Amazingly, many of the recordings guitarist Tampa Red made for RCA Victor and Bluebird in the '40s and early '50s never saw reissue until this 2015 double-disc by Ace. As John Broven points out in his rightly evangelical liner notes for Dynamite! The Unsung King of the Blues, CD-era reissues of Tampa Red usually began at the beginning, which for the guitarist meant 1934, and petered out by the late '40s, which is when Tampa Red eased away from hokum and into earthy guitar-and-piano blues that had substantial influence on the electric blues of the '50s. On Dynamite! The Unsung King of the Blues, the interaction between Tampa Red and his pianists Big Maceo Merriweather and, later, Maceo's protégé Little Johnnie Jones certainly points the way to the classic sound of Chicago blues - particularly when it's paired with a big, swinging drumbeat - and the bluesman's repertoire was also cherry-picked by B.B. King…

Throughout the 1950s, the concept of the instrumental track was wrestled away from the cloying strings of MOR orchestras and into the hands of screwdriver-wielding guitarists, sleazy saxophonists, primal garage bands and dance craze creators. The teenage generation demanded music with everything and non-vocal versions of the hits sat next to specially created rabble-rousing gems that transcended genres and styles. This was music where words were just not enough.

The rap on Sonny Stitt is that he was little more than an imitator of Charlie Parker, without a firm identity of his own. However, from the evidence of these early Stitt recordings - gathered together into a three-CD box - the first part of the rap doesn't quite ring true, though the second remains an open question. Stitt may have shared an occasional rhetorical turn or blindingly fast run with Bird - most tellingly on "S`Wonderful" - but definitely not his entire style. You can hear plenty of Lester Young influences on the tracks where he plays tenor sax, and many of the ballads preview the soulful inflections that would flourish when he joined the soul-jazz movement in the '60s. Moreover, aware of the Bird backlash, Stitt recorded the majority of these tracks on the tenor, with occasional sessions on the baritone and finally, about two-thirds of the way through the set, on alto…

There s nothing to compare to the sound of an amplified Hohner Marine Band harmonica in the hands (and mouth) of a master like Little Walter, Walter Horton, Snooky Pryor or Sonny Boy Williamson. All of them were just as adept with the unamplified specimen but the addition of electricity takes this miniscule instrument into a different realm. Many musicians heard here were disciples in one way or another of John Lee Williamson (the original Sonny Boy), who played his harp through a microphone in clubs but never recorded that way. The list of these men is a long one, including Billy Boy Arnold, Walter Mitchell, Doctor Ross, Forrest City Joe and Robert Richard, while Little Walter influenced younger men like Junior Wells, Jerry McCain, James Cotton and George Smith…

The Queen of the Blues was Alabama -born Ruth Lee Jones (1924-1963), who became, as “Dinah Washington”, “the most influential female singer of the last 40 years” (Jazz, The Rough Guide). With her utterly individual style she was hugely successful in the R& B field and, usually with a relaxed jazz backing, also gave countless memorable interpretations of popular standards. Queen Of The Blues also provides the title for Retrospective’s centenary tribute programme that contains no fewer than 52 of her very best recordings, spanning the entirety of her fabulous career (only curtailed by her premature death aged 39). Dinah was a natural jazz vocalist and many of the great jazz talents of the era shone in sessions led by such as Quincy Jones: Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson, Paul Quinichette, Paul Gonsalves… This centenary year is the time to get reacquainted with one of the great singers of the last century.

The compilers of this five-CD/cassette box set anthology, which contains 104 tracks and runs over six hours, have taken an inclusive, open-ended approach to both their selections and their sequencing. Unconventionally, the album is organized not chronologically, but thematically, in eight categories – "Steeped in the Blues," Straight out of Church," "Let's Have a Party," "Swinging the Songbook," "After Hours: Slow-Dancing and Torching the Songbook," "Jazz Compositions," and "Novelties and Take-Offs" (in other words, blues, gospel, dance, standards, slow standards, scatting and vocalese, and other). Annotator Robert G. O'Meally is quick to acknowledge that the categories are slippery, however, and to invite the listener to re-arrange the sequencing as he sees fit, a suggestion some may not appreciate.

"Let's Do It! 60 Years of Verve Records" is a compilation album released in 2016 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Verve Records, a label known for its rich catalog of jazz, pop, and blues music. This album features a collection of tracks by various artists who have been pivotal in shaping the label's legacy over the decades.

