George Olsen and His Music..Beyond the Blue Horizon.. 24 original mono recordings 1923 - 1933

For fans of 1920's music!  24 original mono recordings 1923 - 1933

George Olsen (originally from Oregon, USA) went from being drum major of the University of Michigan marching band to leading successful pit orchestras for some of the most famous Broadway musical productions of the 1920s. He appeared in numerous Ziegfield follies, George White scandals, etc. His orchestra began recording for Victor records in 1924 and soon became a rival to the top-rated orchestras of Paul Whiteman and Fred Waring. Olsen's most successful recording was the 1925 smash hit, "Who?", and was followed by many others including, "Lucky Day", "Do Do Do", "Varsity Drag", and "Doin' the Racoon". Olsen appeared in the Eddie Cantor talking picture, Whoopee, in 1930. He also was Jack Benny's first orchestra leader when Benny began his weekly show on radio in 1931.

Olsen's recordings were generally up-tempo renditions of Broadway or other popular tunes. The arrangements were complex, musically "busy", and featured a rotation of lead instruments on repetitions of the main theme, driven by a relentless rhythm section of the "boom-chick" variety. The music reflects and embodies the carefree spirit and hyperactivity of the "jazz age". The vocals are remarkably good and surprisingly understated, for the period. The lead singer was usually Fran Frey who had an unpolished-but-effective-and-charming, relaxed, baritone delivery. (Frey was later musical director for the Ice Capades.) Other songs were tastefully and satisfactorily performed by a vocal trio. Several songs on this CD were sung by Olsen's wife, Ethel Shutta, who had an almost angelic, ethereal, soprano voice.

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The Essence of Jazz Vocals...various artists

The roots of jazz music were very much vocal, with field hollers and ceremonial chants, but while the blues maintained a strong vocal tradition, with singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith heavily influencing the progress of American popular music in general, early jazz bands only featured vocalists periodically, albeit those with a more "bluesy" tone of voice; one of the first "jazz" recordings, the 1917 Original Dixieland Jass Band recordings featured one Sarah Martin as vocalist.

It was Louis Armstrong who established singing as a distinct art form in jazz, realising that a singer could improvise in the same manner as an instrumentalist, and along with American vocalist Adelaide Hall they established scat singing as a central pillar of the jazz vocal art.

The entrance of Billie Holiday into the world of jazz singing in the early 1930s was a revelation. She approached the voice from a radical angle, explaining, in her own words,"I don't feel like I'm singing, I feel like I'm playing the horn." Compared to other great jazz singers, Holiday had a rather limited vocal range of just over an octave. Where Holiday's genius lay, however, was to compensate for this shortcoming, with impeccable timing, nuanced phrasing, and emotional immediacy, qualities admired by a young Frank Sinatra.

With the end of prohibition in the United States, a more "danceable" form of jazz music arose, giving birth to the Swing era, and with it big bands such as those led by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmie Lunceford, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw and Chick Webb. Many of the great post war jazz singers sang with these bands in the infancy of their careers.

With the end of the Swing era, the great touring Big bands of the past decade were no longer a viable option, and the demise of the typical big band singer was further complicated by the advent of be-bop as a creative force in jazz. The rise of be-bop saw a new style of jazz singer, one who could match instrumentalists for sheer technical skill, and this was evident in Ella Fitzgerald's rise to fame, the art of jazz singing was elevated to even higher rankings, allowing the notion of "free voice" to exist, giving instrumental qualities to the voice through timbres, registers and tessitura.

This 44 track compilation showcases the cream of the jazz vocalists from the 30s, 40s and 50s including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Ivie Anderson, Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee and many more........

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Ivie Anderson (with Duke Ellington Orchestra)...It Don't Mean A Thing

Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (July 10, 1905 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. She is best known for her performances with Duke Ellington's orchestra between 1931 and 1942. Anderson, was born in Louisiana. With a sweet, clear singing voice, she was a popular attraction with Ellington's band. Her performance of "Stormy Weather" in the movie short Bundle of Blues (1933) was only eclipsed by the later and far better-known version sung by Lena Horne in Horne's movie that was also entitled Stormy Weather (1943).

Over Ellington's long career as bandleader, his indifference toward vocalists changed with the hiring of Anderson, who was generally considered the best vocalist he ever employed. She also appeared as a singer in the Marx Brothers movie A Day at the Races (1937) and the same year in Hit Parade of 1937 (as Ivy Anderson).

