Pianist and arranger Billy Maxted (1917-2001) led a top notch Dixieland group, the Manhattan Jazz Band, which he formed in the late 1940s and held together for more than a decade. He began playing with trumpeter Red Nichols's group in 1937 and during the Second World War wrote arrangements for the bands of Benny Goodman and Claude Thornhill.
But Maxted is seldom remembered today, partly because most of his recordings were for small labels like Seeco, which issued Bourbon St. Billy and the Blues in 1959. The personnel on this session included Chuck Forsyth on trumpet, Johnny Dengler, tuba, bass sax and clarinet, Lee Gifford on trombone, Dan Tracey on clarinet, Jack Fay on bass and Maurice Purtill, drums. A sample tune is below. My copy of the LP showed considerable wear and tear when it was added to my collection some years ago, so there's a bit of distortion evident.
Billy's Delight
Bourbon St. Billy and the Blues does not appear to have crossed the digital frontier to CD or downloads. In fact, only one collection of Maxted's recordings is available on CD.
Most major online merchants are selling this good quality collection of recordings made between 1955 and 1966. Choose from CD or downloads.
There are several other Maxted albums being marketed as downloads, but they are from the substandard Hallmark imprint and are not recommended.
Billy Maxted's recording of Satin Doll (it's included in the compilation album pictured above) got quite a bit of airplay after its release in 1961 and here it is from YouTube.
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