vol. 2 * * * Columbia

Duke Ellington * * * Diga Diga Do * * * The Duke's Men, Vol. 1 * * * Columbia

Duke Ellington * * * Pigeons and Peppers * * * The Duke's Men, Vol. 1 * * * Columbia

Slim & Sam * * * Dopey Joe * * * The Groove Juice Special * * * Columbia-Legacy

Blind Blake * * * Sweet Papa Low Down * * * The Master of the Ragime Guitar * * * Indigo

Brownie McGhee * * * Million Lonesome Women * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Kokomo Arnold & Signifyin' Mary Johnson * * * Delmar Avenue * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Son House * * * Preachin' the Blues Part 1 * * * Blues in History II * * * History

Tampa Red * * * You Can't Get That Stuff No More * * * Blues in History II * * * History

Mound City Blues Blowers * * * Tailspin Blues * * * Eddie Condon: The Classic Sessions 1928 - 1949 * * * JSP

Joe Marsala's Chicagoans * * * Jazz Me Blues * * * Eddie Condon: The Classic Sessions 1928 - 1949 * * * JSP

Doris Rhodes * * * Let There Be Love * * * Eddie Condon: The Classic Sessions 1928 - 1949 * * * JSP

Eddie Condon & His Town Hall Jazz Band * * * Uncle Sam's Blues * * * Eddie Condon: The Classic Sessions 1928 - 1949 * * * JSP

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Illinois John Fever

Leroy Carr * * * When the Sun Goes Down * * * Blues in History II * * * History

Robert Johnson * * * Love In Vain Blues * * * The Complete Recordings: The Centennial Collection * * * Columbia-Legacy

Dr. Clayton * * * Pearl Harbor Blues * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Sonny Boy Williamson 1 * * * Win the War Blues * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Arthur Big Boy Cruddup * * * Give Me a 32-20 * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Dr. Clayton * * * '41 Blues * * * Blues in History I * * * History

David Edwards * * * The Army Blues * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Homer Harris * * * Atomic Bomb Blues * * * Blues in History I * * * History

Andy Kirk * * * All the Jive Is Gone * * * Moten Swing * * * Pro-Arte

Tony Bennett * * * Let's Begin * * * The Beat of My Heart * * * Columbia-Legacy

Tony Bennett * * * Lullabye of Broadway * * * The Beat of My Heart * * * Columbia-Legacy

Dick Lupino * * * Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)/Come Fly With Me * * * Eclectic Nostalgia * * * DickLupinoMusic.com

Jack Wood * * * Come Rain or Come Shine * * * A Time for Love * * * WoodWorks

Ella Fitzgerald * * * Things Are Looking Up * * * Our Love is Here To Stay * * * Verve

Brian Conigliaro Trio * * * Josie * * * The Economics of Love * * * Hurry Up & Wait

James Cotton * * * Blues for Koko * * * Giant * * * Alligator

Ivan Farmakovsky * * * Morning Blues * * * The Way Home * * * Butman Music

Alexander Berenson * * * Blues for Eugene K. * * * Take Me With You * * * Butman Music

Illinois John Fever * * * Keep To Boogie If Ye Like * * * Now Is Not The Way It Is * * * Ralston Stick

South Memphis String Band * * * Bloody Bill Anderson * * * Home Sweet Home * * * Memphis International

Dave Rawlings Machine * * * To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) * * * A Friend of a Friend * * * Acony

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers * * * Monkey on a String * * * Old Time * * * Songs County

Mark Growden * * * Shady Grove * * * Lose Me In The Sand * * * Porto Franco

Blind Blake * * * He's In the Jailhouse Now * * * Master of the Ragtime Guitar * * * Indigo

Slim & Slam * * * Swingin' in the Key of C * * * Groove Juice Special * * * Columbia-Legacy

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * If It Have To Be * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightin' Thunders

Louis Armstrong's Hot Five * * * Skid-Dat-De-Dat * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 1 * * * JSP

Ory's Creole Jazz Band * * * Blues for Jimmy * * * Central Avenue Sounds. Disc 1 * * * Rhino

Texas Tommy * * * Jail Break Blues * * * Texas Blues * * * Orbis

Lonnie Johnson * * * Got The Blues For The West End * * * Thirties Blues * * * Orbis

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, July 20, 2011


Bill Evans Trio * * * Solar * * * The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 * * * Riverside

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong * * * Let's Call The Whole Thing Off * * * Our Love Is Here To Stay * * * Verve

Ella Fitzgerald * * * St. Louis Blues * * * Twelve Nights in Hollywood, Vol. 3 & 4 * * * Verve

Louis Armstrong's Hot Five * * * Gut Bucket Blues * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 1 * * * JSP

Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five * * * Don't Jive Me * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 3 * * * JSP

Louis Armstrong & Buck Washington * * * Dear Old Southland * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 4 * * * JSP

Louis Armstrong * * * East of the Sun (& West of the Moon) * * * Louis Under the Stars * * * Verve

Louis Armstrong * * * Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen * * * I've Got the World on a String * * * Verve

Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart * * * Chittlin' Switch Blues * * * The Groove Juice Special * * * Columbia-Legacy

Shreveport Home Wreckers * * * Fence Breakin' Blues * * * Texas Blues * * * Orbis

Blind Blake * * * C.C. Blues * * * The Master of Ragtime Guitar * * * Indigo

Black Ivory King * * * Working For The P.W.A. * * * Thirties Blues * * * Orbis

The Swingville All-Stars * * * I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans * * * Memphis Blues * * * Good Time Jazz

Art Tatum & His Swingsters * * * Body & Soul * * * Central Avenue Sound, Vol. 1 * * * Rhino

Bix Beiderbecke (Wolverine Orchestra) * * * Jazz Me Blues * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Singin' the Blues * * * JSP

Bix Beiderbecke (Frank Trmbauer & His Orchestra * * * Krazy Kat * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: In A Mist * * * JSP

