CD-Charts Position 21
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His Original and Greatest Hits

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Phil Harris

Release Date December 11, 2000
To many people Phil Harris's fame started and ended with his role as the voice of Baloo the bear in Disney's Jungle Book. However this masterstroke of casting happened at the end of a singing career which started in the 1920s.

This selection, which does cover his best and most popular work pre-Disney, dates from the 1940s, and many of the tracks will be familiar to anyone who remembers listening to radio programmes such as Children's Favourites then and through to the early 60s.

Although by no means children's songs, they are for the most part songs that tell a story or gently satirise popular American culture of the time, and sung in a narrative style (the nearest comparison I can think of would be Rex Harrison without ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 22
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Come Fly With Me

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Frank Sinatra

Release Date November 02, 1992
An absolute gem I rediscovered. This album from 1957 has a travel theme and the songs tour the world, led by the title track but ending up home in It's nice to go trav'ling.
His mid-1950s albums give us Sinatra's voice at it's peak of melodic phrasing & sheer beauty. Most tracks here are romantic ballads with evocative titles - Moonlight in Vermont, London by night, & April in Paris. The quirky On the road to Mandalay, & up-tempo Brazil provide lively contrast. The orchestration is lush and complements his voice perfectly. The remastered CD benefits from 3 similarly themed bonus tracks including Chicago. Press play, lie back & fly with 'The Voice'. Bliss!

CD-Charts Position 23
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Complete 1938 Carnegie Hall plus other 1950's material

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Benny Goodman

Release Date October 16, 2006
Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert was a major event, not least for the prestigious nature of the venue, but it was recorded almost as an afterthought, and first saw the light of day over a decade later. It was reissued by Avid in their Gold Remasters series, and is now repackaged as part of a 4-CD set, with a total running time of over 5 hours. The quality of the remastering is quite superb, with a degree of clarity and a spacious acoustic which makes prolonged listening effortless. Hearing these performances again, I was struck by the sense of occasion that is conveyed by the presence of the very appreciative audience. The Concert now includes the full-length jam session on "Honeysuckle Rose", and "Sometimes I'm Happy" together with "If ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 24
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Josef Locke: Hear My Song

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
from: EMI

Release Date April 27, 1992
Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert was a major event, not least for the prestigious nature of the venue, but it was recorded almost as an afterthought, and first saw the light of day over a decade later. It was reissued by Avid in their Gold Remasters series, and is now repackaged as part of a 4-CD set, with a total running time of over 5 hours. The quality of the remastering is quite superb, with a degree of clarity and a spacious acoustic which makes prolonged listening effortless. Hearing these performances again, I was struck by the sense of occasion that is conveyed by the presence of the very appreciative audience. The Concert now includes the full-length jam session on "Honeysuckle Rose", and "Sometimes I'm Happy" together with "If ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 25
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The Essential

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Charlie Parker

Release Date April 26, 2004
I must admit I hadn't heard much Charlie Parker before buying this album as an introduction to bebops founder and one of the world's finest saxophonists to date. After listening to both CD's in this double set right through various times I was addicted and I'm sure I shall buy much more of his work very soon. Many of the bebop enthusiasts I know agreed that the choice of song's on this album were very well selected and clearly outline the saxophonists different stages in his musical career. I recommend this album to diehard bebop fans and everyone else alike either to hear the amazing musicianship, unpressedented composing skills or just to know where every musician in the world hs gained some kind of influence. Pure Genious!!!

CD-Charts Position 26
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Complete at Newport

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Duke Ellington

Release Date May 17, 1999
The reviews below are, IMO, pretty churlish for what is one of the great live albums of all time, in -any- genre.

The original 'Ellington at Newport' LP consisted of the legendary Diminuendo/Crescendo In Blue performance (of which more in a bit), plus some re-recorded stuff with overdubbed applause, a shoddy and largely faked document of what was reportedly one of the stonkingest live gigs in history. The Columbia team have hunted down the original tapes and reconstructed the entire concert, bum notes and all. (The bum notes were the reason why Columbia insisted on Ellington rerecording a lot of the stuff in the studio a few days later. This CD includes the re-recordings, but restores the original performances, so nobody feels ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 27
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The Essential Collection - British Dance Bands

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Various Artists

Release Date August 21, 2006
when i ordered this double c.d for such a low price i was;nt quite sure what i would be getting but i was pleasently surprised. to get 50 briliant recordings played & sung by an array of top class artists lasting 2 and a half hours is real value for money.

CD-Charts Position 28
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Big Swing Face

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: The Buddy Rich Big Band

Release Date July 08, 1996
"Big Swing Face" is one of Buddy's more popular albums, and I would certainly describe it as a classic. I first heard Buddy Rich when I was a kid when an older cousin of mine played me some of his LPs. Needless to say, I was mesmerised, and spent the next four decades of my life as a drummer.

This CD version also contains tracks that are not on the original LP release, which I still own. Even today, this recording remains one of my all-time favourite Rich albums. You can really feel the atmosphere of the gig, and the band just groove so well. His music crossed categories, and attracted a huge audience, and even if you're not into jazz, or drumming for that matter, you will love this album.

I was fortunate enough to see the Buddy Rich Big ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 29
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Carnegie Hall January 16th 1938: the Complete Concert

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Benny Goodman

Release Date October 02, 2006
When Benny Green appeared at New York's famed Carnegie Hall on 16th January 1938 it was the first occasion a jazz orchestra had played its rarified environs - previously the exclusive home of classical music. However, Goodman's increasing popularity ensured a sell-out performance, leaving no doubt that the growing swing dance band craze should no longer be ignored.

Recording the concert was almost an afterthought but despite the availability of relatively crude technology, the outcome was acceptable. However, the filed acetates were not rediscovered until 1950 when their transfer to vinyl resulted in a million-plus selling album-set. The lost back-up aluminium masters were finally located in 1998 and formed the basis for a CD set released by Sony the following ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 30
Average Rating:

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Washington D.C. 1948

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Charlie Parker

Release Date June 23, 2008
When Benny Green appeared at New York's famed Carnegie Hall on 16th January 1938 it was the first occasion a jazz orchestra had played its rarified environs - previously the exclusive home of classical music. However, Goodman's increasing popularity ensured a sell-out performance, leaving no doubt that the growing swing dance band craze should no longer be ignored.

Recording the concert was almost an afterthought but despite the availability of relatively crude technology, the outcome was acceptable. However, the filed acetates were not rediscovered until 1950 when their transfer to vinyl resulted in a million-plus selling album-set. The lost back-up aluminium masters were finally located in 1998 and formed the basis for a CD set released by Sony the following ... Read More: