The Boswell Sisters inauspiciously launched their recording career in New Orleans, their hometown, on March 22, 1925. Early local appearances featured Connie, the eldest, on cello, Helvetia (Vet) on violin, and Martha at the piano, but the city's Jazz environment made Connie and Vet switch to saxophone and banjo, respectively. At first, the singing was almost incidental, but it became their ticket to national attention five years later when they moved to New York and became a fixture on radio shows. The Boswell Sisters were notable for their tight harmony as well as their unique ability to modulate pitch and give familiar songs a new melodic twist. They were the cutting edge that inspired future groups, including the Andrews Sisters, who began their own career by emulating them, even down to their Southern accent. The exuberant sisters recorded a string of hits in the 1930s, sometimes teaming up with fellow vocalists, such as Bing Crosby and the Mills Brothers. Instrumental accompaniments are by some of the days most popular musicians and bands, including the Dorsey Brothers, Don Redman, Red Nichols, and Benny Goodman. Considering their popularity and impact, the sisters had a relatively brief run, disbanding in 1936 when Martha and Vet married outside of the music industry and decided to give priority to family life. Connie, however, continued and enjoyed a successful solo career. This boxed set contains the entire Boswell Sisters output of commercially released recordings- a remarkable set of performances that paved the way for the vocal trio genre. It also includes a bonus DVD featuring more extraordinary performances.

Duke Ellington & Orchestra: Duke Ellington (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, trumpet, violin); Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Joya Sherrill (vocals); Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Al Sears (tenor saxophone); Rex Stewart, Taft Jordan, Shelton Hemphill, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Joseph Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Claude Jones (trombone); Billy Strayhorn (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Junior Raglin (bass); Sonny Greeer (drums). Recorded on July 14 & September 21, 1945. During 1945 and 1946, Duke Ellington recorded a number of broadcast transcriptions for use by the U. S. Treasury Department to promote the sale of war bonds. This eighth volume, issued by Storyville, is yet another two-disc set that compiles three different broadcasts. While the sound quality is decent for the soloists and only so-so for the whole band, the occasional rarity like "Let the Zoomers Drool" or "Ultra Violet, " as well as superb renditions of favorites like "C Jam Blues, " "Ko-Ko, " and "Main Stem" will be of interest to Ellington collectors. A surprise inclusion is Ellington's nearly 12-minute tone poem from 1935, "Reminiscing in Tempo, " though it was no favorite of star soloists like Johnny Hodges, who preferred opportunities to blow. But this volume falls a little bit short in value compared to earlier sets in the series, because of inconsistent sound quality and overall programs that are not as interesting as a typical Ellington concert, though at least the long medleys of hits always featured in his later years are not present. - Ken Dryden.

This album is made up of selected live and radio broadcasts with the Danish Radio Big Band and Swedish, British and Danish/American small groups during 1964-71. As the title indicates only ballads are included on the album, and, for the first time on a Ben Webster ballad album, there is no string-section accompaniment. Three of the ten numbers were previously unreleased before the original issue of this album. The art of ballad-playing was all-important to Ben Webster. He once said "Remember, there are only three tempi in jazz - slow, medium and slow!" While all the tunes are ballads, the wide variety and constellations give a wonderful, multi-faceted sound-picture of Ben Webster.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The story behind this recording began in the summer of 2018 when Enrico Pieranunzi played with Ulysses Owens, Jr. for the first time: two awesome concerts during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival that cast a breathtaking spell over the audience. Enrico Pieranunzi was encouraged to study music from a young age. His father was a jazz guitarist. He studied classical music until 1973 when he became a Professor of Music, and maintained that post for two years. In 1975 he left his teaching practice and played in trios and small ensembles. He has recorded over 60 albums. He has also been prolific as a session musician. Heralded as a powerhouse of a showman (Glide Magazine), a legitimate jazz triple threat (Critical Jazz) and a drummer who take[s] a back seat to no one (The New York Times), performer, producer and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond. The Trio is rounded out by bassist Thomas Fonnesbaek, who has performed with and recorded alongside some of the finest musicians in the industry.

Classical Music

Classical Music

This release from the “Storyville Vinyl Remasters” series focuses on a classic late-career recording from pianist Bud Powell. Recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in 1962, Bouncing with Bud proved that Powell was still capable of giving performances as brilliantly fluid as his finest from the 1940s. Updated notes have been added to the inner sleeve and a free download of the album is included.​

Classical Music

This compilation features Billie Holiday singing many classic standards including Strange Fruit, Lover Man, The Man I Love, All of Me, I Loves You Porgy, I Love My Man, Them There Eyes and Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me. Her musicians on these sessions, recorded between 1944-1951 include Roy Eldridge, Hot Lips Page, Coleman Hawkins, Jack Teagarden, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Jimmy Rowles, Oscar Pettiford and “Big” Sid Catlett.