In 1939 Lewis Allan's song "Strange Fruit" was a focal point of Billie Holiday's performances, a grimly poetic evocation of lynching delivered with tremendous dramatic power. It was so pointed a protest, however, that Columbia refused to record it. Milt Gabler arranged to record it for Commodore, his independent jazz label, and when it was paired with the sensual "Fine and Mellow," it became Holiday's first hit record. This two-CD set includes all the takes from the 1939 and 1944 sessions, and they're some of Holiday's finest moments in the recording studio, combining first-rate material and sympathetic support that includes pianist Eddie Heywood, drummer Sid Catlett, and trombonist Vic Dickenson. Holiday's vocal and interpretive skills were seldom as beautifully balanced as they are here.

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 24, 2024 – Capitol Records and Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), in conjunction with Peggy Lee Associates, today release Peggy Lee: From the Vaults (Vol. 2), the second installment in the new digital series that features rare tracks currently unavailable on streaming platforms. Recorded for Capitol between 1948 and 1951, the 12 selections on From the Vaults (Vol. 2) include songs from stage and screen by American songbook giants Irving Berlin and Yip Harburg; a song co-written by jazz great Benny Carter; another by classical-popular composer Alec Wilder; and one co-written by Lee herself.

Music from King Gene And His Orchestra, Oscar McLollie & His Orchestra, Wini Beatty And Her Trio, Al "Stomp" Russell Trio, Ernie Lewis' All Stars, Joe Lutcher & His Orchestra, Maxine Reed, Johnny Creach Quintet, Sammy Franklin's Orchestra, Fran Harris & Her Four Friends, and more - 24 songs in all.

Dust Bowl Ballads is an album by American folk singer Woody Guthrie. It was released by Victor Records, in 1940. All the songs on the album deal with the Dust Bowl and its effects on the country and its people. It is considered to be one of the first concept albums It was Guthrie's first commercial recording and the most successful album of his career.

“Ornithology: The Best of Bird” is a new collection bringing together 11 cuts from legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. It covers the legendary artists prime Savoy Records years between 1945 and 1953, with cuts including “Ko-Ko,” “Billie’s Bounce,” and “Groovin’ High”. Featuring Dizzy Gillespie (piano and trumpet), Curley Russell (bass), Max Roach (drums), Miles Davis (trumpet), Bud Powell (piano), Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Charles Mingus (bass) and more!

Following on from the huge success of Ballroom Bonanza, Len returns with a brand new compilation in 2016, to feature his all-time favourite Crooners, Swooners and Big Band classics! This hand-picked compilation of songs in Len Goodman’s Crooners & Swooners is set to make anyone’s heart strings tingle and get toes tapping with the inclusion of tracks from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Bette Midler, Etta James and Barry Manilow, being sure to get more than a ‘seven!’. Known to millions as the Head Judge of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Len has sashayed his way to the top of the dance world. Beginning his dance life at the age of 21, he has gained years of vast knowledge and experience in Ballroom and Latin American dancing through teaching, competing and judging, making him a four-time British Champion. Len’s passion for dance and the music associated with it has been demonstrated in programmes made for BBC4 including Len Goodman’s Dance Band Days, Len Goodman’s Big Band Bonanza, Dancing Cheek to Cheek with Lucy Worsley and Dancing in the Blitz with Jools Holland and Lucy Worsley. Len has also appeared on BBC Radio 2 presenting his favourite music including some of the music featured in Strictly, those that influenced his life and include a variety of styles from Jazz to American Songbook to Pop.

Original 4 CD box set issued by The Smithsonian Collection of Recordings encompassing 1924 - 1968, including recordings from Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.

Le mouvement de La Bonne Chanson, initié par Théodore Botrel et l’Abbé Gadbois s’exprima comme la manifestation patriotique du Québec qui devait résister à l’envahissement culturel anglophone.
Conjugaison de la lutte pour la sauvegarde de la langue française et d’une présence ecclésiastique notoire, le genre défendant un retour aux sources s’est affirmé pendant des décennies comme le levier culturel francophone majeur d’un océan à l’autre. Martin Duchesne, gardien et spécialiste de l’histoire de l’enregistrement au Québec, donne à écouter sur 4 CD la centaine de titres qui constituent le panorama identitaire de ce mouvement musical du Canada francophone. Patrick Frémeaux & Claude Colombini.