Bix Beiderbecke (Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra * * * Dardanella * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Mississippi Mud * * * JSP

Bix Beiderbecke (Hoagy Charmichael & His Orchestra) * * * Rockin' Chair * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Louisiana * * * JSP

Mezz Mezzerow * * * Hot Club Stomp * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * Membron

Jelly Roll Morton * * * When They Get Lovin' They's Gone * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * Membron

Johnny Dodds * * * Memphis Shake * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * Membron

Jones & Collins Astoria Hot Eight * * * Astoria Strut * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * Membron

Sidney Bechet * * * I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * Membron

South Memphis String Band * * * Bootlegger's Blues * * * Home Sweet Home * * * Memphis International

Squirrel Nut Zippers * * * Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter * * * Perennial Favorites * * * Mammoth

Billy Eckstine * * * Serenade in Blue * * * The Chronological: 1947 * * * Classics

Stan Getz * * * A Handful of Stars * * * Best of the West Coast Sessions * * * Verve

Graham Reynolds & the Golden Arm Trio * * * It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) * * * Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington * * * Imnova

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Get Behind the Wheel * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightin' Thunders

Pokey LaFarge * * * Daffodil Blues * * * Riverboat Soul * * * Free Dirt

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Graham Reynolds by Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman


Graham Reynolds & the Golden Arm Trio * * * Echoes of Harlem * * * Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington * * * Innova

Ornette Coleman * * * Embraceable You * * * Ken Burns Jazz * * * Columbia-Legacy

James L. Dean & the Whiskey Cafe Jazz Quintet * * * No More Blues * * * These Things We Dig * * * Cexton

Paul Broadaux * * * Darn That Dream * * * Here's to Joe * * * n/a

Jack Wood featuring the Craig Larson Trio * * * The Shadow of Your Smile * * * A Time For Love * * * WoodWorks Music

Gene Krupa & His Orchestra w/ Anita O'Day * * * There'll Be Some Changes * * * Made The Chronological: 1941 * * * Classics

Peggy Lee & Art London w/ Benny Goodman * * * If You Build a Better Mousetrap * * * Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman Columbia-Legacy

Jack Teagarden & His Orchestra w/ Eddie Gale * * * You Rascal, You * * * The Chronological: 1930 - 1934 * * * Classics

Cab Calloway * * * Aw, You Dog * * * Kicking the Gong Around * * * Living Era

Squirrel Nut Zippers * * * That Fascinating Thing * * * Perennial Favorites * * * Mammoth

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Jump Into A Frenzy * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightin' Thunders

Bing Crosby w/ Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires and John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra * * * Ohio * * * Good & Rare * * * Sepia

Bob Hope & Judy Garland * * * Goodnight Irene * * * Thanks for the Memory * * * Living Era

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers * * * Take A Drink On Me * * * Old Time Songs * * * County

Cincinnati Jug Band * * * Newport Blues * * * Ruckus Juice & Chittlins * * * Yazoo

Benny Carter & His Orchestra * * * Sweet Georgia Brown * * * Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions * * * 1941 - 1946 Hindsight

Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra You're Driving Me Crazy* * * Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions * * * 1941 - 1946 Hindsight

Lionel Hampton* * * Hey-Ba-Ba-Re-Bop* * * Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions * * * 1941 - 1946 Hindsight

Erskine Hawkins* * * Shower* * * Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions * * * 1941 - 1946 Hindsight

Sweethearts of Rhythm Blue Lou * * * Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions * * * 1941 - 1946 Hindsight

Duke Ellington * * * Closing Theme: One O'Clock Jump * * * Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions * * * 1941 - 1946 Hindsight

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three* * * La La Blues* * * Riverboat Soul* * * Free Dirt

Pokey LaFarge* * * Walk Your Way Out of This Town* * * Beat Move and Shake* * * Big Muddy

Graham Reynolds & the Golden Arm Trio* * * String Abstraction #3 (Cotton Tail)* * * Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington* * * Innova

Duke Ellington* * * Harlem Suite* * * The 1952 Seattle Concert* * * Bluebird

Graham Reynolds & the Golden Arm Trio* * * Echoes of Harlem (Remix by Justin Sherburn & Jeff Hoskins)* * * Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington * * * Innova

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three will be playing the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden on Wednesday, August 3. Music begins at 7:30 p.m.; free admission after 5 p.m.

* * *

Scott Peters Quartet * * * Big Red * * * Scott Peters Quartet * * * N/A

Stan Getz * * * Ebony Samba * * * Bossa Nova * * * Verve

Jay McShann & Charlie Parker * * * Sepia Bounce * * * Black Legends of Jazz * * * Decca

Cab Calloway * * * Black Rhythm * * * Kicking the Gong Around * * * Living Era

Bing Crosby * * * So Tall A Tree * * * Good & Rare * * * Sepia

Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman * * * Let's Do It * * * Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman * * * Columbia-Legacy

Paul Broadaux * * * The Comeback * * * Here's To Jazz * * * N/A

Bob Hope & Bing Crosby * * * Heine & Moe's (Buttons & Bows) * * * Thanks for the Memory * * * Living Era

Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra * * * Shower * * * Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions 1943 - 1946 * * * Hindsight

Billy Eckstine & His Orchestra * * * Blowin' the Blues Away * * * Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions 1943 - 1946 * * * Hindsight

Duke Ellington & His World Famous Orchestra * * * The Canteen Bounce * * * Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions 1943 - 1946 * * * Hindsight

Earl Hines & His Orchestra * * * Stompin' at the Savoy * * * Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions 1943 - 1946 * * * Hindsight

International Sweethearts of Rhythm * * * Blue Lou * * * Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions 1943 - 1946 * * * Hindsight

Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra * * * Three Bones * * * Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions 1943 - 1946 * * * Hindsight

James L. Dean & the Whiskey Cafe Jazz Quintet * * * Satellite * * * These Things We Dig * * * Cexton

Lester Young w/ Count Basie & His Orchestra * * * Jumpin' at the Woodside * * * Lester Leaps In * * * Proper

