Curtis Peagler & the Jazz Disciples - Low Life (single)

Alto saxophonist Curtis Peagler (1929-1992) and a group billed as the Jazz Disciples recorded this one-off single for Columbia in 1961 after he had recorded two well-regarded LPs for the New Jazz label. The group was known as the Modern Jazz Disciples for those albums.

For background on Peagler and to hear the flip side of this 45, It's a Blue World, go to this previous post. There's no indication whether the personnel on the single is the same as it was on the LPs.

Low Life



The quality of this recording is not the greatest. The speed sounds a bit wonky and it's possible this side of the single was pressed a bit off-center. I don't have it handy to check. Unfortunately neither side of the 45 has received a digital release.

Peagler played with Ray Charles's orchestra in the mid- to late '60s and followed that with a seven-year gig with Count Basie. In later years he performed as a solo act, mainly in southern California, and played with the San Diego-based Sweet Baby Blues Band.

The first of the two Modern Jazz Disciples LPs for New Jazz was a self-tiled effort released in 1959. At the time Peagler did not receive a separate billing from the group. Disciples Blues was written by Peagler and another group member, William Kelley.

Red Norvo in Hi-Fi

Vibraphonist Red Norvo had one of the longest careers among swing era musicians, beginning in Chicago with a group called The Collegians in 1925 and continuing until the mid-1980s when a stroke forced him into retirement. He died in 1999 at age 91.

Among the bands graced by Norvo's talents were those of Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet and Woody Herman. As well, Norvo led a popular big band of his own from 1936-1942, scoring two No. 1 hits in 1938, Please Be Kind and Says My Heart, both with vocals by Mildred Bailey.

In 1949, when Norvo ran into trouble forming a big band, he put together a trio with the novel combination of vibes, guitar, and bass.

Red Norvo in Hi-Fi (RCA Victor, 1958), a big band date, came just past the mid-point of his remarkable career. The LP featured vocals by Helen Humes on tunes like I Was Doing All Right, a Gershwin tune from 1937.

I Was Doing All Right



Red Norvo in Hi-Fi has not received a CD release and the download version is from the dub-it-quickly-from-vinyl Hallmark outfit. Unfortunately, used vinyl copies of this album are pricey.

Here's Red Norvo with a nine-piece group. Under a Blanket of Blue, released on a Capitol 78, was recorded in 1947, featuring Eddie Miller on tenor sax.

Gene Krupa - Gene Krupa and His Sidekicks

This collection of Gene Krupa tracks, featuring some of the famous sidemen who appeared with the drummer-bandleader's orchestra, was first issued by Columbia in 1955. The LP cover looked like this:

The cover pictured at the beginning of this post is from a 1974 reissue. Among those featured on the album are Benny Carter, Anita O'Day, Helen Ward and Gerry Mulligan. Mulligan is spotlighted on How High the Moon, but as an arranger not a soloist. This arrangement, Mulligan's first for Krupa's band, was recorded in 1946. Featured soloists are Charley Kennedy on alto sax and Red Rodney on trumpet.



There has been no CD release for Gene Krupa's Sidekicks and the couple of download versions that are available are of the dubious European out-of-copyright variety, taken from less than pristine vinyl, no doubt. Far better to look for a good copy of the 1974 re-release LP, which seems generally to sell for a reasonable price.

In 1941 Krupa and his band appeared in Ball of Fire, a musical comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper in which the orchestra played Drum Boogie. I'm not sure whether the Krupa track called Ball of Fire was also used in the movie, but it was released a single on Columbia's Okeh label around the same time. Roy Eldridge is the trumpet soloist.

Stanley Turrentine - The Sugar Man

The Sugar Man was the last of five albums that tenor sax great Stanley Turrentine (1934-2000) released on Creed Taylor's fusion-oriented CTI label after his long tenure with Blue Note. Although the LP came out in 1975 all of the tracks had been recorded four years earlier.

Three of the five selections feature Turrentine in front of a big band arranged by either Deodato or Chico O'Farrill. The other two are with a sextet in which guitarist Kenny Burrell plays a prominent role. The Stretch is one of the small group tracks.

The Stretch



Although the bulk of Turrentine's CTI output has been released on CD and is available via download, The Sugar Man has not appeared in either form, perhaps because of its somewhat grab-bag nature.

Gibraltar comes from Sugar (1970) the sax man's first CTI album and has George Benson on guitar.

