What are the most exciting and essential classic jazz recordings that have taken place since the end of World War II? An impossible question to answer but I accepted the challenge to put together a list that everyone can argue about. This five-part series briefly discusses 100 great recordings that all Syncopated Times readers should own.
The list is restricted to hot jazz whether it is considered Dixieland, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, revival, trad, or classic jazz. If I had included swing and ragtime, keeping the list to 100 would have been impossible. The records are listed in roughly chronological order and were released on CDs and/or Lps. Downloads are not included, nor are giant reissue box sets. None of the releases are larger than two CDs.
While this list can easily be many times larger, be sure to explore the 100 gems, including these 20 from the 1977-96 period. Despite the passing of years, the music still sounds fresh, timeless and exciting. Next month I will conclude this series with the most impossible list, covering the past 29 years.
61. Max Kaminsky: When Summer Is Gone (Chiaroscuro, 1977) Well known for his many Dixieland dates with Eddie Condon, the trumpeter is for the only time in his career showcased on a full record as the only horn. Kaminsky performs a set of songs that very rarely have been heard in jazz settings including “From Here To Eternity,” “Come Down To Earth, My Angel” and “Sweet As A Song.” He really rises to the occasion.
62. Kenny Davern: The Hot Three (Jazzology, 1979) One of the great classic jazz clarinetists, Davern teams up with pianist Art Hodes and drummer Don DeMichael for a hot set of standards ranging from “Fidgety Feet” and “Some Of These Days” to “Tennessee Waltz.” This group lives up to its potential.
63. Terry Waldo: Feelin’ Devilish (Stomp Off, 1979) The very first release on the Stomp Off label (the top trad jazz record company of the next 20 years) features pianist Terry Waldo and some particularly hot jazz players including trumpeter Roy Tate, trombonist Jim Snyder, and clarinetist-tenor Frank Powers, not to mention drummer Hal Smith. They jam on such good ol’ good ones as “Dinah,” “Milenberg Joys,” and “The Man From The South.”
64. Bob Wilber: And The Bechet Legacy (Bodeswell, 1981) Having played magical music with Kenny Davern in Soprano Summit, soprano-saxophonist and clarinetist Bob Wilber next paid tribute to his mentor Sidney Bechet by performing the latter’s music and some standards with Bechet Legacy. The sextet also featured trumpeter Glenn Zottola and pianist Mark Shane with plenty of fireworks occurring on such numbers as “Down In Honky Tonk Town,” “Roses Of Picardy,” and “China Boy.”
65. Judy Carmichael: Old Friends (C&D, 1983 and 1985) A new discovery in the early 1980s, Ms. Carmichael proved to be a talented stride pianist, a delightful entertainer, and a popular radio host. This set teams her in a trio with cornetist Warren Vache and guitarist Howard Alden for enthusiastic versions of songs by Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, and the unrelated Hoagy Carmichael among others.
66. Ralph Sutton: Partners In Crime (Sackville, 1983) Arguably the top stride pianist to emerge since the mid-1940s, Sutton recorded quite a few rewarding albums during a 55-year period. With the great Australian trumpeter Bob Barnard, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Len Barnard all in top form, Sutton plays a variety of mostly rarely performed standards, swinging hard throughout.
67. Jim Cullum: ’Tis The Season…To Be Jammin’ (World Jazz, 1984) Normally a set of Christmas-related songs would not be on a list such as this. But the creative arrangements, high-quality solos of Cullum, Randy Reinhart (on trombone) clarinetist Allan Vache and pianist John Sheridan, and the joyous ensembles make this CD a must. Their “Ava Maria” is simply beautiful and “Sleigh Ride” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” have rarely been as swinging as these versions.
68. Butch Thompson: And His Boys In Chicago (Jazzology, 1985) A superior interpreter of Jelly Roll Morton’s music and a regular on the Prairie Home Companion, pianist Thompson was usually featured as a soloist or in trios. This jam session-flavored two-CD set is an exception as he heads a septet that features cornetist Charlie Devore, altoist John Otto, and clarinetist Frank Chase. Most of the tunes are warhorses that the musicians infuse with plenty of life and happiness.
69. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks: Bill Challis’ The Goldkette Project (Circle, 1986) Challis was Jean Goldkette’s best arranger during the period when Bix Beiderbecke was in the band (1926-27). 60 years later he was still around to conduct Giordano’s Nighthawks through an extensive set of those charts including some that Goldkette never recorded. The all-star cast includes cornetist Tom Pletcher (the perfect fill-in for Bix) not to mention trombonist Spiegle Willcox (who was in the original band), Bob Wilber, and Dick Wellstood.
70. Peter Ecklund: And The Melody Makers (Stomp Off 1987-88) The cornetist’s first album as a leader is a real gem, featuring him in three different settings with the likes of clarinetists Joe Muranyi and Ken Peplowski, trombonist Dan Barrett, guitarist-singer Marty Grosz (who has two vocals), and Vince Giordano on bass sax.