Lester Young w/ Una Mae Carlisle * * * Blitzkreig Baby (You Can't Bomb Me) * * * Afternoon of a Basie-ite * * * Proper

Lester Young w/ Johnny Guamieri's Swing Men * * * Salute to Fats * * * Lester Leaps Again * * * Proper

Lester Young w/ Shorty McConnell * * * Sax-O-Be-Bop * * * Ding Dong * * * Proper

Squirrel Nut Zippers * * * Ghost of Stephen Foster * * * Perennial Favorites * * * Mammoth

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * If It Have To Be * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightin' Thunders

Pokey LaFarge * * * Cairo, Illinois * * * Beat Move and Shake * * * Big Muddy

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three * * * Won't Make Love At All * * * Riverboat Soul * * * Free Dirt

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three * * * Chittlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County * * * 7" single * * * Third Man

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three * * * Pack It Up * * * 7" single * * * Third Man

Gene Krupa w/ Howard Dulany * * * Rendevous in Rio (Un Momento) * * * The Chronological: 1941 * * * Classics

Jack Teagarden & His Orchestra * * * I Just Couldn't Take It Baby * * * The Chronological: 1930 - 1934 * * * Classics

Noah Lewis' Jug Band * * * Ticket Agent Blues * * * Ruckus Juice & Chittlins * * * Yazoo

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers * * * White House Blues * * * Old Time Songs * * * County

Ornette Coleman * * * Blues Connotation * * * Ken Burns Jazz * * * Columbia-Legacy

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, June 22, 2011


Lester Young w/ Billie Holiday * * * I Can't Get Started * * * The Lester Young Story: Lester Leaps In * * * Proper

Lester Young Band * * * Tickle Toe * * * The Lester Young Story: Afternoon of a Basie-ite * * * Proper

Lester Young Quintet * * * Ghost of a Chance * * * The Lester Young Story: Lester Leaps Again * * * Proper

Lester Young * * * Lester's Be-Bop Boogie * * * The Lester Young Story: Ding Dong * * * Proper

Peggy Lee and Art London w/ Benny Goodman * * * If You Build a Better Mousetrap * * * Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman * * * Okeh

Cab Calloway * * * Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea * * * Kicking the Gong Around * * * Living Era

Hoagy Carmichael & Bix Beiderbecke * * * Bessie Couldn't Help It * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * Mentum

Bing Crosby & Bob Hope * * * Chicago Style * * * Thanks for the Memory * * * Living Era

Mound City Blues Blowers * * * Georgia On My Mind * * * The Essential Sides Remastered 1929 - 1933 * * * JSP

Spike Hughes & His Negro Orchestra * * * Sweet Sorrow Blues * * * The Essential Sides Remastered 1933 - 1934 * * * JSP

Coleman Hawkins w/ Stephane Grappelly & Django Reinhardt * * * Star Dust * * * The Essential Sides Remastered 1934 - 1938 * * * JSP

Coleman Hawkins & Freddy Johnson * * * Star Dust * * * The Essential Sides Remastered 1936 - 1939 * * * JSP

Bing Crosby * * * The Yodel Blues * * * Good & Rare * * * Sepia

Bing Crosby * * * I Can't Get Started * * * So Rare * * * Collector's Music

Gene Krupa & His Orchestra w/ Anita O'Day * * * Georgia On My Mind * * * The Chronological: 1941 * * * Classics

Jack Teagarden & His Chicagoans * * * Shake Your Hips * * * The Chronological: 1930 - 1934 * * * Classics

Hoagy Carmichael & His Pals * * * One Night In Havana * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters: The Key Cuts 1924 - 1929 * * * JSP

Irving Mills & His Hotsy-Totsy Gang * * * High & Dry * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters: The Key Cuts 1929 - 1932 * * * JSP

Dorsey Brothers Orchestra * * * Old Man Harlem * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters: The Key Cuts 1932 - 1934 * * * JSP

Ethel Waters * * * Bread & Gravy * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters: The Key Cuts 1932 - 1946 * * * JSP

Jimmy Durante's Jazz Band * * * Why Cry Blues * * * Gennett Records Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 * * * Gennett

Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five * * * Fireworks * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 3 * * * JSP

Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra * * * Bessie Couldn't Help It * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 4 * * * JSP

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers * * * Ramblin' Blues * * * Old Time Songs * * * County

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three * * * Chitlin' Cookin' Time In Cheatham County * * * 7" single * * * Third Man

Eddie's Hot Shots * * * I'm Gonna Stomp Mr. Henry Lee * * * Eddie Condon: Makin' Friends * * * JSP

Jack Bland & His Rhythmmakers * * * Somebody Stole Gabriel's Horn * * * Eddie Condon: Let's Swing It * * * JSP

Bud Freeman & His Gang * * * Life Spears a Jitterbug * * * Eddie Condon: Tappin' the Commodore Till * * * JSP

Eddie Condon & His Orchestra w/ John Bubbles Sublett * * * Atlanta Blues * * * Eddie Condon: We Called It Music * * * JSP

Buck Clayton * * * Blues in the Dark * * * Black Legends of Jazz * * * Decca

Robert Johnson * * * Come On In My Kitchen * * * The Centennial Collection * * * Columbia-Legacy

Simone White * * * St. Louis Blues * * * Yakiimo * * * Honest Jon's

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, June 15

Paul Schult, "Untitled," watercolor on paper, circa 1950-1960, 8" x 10".