Roger Neumann - Introducing Roger Neumann's Rather Large Band

Roger Neumann's full-time job as a jazz educator in Los Angeles allowed him to record only infrequently. As well he's an in-demand arranger for artists as diverse as Count Basie, Ray Brown and the Beach Boys.

Neumann's Rather Large Band has made only two albums, with the debut, Introducing Roger Neumann's Rather Large Band, coming in 1983 on the Sea Breeze label. First released as an audiophile LP, it was re-released very briefly on CD a decade later and now commands collector prices ($20-80) for a copy. It's not available as a download.

Among the three standards on this outstanding date by the 19-piece big band is Ray Noble's Cherokee, a tune most associated with Charlie Barnet during the swing era. Featured on this track are pianist Tom Ranier, Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, Dave Edwards on soprano sax, Jack Coan on flugelhorn and Bob Hardaway on tenor sax. The MP3 is taken from the vinyl LP.

Cherokee



Best bet for obtaining (legally) this album at a reasonable price is probably checking around for a vinyl LP. I've seen copies online in the $10-15 range. There are also copies selling for twice that.

In the meantime here's the lead-off track from Introducing Roger Neumann's Rather Large Band, a driving version of a well-known TV theme, (Meet) The Flintstones. The then-unknown Eric Marienthal has an alto sax solo on this.

Chris Barber's Jazz Band - Lonesome (single)

British trombonist Chris Barber is into his 65th year as a bandleader (in 2014), fronting the Big Chris Barber Band on a U.K. and European tour.

In 1953, along with clarinetist Monty Sunshine and vocalist and guitarist Lonnie Donegan, Barber joined forces with trumpeter Ken Colyer in Ken Colyer's Jazzmen. This group, minus Colyer, morphed a year later into Chris Barber's Jazz Band, one of the driving forces behind the "trad jazz" movement in the U.K.

Over the years blues became an important part of Barber's repertoire and the group evolved into the eight-member Chris Barber Blues and Jazz Band. In 2001 three more musicians were added to form the Big Chris Barber Band.

The one Barber record everyone remembers is Petite Fleur, featuring Sunshine's clarinet. This version of a Sidney Bechet composition was a worldwide hit in 1959. The followup single also dipped into the Bechet catalogue for Lonesome (Si Tu Vois Ma Mère [If You See My Mother]), again with Sunshine in the solo spotlight. The MP3 is taken from the original single.

Lonesome



There is a bewildering array of digital releases from Barber's catalogue, with almost all his recordings for Pye and Columbia in the U.K. being available in some form. If you can, sample any downloads before purchasing.

Here's a recording made shortly after the Chris Barber Jazz Band formed in 1953. The personnel is Barber, Sunshine, Donegan, Pat Halcox on trumpet, Jim Bray on bass and Ron Bowden, drums.

The 3 Sounds - Moods

Moods (1960) comes from the classic period of The 3 Sounds when the trio of pianist Gene Harris, bassist Andrew Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy were at the peak of their popularity. (For more on The 3 Sounds read this earlier post.)

Critics of the period generally weren't fond of the group's light touch, but record buyers made the trio one of the Blue Note label's top sellers.

For jazz DJs and juke boxes the record company issued Li'l Darlin'/Loose Walk as a promotional single. Both sides of the 45 were the full length album tracks, an unusual move for the time. The MP3 below is taken from the single, in mono of course.

Li'l Darlin'



Like other LPs by The Three Sounds Moods was released on a standalone Japanese CD that's now out of print. However, Moods is also included the four-CD out-of-copyright collection The Three Sounds: Eight Classic Albums from the European Real Gone Jazz label. Amazon has new copies starting at about $8, so you may want to take a chance even though these have likely been remastered from vinyl.

Out-of-copyright download versions of Moods also are widely available.

Here's Tammy's Breeze, another track from the album.

Wilbert Longmire - The Way We Were

Jazz and R&B guitarist Wilbert Longmire gained a bit of notice after he joined pianist Bob James's Tappan Zee label in 1978. Longmire and George Benson knew each other and it was Benson who brought him to the attention of James.

Longmire's third Tappan Zee release, With All My Love (1980), contained the radio friendly track Hawkeye, which scored some airplay.

Longmire had begun his recording career as a solo artist in 1969 with the LP Revolution for World Pacific, and the LP pictured above also predates Longmire's Tappan Zee signing. The Way We Were (1975) came out on Astra Records, but the minimal packaging and black-and-white cover indicate this was probably a private release.

