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Being a GRP/Decca release the sound has been properly remastered unlike many of the cheaper "swing" compilations out there. This set was the first jazz I ever purchased, and now after some 15 years, and an obsession resulting in the collecting of tens of thousands of recordings, it still holds up as one of the best available. This 2 disc set really shines because it nicely balances the mainstream with the little-known, and showcases excellent tracks that are not the obvious first choices from each artist. The producers obviously knew their stuff.If you only buy one big band CD, get this. (unless of course all you really want is "In The Mood" and "Sing Sing Sing")
While there was a renaissance of interest in swing in the 1990s, and while much of this was among a relatively younger --late 20s, 30s, 40s-- audience, swing CDs are increasingly out of print.Decca and Brunswick recorded many important swing artists in the 1930s and 1940s, the period of focus in this collection.We are fortunate that GRP has assembled a wide variety of performers on this collection. Count Basie is a worthy exception of course. Given the shrinking amount of swing that is available these days, I would even recommend that "serious" collectors also get this one. The music on this collection swings. In addition, there is a booklet of commentary that is so long, it hardly fits in the case.My one disappointment was that there are no tracks with vocalists. --Even the Glen Miller track is up-beat.Some reviews in the discographical literature kvetch about the quality of anthologies. You have hot swing performers; and you also have more laid back performers such as Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. If you liked what you heard in Ken Burns' "Jazz" series, you should get this collection.
They always expect something more: more concentration on the major figures, more obscure tunes instead of hits. This collection definitely meets the bill; but the complainers might be disappointed that few artists are represented more than once. Many of the artists here are unavailable in their own recordings.Nearly all of the tracks are arranged in chronological order. For great swing with vocalists I would recommend that you pursue the Columbia (SONY) "His Great Vocalists" collections for Ellington, Basie or Goodman.
It's not quite what I'd call an Anthology, but it's certainly a good collection. Each track is an excellent song and most of the major artists are represented. Not every track is danceable, for you swing dancers out there, but there's plenty of danceable numbers, including a couple you can practice your Bal-Swing to. Enjoyable collection.
Strictly speaking, "swing" designates a style of performance in which the emphasis falls on the offbeat. Even so the term "big band swing" is a flexible one, and if your ideas about it center on the style of The Glenn Miller Orchestra you will likely be disappointed with this double disk collection, which ranges in tone from the strict tempos of the Deco era to the bop-inflected sounds popular in post-World War II America.In the big band era, most popular ballrooms and dance clubs had a "house orchestra," and each strove to create a specific style that would set them apart in the highly competitive world of big band music--and overall this collection does a superior job of capturing both the broad differences and subtle nuances that made each band distinctly different from the rest, as well as giving the listener an overview of the form as it changed over time. Consequently, the selections here are not often the most popular, but rather most indicative.The emphasis here is really more upon lesser known bands and then-popular but now forgotten releases, including such one-hit wonders as Casa Loma Orchestra, a house band that reached a brief popularity with the "Casa Loma Stomp." Even so, there are famous names aplenty, such as Duke Ellington, The Dorsey Brothers, Count Basie, Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Bennie Goodman, Artie Shaw--and yes, even the inescapable and to my mind slightly overrated Glenn Miller, to name but the most obvious.Hardcore fans are likely to regret the absence of certain artists and certain tunes--my own complaint is that Cab Calloway is absent from the collection, and it is unfortunate that Artie Shaw is represented by "The Continental" instead of "Begin the Beguine." It is also true that the sound quality, particularly re recordings from the early 1930s, is sometimes problematic; this, however, is inevitable, for early recording techniques were a far cry from current standards. Even so, you'd have to go some to find a collection that so effectively captures the wide array of styles seen in big band music over the course of 25 years of popularity.GFT, Amazon Reviewer
This is a nice anthologie which is not typical for it features lsser known bands and lesser known songs. My wife & I are swing dancers and there is palnty here for lindy hopping, shag, balboa, and jitterbug. It has Don Redman's classic Chant Of The Weed, a RARE Spud Murphey & His Orchestra track. This cd is pure swing at it's best. Fun msuic for dancing or listening. A great place to start and the 1st disc gives you a nice sampling of where swings roots come from.
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