Jazz Focus

Yank Lawson - 1943, 44, 45 29.06.2026 1j 2min

Former trumpet soloist with Ben Pollack, Bob Crosby and Tommy Dorsey, Lawson was a powerful player devoted to the New Orleans/Chicago style of Dixieland. Here, his groups recording for Signature (Ward Silloway, Brad Gowans, Lou McGarity, Miff Mole, Pee Wee Russell, Rod Cless, Bill Stegmeyer, Joe Marsala, Dave Bowman, James P. Johnson, Eddie Condon, Bob Haggart, Johnny Blowers and George Wettling) and a big band for VDisc (Ray Eckstrand, Vernon Brown and Nick Caiazza with Blowers, Bowman, and Haggart) show off his range and sound.

Show- Sonny Stitt at the Hi Hat 1954 29.06.2026 55min

One day (February 11th) in 1954, Stitt played a gig at the HI Hat in Boston with a local rhythm section (Dean Earl, Bernie Griggs, Marquis Foster) and Roulette recorded the whole thing . . Two cds include the entirety of the date with Stitt featured equally on alto and tenor with several baritone sax tracks (about his last on that instrument) thrown in for good measure.

Morning with Pops - Louis Armstrong and guests (Billie Holiday, Louis Jordan, Ella Fitzgerald) 22.06.2026 29min

Louis made records with everyone - here are some Decca sides with Ella, Billie and Louis Jordan and a bonus - one track from a Bing Crosby radio show featuring Louis, Bing and Ella doing "Memphis Blues"

Morning with Pops - Louis Armstrong Orchestra 1956/7 22.06.2026 29min

Recreation of Louis 1928-34 big band sides with an orchestra directed by Sy Oliver along with the All-Stars - Trummy Young, Billy Kyle, Edmond Hall, Squire Girshback, Barrett Deems . .done for the Louis Armstrong Autobiography project on Deccca.

Show - Savoy Sultans! 1938-41 22.06.2026 55min

Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans were the house band at the legendary Savoy Ballroom in New York City from 1937-1946 and so must have pleased the pickiest dancers in the world! While their music (between a combo and a big band) was not subtle or sophisticated, it swung hard and was the bane of many better known groups who came up against it. Here are most of their Decca sides from the period, featuring the leader on clarinet, Rudy Williams on alto, George Kelly, Ed McNeil and Irving Brown on tenor, Pat Jenkins and Sam Massenburg on trumpets, Cyril Haynes on piano, Grachan Moncur on bass and Alex Mitchell on drums

Woody Herman and His Orchestra on V-Disc 15.06.2026 59min

Extended recordings made for the V Disc program during WWII (1944 and 45) by Herman's First Herd - features for Sonny Berman, Ray Wetzl, Neal Hefti and Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bill Harris (trombone), Flip Phillips (tenor), Ralph Burns and Tony Aless (piano), Billy Bauer (guitar), Chubby Jackson (bass), Dave Tough (drums), Frances Wayne (vocals) and the leader Woody Herman playing some outstanding clarinet and alto along with a vocal or two.

Show- Abstract British Jazz . . Joe Harriott Quintet 15.06.2026 58min

Jamaican alto saxophonist Joe Harriott had a fascinating career in London during the 1950's and 60's - he recorded with big bands, trad bands, vocalists and others, but perhaps his greatest contribution was with his "Abstract Jazz" - much like the Free Jazz experiments Ornette Coleman was making at the same time. Here is his quintet on a series of albums in the early 1960's with Shake Keane on trumpet, Pat Smythe and Harry South on piano, Bobby Orr and Phil Seaman on drums and others!

Morning with Pops - Louis Armstrong Hot Seven 09.06.2026 30min

1927 sides featuring the Hot Seven (Louis Armstrong, John Thomas, Johnny Dodds, Lil Armstrong, Johnny St. Cyr, Pete Briggs and Baby Dodds) and Johnny Dodd's Black Bottom Stompers (Armstrong, both Dodds, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Bud Scott and Roy Palmer)

Morning With Pops - Louis and the Pianists - Ellington, Hines, Peterson 09.06.2026 29min

Louis Armstrong featured with three legendary pianists in the 1920's (Earl Hines), 50's (Oscar Peterson), and 60's (Duke Ellington)

Show - Lucky Thompson with Milt Jackson 1956 09.06.2026 57min

The mostly forgotten tenor sax of Lucky Thompson was very prominent in the 1940's with Count Basie, Charlie Parker and on his own. By 1956 he was becoming disillusioned with the music business and was shortly to move to Paris for several years. Just before that he worked with the Milt Jackson Quintet (on Savoy) and Sextet (on Atlantic) to produce several exceptional recording sessions featuring those two along with Wade Legge, Hank Jones, John Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Wendell Marshall, Oscar Pettiford and Skeeter Best.