Longmire is joined on The Way We Were by keyboardist Bill Mason, Billy Kaye, percussion, bassists Lee Tucker and Robert Evans, drummer Larry Langston and rhythm guitarist Mark Shulte. Longmire's playing on the title track reminds us just how beautiful this tune is.

The Way We Were



The Way We Were has never had a digital release and vinyl copies go for $40 and up on the collectors' market. However, two of Longmire's Tappen Zee albums, Champagne and With All My Love, have appeared on an import CD that's available from Amazon and other online sellers.

Longmire apparently has not recorded as a leader since his Tappen Zee days. As of 2011 he was living in the Cincinnati area and playing local gigs.

Here's the track that got Longmire some national attention in 1980.

Pat Williams - Heavy Vibrations

Most of arranger and composer Pat Williams's work has been in the recording studios and for the movies and TV, so he remains largely unknown to the general public.

His work in the studios began in New York in 1961 and when he moved to Los Angeles seven years later, he began composing for film and television as well. Some of the TV shows he scored included Mary Tyler Moore, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco and Columbo. On the big screen, Williams's scores enlivened The Cheap Detective, Cuba and Cry-Baby, among many others.

He has worked with such singers as Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Billy Joel and Frank Sinatra, as well as finding time to record albums of his own, including three for Verve in the late 1960s.

Heavy Vibrations came out in 1969 and spotlighted brassy arrangements of current hits like Get Back, Son of a Preacher Man and River Deep, Mountain High. Also on board were several Williams originals, including the gently swinging Catherine.

Catherine



None of Pat Williams's Verve LPs have received a full digital release, but a couple of tunes from them have surfaced on iTunes. These apparently have been sourced from vinyl, with audible clicks and pops, and are not recommended.

Here's Williams's funky take on Get Back from Heavy Vibrations.

Leon Sash - Leon the Lion (single)

Some consider Leon Sash (1922-1979) the greatest jazz accordionist ever, and certainly the equal of the far better known Art Van Damme. Whatever the case may be, it's certain that Sash was vastly under-recorded.

Some early recordings for Mercury's EmArcy imprint, a live recording at Newport in 1957 and a couple of later LPs comprise his slim discography.

Sash gained national and international recognition in the 1950s and '60s, especially after his Newport appearance. But unfortunately fame did not bring him more recording opportunities. In fact he had to wait a decade after Newport to enter a recording studio again.

Sash recorded 11 titles for EmArcy in 1954, but only four of them were released on two singles (78 and 45). All of the EmArcy tracks turned up in 1983 on a limited edition LP, Leon Sash - The Master.

One of the four tracks to see the light of day in 1954 was Leon the Lion (b/w Package for Peggy). The other members of Sash's quartet were Rudy Kerpays, piano, Sully Picerno, bass and Max Marish, drums. Marish also played with Van Damme.

There's also a vocal chorus on the EmArcy recordings, consisting of the four members of the Meadowlarks -- Bob Bleznick, Maury Jackson, Marie Renaldo and Elaine Rodgers -- plus Lee Morgan (Sash's wife) and Ed Vana.

Please note that the audio quality of Leo the Lion isn't up to the usual standard. It's dubbed from one of the original 45s that wasn't in the best shape and has been cleaned up as much as possible.

Leon the Lion



None of the EmArcy recordings are available in a digital format. Leon Sash's recording of Blue Lou from Newport '57 is included on several download compilations. On CD there's only I Remember Newport, a 1967 album done for the Chicago-based Delmark and reissued 30 years later. It's for sale on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Polka Dots and Moonbeams is taken from that album.

The 3 Sounds - Here We Come

Although their bluesy mainstream stylings were dismissed by many critics at the time The 3 Sounds turned out some of Blue Note's biggest selling LPs of the 1950s and 60s.

The trio began life in South Bend, Ind., put together by pianist Gene Harris and drummer Bill Dowdy, both natives of Benton Harbor, Mich. Bassist Andrew Simpkins became the third member.

After moving to New York and signing with Blue Note in 1958 The 3 Sounds recorded a phenomenal amount of material. According to the All Music Guide, Harris estimated in later years that the trio had released 35 albums worth of material. More remained unreleased.

The original trio remained together until 1967 when Dowdy departed. The 3 Sounds left Blue Note shortly after and although the group remained together until 1970, its peak had passed.