Distinguished Jazz critic Nat Hentoff described Anderson as 'easily the sensitive and musical female vocalist Ellington ever had'. She 'sang with a simplicity ... so artless that she is ... remarkably neglected in ... writings about jazz.' She 'sang with a supple warmth and caressing beat that made her one of the unforgettable voices in Jazz.' He also calls her 'direct, completely unpretentious and ungimmicked'

There are many who regard Ivie Anderson as The Duke's best vocalist, and this compilation can only reinforce that belief. It covers the period of her career with Ellington, from 1932 when she first recorded with him, to 1942 when she gave up touring, and throws in for good measure her 1946 recording of Empty Bed Blues. She melded perfectly with the orchestra, establishing herself in a predominantly male clique, and was adored by musicians and audiences alike. As with all the best singers, her personality radiates from the recordings, be they exuberant up-tempo numbers like "Truckin'" or melancholy numbers like "Troubled Waters".

This very generous 26 track compilation is a joy to listen to. Recommended without reservation.

Ivie Anderson

Harry James and His Orchestra..original live radio broadcasts

Harry James was, along with many other more well known artists of the WWII era, (i.e. Glenn Miller,Tommy Dorsey) a pioneer of swing in its rawest form. The basic foundations of his blues inspired compositions have been the baseboard of jump jivin' dance hall swing that is heard all over the radio today and emulated by modern artists such as the Stray Cats and a myriad of Rockabilly groups heretofore and everything in between.

James took this genre to the nth degree, and went all over the map with it, but never becoming blase or redundant. He had an inimitable knack for composing low-slung bluesy trumpet laden instrumentals right alongside jazz infused swinging jump jive. James' music inspired more than this wonderful musician was ever given credit for, and any lover of the swing era would be amiss to not listen to, and discover what this amazing musician gave to us.

This 22 track collection features some of his live radio big band recordings with guest vocalists.

Harry James

                                       

The Very Best of Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong, Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes.

Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general.

This 40 track collection highlights some of his most memorable performances..

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The Legendary Big Band Singers...various artists

This 1994 release comes from the Jazz label GRP Records(GRP became an abbreviation for Great Records Period). With one exception, the opening track by Cab Calloway which was recorded in 1931 on the Brunswick label, it covers a wide range of Decca recordings artists from 1936 to 1951, some of the tracks are quite rare. The line-up on this collection speaks for itself. All the greats are here giving an insight to the talent that was available to the big bands of the era.

1. Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway
2. Thanks A Million - Louis Armstrong
3. The Melody Man - Sy Oliver
4. Until The Real Thing Comes Along - Pha Terrell
5. Wham - June Richmond
6. Sent For You Yesterday - Jimmy Rushing
7. Sing For Your Supper - Helen Humes
8. Vol Visit Du Gaily Star - Bon Bon
9. Blues To The Lonely - Jack Teagarden
10. Green Eyes - Helen O'Connell & Bob Eberle
11. Hootie Blues - Walter Brown
12. Trouble In Mind - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
13. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street - Ella Fitzgerald
14. Blues In The Night - Woody Herman
15. You Always Hurt The One You Love - Kay Starr
16. Blow Top Blues - Dinah Washington
17. Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop - Lionel Hampton
18. I Wish I Knew - Little Johnny Scott
19. Since I Fell For You - Ella Johnson
20. What Will I Tell My Heart - Arthur Prysock

TLBBS

The Best of The Mills Brothers

The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed as The Four Mills Brothers, were an American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century who made more than 2,000 recordings that combined sold more than 50 million copies, and garnered at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

1. You Always Hurt The One You Love
2. Lazy River
3. Someday
4. Paper Doll
5. Put Another Chair At The Table
6. Dedicated To You
7. Georgia On My Mind
8. F.D.R Jones
9. Lazy Bones
10. Sweet Georgia Brown
11. Stardust
12. Limehouse Blues
13. Love Bug Will Bite You
14. It Don't Mean A Thing
15. Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland
16. Pennies From Heaven
17. Dinah
18. Shine
19. Shoe Shine Boy
20. Nagasaki
21. Some Of These Days
22. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree
23. Across The Alley From The Alamo
24. I'll Be Around
25. Goodbye Blues

Mills Brothers

Scott Joplin ... The All-Time Ragtimer

Scott Joplin (1867–1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.

Joplin's music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album of Joplin's rags recorded by Joshua Rifkin, followed by the Academy Award–winning movie "The Sting", which featured several of his compositions, such as "The Entertainer". The opera "Treemonisha" was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

This 35 track compilation features the finest Ragtime numbers from the legendary composer including "Maple Leaf Rag", "Elite Syncopations" and "The Entertainer".

