Édith Giovanna Gassion, known as Édith Piaf, was a French singer and lyricist. She is regarded as France's greatest popular singer and one of the most celebrated performers in the world. She is best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres.

One of the key turning points of Louis Armstrong's career occurred at the Town Hall concert fully documented on this two-CD set, a reissue of the earlier two-LP release. Armstrong, who had been leading a big band for 18 years, was showcased with some musical friends who were all very complementary players (including trombonist Jack Teagarden, clarinetist Peanuts Hucko and cornetist Bobby Hackett), and the results were so exciting that Armstrong soon broke up his orchestra to form a similar all-star sextet. The recording quality of some of the numbers from this concert is erratic but the magic of the music definitely comes through. Highlights include a few tunes on which Louis is backed by just a rhythm section (including "Cornet Chop Suey" and an emotional "Dear Old Southland"), definitive versions of "Ain't Misbehavin" and "Back O'Town Blues" and a memorable feature for Jack Teagarden on "St. James Infirmary." Recommended for all Louis Armstrong fans who wish to hear the real birth of his All-Stars.

Jimmy Witherspoon was either a blues singer who worked from a jazz perspective, or a jazz singer with blues tendencies, or most accurately, a blues singer who applied jazz rhythms to a gospel delivery, which makes him, in some ways, a less propulsive version of Ray Charles. This disc of his earliest recordings, most of them released on Modern Records, shows Witherspoon predominantly as a shouter, and he sounds like a man used to years of fronting a small jazz orchestra. In time his microphone technique would improve, and he learned how to let subtle nuances into his singing, working both ends of the hard/soft dynamic into his phrasing. But these tracks find him belting things out, and while that's effective, it also gets a little samey after a few songs, so it's songs like "Rain, Rain, Rain," which feature a more measured vocal style, that really stand out here…

For those of you who grew up listening to this music, then this collection is pretty darn special - to use the language appropriate for the time. It's special because these records are not the commercial releases of the day, but the transcriptions from radio broadcasts, etc, which have been remastered to a decent fidelity consistent with the original sound -which is to say it's not "muddy". In short, justice is done to this wonderful music including such gems asTo Each his Own by Eddy Howard; Rockin Chair by Alvino Ray; Jersey Bounce by Ozzie Nelson; Now is the Hour by Horace Heidi and dozens more. Much pleasure in this delightful issue.
Certain versions of WW II era songs have remained famous and are considered "classic." Mostly that's not what you get here - these are live performances, or performances by artists who had a moderate hit with a track, but not necessarily the top version…

This is an interesting album that is off the beaten path. The first thing that pops out is Norvo's pairing some of Benny Goodman's musicians with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, both of whom were controversial and in ways ostracized by 'mainstream' musicians in 1945. The liner notes on the original vinyl affirms that. Aside from being merely interesting this album also holds some importance - sufficient enough to merit mention on page 107 of Scott Yanow's excellent book titled Swing : Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion.

The last great country blues singer, with an easygoing style that worked well in settings from solo to guitar/piano duets to small rhythm sections.
Sam Hopkins was a Texas country bluesman of the highest caliber whose career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he never appreciably altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. Hopkins' nimble dexterity made intricate boogie riffs seem easy, and his fascinating penchant for improvising lyrics to fit whatever situation might arise made him a beloved blues troubadour.