Here We Come (Blue Note, 1960) is pretty typical of the trio's output from its classic period -- mostly relaxed interpretations of jazz and pop standards. The title track, however, is a jumping original by Harris.

Here We Come



Here We Come's only CD issue as a standalone album was a Japanese Blue Note release in 1995. Used copies begin at about $18 on Amazon and if you're serious about the group's music this is the route to go.

Here We Come is also included in the four-CD out-of-copyright collection The Three Sounds: Eight Classic Albums from the European Real Gone Jazz label. Amazon has new copies starting at under $7, so you may want to take a chance even though these have likely been remastered from vinyl.

Various out-of-copyright download versions of Here We Go also are widely available.

The 3 Sounds' take on Gershwin's Summertime also comes from Here We Go.

Johnny Beecher - Jack Sax the City (single)

Johnny Beecher was a pseudonym that tenor saxophonist Plas Johnson used to record two albums for the Charter label in 1963. Johnson was under contract to Capitol at the time.

The title single of the first LP, Sax Fifth Ave., was a minor hit, garnering a fair amount of airplay. It originally came out on the Hollywood-based Omega label before Warner Brothers picked it up for national distribution. I believe Omega and Charter were part of the same company, but for some reason the Charter LPs were distributed in the U.S. by MGM.

The Sax Fifth Ave. single had a "B" side, Jack Sax the City, that didn't appear on either of the albums. Perhaps this stomping piece of crime jazz didn't fit the more laid back vibe of the long-players.

Jack Sax the City



The personnel on the Sax Fifth Ave. LP included organist Bert Kendrix (misspelled as Kendricks on the single but spelled correctly on the LP), Emil Richards on vibes, bassist Jimmy Bond and either Earl Palmer or Wayne Robinson on drums. All were veterans of Los Angeles recording studios.

Both Charter LPs -- the second was On the Scene -- were combined on a 2004 CD from Blue Moon Jazz, an imprint of the Spain-based Fresh Sound Records, and issued under Mr. Beecher's real name. The Warm Sound of Plas Johnson, Tenor Sax, Vol. 1: Midnight Blues can be ordered direct from the company. The single's "B" side, available above, is not on the CD.

Here's the one Johnny Beecher hit. The label shown is the original release before Warner Brothers picked it up.

Bud Shank - California Dreamin'

Alto saxophonist and flutist Bud Shank (1926-2009) helped define the "cool jazz" sound that developed on the U.S. West Coast in the 1950s. Later he was the among the musicians who introduced North American audiences to Brazilian music.

But a series of albums Shank recorded for World Pacific in the 1960s had little to with jazz and everything to do with appealing to a pop audience and garnering radio airplay. That's not to say these were bad albums -- they weren't.

But with titles like Michelle, Girl in Love, A Spoonful of Jazz and Magical Mystery listeners knew exactly what to expect -- jazz-flavored easy listening versions of current pop hits. Tracks from these LPs turned up regularly on the playlists of radio stations that featured what was then known as "good" or "beautiful music" -- in other words easy listening with a heavy emphasis on instrumentals. Jazz stations also played these albums, but mainly in the daytime.

Shank's cycle of pop-oriented albums began with California Dreamin' (1966). Interestingly he had played a flute solo on the Mamas and Papas original recording in 1965, but here Shank sticks mainly to alto although there is a brief flute interlude. Trumpeter Chet Baker contributes a few licks as well.

California Dreamin'



Shank's California Dreamin' album has appeared on CD only on a Japanese import, which goes for anywhere from $23 to $40. It's also not available as a legal download in North America though a version does appear on iTunes in the U.K. I can almost guarantee that the releasing company didn't have access to the World Pacific master recordings, so proceed with caution.

Used vinyl copies of California Dreamin' have appeared recently online for a s little as $5. And if you live near a good used record store (or two) check them out as well. You shouldn't have to pay more than the aforementioned five bucks -- and perhaps even less.

Here's another cut from Bud Shank's California Dreamin'.

Curtis Peagler and the Jazz Disciples - It's a Blue World (45 single)

Alto saxophonist Curtis Peagler (1929-1992) fronted a group known as the Modern Jazz Disciples, which recorded two well-regarded LPs for New Jazz (an offshoot of Prestige) in 1959 and 1960.

The group had a rather unique easy swinging sound, due in large part to the use of a normaphone, played by William Kelley. This instrument is a valve trombone in the shape of an alto sax.

