Jazz Focus

Latest Episodes:

WETF Show - Texas Swing . .great bands of the 1930's from Texas . .Bob Dunn, Leon Chappelear, John Boyd Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

Not yet "Western Swing," this music is Texas Swing - musicians in the string band tradition who identified as Jazz players. Steel guitarist Bob Dunn, clarinetists John Harvey and Butch Gibson, saxophonist Earl Driver, pianist Landon Beaver, violinist Darrell Kirkpatrick and others play a range of jazz songs (mostly from the 1920's) with a relentless beat and great solos!

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WETF Show - Woody Herman 1949 Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

Live and studio recordings by the Second Herd, 2.0....Getz, Sims and Steward were gone, replaced by Gene Ammons, Jimmy Giuffre and Buddy Savitt, but Serge Chaloff is still there, along with Ernie Royal, Earl Swope, Lou Levy, Terry Gibbs, Shorty Rogers and a guest appearance by Nat "King" Cole - progressive 1949 big band music!

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Bill Boyd - Texas Swing 1935-38 Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Bill Boyd and His Cowboy Ramblers was really just a radio band . . Boyd would record using a floating personnel of whoever was available (much as did Lionel Hampton, Red Allen and Teddy Wilson in New York). Members of Roy Newman's band, the Modern Mountaineers and the Light Crust Doughboys appear on this subset of Boyd's huge discography from the period - slanted mostly towards jazz and pop music of the 1920's these records feature Knocky Parker and Smoky Wood on piano, Marvin Montgomery on banjo, Carroll Hubbard, Jesse Ashlock and J.R. Chatwell on violins and Butch Gibson on clarinet as well as Boyd's brother Jim on bass and vocals.

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WETF Show - Ted Lewis and the great clarinets! Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

The clarinet playing vaudevillian had very popular bands in the 1920's and 30's, but his playing was not it's feature - he would hire fine jazzmen such as clarinetists Don Murray, Jimmy Dorsey, Frank Teschemacher and Slats Long (and Benny Goodman, who we played on a previous show) as well as George Brunies and Muggsy Spanier . . great hot dance from 1928-1933.

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Go Harlem - Bingie Madison and His Orchestra with King Oliver, Clarence Williams and James P. Johnson Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Reed player Bingie Madison had a big band in 1930-31 in Harlem that never recorded under his name but which backed Oliver, Williams and Johnson on a series of sessions. Soloists include Madison on tenor sax, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Fred Skerritt on baritone sax, Henry "Moon" Jones on alto, Gene Rodgers on piano, Goldie Lucas on guitar and banjo, Richard Fullbright on bass and tuba, Bill Beason on drums, Jimmy Archey on trombone, Ward Pinkett and Bill Dillard on trumpets. Great transition between "Hot Dance" and the Swing Era!

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WETF Show - Art Pepper Quartet 1956, 1957 Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Two great quartet sessions for Aladdin featuring the alto player at the top of his game with either Russ Freeman or Carl Perkins on piano, Ben Tucker on bass and Chuck Flores on drums . . standards, blues and originals.

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Keynote trumpets - 1946 sessions for Keynote and Signature - Mannie Klein, Shorty Sherock, Jonah Jones, Clyde Hurley Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

Sessions for Keynote (and one for Signature) in 1946 . . Shorty Sherock (featuring Willie Smith, Corky Corcoran, Arnold Ross), Milt Hinton and His Orchestra (featuring Jonah Jones, Al Gibson, Tyree Glenn), Clyde Hurley (with Babe Russin, Murray McEachern, Tommy Todd, Dave Barbour), and Mannie Klein (with Russin, Skitch Henderson, George Van Eps). .late period swing by veterans of the era!

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WETF Show- Keynote Tenors . . sessions for Keynote led by Herbie Haymer, Corky Corcoran, Babe Russin, Ted Nash 1945-6 Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Great swing sessions for Keynote, mostly on the West Coast led by Herbie Haymer, Corky Corcoran, Babe Russin, Ted Nash in 1945-6. Also featuring Joe Thomas, Clyde Hurley, Emmett Berry, Heinie Beau, Willie Smith, Al Hendrickson, Jud DeNaut, Jackie Mills, Dave Barbour, Tommy Todd, Dodo Marmarosa, Allan Reuss, Arnold Ross, Nick Fatool and others.

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New Orleans Brass Bands - Bunk's Brass Band, George Lewis and the Original Zenith Brass Band Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Great brass band recordings for American Music (Bunk Johnson with Kid Shots Madison, George Lewis, Jim Robinson, Baby Dodds, Lawrence Marrero, Joe Clark, Isadore Barbarin and others) and Riverside (George Lewis with Kid Howard, Peter Bocage, Robinson, Dodds, Marrero, Barbarin, Joe Howard). .done in 1945 and 1946 in New Orleans

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WETF Show - Duke Ellington . . the Blanton/Webster band - live dates and transcriptions Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

The great 1940-41 Ellington band with Ben Webster and Jimmy Blanton (and Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Ray Nance, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, Tricky Sam Nanton, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Sonny Greer) doing live and radio transcription versions of the great tunes they recorded for RCA Victor.

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