2010 eight CD box set from the legendary Jazz pianist, composer, arranger and Big Band leader. This box set contains a plethora of material that Ellington recorded at the legendary venue, Carnegie Hall, during the height of the Big Band movement. Spanning the years 1943-47, this box set features 85 performances by Ellington backed by some of Jazz's greatest musicians including Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Junior Raglin, Al Hibbler, Claude B. Jones, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Greer, Ray Nance, Jimmy Hamilton, Al Sears and Ellington himself.
The second of Ace's three volumes documenting the Goldwax's label complete run of singles enters what most connoisseurs would consider to be its prime period, with all of the tracks having first been issued in 1966 and 1967. In particular, this era found Goldwax's most prominent artist, James Carr, releasing some of his most heralded songs, including "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man" and "The Dark End of the Street." It's no surprise that Carr is the most heavily represented member of Goldwax's roster on this two-CD compilation, as he's responsible for ten of its 54 tracks.
The second volume of The Complete Goldwax Singles sees us hit the labels golden period, where classic southern soul 45s pour out at a rate of knots. James Carr cements his place in the pantheon of great soul singers with a series of simply jaw-dropping singles. On this volume we have You Got My Mind Messed Up, Love Attack and Pouring Water On A Drowning Man before we get to Dark End Of The Street, the song that not only defined him, but quite possibly the whole southern soul genre. Volume Two is not just James Carr: the Ovations made amazing 45s at this period of the labels history, as did soul man Spencer Wiggins, who serves up the sublime Uptight Good Woman, among others. Other brilliant slices of southern soul featured are from Percy Millem, Eddie Jefferson, George (Jackson) and (Dan) Greer and Barbara Perry.
Original King/Federal recordings, 1954-64! Fantastic swingin' and groovin' compilation! Mark Lamarr currently hosts a weekly hour of rock 'n' roll over the British national airwaves and his style of delivery as caused a fair degree of controversy. Personally his off-hand presentation does not bother myself as I listen in for the music and boy does he play some goodies. This collection culled from the vaults of the King/Federal group of labels is a reasonable facsimile of the varying styles of rock 'n' roll and R&B that one can tune in and hear.
Few rock & roll or R&B guitarists of the '50s and '60s have a more consistently frantic body of work than the great Mickey Baker, though his name isn't nearly as well-known as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, or Ike Turner. Baker did most of his work as a sideman, and his best-known recordings as a headliner found him playing second fiddle to Sylvia Robinson as half of Mickey & Sylvia (whose "Love Is Strange" remains a puzzling delight 50 years after it was recorded), but folks who know and love first-era rock & roll are aware of Baker's greatness, and this collection is a superb overview of his work, both as a bandleader and as a hired gun.
The Complete Motown Singles has been a dream project of Motown and soul fanatics for many years, ever since the first decade of Stax/Volt singles was compiled in an impressive nine-disc box set in 1991. The Complete Motown Singles might have seemed like a logical move to soul collectors and fanatics, but it remained in the realm of fantasy for many years because, as enticing as that set was, it was difficult to create.