The Modern Jazz Disciples disbanded after the two New Jazz LPs and Peagler moved over to Columbia where he recorded a one-off single, It's a Blue World/Low Life, in 1961. This 45 did not lead to an album, a rather rare occurrence when you're talking about a jazz artist, and is now a collector's item.

Peagler is top billed (he wasn't on the LPs) and the "modern" has been dropped from the Jazz Disciples' name.

It's a Blue World



There is no indication of the personnel on this single and I'm not sure if the trombone sound is that of a normaphone. The two sides have not been released digitally.

Peagler went on to spend three years with the Ray Charles orchestra and seven years with Count Basie. He also worked in the recording studios and put out a couple of albums under his own name.

Here's Curtis Peagler with the Modern Jazz Disciples from one of their LPs recorded for Prestige.

Wild Bill Davis - Free, Frantic and Funky

                                                                 (Photo from Groove Addict blog)

Before Jimmy Smith came along in the mid-1950s Wild Bill Davis (1918-1995) was considered the leading jazz organist.

Davis's original instrument was guitar and he played and arranged for the big band of Milt Larkin, a Texas aggregation that included horn players like Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet. From 1937 to 1942 Davis was an integral part of Louis Jordan's band, the Tympany Five, at the height of their popularity, playing piano and arranging.

Davis switched to organ full time in the late 1940s and continued recording and performing into the early 1990s.

Free, Frantic and Funky was recorded for RCA Victor in 1965. As the title indicates it was very much in the R&B and blues vein, with titles like Hit the Road Jack, Well Git It and the standard C.C. Rider.

C.C. Rider



Besides Davis on organ the personnel on C.C. Rider includes Bob Brown on flute, Dicky Thompson on guitar and Jimmy Hopps, drums.

Free, Frantic and Funky has not received a CD or legal download release.

Here's what Wild Bill Davis sounded like when he was leading a popular organ trio in the early '50s. Things Ain't What They Used to Be was released as a two-part single (45 and 78) by Okeh in 1954.

Hank Crawford - Double Cross

Saxophonist Hank Crawford is firmly in the soul jazz camp for Double Cross (Atlantic, 1968), which is not surprising since it was released at the height of popularity of saxophone and/or organ led combos.

Crawford's alto takes the vast majority of the solo space, although tenor heavyweight David (Fathead) Newman is along to provide support as are trumpeters Joe Newman and Melvin Lastie. Guitarist Carl Lynch works in quite a few licks as well.

What better track to choose as a single than the Quincy Jones-penned theme for In the Heat of the Night, one of the biggest movie hits of 1967 and winner of five Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor (Rod Steiger).

The single, at 2:13, is about half the length of the LP track. But unlike a lot of jazz singles this one isn't merely faded out when convenient. It has actually been edited into a reasonably coherent track by cutting some of Crawford's solo. The 45 likely was designed mainly for DJ and jukebox use as I can't see many jazz fans opting for a single over the album. If you like what you hear you'll probably want the full version.

Note for trivia buffs: The piano fills on In the Heat of the Night are by Brother Jack McDuff, who's usually heard on organ.

In the Heat of the Night (45 edit)



Double Cross received a first-rate CD release in 2001, a two-on-one issue on the Collectables label that pairs it with an earlier Crawford album on Atlantic, True Blue. It's available directly from the company at Oldies.com, at a very reasonable price.

Double Cross is also available from most of the major sources as a download issued by Rhino/Atlantic.

Wrapping it up, here's another tune from the album, also taken from a 45 apparently.

Tutti Camarata - Tutti's Trombones (Post No. 2)

While arranger, composer, conductor, producer and music company executive Tutti Camarata (1913-2005) was running Disney's music companies for two decades he managed to put out two great big band albums -- Tutti's Trumpets (1957) and Tutti's Trombones (1970). For the background on these two albums please read this previous post.

Bainbridge Records re-released Tutti's Trombones on LP, cassette and CD in 1983. That's the release pictured above.

The Sweetest Sounds was among the selections on this album. Richard Rodgers wrote both the music and lyrics for this song, which was included in the 1962 musical No Strings. The Sweetest Sounds was also used as the title for an episode on Rodgers in PBS's American Masters series.

The Sweetest Sounds



As stated in the previous post the best bet for obtaining the contents of Tutti's Trumpets and Tutti's Trombones is via download. All CD issues are out of print and pricey.