* * *

Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon * * * Juggie Boogie * * * Classic Blues * * * Smithsonian Folkways

James Tisdom * * * Winehead Swing * * * West Coast Down Home Blues * * * Acrobat

Dixieland Jug Blowers * * * Banjoreno * * * Ruckus Juice & Chittlins, Vol. 1 * * * Yazoo

Bill Bojangles Robinson with Don Redman's Orchestra * * * Doin' the New Down-Low Happy Feet * * * Quality

Sammy Price * * * Harlem Parlor Blues * * * Classic Piano Blues * * * Smithsonian-Folkways

Sidney Bechet * * * When the Sun Sets Down South * * * Black Legends of Jazz * * * Decca

Coleman Hawkins acc. by the Ramblers * * * I Wanna Go Back to Harlem * * * The Essential Sides Remastered 1936 - 1939 CD:D * * * JSP

New Orleans Rhythm Kings * * * That's A Plenty * * * Dixieland Jazz CD:4 * * * n/a

The Revelers * * * I'm In Love Again * * * Anything Goes: The Songs of Cole Porter * * * Living Era

Fred Astaire * * * I Used to Be Colorblind * * * Let's Face the Music and Dance Living Era

Kansas City Six * * * Way Down Yonder in New Orleans * * * The Lester Young Story: Lester Leaps In * * * Proper

Victoria Spivey * * * My Handy Man * * * The New York Sessions 1926 - 1935: CD:B * * * JSP

Blind Willi Dunn's Gin Bottle Four * * * Blue Blood Blues * * * The New York Sessions 1926 - 1935 CD:C * * * JSP

Paul Small * * * Fit As A Fiddle * * * The New York Sessions 1926 - 1935 CD:D * * * JSP

Red McKenzie & His Music Box * * * My Syncopated Melody Man * * * The New York Sessions 1926 - 1936 CD:A * * * JSP

Nat King Cole w/ the Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra * * * Crazy But I'm In Love Nat King Cole, Vol. 5 * * * LaserLight

Benny Carter & His Orchestra * * * Sweet Georgia Brown * * * Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy * * * Wednesday Night Hop * * * Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Johnny Otis & His Orchestra * * * J.T. Stomp * * * Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Wilbert Baranco & His Orchestra * * * Bugle Call Rag * * * Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Gerald Wilson & His Orchestra * * * On the Alamo * * * Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Tiny Bradshaw & His Orchestra It's Sand, Man Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra Hey-Ba-Ba-Re-Bop Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions * * * Hindsight

Hoagy Carmichael & His Pals * * * Star Dust * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of The Singer Songwriters * * * JSP

Louis Armstrong * * * Rockin' Chair * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters * * * JSP

Mildred Bailey * * * Snowball * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters * * * JSP

Hoagy Carmichael & Ella Logan * * * Two Sleepy People * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters * * * JSP

Carmichael's Collegians * * * March of the Hoodlums * * * Hoagy Carmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters * * * JSP

Bix Beiderbecke * * * Clementine (From New Orleans) * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Singin' the Blues * * * Proper

Bix Beiderbecke * * * Royal Garden Blues * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: In A Mist * * * Proper

Bix Beiderbecke * * * Jubilee * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Mississippi Mud * * * Proper

Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii * * * Short Dress Gal * * * EP * * * Nonesuch

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three * * * Pack It Up * * * 7" Single * * * Third Man

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, June 8

Eddie Condon and unidentified piano player


Wolverine Orchestra * * * Riverboat Shuffle * * * Hoagy Charmichael: First of the Singer Songwriters CD:A * * * JSP

Bix Beiderbecke * * * Trumbology * * * Singin' the Blues * * * JSP

Ben Pollack & His Park Central Orchestra * * * Buy, Buy For My Baby * * * The Indespensable Jack Teagarden * * * RCA

Louis Armstrong * * * Bessie Couldn't Help It * * * Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 4 * * * JSP

Jack Purvis & His Orchestra * * * Poor Richard * * * Coleman Hawkins: The Essential Sides Remastered 1929 - 1933 * * * JSP

Mound City Blue Blowers * * * Georgia * * * Eddie Condon: Makin' Friends * * * JSP

Fred Astaire * * * Let's Face the Music & Dance * * * Let's Face the Music & Dance * * * Living Era

Hoagy Charmichael with The Casa Loma Orchestra * * * Thanksgiving * * * Hoagy Charmichael: First of the Singer Songwriters CD:D * * * JSP

Django Reinhardt with Coleman Hawkins * * * Honeysuckle Rose * * * Django with His American Friends * * * Disques Swing

Miff Mole & His Dixieland Jazz Band * * * How Come You Do Me? * * * Eddie Condon: We Called It Music * * * JSP

Charlie Parker * * * Ooh Bop Sh'bam * * * Complete Royal Roost Performances on Savoy * * * Savoy

T.J. Fowler & His Rockin' Jump Band * * * Red Hot Blues * * * Stompin' at the Savoy: Red Hot Blues 1948 - 1951 * * * Savoy

Bud Freeman & His Windy City 5 * * * Keep Smilin' At Trouble * * * Eddie Condon: Let's Swing It * * * JSP

Mildred Bailey with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra * * * Lazy Bones * * * Hoagy Charmichael: First of the Singer Songwriters CD:C * * * JSP

Coleman Hawkins Trio * * * Way Down Yonder in New Orleans * * * The Essential Sides Remastered CD:B * * * JSP

Charles Mingus * * * These Foolish Things * * * Central Avenue Sounds, Vol. 3 * * * Rhino

Robert Johnson * * * Ramblin' On My Mind * * * The Complete Recordings * * * Columbia-Legacy

Bukka White * * * Strange Place Blues * * * Legends of Country Blues: Bukka White * * * JSP

Skoodle Dum Doo & Sheffield * * * Gas Ration Blues * * * East Coast Blues * * * Orbis

Tommy Johnson * * * Alcohol & Jake Blues * * * Legends of Country Blues: Tommy Johnson * * * JSP

Fats Waller with Eddie Condon * * * Minor Drag * * * Eddie Condon: Makin' FriendsMakin' Friends * * * JSP

Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra * * * Ain't Misbehavin' * * * The Indispensable Jack Teagarden * * * RCA

Charles Creath's Jazz-O-Maniacs * * * Butter Finger Blues * * * Jazz the World Forgot * * * Yazoo