Classical Music

Storyville Records presents Volume 25 in the Duke Ellington Treasury Shows series, the final volume of this collectors’ special broadcast series. In April 1945 to promote the sale of war bonds, the US Treasury Department contacted Duke Ellington to do a series of 55 minute public broadcasts. These sessions would give Ellington a wide choice of material to perform including his older work, new instrumentals and pop tunes, and his extended works as well. And now it is 2018 and we have made the home run: This volume is the final one of this series of 25 albums altogether, with all the known Treasury shows from 1945 to 1953, and new, hitherto mostly unreleased bonus broadcast material from the 1940s. The release begins with the last known Treasury broadcast. It is from the Blue Note in Chicago, recorded in June 1953, and broadcast on August 1st 1953 as part of the series “All Star Parade of Bands,” launched by NBC to promote bond sales. The second half of the release contains broadcasts from April 22nd 1944 and from May 5th 1944 at the Hurricane Club in New York City.

Classical Music

This album contains a series of different radio broadcasts from the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco and the famous Hurricane Restaurant in New York among others. The broadcasts are featured complete with radio speaks and encouragements to buy bonds read by The Duke himself + bonus material and extensive liner notes. The first disc contains a radio broadcast from the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, recorded on August 3, 1946 with bonus tracks from a session at the Lakeside Park, El Patio Ballroom in Denver, July 1945, 1942. The second disc features a broadcast recorded at Meadowbrook, Culver City, California, August 17, 1946. Included are also three bonus tracks from a radio broadcast at the Hurricane Restaurant in New York City, August 21, 1943. This Treasury Shows addition was recorded amid tensions between the Duke and his record company, a large musician’s strike, the surprising deaths of several prominent band members and political events such as rising racial and social tension and World War II, all of which is meticulously explained in the extensive liner notes by Duke Ellington connoisseur and journalist Roger Boyes. The musical gift of the versatile Ellingtonians always prevails, however—as Boyes for example writes: “”Hodges’ solo [on A Flower is a Lovesome Thing] is three-and-a-half minutes of pure melody, and in the unlikely even that you tire of that, Stryhorn’s accompaniment offers a parallel three-and-a-half minutes of great beauty”. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra always deliver on energy, skill and rhythm.

Storyville Records presents: Volume 24 in the Duke Ellington Treasury Shows series, now approaching the end of this collectors’ special broadcast series. In April 1945, to promote the sale of war bonds, the US Treasury Department contacted Duke Ellington to do a series of 55 min public broadcasts. These sessions would give Ellington a wide choice of material to perform including his older work; new instrumentals and pop tunes and his extended works as well. This extended release contains a series of different radio NBC broadcasts from the famous Blue Note club in Chicago, Illinois from the summer of 1953. The album also incudes a bonus recording from April 1944, a MBS broadcast from the Hurricane Restaurant in New York City. The broadcasts are featured complete with radio speaks and encouragements to buy bonds read by The Duke himself, plus bonus material and liner notes.

Wonderful compositions, plus previously unissued bonus tracks, featuring Oscar Pettiford on bass and vocalists Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis, Betty Roche, and Al Hibbler + the Mellotones.

Carsten Dahl, one of Scandinavia's most sought after pianists, now releases a personal album with improvisational jazz.

This is the Duke Ellington Orchestra with all the stars - all volumes in the Treasury series were made during a very strong period for the group!

Classical Music

Classical Music

This album contains a series of different radio broadcasts from The Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, the El Patio Ballroom in Denver, the Orpheum Theatre in San Diego and the Trianon Ballroom in South Gate, California. The broadcasts are featured complete with radio speaks and encouragements to buy bonds read by The Duke himself + bonus material and extensive liner notes. The first disc contains a radio broadcast from The Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, July 6m 1946 plus bonus tracks from a CBS Broadcast from Lakeside Park, the El Patio Ballroom in Denver, July 14, 1942. The second disc features a broadcast from the Orpheum Theatre in San Diedo, July 27, 1946, with the bonus tracks being from a radio broadcast in the Trianon Ballroom, South Gate, California dating back to May 2, 1942. As a teaser for the sound found on this volume, Duke Ellington connoisseur Brian Koller, author of the extensive liner notes, writes: “It is no wonder why the Cat Anderson composition Teardrops In The Rain was a band staple for two years. The band really swings, and when it’s time for Anderson’s solo, he shows off high note pyrotechnics that few if any other trumpeters could match. Al Sears unleashes a might tenor sax solo, then the band is briefly reduced to a rhythm trio featuring Pettiford’s bass and the Duke on piano. To close the number, the full orchestra reverses the introductory themes.” Energy like that is found all through the broadcasts!

Classical Music

The Duke Ellington Orchestra at it's best, featuring all the big stars!

Classical Music