Listen To:


Selected MP3s of guitar instrumentals, jazz, big band, and classic easy listening from the original vinyl.

Welcome to Guitars & All That Jazz

Welcome to Guitars & All That Jazz

Guitars & All That Jazz was a radio station that webcast via Live365 for 11 years, ending in June 2011. The playlist consisted of guitar instrumentals, jazz, big band, early rock 'n' roll, lounge music and classic easy listening.

I hope to share some of this music with you via this blog. Most of it will be taken from the original vinyl (LPs and 45s) , cassettes and the occasional commercially unavailable CD.

Here's hoping you'll find something to enjoy. Please note files are available only for a limited time.

I urge you to purchase the digital version of the albums featured, either on CD or via download, wherever possible.

Listen to the Music
There are now two music streams. Click the appropriate player to the right.
1. Guitars & All That Jazz: Five hours of the best in jazz, guitars and other instrumental gems. New songs are added weekly.
2. Tiki Shores: Music to sweep you away to a tropical isle, a South American dance floor or a bossa nova on the beach at Rio. About 4.5 hours of classic exotica music, Latin rhythms and bossa nova.
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Monday, May 20, 2013

Al Hirt - The Heart and Soul of Dixieland Jazz


This five-LP box set, issued by the Longines Symphonette Society in 1967, consisted in large part of recordings that Al Hirt made for the Audio Fidelity label in the late 1950s. The trumpeter was appearing at a New Orleans club called Dan's Pier 600 at the time and hadn't yet achieved much fame beyond his home base. That would change in the following decade when Hirt signed with RCA Victor and recorded hits like Cotton Candy and Java.

The Audio Fidelity recordings were made by a sextet that included Harold Cooper on clarinet, Bob Havens on trombone, pianist Ronnie DuPont, Bob Coquille on bass and Paul Edwards, drums. Unlike most Dixieland sessions, the emphasis wasn't on the ensemble but on the featured soloist, in this case Hirt. Here's a sample track.

Up a Lazy River



Almost all of Hirt's Audio Fidelity recordings are available digitally. The British-based Jasmine label has recently released Swinging Dixie, a two-CD set that combines three of the Audio Fidelity LPs. It's widely available and can be had via download as well.


If you're keen on vinyl, The Heart and Soul of Dixieland Jazz turns up frequently online, with many copies selling at a reasonable price. Thrift stores and garage sales are other sources for this excellent box set.

The following version of Up a Lazy River is by another New Orleans veteran, Pete Fountain. The track comes from a 1975 LP on Monument called Super Jazz, which featured both Fountain and Hirt separately as well as three selections that they perform together. Lazy River is by Fountain alone, despite the credit on the YouTube video.



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