Big Band & Swing: Best Sellers

Its title aside (which suggests that Hoagy Carmichael was a some distant forerunner of Jackson Browne or Dar Williams, a case that would be [more]

In 1964, Count Basie handed the reins of his band over to composer and arranger Billy Byers, purportedly to modernize his sound to the times. More accurately, Byers energized the band [more]

A sequel to Capitol's 2000 Classic Sinatra, 2009's Classic Sinatra II rounds up another 20 tracks from Sinatra's seminal '50s recordings for Capitol, adding the previously unreleased (and just fine)

The Collectables imprint's "Only the Best" series basically assembles several compilations together in a multi-disc package; compilations they've previously issued. In [more]

The Collectables imprint's "Only the Best" series basically assembles several compilations together in a multi-disc package; compilations [more]

In spite of his decades in the music business, pianist Hal Schaefer isn't exactly a household name. He has recorded sporadically under his own name, though he [more]

The history of Charlie Parker is well documented, so much so that most devotees of Bird's pioneering legacy undoubtedly have more than enough recordings to tell the tale. [more]

Playing piano-style single-note lines on his Hammond B-3 organ, Jimmy Smith revolutionized the use of the instrument in a jazz combo setting in the mid-'50s and early '60s with his [more]

Glen Gray broke up his Casa Loma Orchestra in 1950. Six years later he was persuaded by Capitol to gather together alumni along with some studio musicians to recreate some of his [more]

After a series of disappointments during the early days of his career, Glenn Miller's star rose rapidly in 1939, with a number of hit records and successful live [more]

Duke Ellington was widely recorded in concert over his many decades in jazz, but the discovery of a previously unreleased live tape from 1950, in surprisingly [more]

This is one of the best all-round sets by the Buddy Rich big band. The original Rich in London RCA LP, which contains nine selections, is augmented by four additional numbers from the [more]

Composer/conductor and trumpeter Neal Hefti honed his unmistakable swinging Middle of the Road (MOR) style after spending his formative years -- right out of high school -- in the company [more]

In a three-year period, Glenn Miller put together a serviceman's band, playing live concerts in the U.S. and Europe, and not only stretched his [more]

Drummer Michael Berkowitz brings back the sound of Gene Krupa and his orchestra on this intriguing set. Unlike too many of the swing big-band recordings [more]