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The Comedy Harmonists..Whistle While You Work..Original 1929-1938 Recordings

This vocal group personifies the term "nostalgia". With their five part harmonies they captured the essence of their era and this compilation brings together some of their finest moments.


The Comedian (aka Comedy) Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II. The group consisted of Harry Frommermann (tenor buffo), Asparuh "Ari" Leschnikoff (first tenor), Erich Collin (second tenor), Roman Cycowski (baritone), Robert Biberti (bass), and Erwin Bootz (pianist).

The hallmark of the Comedian Harmonists was its members' ability to blend their voices together so that the individual singers could appear and disappear back into the vocal texture. Its repertoire was wide, ranging from the folk and classical songs arranged by Frommermann to appealing and witty popular songs of the day by writers such as Peter Igelhoff, Werner Richard Heymann and Paul Abraham (composer).

In 1927, unemployed actor Harry Frommermann was inspired by The Revelers, a jazz-influenced popular vocal group from the United States, to create a German group of the same format. According to Douglas Friedman's 2010 book "The Comedian Harmonists" in August 1929 both groups appeared on the same bill at the Scala in Berlin and became good friends. Frommermann held auditions in his flat on Stubenrauchstraße 47 in Berlin-Friedenau, and, once the group was assembled, it quickly began rehearsals. After some initial failures, the Harmonists soon found success, becoming popular throughout Europe, visiting the United States, and appearing in 21 films.

Comedy Harmonists

Berlin, Gershwin, Porter ... The Gold Collection

Disc 1
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning (Irving Berlin)
Puttin' On The Ritz (Fred Astaire)
Cheek To Cheek (Ginger Rogers)
Let Me Sing And I'm Happy (Al Jolson)
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Dick Powell)
A Couple Of Swells (Fred Astaire) (Judy Garland)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (Benny Goodman)
Blue Skies (Frank Sinatra)
Heat Wave (Marilyn Monroe)
Doing What Comes Naturally (Betty Hutton)
White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
How Deep Is The Ocean? (Ethel Merman)
Mandy (Fats Waller)
Fascinatin' Rhythm (Fred Astaire) (George Gershwin)
Embraceable You (Sarah Vaughan)
S' Wonderful (Gene Kelly)
Summertime (Paul Robeson)
Love Is Here To Stay (Nat King Cole)
Porgy (Billie Holiday)
Someone To Watch Over Me (Ella Fitzgerald)
Disc 2
Rhapsody In Blue (George Gershwin)
Liza (Al Jolson)
Do It Again (Marilyn Monroe)
Swanee (Judy Garland)
Somebody Loves Me (Doris Day)
The Man I Love (Sophie Tucker)
I Got Rhythm (Fats Waller)
Anything Goes (Cole Porter)
Begin The Beguine (Frank Sinatra)
From This Moment On (Judy Garland)
I Get A Kick Out Of You (Ethel Merman)
Just One Of Those Things (Ella Fitzgerald)
Let's Do It (Rudy Vallee)
Night And Day (Billie Holiday)
I Am In Love (Nat King Cole)
I Love Paris (Louis Armstrong)
I've Got You Under My Skin (Steve Lawrence)
My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Marilyn Monroe)
I've Got You On My Mind (Fred Astaire)
You're The Top (Cole Porter)

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reposting of links

Dear visitor, I am currently in the process of reposting some of the links on this blog. If you try to download a sample file and the message from the file server comes up as "permission denied", please leave a comment against the post and I will update accordingly. Thanks for your patience and understanding..cheers...Marty

Edith Piaf .... Die großen Chansons

The legend of Edith Piaf lives on and there has been much said and written about her. The voice, the songs, the performances are all unforgettable and these are what have made her eternal.

This collection brings together 18 of her finest moments. Enjoy.....

EdPfDGC

Cafe De Paris...25 Grands Succes Francais

25 Vintage classics of the 1930s and 1940s from France featuring the cream of French artists including Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, Jean Sablon, Tino Rossi, Josephine Baker and Maurice Chevalier....tres magnifique!!