71. Danny Barker: Save The Bones (Orleans, 1988) The guitarist-banjoist-singer was on a countless number of sessions in his long career but led very few dates of his own. This one is special for Barker performs unaccompanied, bringing back many vintage tunes and singing his own lyrics to “St. James Infirmary.”
72. Ruby Braff and Dick Hyman: Music From My Fair Lady (Concord, 1989) Cornetist Ruby Braff and pianist Dick Hyman recorded eight duet albums in all, with Hyman switching to organ on three of the sets. All of their matchups are consistently dazzling with Hyman’s virtuosity and versatility matched by Braff’s passion, and most have some offbeat choices in their repertoire. Their My Fair Lady set, with Hyman on piano, is filled with many surprising and rewarding moments.
73. Marty Grosz’s The Orphan Newsboys: Extra! (Jazzology, 1989) A triple threat as a chordal soloist on acoustic guitar, a humorous singer inspired by Fats Waller, and a bandleader who always picked the best obscurities to perform, Grosz led small combos that recorded under the names of the Blue Angels, Destiny’s Tots, Keepers Of The Flames, The Imps, the Paswonky Serenaders, the Collectors Items Cats, the Swinging Fools, his Sugar Daddies, and the Hot Puppies. The Orphan Newsboys, a quartet with trumpeter Peter Ecklund, clarinetist Bobby Gordon, and bassist Greg Cohen, was the perfect unit for his highly enjoyable music as they show on Extra!
74. Banu Gibson: You Don’t Know My Mind (Swing Out, 1989-90) One of the top classic jazz singers since the mid-1980s, Banu is heard in peak form on this set with her New Orleans Hot Jazz, a sextet that includes cornetist Charles Fardella, trombonist David Sager, the reeds of Tom Fischer, and pianist David Boeddinghaus. All 16 performances (which include “I’ve Got My Fingers Crossed,” “It’s Too Hot For Words,” “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Truckin’”) are memorable and show why this was one of the most popular ensembles at jazz festivals for years.
75. Randy Sandke: Stampede (Jazzology, 1990) With such soloists as trumpeter Sandke, trombonist Dan Barrett, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, pianist Ray Kennedy, guitarist Marty Grosz, and bass saxophonist Scott Robinson, it is not surprising that this instrumental set is full of burners and explosive ensembles.
76. Humphrey Lyttelton: Rent Party (Stomp Off, 1991-92) Trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton and clarinetist Wally Fawkes first teamed up in 1947 and made many recordings during the first half of the 50s with Lyttelton’s band. This reunion finds the two veterans still very much in prime form with a septet, playing hot versions of such numbers as “Gate Mouth,” “Doctor Blues” and “Ole Miss” with Lyttleton switching to clarinet on three songs.
77. James Dapogny: Laughing At Life (Discovery, 1992) Pianist Dapogny never made an unworthy recording. This one is particularly inspired, just what one would expect from an octet that includes trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and the reeds of Kim Cusack and Russ Whitman. Such tunes as “That Da Da Strain,” “Panama,” “California Here I Come,” and “Grandpa’s Spells” will keep listeners “laughing at life.”
78. George Avakian Presents One Step To Chicago: The Legacy Of Frank Teschemacher and the Austin High Gang (Rivermont, 1992) An embarrassment of riches with Dick Hyman saluting Teschemacher’s legacy (including close recreations of the four numbers by the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans) and Kenny Davern leading a more spontaneous run through seven 1920s standards favored by Eddie Condon. Imagine having Hyman, Davern, Peter Ecklund, Dick Sudhalter, Jon-Erik Kellso, Dan Barrett, Dan Levinson, Ken Peplowski, Vine Giordano, Howard Alden, Marty Grosz, Bob Haggart, and Milt Hinton plus drummers Tony DeNiccola and Arnie Kinsella in the same room at the same time!
79. Doc Cheatham: The Eighty-Seven Years Of Doc Cheatham (Columbia, 1992) Trumpeters invariably start to lose their chops during their sixties and especially their seventies, but not Doc Cheatham. After being a lead and section trumpeter during much of his career, in the 1970s when he was in his mid-sixties he suddenly emerged as a top soloist. At 87 he displays apparently limitless energy on this quartet set, playing with power as one of the few remaining links to the 1920s.
80. Paris Washboard: Love For Sale (Stomp Off, 1996) During 1988-2008, Paris Washboard recorded 11 albums for the Stomp Off label; all are highly recommended. The group, consisting of the brilliant stride pianist Louis Mazetier, trombonist Daniel Barda, clarinetist Alain Marquet, and at this time Gerard Bagot on washboard, had a very full sound for being a quartet without trumpet, bass or drums. They always generated excitement during their spirited performances of worthy standards and obscurities. Love For Sale is an excellent example of the band’s musical magic.
Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings.
Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.