Bix Beiderbecke * * * There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth the Salt of My Tears * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Mississippi Mud * * * Proper

Ted Lewis Jazz Band * * * Blues (My Naughty Baby Gave Me) * * * Ragtime to Jazz 1: 1912 - 1919 * * * Timeless

Eddie Condon * * * A Good Man Is Hard To Find * * * Eddie Condon: Tappin' the Commodore Till * * * JSP

Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra featuring Boots Castle * * * The Hour of Parting * * * Chronological Teddy Wilson: 1937 * * * Classics

Benny Goodman * * * Georgia Jubilee * * * Coleman Hawkins: The Essential Sides Remastered * * * JSP

Bix Beiderbecke * * * In My Merry Oldsmobile * * * The Bix Beiderbecke Story: In A Mist * * * JS

Irving Mills & His Hotsy-Totsy Gang * * * Barbaric * * * Hoagy Charmichael: The First of the Singer Songwriters CD:B * * * JSP

Robin McKelle * * * Cry Me A River * * * Mess Around * * * Doxie

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, May 18

Django Reinhardt by Jean Cocteau


T-Bone Walker * * * Call It Stormy Monday * * * Central Avenue Sound * * * Rhino

Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday * * * Mean To Me * * * 1937 * * * Classics

Edna Watson * * * Pail In My Hand * * * Jazz the World Forgot, Vol. 2 * * * Yazoo

Dabney's Band * * * Slow Drag Blues * * * Ragtime to Jazz 1912 - 1919 * * * Timeless Historical

Tommy Johnson & the New Orleans Nehi Boys * * * The Black Mare * * * Legends of Country Blues * * * JSP

Blind Blake * * * Depression Gone From Me Blues * * * East Coast Blues * * * Orbis

Teresa Brewer * * * Music! Music! Music! * * * Your Hit Parade 1950 * * * Time Life

Django Reinhardt & Eddie South * * * I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me * * * Django with His American Friends * * * DRG

Charlie Parker * * * Anthropology * * * The Complete Live Performances on Savoy * * * Savoy

Nat King Cole w/ the Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra * * * Stompin' Down Broadway * * * The Trio Recordings, Vol. 5 * * * LaserLight

Frank Sinatra * * * Night and Day * * * The Golden Greats * * * Deja Vu

Hoagy Charmichael * * * Two Sleepy People * * * Hoagy Sings Charmichael * * * Pacific Jazz

Bukka White * * * Good Gin Blues * * * Legends of Country Blues * * * JSP

Pokey Lafarge & the South City Three * * * Pack It Up * * * 7" single * * * Third Man

Billy Wright * * * Stacked Deck * * * Stompin' at the Savoy: Red Hot Blues 1948 - 1951 * * * Savoy

Pee Wee Crayton & His Guitar * * * Blues After Hours * * * Central Avenue Sound

Monday, May 9, 2011

"Robert Johnson: The Centennial Celebration" Presented on Wednesday Morning, May 11, on KWUR.com


"The Scientific Method" will present "Robert Johnson: The Centennial Celebration" on Wednesday, May 11, at 9:00 a.m. (CST) on 90.3 FM KWUR.com.

In this one-hour radio special, you'll hear of the man and the times in which he lived, the myth of his "deal with the devil" at the crossroads, and the music he created through interviews with Stephen Johnson, Robert Johnson' grandson and vice president of the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation, musicians Corey Harris and Warren Haynes, and writers Peter Guralnick and Scott Barretta.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, May 4, 2011


Blind Blake * * * Southern Rag * * * East Coast Blues * * * Orbis

Friscoe Jazz Band * * * Night-Time in Little Italy * * * Ragtime to Jazz 1912 - 1919 * * * Timeless

Five Hot Chocolates * * * Alabama Shuffle * * * Jazz the World Forgot * * * Yazoo

Jack Teagarden * * * Futuristic Rhythm * * * The Indispensable Jack Teagarden (1928 - 1957) * * * RCA

Coleman Hawkins w/ Django Reinhardt * * * Blue Moon * * * Django with His American Friends * * * DRG

Teddy Wilson * * * Fine and Dandy * * * Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra 1937 * * * Classics

Charlie Patton * * * Rattlesnake Blues * * * King of the Delta Blues * * * Yazoo

Bukka White * * * Shake 'Em On Down * * * Legends of Country Blues * * * JSP

Robert Johnson * * * Phonograph Blues * * * The Complete Recordings * * * Columbia-Legacy

Robert Johnson * * * Stop Breakin' Down Blues * * * The Complete Recordings * * * Columbia-Legacy

Ella Fitzgerald & Paul Smith * * * One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) * * * Intimate Ella * * * Verve

Frank Sinatra * * * Bewitched * * * The Golden Greats * * * deja vu

Teddy Edwards Quartet * * * Blues in Teddy's Flat * * * Central Avenue Sound * * * Rhino

Charlie Parker with George Freeman * * * Keen and Peachy * * * The Complete Live Performances on Savoy * * * Savoy

Helen Humes with the Dexter Gordon Orchestra * * * Helen's Advice * * * Stompin' at the Savoy: Red Hot Blues 1948 - 1951 * * * Savoy

Nat King Cole * * * Gone with the Draft * * * The Trio Recordings, Vol. 5 * * * Laserlight

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Mark McGrain of Plunge


Hot Lips Page * * * I Got Rhythm * * * After Hours in Harlem * * * High Note

Jackie McLean * * * Let's Face the Music and Dance * * * Swing, Swang, Swingin' * * * Blue Note

Charlie Parker Septet * * * Ornithology * * * BeBop's Greatest Hits * * * Rhino

Duke Henderson * * * Get Your Kicks * * * West Coast Jive * * * Delmark

Mel Torme & Artie Shaw * * * Guilty * * * Dynamic Duos: Memorable Meetings in Jazz * * * Drive

Dizzy Gillespie * * * He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped * * * A Taste of Tradition, Vol. 3 * * * Tradition

