Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Rockin' in Rhythm - Duke Ellington
2. House of David Blues - Fletcher Henderson
3. Saratoga Drag - Luis Russell
4. Savage Rhythm - Mills Blue Rhythm Band
5. Chant of the Weed - Don Redman
6. St. Louis Blues - The Dorsey Brothers
7. Rock and Rye - Earl Hines
8. Down South Camp Meeting - Fletcher Henderson
9. Avalon - Jimmie Lunceford
10. In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree - Claude Hopkins
11. Darktown Strutters' Ball - Tiny Bradshaw
12. Polka Dot Rag - Noble Sissle
13. Stompin' at the Savoy - Isham Jones
14. Peg O' My Heart - Glenn Miller
15. One O'Clock Jump - Count Basie
16. Casa Loma Stomp - Casa Loma Orchestra
17. South Rampart Street Parade - Bob Crosby
18. Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) - Chick Webb
19. Dunkin' a Doughnut - Andy Kirk
20. You Rascal You - Louis Armstrong

Disc 2:

1. Panassie Stomp - Count Basie
2. Transcontinental - Spud Murphy
3. Jamaica Jam - Teddy Powell
4. O. K. For Baby - Benny Carter, Benny Carter
5. Blues in the Groove - Jan Savitt
6. Murderistic - Jimmy Dorsey
7. Swingmatism - Jay McShann
8. Savoy - Lucky Millinder
9. Blue River - Jack Teagarden
10. Chicago - Muggsy Spanier
11. Fish Market - Roy Eldridge
12. Gambler's Blues - Stan Kenton
13. I've Got You Under My Skin - Woody Herman
14. Skyliner - Charlie Barnet
15. Million Dollar Smile - Lionel Hampton
16. Midriff - Duke Ellington
17. Bear Mash Blues - Erskine Hawkins
18. Continental - Artie Shaw
19. Blue Room - Tommy Dorsey
20. One O'Clock Jump - Benny Goodman

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47474 in Music
• Brand: Verve
• Released on: 1993-10-26
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .33 pounds

Customer Reviews

The Best Big Band Swing Compilation Around
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 one's next
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 ...)

Well, almost all of us agree
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!