VA - Jazz Inspiration: Big Band Jazz (2011)

Harlem rhythm, New Orleans brass quartets and Southern orchestras had been knocking on the doors of American popular music since its creation. By the 1900s, all three sounds combined in the heart of Tin Pan Alley and mainstream America. In the mid 1920s, dances such as the Fox Trot, The Shimmy, The Black Bottom and The Varsity were sweeping America. One dance in particular epitomized America during this decade: The Charleston. James P. Johnson wrote "Charleston" in a stride style, which stresses a strong "swinging" bass while moving in a "stride fashion" with a single treble melody. Stride music, introduced in 1924 with "The Charleston", combined Ragtime syncopation and the smooth progression of jazz with livelier upbeat rhythms and a swinging bass that helped usher in the next decade's genre.

Tracklist:

01. Count Basie & His Orchestra - The Kid From Red Bank (1994 Digital Remaster)
02. Duke Ellington - El Gato (Live)
03. Lennie Niehaus - It's All Right With Me (Live)
04. Gerald Wilson - Milestones (1989 Digital Remaster)
05. Buddy Rich Band - Mexicali Nose (Live)
06. Gil Evans - Manteca
07. Bobby Timmons - Chet
08. Oliver Nelson - River's Invitation
09. Duke Pearson - New Time Shuffle
10. Thad Jones - Ahunk Ahunk
11. Dizzy Gillespie - Be's That Way
12. Les Brown & His Band Of Renown - Mexican Hat Dance
13. Billy May & His Orchestra - Mad About The Boy (Instrumental)
14. Benny Goodman - Jersey Bounce (Instrumental)
15. Woody Herman - Woodchopper's Ball
16. Jonah Jones - Apollo Jumps