Twelfth Street Rag is a genuine relic of the ragtime era, composed in 1914 by Euday L. Bowman. It became well known in 1927 when Bennie Moten's band recorded it. But the best-known recording is by Pee Wee Hunt, who had a No. 1 hit with it in 1948.

This version is from Tutti's Trombones.

Sonny Stitt - Deuces Wild

Sonny Stitt's 1967 Atlantic LP Deuces Wild found him in the familiar company of organist Don Patterson and drummer Billy James.

For the most part this is a typical tenor sax/organ date, but the participation of alto saxophonist Robin Kenyatta on the two original tunes he contributed takes the album into hard bop territory. There's also one track with Rufus Harley on bagpipes, definitely an acquired taste.

Although this album is billed as "Introducing Robin Kenyatta" this may not be his first recorded work. His discography lists earlier appearances on Atlantic LPs by pianist Valerie Capers and trombonist Roswell Rudd.

One of the Kenyatta originals on Deuces Wild is In the Bag, which was paired with the title tune on a promotional single for jazz DJs. Both tunes were severely shortened from the album versions.

Here's the version of In the Bag from the single.



Deuces Wild was released on CD in 2001 by Collectables Jazz Classics. It's still in print and available from Oldies.com at a reasonable price. The album is also easily obtained as a download from many sources.

From YouTube here's the title tune from Deuces Wild.

Jimmy McPartland - Dixieland!

Cornetist Jimmy McPartland (1907-1991) was one of the foremost exponents of what came to be known as the Chicago style of Dixieland jazz.

Jazz traveled north in the same migration of poor blacks from the U.S. south that brought the blues to Chicago beginning around 1917. King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong all became stars in Chicago. Later, white jazz musicians like McPartland, Muggsy Spanier, Eddie Condon and Bud Freeman embraced the Chicago style, which was faster and favored more solos than the New Orleans version of Dixieland and substituted the string bass for the tuba and the guitar for the banjo.

The nine selections on the McPartland LP Dixieland! (1968), on Columbia's budget Harmony label, were originally included a 1957 Epic LP, Jimmy McPartland's Dixieland.

Below is a selection from the Harmony re-release. Unfortunately it has been electronically enhanced for stereo, but is nonetheless quite listenable. Besides McPartland, personnel on this date included Peanuts Hucko on clarinet, Tyree Glenn on trombone, pianist Dick Cary, Bill Crow on bass, Al Casamenti on guitar and Cliff Leeman, drums.

Third Street Blues



All 12 selections on the original Jimmy McPartland's Dixieland LP are available for download from all the major outlets. This is likely a sourced-from-vinyl affair.

The complete Jimmy McPartland's Dixieland was also included in an eight-cd box set, The Classic Columbia Condon Mob Sessions (Mosaic, 2001), fronted by guitarist Eddie Condon.

It's out of print and used copies are going for about $150.

To close, another selection that appears on both the original Epic LP and the Harmony re-release.

Jimmy Mundy and His Orchestra - Playing the Numbers

Swing era arranger Jimmy Mundy (1907-1983) began his career playing saxophone in several bands in the 1920s. At the beginning of the following decade he joined Earl Hines and it was with this orchestra that he first became interested in arranging. One of the tunes Mundy worked on was Cavernism, which became Hines's closing theme.

From Hines, Mundy moved on to Benny Goodman, where he arranged some of that band's most famous numbers, including Sing, Sing, Sing, Solo Flight and Springtime in the Rockies. Others he arranged for included Count Basie and Gene Krupa.

Although Mundy was highly recorded by his fellow musicians he never became well known to the general public and made few recordings under his own name. But he did manage a brace of albums for the Epic label, On a Mundy Flight (1958) and Playing the Numbers (1959).

For the latter LP all the selections referred to numbers in their titles, like the opener Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, a Depression-era number from 1932. Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallee and Al Jolson all had hits with the song after it appeared in the musical Americana.

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?



Unfortunately, none of the musicians on this excellent big band recording are identified. Mundy had given up his instrument some years earlier and was concentrating on arranging and conducting when this was recorded.

Neither of his Epic albums has received a digital release.

Here's a recording Jimmy Mundy and His Orchestra did for V-Disc in 1946. V-Discs were 12-inch 78 r.p.m. discs that were made available to U.S. military personnel serving overseas in World War II. These recordings were not sold in the United States. Production of V-Discs ended in 1949.

This video also includes a selection by Buddy Rich.