Fats Waller & His Rhythm Boys * * * Honeysuckle Rose * * * Traditional Jazz Classics * * * Rhino

Jim Cooper * * * Bemsha Swing * * * Nutville * * * Delmark

Jason Ajemian * * * Your Shirts * * * The Art of Dying * * * Delmark

Myra Melford Trio * * * The Death of Danny Love * * * The October Revolution * * * Evidence

Danny Sher * * * Improv Selection 1 * * * Loose Nukes * * * n/a

Plunge * * * Missing Mozambique * * * Dancing on Thin Ice * * * Immersion

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, April 13, 2011


Larry Davis * * * Giving Up On Love * * * Evidence Blues Sampler, Too * * * Evidence

Johnny Copeland * * * Don't Stop By The Creek, Son * * * Honky Tonkin' * * * Bullseye Blues Classics

Earl Hooker * * * Rockin' With the Kid * * * Blue Guitar * * * Paula

Papa Harvey Hull * * * France Blues * * * Before the Blues, Vol. 1 * * * Yazoo

Speckled Red * * * Pinetop's Boogie Woogie * * * Classic Piano Blues * * * Smithsonian-Folkways

Blind Gary Davis * * * Lord, I Wish I Could See * * * Preaching the Gospel * * * Columbia-Legacy

Geoff Bartley * * * Occam's Razor * * * Put the Big Stone Down * * * MCR

Memphis Slim * * * Stewball * * * The Folkways Years 1959 - 1973 * * * Smithsonian-Folkways

Tiny Watkins * * * Soldier's Sad Story * * * The Excello Story, Vol. 4 * * * Hip-O

Tennesse Chocolate Drops * * * Vine Street Drag * * * Before the Blues, Vol. 2 * * * Yazoo

Blind Boy Fuller * * * Cat Man Blues * * * East Coast Piedmont Style * * * Columbia-Legacy

Little Brother Montgomery * * * Boogie * * * Chicago Piano 1951 - 1958 from Cobra & JOB * * * Paula

Jimmy Forrest * * * All the Gin is Gone * * * Delmark 40th Anniversary -- Jazz * * * Delmark

Jimmy Smith * * * Tuition Blues * * * Dot.Com Blues * * * Verve

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, April 6

Bill Evans


James Cole's Washboard Four * * * Runnin' Wild * * * A Richer Tradition * * * JSP

Memphis Jug Band * * * Move That Thing * * * Walk Right In * * * Orbis

Short Creek Trio * * * Hand Me Down My Walkin' Cane * * * Alabama Stringbands * * * Document

Bob Moseley * * * Baggin' the Boogie * * * California Blues * * * Acrobat

Louis Dumaine's Jazzola Eight * * * Franklin Street Blues * * * Dixieland Jazz * * * n/a

Johnny Mercer & Jack Teagarden * * * The Old Music Master * * * Too Marvelous for Words: 24 Songs of Johnny Mercer * * * Living Era

Bill Evans * * * Waltz for Debbie * * * You're Gonna Hear From Me * * * Milestone

Bill Evans Trio * * * Turn Out the Stars * * * Since We Met * * * Fantasy

Pinetop Perkins * * * Five Years * * * Live Top * * * Deluge

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * If It Have to Be * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Sidney Bechet * * * Four or Five Times * * * Up A Lazy River * * * Good Time Jazz

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, March 30, 2011


Paul Schult, "Jazz at the Savoy," circa 1953, acrylic(?) on paper, 8" x 10".

Quintus McCormick Blues Band * * * Plano Texas Blues * * * Hey Jodie * * * Delmark

Jimmy McCracklin * * * Street Loafin' Woman * * * West Coast Down Home Blues * * * Acrobat

Clarence "Jelly" Johnson * * * Corn Trimmers * * * Low Down Papa * * * Delmark

George Carter * * * Ghost Woman Blues * * * A Richer Tradition: Country Blues and String Band Music 1928 - 1938 * * * JSP

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Gonna Haunt You * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Duke Ellington * * * Harlem Airshaft * * * Piano in the Background * * * Columbia/Legacy

Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra * * * Muggles Hot Fives and Sevens, Vol. 3 * * * JSP

Claude Hopkins * * * On the Sunny Side of the Street * * * Swingville * * * Original Jazz Classics

Bing Crosby * * * Let's Do It Let's Fall In Love * * * Anthing Goes: The Songs of Cole Porter * * * Living Era

The Skillet Lickers * * * Devlish Mary * * * Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia * * * County

Memphis Jug Band * * * Caveman Blues * * * Walk Right In: Memphis Jug Bands * * * Orbis

Tampa Red * * * You Can't Get That Stuff No More * * * Blues in History II * * * History

J.B. Hutto * * * Evening Train * * * Delmark 55 Years of Blues * * * Delmark

Cecil Gant * * * Blues in L.A. * * * California Blues * * * Acrobat

Eli Paperboy Reed * * * Pick Your Battles * * * Come and Get It! * * * Capitol

Louis Armstrong * * * Don't Get Around Much Anymore * * * I've Got the World on a String * * * Verve

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, March 23, 2011

T. Renner, "Lee Young," 2008, ink over newspaper tracing on paper, 4" x 6". Note: Lee Young plays drums, along with Charles Mingus on bass, on "Baggin' the Boogie" by Bob Mosely & His All-Stars.

