Jazz Classic of the Month
The Jubilee radio shows, which were aired during 1942-53 and were at their prime during 1943-46, were geared towards African-American troops who were stationed overseas during World War II. and the following years. Hosted during this period by Ernest “Bubbles” Whitman, the programs featured many of the top swing bands with occasional vocalists. Quite a few of the broadcasts have been released in full on LPs and CDs through the years although some programs remain elusive.
The three-CD box set Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions 1943-1946 contains many of the finest performances drawn from many different broadcasts. While Whitman is heard in some brief spots introducing the orchestras, the focus is on the music with 61 full length performances from 20 different bands. Featured along the way are the big bands of Benny Carter, Earl Hines, the very obscure Elmer Fain (his band was probably related to Les Hite’s), Count Basie, Gerald Wilson, Erskine Hawkins, Billy Eckstine, Cootie Williams, Tiny Bradshaw, Jimmy Mundy, Fletcher Henderson, International Sweethearts Of Rhythm, Claude Hopkins, Andy Kirk, Lucky Millinder, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Otis, Wilbur Baranco, Jimmie Lunceford, and Duke Ellington. Most of the orchestras have opportunities to play three or four songs apiece and they are heard in top form.
Listeners who are able to locate this 1996 compilation will get to enjoy a strong cross section of the many African-American swing bands that were active in the mid-1940s right before the swing era ended.
Big Band Jazz – The Jubilee Sessions 1945-1946
Hindsight HBD 504
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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.
