4 3 2 1 Swing

This two-CD set is an unusually successful sampler. Although there are a few hits among the 40 selections, many obscurities are also included, and not all of the big bands represented are major names, such as Tiny Bradshaw, Noble Sissle, Spud Murphy, Teddy Powell and Jan Savitt. The emphasis is very much on jazz, and this worthy reissue is overflowing with forgotten classics. The music is programmed in chronological order, so one can experience the evolution of big bands from Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson and Luis Russell to postwar recordings from Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman.

The jazz violin of French-American Antoine Silverman creates a more lyrical approach to swing, teaming with guitarist Andy Reiss for a sound wonderfully reminiscent of the great Stephan Grappelli. The quartet nudges the nuances on a dozen evergreens, the best of which is an inventive rendition of "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise." Also top-level are their readings of "How High the Moon," "Autumn Leaves" and "Angel Eyes." Great listening.

Extraordinary jazz files of the king of swing, the four volumes of this great saga. Highly recommended!

The Jazz Club series is an attractive addition to the Verve catalogue. With it's modern design and popular choice of repertoire, the Jazz Club is not only opened for Jazz fans, but for everyone that loves good music. This collection by Django Reinhardt features 18 tracks including 'Swing From Paris', 'I Got Rhythm', 'September Song' and more.
Django Reinhardt was the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe - and he remains the most influential European to this day, with possible competition from Joe Zawinul, George Shearing, John McLaughlin, his old cohort Stephane Grappelli and a bare handful of others…

After international success with "Tonight Josephine" Tape Five now steps forward with some 1940's inspired flavours! Tape Five with his pacifist attitude has always been inspired by the Great Big Bands from the 30's and 40's who entertained the troops with their unique, powerful and cleverly arranged swingin´sounds, put him right in the mood. For the "Swing Patrol", the fourth album by songwriter/producer Martin Strathausen and his Orchestra, he recruited singers and musicians from ten different countries - from California to Cameron via Brazil, England, Italy, Ukraine, Romania and of course his home base in Germany. With alliances around the world Tape Five is stationed on hundreds of music compilations. An ever expanding, swinging Universe.

The liner notes neglect to mention in what year this April 29th birthday performance was recorded, but given the orchestra's lineup and set choices, 1953 or 1954 is likely. Unlike the majority of recently-discovered live tapes, this dance at Portland's McElroy's Ballroom was professionally recorded (by the great engineer Wally Heider) and so the sound is astonishing. This five-CD series is easily the best representation we have of Ellington's early-'50s lineup in an intimate ballroom dance setting.

The original Gabin - a French actor known for his portrayals of jaded, faded anti-heroes in 1930s and '40s-era films - might have chuckled ironically if he had been told that, a half-century after his heyday, two Italian musicians would name a fledgling lounge music project after him. But if he had listened to the music, he would have understood. It's full of languid grace and melancholy and is undeniably stylish - exactly what you'd expect to hear in a Parisian café or supper club. Just to add to the effect, many of the song titles and lyrics are in French.
Gabin (2002). Milky, silken rhythms lace through this collaboration between Roman DJ Filippo Clary and jazz bassist Max Battini. Their perspectives find accord in the realm of what martini-addled old-timers might label "acid jazz"…

Electro-Blues is a double digipack CD and download album featuring one side of vintage and another of vintage-influenced sounds. Forget the stale world of the blues historian and purist. This is all about taking a fresh look at what constitutes the blues in both sound and attitude. We aim to side-step the cliches and re-examine a genre. Side one features an introductory over-view of some amazing contemporary artists, producers and performers. They are linked by their explorations remixing and re-modeling this incredible, earthy and enduring musical form…

Django Reinhardt was the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe — and he remains the most influential European to this day, with possible competition from Joe Zawinul, George Shearing, John McLaughlin, his old cohort Stephane Grappelli and a bare handful of others. A free-spirited gypsy, Reinhardt wasn't the most reliable person in the world, frequently wandering off into the countryside on a whim. Yet Reinhardt came up with a unique way of propelling the humble acoustic guitar into the front line of a jazz combo in the days before amplification became widespread. He would spin joyous, arcing, marvelously inflected solos above the thrumming base of two rhythm guitars and a bass, with Grappelli's elegantly gliding violin serving as the perfect foil. His harmonic concepts…