 | Bix 'N' Bing by Paul Whiteman
Buy used from: $25.34 The brilliant coronetist Bix Beiderbecke teamed up with Paul Whiteman's "jazz" orchestra and backed up the swingin' vocals of Bing Crosby & the Rhythm Boys. Pop music at its best -- a true essential!
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 | Tidal Wave by Fletcher Henderson
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $3.68 Surprisingly clear-sounding collection of this great bandleader's recordings from the early '30's. Your toes'll be tappin'!
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 | It's You by The Boswell Sisters
Buy used from: $4.98 Go back in time, before the Andrews Sisters, and hear where female, three-part harmony (with a beat) all began. These girls had the "Heebie Jeebies" all right, and then some!
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 | Begin The Beguine by Artie Shaw
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $2.13 Clarinetist & big band leader Artie Shaw had an ear for talent: Billie Holiday, Tony Pastor, Buddy Rich, Helen Forrest... they're all here in a dazzling array of exotic swing. Thrilling!
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 | The OKeh Ellington by Duke Ellington
Buy new: $15.93 / Used from: $6.63 Before Ellington was known for "sophisticated" big band jazz, he was decidedly on the hotter side. Here he is with a gallery of great jazz players, and music for partying 'til the rooster crows!
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 | Bug Music: Music Of The Raymond Scott Quintette, John Kirby & His Orchestra, And The Duke Ellington Orchestra by Don Byron
Buy new: $18.98 / Used from: $2.68 One of several items on this list from contemporary artists looking back. This CD is loads of fun, and full of surprising twists and turns.
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 | The Essential Louis Armstrong by Louis Armstrong
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $12.45 Impossible to pick the best from an artist whose career was so long and fruitful. This double CD is a great place to start; hear his full range and then go find some more!
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 | Souvenirs by Django Reinhardt With Stephane Grappelli With the Quintet of the Hot Club of France
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $6.94 Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelly & The Quintet of The Hot Club of France. Blazing guitar & sizzling violin: 'nuff said!!!
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 | Sugar by Leon Redbone
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $8.28 That guy who looks like Frank Zappa, and who keeps the lazy blues and jazz of the '20's and '30's alive. All of his albums are fine, but this one is at the top of my Leon Redbone playlist.
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 | The Collection by Bessie Smith
Buy used from: $2.18 This is not THE collection (it would never be this short), but it's a nice place to begin. There was only one Bessie Smith; all good female jazz and blues singers owe a major debt to her.
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 | Hawaiian Steel Guitar Classics: 1927-1938 by Various Artists
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $6.48 Read the 5-Star reviews of this fabulous collection. I didn't write one because other customers said it all. This has been a favorite in my CD collection for over ten years! I revisit it often.
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 | Devil's Slide by Bob Brozman
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $14.97 Contemporary National Guitar virtuoso, expert & collector, Bob Brozman is practically a vintage music genius. Why isn't this guy more famous? Another of my very favorite CD's.
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 | Cocktail Hour by The Andrews Sisters
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $2.93 Listen to the syncopated drum 'n' horn break in "Joseph! Joseph!" and tell me if you can't keep still! No wonder these cool swingsters were (and are) popular with young, old and everyone in between!
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 | Jazz by Ry Cooder
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $5.00 Ry Cooder has stuck his fingers in just about every musical pie there is, and almost always with taste, style and class. Here, even the racist "Shine" emerges gracefully from its questionable past.
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 | Stardust Melody by Hoagy Carmichael and Friends
Buy used from: $1.65 "The Great American Songbook" would be missing a crucial chapter without the songs of Hoagy Carmichael. This is a fine intro., with Hoagy, & other major stars, performing Carmichael's classic tunes.
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 | Hit That Jive Jack: The Earliest Recordings by Nat King Cole
Buy used from: $4.67 The sound quality on some of these tracks is mirky, but this CD of historic music will be a revelation to those who only know Nat the crooner. He played a mean piano, too! Vital.
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 | Are You Hep to the Jive? by Cab Calloway
Buy used from: $2.74 He's been dissed as campy and embarrassing to his race, but such estimates miss the point. In his time, this cat was hotter than a firecracker in mid-explosion. ENTERTAINING is the word!
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 | And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine by Anita O'Day
Buy used from: $2.70 Anita O'Day's early years with Gene Krupa, Stan Kenton and others are continuously being rediscovered by the younger generations. She had the jazz chops of a swingster, & the heart of a rock'n'roller!
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 | The Complete Recordings by Robert Johnson
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $6.75 Like Bix Beiderbecke's, this one short lifespan was packed with the accomplishments of ten! Many serious blues, jazz and rock artists have been inspired by this music.
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 | Vintage Collections Series by Tex Williams
Buy used from: $10.00 Nevermind Bob Wills; this guy REALLY had it goin' on! Now, I don't dispute Wills' greatness, but there were just too many "aaauw-haw"'s. There's much more variety in THIS western swing bonanza.
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 | The Inevitable by Squirrel Nut Zippers
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $3.75 Betty Boop meets the Bonzo Dog Band. Okay, so that's an odd description, and maybe not entirely accurate, but this freaky music is hard to put in one box. Serious musicianship, but FUNNY.
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 | You Ain't Talkin' to Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music by Charlie Poole
Buy new: $22.97 / Used from: $28.00 This boxed set is superb! "If The River Was Whiskey" is as heartbreaking as "country" music (or blues) has ever been. THIS river runs DEEP!
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 | Stardust by Willie Nelson
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $4.86 These days, with every fading pop/rock star taking their own stab at "The Great American Songbook," it's hard to remember that Willie was one of the first (and best). Time to STOP, Rod!
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 | The Complete Recordings 1941-1947 by Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $12.30 Benny & Peggy! Was there ever a more perfect big band collaboration of clarinetist and vocalist? Seek out some DVD or video footage of Goodman & Lee together. FAB!
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 | White Country Blues, 1926-1938: A Lighter Shade Of Blue by Various Artists
Buy used from: $18.00 Back in the day there was something termed "race music," but whether on wax, in the clubs, or on the road, the walls separating black from white were artificial. Great double CD!
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