CLASSIC SONGS OF RODGERS & HART / VARIOUS

CAREER ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1 1923-28

COLLECTION 1949-62

CAREER ANTHOLOGY VOL. 2 1929-40

AIN'T NOBODY'S BUSINESS: THE SINGLES COLLECTION

The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra - All The Hits And More 1928-35 [It's fascinating to hear two such fine musicians and leaders in collaboration] Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were both highly successful musicians and bandleaders during the early jazz and swing eras, but for a few years during the early part of their careers they had a joint enterprise called The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, which was hugely popular and successful, racking up 25 hits in the space of eight years from 1920s into the '30s. Maybe inevitably, as two strong-minded personalities, they had a falling-out, and went their separate ways to have long and illustrious careers into the 1950s. This 72-track 3-CD collection comprises selected A&B sides from their releases on the Okeh, Banner Harmony, Melotone, Columbia, Brunswick, Vocalion and Decca labels from these years. It includes all their 27 hits from this era, including the No. 1s "Lullaby Of Broadway" and "Chasing Shadows", and the Top 5 entries "What A Difference A Day Made", "I Believe In Miracles", "You Are My Lucky Star" and "I've Got A Feeling You're Foolin'". There are many big names among their featured vocalists, and those with performances included in this collection are Scrappy Lambert, Bob Crosby, Ethel Waters, Bing Crosby, Mildred Bailey, Irving Kaufman, Kay Weber, Chick Bullock, Jean Bowes, Elmer Feldkamp and more. It's fascinating to hear two such fine musicians and leaders in collaboration, and this collection offers a substantial overview of their time together as well as a feast of early swing music.

NOTES FROM A JAZZ LIFE VOL. 4

Acrobat has devoted a number of collections to the blues guitarists and singers who represent what is known as the Piedmont school of blues - artists whose roots were in the region surrounding Atlanta, Georgia, and developed a fairly distinctive style of blues during the late 1920s and through the '30s, the best-known names including Blind Blake, Barbecue Bob, Blind Willie McTell, Josh White, Blind Boy Fuller and Buddy Moss. Curley Weaver was another prominent Piedmont bluesman, and an especially noted guitarist who was often invited to play on sessions with artists mentioned above, and whose recording career, albeit fitfully, extended through to 1950. This 50-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings under his own name for the Columbia, QRS, Okeh, Banner, Vocalion, Decca, Sittin' In With and Regal labels. It includes recordings which were duets with Eddie Mapp, Ruth Willis, Fred McMullen, Clarence Moore and Blind Willie McTell along with titles where he performed as a member of the Georgia Cotton Pickers alongside Barbecue Bob and Buddy Moss, and The Georgia Browns, and on which he accompanied Buddy Moss or Blind Willie McTell. It's a great showcase for a lesser-known blues luminary who nevertheless made a considerable contribution to the Piedmont sub-genre.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a gospel singer, songwriter and guitarist who was unique in her genre as the pioneer of performing gospel using an electric guitar, to the extent that many of her records and performances have been seen as early examples of rock 'n' roll, and she acquired the nicknames "the original soul sister" and "the Godmother of rock 'n' roll". Rock 'n' roll artists like Elvis Presley and Little Richard, and blues guitarists like Eric Clapton and Jeff beck cite her as an influence. This rocking 16 track LP includes releases with Lucky Millinder's Orchestra, duets with fellow gospel singer Marie Knight, and tracks where she is accompanied by The Sam Price Trio. Her work strayed into the mainstream R&B market, and this collection includes her US R&B hits "Strange Things Happening Every Day", "Precious Memories", "Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air" and "Silent Night" alongside single releases from her iconic album "Gospel Train". She was an artist who broke the mould of how gospel could be performed and this collection from a key era of her career is a substantial and entertaining showcase for her unique approach.

CLASSIC DECADE: THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1952-62

Mills Brothers - The Singles Collection Vol. 2 1947-60 - It's a representative overview of the second era of their career and is a fine showcase for their highly distinctive style of vocal harmonies. - FThe Mills Brothers were a pioneering vocal quartet, who performed in a jazz-flavoured barbershop style and were forerunners of the doowop groups of later years- they broke new ground as the first African-American group to have their own network radio show in the USA. In the course of their long career they made more than 2,000 recordings and had around 60 US chart entries. So prolific were that we have chosen to present their releases on 78s and 45s in two 4-CD sets, of which this is the second (Vol. 1 is ACQCD7185). This 108-track 4-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides from their releases on the Decca and Dot labels from 1947 through to 1960, with just about every release represented by at least one side. It features 27 chart hits, including the No. 1 "Glow Worm", and the Top 10 entries "Across The Alley From The Alamo", "I Love You So Much It Hurts", "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", "Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You)", "Daddy's Little Girl", "Nevertheless" and "Be My Life's Companion". It features recordings with Al Jolson, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee, and with the orchestras of Sy Oliver, Hal McIntyre and Owen Bradley. It's a representative overview of the second era of their career and is a fine showcase for their highly distinctive style of vocal harmonies.

