An unusual CD uniting the complete 1961 stereo album "Blues Make Me Happy" with, as bonus tracks from 1956 to 1960, a dozen of the most atypical recordings that Cab ever made. Seven of the blues songs were on a 1992 mail order-only release, while the other 17 selections, including swing songs, ballads, inspirational, r&b, novelties, and even rock'n'roll, have never been on CD at all.

BEST OF BIG BANDS

THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC

The summer of 1945 marked a key moment in Calloway's career, as he performed at Caf� Zanzibar, a jazz hotspot in New York City. The broadcasts from this period capture the essence of Calloway's artistry, featuring beloved classics and innovative arrangements. His renditions of tracks like "St. Louis Blues" and "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby" showcase his flair for breathing new life into familiar material while pushing jazz's boundaries.

Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.

Principal cast includes: Pearl Bailey (Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi), Cab Calloway (Horace Vandergelder), Emily Yancy, Chris Calloway, Winston DeWitt Hemsley, Sherri Peaches Brewer, Mabel King, Morgan Freeman, Roger Lawson.

Recorded November 17, 1967.

BIG BAND CLASSICS (1931-1940)

A member of the Society for Jewish Folk Music in St Petersburg, Russia, Leo Zeitlin (1884–1930) was known almost exclusively for Eli Zion, a classic of Jewish art-music. Zeitlin died only seven years after emigrating to New York, still a young man, and his reputation languished until the recent discovery of a trunk full of scores brought his music back to light. This album attempts to remedy decades of neglect, especially for his charismatic Yiddish song-settings for voice, strings and piano, powerful declamations of spoken Yiddish and Russian poetry underscored by Romantic piano music, all of which points to a once popular but now forgotten genre. The Festival musicians of the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival are the highest-caliber local professionals; players for the orchestral and chamber-music concerts include members of the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestras, and university faculty members. In its eleven seasons since its founding by cellist Aron Zelkowicz the PJMS has programmed over 130 pieces of classical chamber and orchestral music inspired by Jewish traditions. The recordings on this CD series represent a six-year project devoted to the St Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music and its affiliated Russian composers.

REVIEW:

The performances of Leo Zeitlin’s music are first-rate from start to finish, as is the recorded sound. The liner notes by Paula Eisenstein Baker (a key figure in the resurrection of the Zeitlin’s music) and Robert S. Nelson provide detailed information on the composer’s life and the featured works. Original language texts (Cyrillic script for Russian, and transliterations for the Yiddish poems) and English translations are provided for each of the songs. While the repertoire on this disc may have a less broad appeal than the Stutschewsky release, I think anyone at all curious to explore the work of Leo Zeitlin will not be disappointed.

-- Fanfare

Vinyl LP pressing. Cab Calloway was a trailblazing entertainer, an early king of cool, and an American icon. In a career spanning six decades, he was a talented bandleader, known for hiring the very best talent, before going on to become a revered solo artist, actor, and author. Effortlessly breaking down racial barriers, Calloway brought African-American music to mainstream audiences. This collection of timeless tracks takes us back to his glory days as one of the most exciting young bandleaders in the history of popular music. So much more than a band leader, over nearly seven decades, this exuberant and energetic performer also shone as a solo artist, a dancer, and star of radio, stage, and screen. In addition, he was an acclaimed author, penning the classic cultural artefact, Cab Calloway's Hepster Dictionary. If you use the term Big Apple to refer to New York City, you have Cab Calloway to thank! This mighty 14 track LP concentrates on his classic releases and naturally includes the monster hit Minnie The Moocha alongside his numerous tunes following Minnie's saga. Using some of the greatest songsmith's alongside his own penmanship, Calloway and his orchestra's versions of songs such as Saint James Infirmary, Trickeration, The Ghost Of Smoky Joe, (Hep Hep) The Jumpin' Jive and The Honeydripper are sure to get you out of your casuals and into your hippest of dancing gear. This is Cab Calloway, the original hep cat, at the peak of his creative powers.