The Revolutionary Ensemble * * * Berlin Erfahrung * * * And Now... * * * Pi

The Skillet Lickers * * * Dixie * * * Old-Time Fiddle Tunes & Songs from North Georgia * * * County

Sidney Bechet & the This Is Jazz All-Stars * * * Blues Improvisation * * * Up a Lazy River * * * Good Time Jazz

Sammy Davis * * * Birth of the Blues * * * That Old Black Magic * * * MCA

Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra * * * Knockin' A Jug * * * Hot Fives & Sevens Vol. 3 * * * JSP

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Get Behind the Wheel * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Plunge * * * The Praise Singer * * * Dancing on Thin Ice * * * Immersion

Bob Mosely & His All-Stars * * * Baggin' the Boogie * * * California Blues * * * Acrobat

Louis Armstrong * * * Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails * * * Louis Under the Stars * * * Verve

Mills Brothers * * * Lazybones * * * 24 Songs of Johnny Mercer * * * Living Era

Fred Astaire * * * Let's Call the Whole Thing Off * * * Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings * * * Verve

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, March 16, 2011



Lena Horne * * * One for My Baby and One More for the Road * * * Too Marvelous For Words * * * Living Era

Wynonie Harris * * * Here Come the Blues * * * California Blues * * * Acrobat

R. Green & Turner * * * L.A. Blues * * * West Coast Down Home Blues * * * Acrobat

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * If It Have to Be * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Kansas City Blues Strummers * * * String Band Blues * * * A Richer Tradition * * * JSP

Clayton McMichen * * * Cackling Hen and Rooster Too * * * The Skillet Lickers: Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia * * * County

Clarence Gatemouth Brown * * * Dollar Got the Blues * * * Gate's on the Heat * * * Verve

Fred Astaire * * * I Won't Dance * * * Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings * * * Verve

Cecil Gant * * * I Wonder * * * California Blues * * * Arcrobat

Mary Martin, Bing Crosby, & Jack Teagarden * * * The Waiter and the Porter and the Upstairs Maid * * * Too Marvelous for Words * * * Living Era

Sonny Porter & Eddie Lang * * * How Long Blues * * * The New York Sessions: 1926-1935 * * * JSP

T-Bone Walker * * * Mean Old World * * * California Blues * * * Acrobat

John Hogg * * * Black Snake Blues * * * West Coast Down Home Blues * * * Acrobat

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, March 9, 2011


Joe Venuti's Blue Four * * * Four String Joe * * * The New York Sessions 1926 - 1935 * * * JSP

Kid Ory * * * Ory's Creole Trombone * * * Dixieland Jazz

Mel Torme * * * Whatever Lola Wants * * * Finest Hour * * * Verve

Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman * * * Somebody Else Is Taking My Place * * * Featuring Peggy Lee * * * Columbia/Legacy

Fred Astaire * * * They Can't Take That Away From Me * * * Steppin' Out: Astaire Sings * * * Verve

Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker * * * Dizzy Atmosphere * * * Bird Meets Diz * * * Charly

Benny Goodman * * * Sing Sing Sing (edit) At Carnegie Hall -- 1938 -- Complete * * * Columbia/Legacy

Johnny Cash * * * Wide Open Road -- Leave That Junk Alone -- Brakeman's Blues * * * From Memphis to Hollywood: Bootleg Vol. II * * * Columbia/Legacy

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Hometown Blues * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Thelonious Monk * * * Smoke Gets In Your Eyes * * * In Paris * * * Disques Vogue

Mel Torme * * * A Fine Romance * * * Sings Astaire * * * Bethelhem

Rosemary Clooney * * * This Old House * * * Your Hit Parade 1954 * * * Time Life

St. Louis Jimmy * * * Nervous Breakdown * * * Devil at the Confluence * * * Delmark

Clarence "Jelly" Johnson * * * Houston Blues * * * Low Down Papa * * * Delmark

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Rum Drum Ramblers (Ryan Koenig, Mat Wilson, Joey Glynn)
by Bill Streeter


Rum Drum Ramblers * * * If It Have To Be * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Joe Venuti's Blue Four * * * The Blue Room * * * The New York Sessions: 1926 - 1935 * * * JSP

Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie * * * Blue 'N' Boogie * * * Bird Meets Diz * * * Charly

Artie Shaw * * * Nightmare * * * Big Band Sounds * * * Direct Source

Benny Goodman * * * Dizzy Spells * * * At Carnegie Hall -- 1938 -- Complete * * * Columbia/Legacy

Quintus McCormick Blues Band * * * Fifty/Fifty * * * Hey Jodie * * * Delmark

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Get Behind the Wheel * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders

Clarence "Jelly" Johnson * * * Joe Oliver Blues * * * Low Down Papa * * * Delmark

Thelonious Monk * * * Well You Needn't * * * In Paris * * * Disques Vogue

Bill Cox * * * Trial of Richard Bruno Hauptman Parts 1 & 2 * * * People Take Warning! * * * Tompkins Square

Mary Johnson * * * Never Too Late * * * Devil At The Confluence * * * Delmark

Rum Drum Ramblers * * * Jump Into A Frenzy * * * Mean Scene * * * Lightnin' Thunders Blues

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Keith Jarrett * * * Diatribe * * * Shades * * * Impulse

Clarence "Jelly" Johnson * * * Graveyard Bound * * * Low Down Papa * * * Delmark

Johnny Cash * * * Big River * * * Bootleg Vol. II * * * Legacy

Robert Hicks * * * Mississippi Heavy Water Blues * * * People Take Warning! * * * Tompkins Square

Mary Johnson * * * Never Too Late * * * Devil at the Confluence * * * Delmark

Gregg Allman * * * I Can't Be Satisfied * * * Low Country Blues * * * Rounder

Son House * * * I Ain't Gonna Cry No More (Depot Blues) * * * Classic Blues, Vol. 2 * * * Smithsonian Folkways

William & Versey Smith * * * When That Great Ship Went Down * * * People Take Warning! * * * Tompkins Square

Calvin Cooke & Grace Cooke * * * I'll Just Wave My Hand * * * Sacred Steel Convention * * * Arhoolie

Cynthia Scott * * * Shades of Ray * * * Dream for One Bright World * * * Ttcocs

Vera Hall * * * Black Woman * * * Classic Blues * * * Smithsonian Folkways

Nina Simone * * * I Loves You Porgy * * * Esquire Jazz Collection: Voice of the Soul * * * Blue Note

Dykes Magic Trio * * * Frankie * * * People Take Warning! * * * Tompkins Square

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Playlist: Wednesday, February 16

