Customer Reviews

Anthology of Big Band Swing (1930-1955)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, so you've acquired a small collection of recordings by the major big bands (Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, etc.), but you want to know where to go next. This 2-CD set is an excellent choice. Not a true anthology of the whole (first) swing era, since it is limited to what is in the MCA (Decca) vaults and most of the majors recorded for Victor (or its Bluebird label) or Columbia, but there are some great sides here done by many bands often overlooked today. Nowhere else are you going to find Don Redman, Noble Sissle, Teddy Powell and Lucky Millinder on one collection. All of these had hard-swinging bands which deserve to have more of their material released. Even the selections presented here from the major bands are ones you will be unlikely to encounter elsewhere. Glenn Miller did "Peg O' My Heart" long before he had achieved any following and before he had developed the 'Miller sound' (and yes, that's writer and good Miller friend, George T. Simon, sitting in on the drums). I usually pass on big band collections, since I find that I have too many of the same recordings already, but I jumped on this one. Sure, I have some of these on either LP or CD, but there are just too many good bands here. Great liner notes, too, so you can introduce yourself to some of the finest bands you probably never heard of before. (And there's Earl Hines, and Benny Carter, Isham Jones, and Mugsy Spanier, even the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, and ...)

Its Not often I come across a CD like this one. I am a Swing Dancer, and I dance the "Lindy Hop", a dance created in the 1930's on the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. I gave it five Stars because EVERY song on this compilation is Great. Unlike some other compilations, the songs are all good quality recordings. A compilation of Big Band Swing Hits means all songs are meant to have a 8 count rhythm, that's what the big band swing era and swing dancing was all about. (The CD set is appropriately titled). If you are expecting contemporary jazz this isn't it but even then you still may find yourself giving it a four star rating =]

This is a glorious collection. The cover art is indeed repugnant. And some of the recordings are a little hissy. But the performers sound pretty mean to me.

A good anthology covers the big numbers (though maybe not the biggest) and also uncovers mistakenly overlooked items. This does a good job on that, for the relative novice. And it also moderates between up-tempo and more relaxed performances, so it's not just constant swing. Another tip o' the hat--well-chosen selections. I had never heard of Lucky Millinder when I bought this, nor The Mills Blue Rhythm Band, nor the Casa Loma Orchestra. Those cuts alone made it worth the price--this stuff swings! And I found some new bands to investigate as well....never enough CDs on the shelf!

I found this collection almost perfect. How can anyone say Saratoga Drag doesn't swing....my shoulders gyrate and hips swivel. And I'm an old, non-dancing, rhythm-free guy. Thanks Decca!

This CD has the most wonderful classic swing tunes I have heard. As a matter of fact, it has tunes that you don't find anywhere else. I keep looking around to find out what the most popular CD's are, and this one is never on the list. Either the majority of people haven't heard this collection, or the swing world needs to be advised. Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen have done a wonderful job of producing this collection. Personally, I think this CD will provide a full set of danceable tunes. If you haven't heard it, you gotta' listen to it. Currently, I have about 25 swing CD's in my collection. I still keep playing this one again and again. It's one of the Best!!!

Strictly speaking, "swing" designates a style of performance in which the emphasis falls on the offbeat. Even so the term "big band swing" is a flexible one, and if your ideas about it center on the style of The Glenn Miller Orchestra you will likely be disappointed with this double disk collection, which ranges in tone from the strict tempos of the Deco era to the bop-inflected sounds popular in post-World War II America.

In the big band era, most popular ballrooms and dance clubs had a "house orchestra," and each strove to create a specific style that would set them apart in the highly competitive world of big band music--and overall this collection does a superior job of capturing both the broad differences and subtle nuances that made each band distinctly different from the rest, as well as giving the listener an overview of the form as it changed over time. Consequently, the selections here are not often the most popular, but rather most indicative.

The emphasis here is really more upon lesser known bands and then-popular but now forgotten releases, including such one-hit wonders as Casa Loma Orchestra, a house band that reached a brief popularity with the "Casa Loma Stomp." Even so, there are famous names aplenty, such as Duke Ellington, The Dorsey Brothers, Count Basie, Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Bennie Goodman, Artie Shaw--and yes, even the inescapable and to my mind slightly overrated Glenn Miller, to name but the most obvious.

Hardcore fans are likely to regret the absence of certain artists and certain tunes--my own complaint is that Cab Calloway is absent from the collection, and it is unfortunate that Artie Shaw is represented by "The Continental" instead of "Begin the Beguine." It is also true that the sound quality, particularly re recordings from the early 1930s, is sometimes problematic; this, however, is inevitable, for early recording techniques were a far cry from current standards. Even so, you'd have to go some to find a collection that so effectively captures the wide array of styles seen in big band music over the course of 25 years of popularity.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

While there was a renaissance of interest in swing in the 1990s, and while much of this was among a relatively younger --late 20s, 30s, 40s-- audience, swing CDs are increasingly out of print.
Decca and Brunswick recorded many important swing artists in the 1930s and 1940s, the period of focus in this collection.
We are fortunate that GRP has assembled a wide variety of performers on this collection. You have hot swing performers; and you also have more laid back performers such as Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra.
The music on this collection swings! --Even the Glen Miller track is up-beat.
Some reviews in the discographical literature kvetch about the quality of anthologies. They always expect something more: more concentration on the major figures, more obscure tunes instead of hits. This collection definitely meets the bill; but the complainers might be disappointed that few artists are represented more than once. Count Basie is a worthy exception of course. If you liked what you heard in Ken Burns' "Jazz" series, you should get this collection. Given the shrinking amount of swing that is available these days, I would even recommend that "serious" collectors also get this one. Many of the artists here are unavailable in their own recordings.
Nearly all of the tracks are arranged in chronological order. In addition, there is a booklet of commentary that is so long, it hardly fits in the case.
My one disappointment was that there are no tracks with vocalists. For great swing with vocalists I would recommend that you pursue the Columbia (SONY) "His Great Vocalists" collections for Ellington, Basie or Goodman.

This is a wonderful jazz CD. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that many of the songs came from the same era, and therefore sound very, very similar in style, tempo, etc. But I definately reccomend it.

This is a nice anthologie which is not typical for it features lsser known bands and lesser known songs. It has Don Redman's classic Chant Of The Weed, a RARE Spud Murphey & His Orchestra track! This cd is pure swing at it's best. My wife & I are swing dancers and there is palnty here for lindy hopping, shag, balboa, and jitterbug. Fun msuic for dancing or listening. A great place to start and the 1st disc gives you a nice sampling of where swings roots come from...

It's not quite what I'd call an Anthology, but it's certainly a good collection. Each track is an excellent song and most of the major artists are represented. Not every track is danceable, for you swing dancers out there, but there's plenty of danceable numbers, including a couple you can practice your Bal-Swing to. Enjoyable collection.

I love this 2 CD set! I listen to them all the time. The tracks are ordered roughly chronologically, so the first is from when jazz was just getting started. The tracks are simpler compositions, but they still make you tap you feet or at least sit up and pay attention. I'd love to hear Bob Crosby's "South Rampart Street Parade" played by some marching bands. I think even high school kids could handle it.

The second CD has pieces from fuller bands. (I'm listening to it right now.) They are more from the era when Big Band was in it's heyday. One can picture these large ensembles blowing the windows out at some dance hall.

My only ding with this CD set is that they are all original recordings. I think some of these songs were played better after they were played for a few audiences. I have recordings of a couple of them played live where it's impossible to not get carried away.

If you like Big Band Swing or early jazz this is a MUST HAVE CD set.