Nuances by Norvo - Red Norvo 1936-42 31.05.2026 1j 7min

Red Norvo and His Orchestra was one of the most innovative and tasteful groups of the Swing Era - which accounts for its lack of commercial appeal and memory! These are most of the instrumental recordings done by the group between 1936 and 1942 and feature great arrangements by Eddie Sauter and possibly the leader with Norvo taking the bulk of the solos on xylophone. Also featured are Hank D'Amico and Slats Long on clarinet, Andy Russo on trombone, Frank Simeone on alto, Herbie Haymer, Jerry Jerome and George Berg on tenor, Stew Pletcher, Jack Palmer, Zeke Zarchy and Steve Lipkins on trumpet, Joe Liss, Bill Miller and Billy Kyle on piano and George Wettling and Maurice Purtill on drums

Show-Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Giuffre 31.05.2026 1j

Great sides for Atlantic in the middle 1950's featuring the trumpet player/arranger/composer Shorty Rogers leading two groups - one, a quintet featuring Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet, baritone and tenor saxes, Lou Levy or Pete Jolly on piano, Curtis Counce or Ralph Pena on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. The other is a larger group with the same quintet with added alto (Bud Shank), trombone (Bob Enevoldsen), tuba (Paul Sarmento) and french horn (John Graas). West Coast Jazz, but with a lot of differences!

Charlie Parker Quintet at the Hi Hat 25.05.2026 1j 13min

Charlie Parker was a frequent visitor to Boston in the early 1950's, often playing long engagements at the Hi-Hat club. Here is a sampling of well-recorded radio broadcasts of his groups featuring Herb Pomeroy, Joe Gordon and Herbie Williams on trumpet, Dean Earls, Rollins Griffith and Dick Twardzick on piano, Charles Mingus, Jimmy Woode and Bernie Griggs on bass, Baggy Grant, Marquis Foster, George Salerno and Roy Haynes on drums and guest Jay Migliori on tenor sax

Show - Shorty Rogers and His Giants 1951, 53, 55 25.05.2026 55min

The trumpeter/composer/arranger Shorty Rogers did much work for Woody Herman and Stan Kenton in the 1940's - the 1950's found him working in the studios around Los Angeles, playing with the Lighthouse All-Stars on Hermosa Beach and leading record date. These feature an eight or nine piece band in the style if not the sound of Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions. With Rogers, Milt Bernhardt on trombone, Art Pepper or Bud Shank on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone and tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Shelly Manne on drums and John Graas on french horn, the solo contributions are every bit as good as the arrangements.

Mildred Bailey with the John Kirby Sextet and Red Norvo 1939 18.05.2026 1j 4min

The ultra-musical jazz singer Bailey and her husband, xylophonist and bandleader Red Norvo recorded several sessions with the just-organized John Kirby Sextet in 1939 and the musical results were superb . . featuring Bailey and Norvo with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, O'Neil Spencer and Cozy Cole

Charlie Ventura Quartet for Verve - mid 1950's 18.05.2026 1j

The versatile reedman (here playing alto, tenor, baritone and bass saxes) featured with A+ rhythm sections including Hank Jones, Dave McKenna, Marty Napoleon (piano), Chubby Jackson (sb) and Jo Jones and Buddy Rich on drums. Well-arranged and played standards and a few originals!

Ken Peplowski - 1980's Recordings 10.05.2026 1j 14min

The late, great Ken Peplowski is here remembered on some of his early recording sessions with an astonishing range of styles and personnel. Trad with Marty Grosz, Peter Ecklund and Terry Waldo; swing with Howard Alden and Dan Barrett, a funny baseball themed session with Dick Miller's National Pass Time Orchestra and two bonuses - one with Leon Redbone and one with Benny Goodman's last big band. Great alto and tenor as well as clarinet!

Show - Buddy Rich and Shorty Rogers play Basie! 10.05.2026 54min

Two tributes to Basie and his repertoire led by Rich in 1956 (with Harry Edison, Frank Rosolino, Bob Enevoldsen, Jimmy Rowles and Buddy Collette) and Rogers in 1954 (with Enevoldsen, Cooper, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Giuffre, Herb Geller, Bud Shank, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce and Shelly Manne).

Sidney Bechet - Paris, 1949 27.04.2026 1j 5min

Recordings made by the great New Orleans soprano saxophonist right before and after his permanent relocation to Paris. Two sessions for Vogue and one for Blue Star feature Bill Coleman (trumpet), Frank "Big Boy" Goudie (tenor sax), Claude Luter (clarinet), Eddie Bernard and Christian Azzi (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass) and Kenny Clarke and Moustache Galipedes (drums). Originals and standards and standards masquerading as originals.

Show- Flip Phillips and Charlie Ventura 1952, 54 27.04.2026 1j

Three great sessions (two with Flip Phillips and one with Charlie Ventura) of tenor sax backed by well-arranged band performances! Featuring arrangements by George Williams and Chico O'Farrell with contributions by Charlie Shavers, Al Porcino, Kai Winding, Lennie Hambro, Dave McKenna, Richard Wyands, Max Roach, Freddie Green, Cecil Payne and others . . .