Vinyl LP pressing. John Lee Hooker, known as "The King of the Boogie" and "the Boogie Man", was a true Blues icon. Quality rather than quantity is the key to Hooker's singular success. He did not have a huge number of hits in the R&B chart, but those that did make a major impact would provide some of the key musical architecture for future blues and rock artists. When he came to prominence in the late '40s, he was playing blues in a way that was regarded as somewhat spare, his dark repetitive vocals supported only by his amplified guitar and his stamping foot. His was no overnight stardom. Having paid his dues over many years, once he started recording, he did so prolifically. This fine collection of his earlier songs demonstrates Hooker's blues virtuosity while at the same time establishing his work as a signpost to a deeper understanding of the British Blues explosion. It features a host of early hits including the iconic No.1's "Boogie Chillen'" and "I'm In The Mood", alongside "Hoogie Boogie", "Hobo Blues", "Crawlin' King Snake", "Dimples", "No Shoes" and, naturally, the timeless "Boom Boom"

This 49-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings from sessions in the early 1950s at the dawn of the vinyl LP era. - Gene Ammons, often known as 'The Boss' was a jazz tenor saxophonist who was the son of the highly successful and influential boogie-woogie pianist of the 1930s and '40s, Albert Ammons. Gene's music was characterised by being a highly accessible and straightforward style of jazz, redolent with influences from blues, R&B and soul, bringing him hits in the US R&B chart, although he embraced the innovations of bebop and integrated it's techniques into his distinctive approach. He was very much a part of the soul jazz movement of the '60s which introduced the electric organ into the instrumentation. This 49-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings from sessions in the early 1950s at the dawn of the vinyl LP era. It includes tracks released on singles by the Prestige, Chess, Decca and United labels, plus titles from his early 10' albums on Prestige, 'Battle Of The Saxes' and 'Favourites Vols. 1, 2 & 3'. It includes his Top 10 R&B hits 'My Foolish Heart' and 'Jug' and a new version of his 1947 hit 'Red Top'. It features recordings with Sonny Stitt, Bill Massey, Jo Jones, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, Art Blakey, Matthew Gee, Charles Bateman, Eugene Wright, Wesley Landers, Junior Mance, Clarence Anderson, Teddy Stewart, J.J. Johnson and others. It's a great showcase for the trademark tone and texture of his playing, and an entertaining musical snapshot of his music during a key era of his career.

GOLDEN PIANOS OF FERRANTE & TEICHER: THE SINGLES

LEGENDARY 'HUTCH': THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1929-47

J'AI DEUX AMOURS: THE COLLECTION 1926-60

CAREER ANTHOLOGY: VOCALION & BLUEBIRD RECORDINGS

Bob Brookmeyer - The Brookmeyer Bands: Early Years 1954-56 - Bob Brookmeyer, born in 1929, was a jazz trombonist, a renowned exponent of the valve trombone, who came to the fore during the 1950s with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra and in the Stan Getz group, before starting his career leading his own bands, as well as playing with the likes of Gerry Mulligan, Clark Terry and others. His compositional style drew on contemporary classical writing, incorporating atonality, chromatic harmony and other techniques to develop distinctive themes and structures. This 32-track 2-CD set comprises the titles from several of his early albums, on which he is leader, co-leader or featured perfomer. They comprise "Teddy Charles New Direction Quartet feat. Bob Brookmeyer" on Prestige (later released on the Prestige LP "The Dual Role Of Bob Brookmeyer"), "Bob Brookmeyer Featuring Al Cohn" on Storyville, "The Bob Brookmeyer Quartet" on Pacific Jazz, "Bob Brookmeyer Plays Bob Brookmeyer" on Clef and "The Bob Brookmeyer Quintet" on Prestige (also part of "The Dual Role Of Bob Brookmeyer"). It features performances with Teddy Charles, Teddy Kotick, Ed Shaughnessy, Al Cohn, John Williams, Bill Anthony, Frank Isola, Henri Renaud, Jimmy Gourley, Red Mitchell, Jimmy Rowles, Buddy Clark, Mel Lewis and Jimmy Raney. Capturing him in the early years of his career, it's an enlightening introduction his music and an enjoyable showcase for distinctive style of playing and composing.

CLASSIC LIVE ALBUMS 1952-54

SOFTLY, SOFTLY: THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1954-62

CHRISTMAS 1956 BILLBOARD TOP 100 / VARIOUS

LET'S JUMP: SELECTED RECORDINGS 1944-51

TOUCH ME LORD JESUS: THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1949

EARLY YEARS: THE ALBUMS COLLECTION 1957-61

SITTIN' ON TOP OF THE WORLD: THE COLLECTION