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That's What I Call Sweet Music: American Dance Orchestras of the 1920s

This compilation of 1920's American dance music features long-forgotten artists such as Paul Sprecht, Red Nichols' Stompers, Rudy Vallee and others playing some truly infectious jazzy numbers that once comprised popular music in the U.S.A. Sure, some of the lyrics are corny, but the playing is consistently great (and the sound quality respectable). It's hard not to get nostalgic hearing these bygone numbers that blend big band, orchestral, and novelty music. As Robert Crumb states in the gorgeously illustrated liner notes, "what you hear on this CD is the good-time, social music of a vanished urban civilization, a lost world of smokestack factories, clanging trolley cars--and everybody wore hats!" True enough. --Jason Verlinde (Amazon)

1. That's What I Call Sweet Music, played by Paul Specht and his Orchestra, recorded on Jan 14, 1929

2. Make My Cot Where The Cot-Cot-Cotton Grows, Red Nichols' Stompers, Oct 26, 1927

3. Be My Baby, Blue Steele and his Orchestra, Feb 8, 1928

4. I'm The Last Of The Red Hot Mammas, Herman Kenin and his Ambassador Hotel Orchestra, Apr 26, 1929

5. Hy Honey's Lovin' Arms, Ray Miller and his Orchestra, Oct 2, 1927

6. 'Leven-Thirty Saturday Night, Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra, Apr 18, 1930

7. I'm Bringing A Red, Red Rose, George Olsen and his Music, Dec 6, 1928

8. Do Something, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Apr 9, 1929

9. Wedding Bells, Fred Rich and his Orchestra, Feb 19, 1929

10. St. Louis Blues, Leroy Smith and his Orchestra, Feb 23, 1928

11. Sing Song Girl, Leroy Shield and the Victor Hollywood Orchestra, Sep 26, 1930

12. Sweet Ella May, Earl Hines and his Orchestra, Feb 13, 1929

13. The One That I Love Loves Me, Rudy Vallee and his Connecticut Yankees, Apr 1, 1929

14. Aristocratic Stomp, Paul Tremaine and his Aristocrats, Oct 2, 1929

15. Buy, Buy For Baby, Ben Pollack and his Park Central Orchestra, Oct 15, 1928

16. Hum And Strum, 'Doc' Cook and his 14 Doctors of Syncopation, Mar 30, 1928

17. Give Your Little Baby Lots Of Lovin', Anson Weeks and his Hotel Mark Hopkins Orchestra, Jan 28, 1929

18. That's What Puts The Sweet In Home Sweet Home, Jean Goldkette and his Orchestra, Nov 21, 1928

19. Singin' In The Rain, Gus Arnheim and his Orchestra, Apr 28, 1929

20. The Pay Off, California Ramblers, Feb 10, 1928

21. My Little Old Home Down In New Orleans, Tal Henry and his Orchestra, Dec 5, 1928

22. Oh, You Have No Idea! Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, May 23, 1928

23. She's A Great, Great Girl, Hal Kemp and his Orchestra, Mar 7, 1928

24. Happy Days And Lonely Nights, Charlie Fry and his Million Dollar Pier Orchestra, Jun 5, 1928

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(updated 03/2021)

Another Stroll Down Memory Lane...various artists

A 40 track collection of hits from the 40's and 50's. Artists include Johnny Ray, Teresa Brewer, The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, Victor Silvester, Patti Page, Glenn Miller, Frankie Lane, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Nat King Cole and many more......

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Music Suggested by Woody Allen's Movies

Many of Woody Allen's movies have a nostalgic theme or story to them and Woody incorporates the appropriate or relating music to the soundtrack. This 22 track collection has classics from the 30's and 40's from Harry James, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra, Carmen Miranda, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, Dooley Wilson, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Webb and Benny Goodman.

ORMSBWAM

Nipper's Greatest Hits - The 30's Volume 1...20 nostalgic tracks by various artists

20 track compilation of classic nostalgic hits featuring the cream of artists of the day including Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier, Fred Astaire, Cab Calloway, Hoagy Charmichael, Cole Porter, Mae West, Fats Waller, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Bunny Berrigan and more. 

These essential recordings of the 1930's show America's attitude towards the state of the nation with Bing Crosby's Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams and Fred Astaire's We're in the Money , but also highlight the birth of jazz with Fats Wallers' Honeysuckle Rose and Bunny Berigan's I Can't Get Started with You.

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So Rare...various artists collection 1930's to 1940's..as selected by Barry Humphries

A selection by actor Barry Humphries of his favourite gramophone records

The first post of this blog is a 46 track collection of hits and classics from the 1930's and 1940's with artists including Fred Astaire, Rudy Vallee, Hildegarde, Dick Powell, The Comedy Harmonists and more...

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