T. Renner, "Improvisation for George Shearing & Jack Keroauc #1," 2011, acrylic on paper, 6" x 4".

Mel Torme * * * Something's Gotta Give * * * Sings Fred Astaire * * * Bethlehem

Mel Torme * * * Too Close For Comfort * * * Finest Hour * * * Verve

Thelonious Monk * * * Reflections * * * In Paris * * * Disques Vogue

Champion Jack Dupree * * * On My Way To See Moe Asch * * * Piano Blues * * * Smithsonian Folkways

Benny Goodman * * * Blue Skies * * * Complete Legendary 1939 Carnegie Hall Concert * * * Disconforme

Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker * * * Dizzy Atmosphere * * * Bird Meets Diz * * * Charly

George Shearing * * * It's Only A Paper Moon * * * Paper Moon * * * Telarc Jazz

George Shearing * * * Angel Eyes * * * Favorite Things * * * Telarc Jazz

Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee * * * Let's Do It * * * Benny Goodman Featuring Peggy Lee * * * Columbia

Memphis Minnie & Willie Dixon * * * Beer Drinking Woman * * * Classic Blues * * * Smithsonian Folkways

Joe Turner * * * I've Got the World On a String * * * In Paris * * * Disques Vogue

Warner Williams * * * Step It Up and Go * * * Classic Blues, Volume 2 * * * Smithsonian Folkways

Snooks Eaglin * * * I Got My Questionaire * * * New Orleans Street Singer * * * Smithsonian Folkways

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Research Note: Jazz & Radio in Fiction

"A radio was playing a Wayne King waltz and moonlight, like spilled talcum powder, dusted the shoulders of dancers...." (page 152)

"Wayne King was playing a tango, using wood-winds and stringed instruments, and the music was subdued, sweet. (page 153)

"Louis Armstrong replaced Wayne King on the radio. It was like jumping from Vienna to Africa." (page 155)

"The music was throbbing, moaning, torrid. Saxophones, an inspired trumpet, the piano made wild improvised flights from the written melody. Louis Armstrong was swinging it."

Jonathan Latimer, The Lady in the Morgue, New York: Pocket Books, 1958 (1936)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Research Note: Jazz & Radio in Fiction


"'Miss Ross felt there was no future in strictly union work...'

Crane whispered to Williams, 'Commercial jobs with the big bands.'

'... and thought I ought to form a band of my own with some ride-men,' Udoni continued, 'and pick up some of the dough going to the jungle boys from Harlem.'

Williams' eyes were questioning, but Crane shook his head.

Udoni went on: 'I had been thinking that myself, so I got hold of Frankie Thomas on for the sax and Clem Packard for the clarinet, and Fats Wolman to handle the drums, and some other boys and we grooved a couple of tunes in New York and caught a wire at a nitery here in Chicago.'

'Wait a minute! Wait a minute!' Crane held both hands in the air. 'You're getting too deep for me. What's grooving a tune?'

'Making a record.'

'What in hell's catching a wire at a nitery?'

'A contract to broadcast from a night club.'"

Jonathan Latimer, The Lady in the Morgue, New York: Pocket Books, 1958 (1936), page 137.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Research Note: Modernism and Radio (Gertrude Stein)

"Gertrude Stein returned to the United States in 1934, a year of fierce debate over the Federal Communications Act and the regulation of American radio. As she explored the nation that figures so prominently in her writings, she could not have missed the fact that radio broadcasting had captured the imaginations of Americans. Stein had long been an avid reader and critic of popular culture and the media—her relationship with American newspapers predated her late romance with the radio. However, the influence of mass-media forms upon her writing has yet to be fully explored. In what follows I will demonstrate that radio in particular acted as a powerful formal model for Stein's late writing.

"Radio's influence can be traced in Stein's political and aesthetic strategies during her American tour, and it emerges as a dominant note in her World War II texts. Broadcasting provides a suggestive means of connecting Stein's early aural experimentalism (as in the multiple, echoing voices of 'Bon Marche Weather') with her later, more popular, idiom. Resolutely oral, dialogic, and changeable, Stein's artistic project finally finds its formal corollary in mid-century radio. Tracing the influence of the radio in Stein's late writing also makes it possible to extend our analysis of Stein's use of indeterminacy in language to her more audience-focused texts, with the effect of complicating our readings of her investment in communication and communal meaning-making. Through the 1930s and 1940s, Stein wrestles with the idea of radio as a kind of public sphere—a forum in which self, other, and community can be constituted through talk. Her aurality must thus be understood as being as profoundly public in its orientations as it is private.

"Finally, hearing the radio in Stein's late writing advances our understanding of the [End Page 261] cross-fertilizations of 'high' and 'low' modernist cultures, while beginning to acknowledge radio's own distinct thematic and stylistic contributions to mid-century modernism.

Stein was not alone in responding powerfully to radio. By the time Stein returned to the United States for her lecture tour of the mid-1930s, radio had been the subject of a powerful discourse of technological utopianism for more than a decade. Radio had promised, according to its very earliest boosters, to bring together the geographically and culturally scattered nation. Respected thinkers such as John Dewey, Herbert Cooley, and Robert Park believed that radio offered the means to create a new public united by channels of communication. In an extreme version of such claims, the League of Political Education asserted (somewhat ominously) in 1938 that the broadening 'psychological gaps' between Americans could be overcome through the radio, which fostered a 'simultaneous process of thinking.' In the 1930s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 'Fireside Chats' were just one way in which radio was used to call a national community into being. As Lizabeth Cohen has shown in her study of Depression-era workers in Chicago, the claims of radio boosters were not spurious: by facilitating alliances between disparate ethnic groups during the 1930s, radio helped to bring about a self-conscious community of American working people. Broadcasting seemed to be unstoppable in its promotion of social connection."

Sarah Wilson. "Gertrude Stein and the Radio," Modernism/Modernity, Volume 11, Number 2, April 2004, pp. 261-262.