At the Jazz Band Ball

At the Jazz Band Ball

by Kevin McLaughlin

Music Commentary

Season 1

Early Louis Armstrong, 1923-1930.

Louis Armstrong's earliest recorded solos resonated with personality, charisma, and rhythmic swing — enough to transform both instrumental and vocal jazz. Featuring "Chimes Blues," "Snake Rag," "Heebie Jeebies," "Sugar Foot Stomp," "West End Blues," and many others.

Detroit Jazz Clubs, 1920s-40s

Detroit has a remarkable jazz tradition starting in the 1920s. Venues both palatial (Graystone, Fox, Club Plantation, Paradise) and small (Band Box, Palms) hosted great jazz. Featuring Jean Goldkette, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Chocolate Dandies, Earl Hines, and Billie Holiday.

Christmas Jazz, 1920s-40s

Jazz and blues music from the 1920s-40s. Featuring: Louis Prima, Jack Teagarden, Bessie Smith, Elzadie Robinson, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, and others.

Chicago Jazz Clubs, 1920s-40s

Chicago jazz and night clubs, from mob-protected speakeasies to the Dreamland Ballroom. Featuring: Joe King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, and Anita O'Day.

New York Jazz Clubs, 1920s-40s

New York dance halls, jazz clubs, and speakeasies, in 1920s-40s. What did people hear at the Cotton Club? Connie's Inn? Small's Paradise? How about the Ubangi Club? What did the Savoy Ballroom sound like? Music by Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Bentley, and others.

Bix Beiderbecke

On today's show we'll appreciate Bix Beiderbecke, a shy young man with a horn from Davenport, IA, who lived just 28 years (1903-1931). He played cornet lyrically and deliberately. We'll listen to several memorable recordings made during this remarkable, too-brief career.

W.C. Handy and Clarence Williams

This week, W.C. Handy and Clarence Williams as shapers of early jazz. Composer and bandleader, W.C. Handy introduced blues form as a standard feature in jazz music. As a promoter, Williams helped enable the careers of Black performers and gave voice to jazz through avenues of publishing and recording.

Jazz Guitarists, 1920s-1940s

This week we're listening to early jazz guitarists who faced individual and societal struggles, even resistance by the jazz world to their chosen instrument. Guitarists Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson, Nick Lucas, Big Bill Broonzy, Charlie Christian, and Django Reinhardt will be featured.

Jazz Pianists, 1920s-1940s

With performances of Earl "Fatha" Hines, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Stephanie Trick, and Dorothy Donegan we'll tickle some ivories — but only scratch the surface of — recorded piano delights from the 1920s through the 1940s.

Jimmie Lunceford

The Jimmie Lunceford band, in existence from the early 1930s to the late 1940s, was an extremely well-rehearsed and cohesive group. It was famous for for its sharp appearance onstage, its fancy showmanship and choreography—throwing and catching instruments and twirling mutes—their glee club style singing (everyone of its players could sing), and its danceable but extremely intricate rhythmic arrangements. For ten consecutive years, starting around 1934, the group's hit recordings sold in the hundreds of thousands, and was a favorite among black and white audiences.

4 of 5