Mosaic, the Rolls-Royce of record companies, has produced another of its limited-edition gems (5,000 copies and no more). This five-CD boxed set highlights the early work of two of the more famous vocal graduates of the swing era – Peggy Lee and June Christy. Recently signed by Capitol, they were the company's attempt to break into the transcription business. Transcriptions were records provided to radio stations to fill a constant need for music that regular commercial releases were unable to meet. Most of the songs on this album, cuts from 1945 through 1949, were never before or since recorded by Lee and Christy, so they are a nice addition to their respective discographies.
A masterful stride pianist, a playful vocalist, and an influential jazz figure who was enormously popular in the '30s and '40s.
Not only was Fats Waller one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, he was also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers - and as so often happens, one facet tends to obscure the other. His extraordinarily light and flexible touch belied his ample physical girth; he could swing as hard as any pianist alive or dead in his classic James P. Johnson-derived stride manner, with a powerful left hand delivering the octaves and tenths in a tireless, rapid, seamless stream. Waller also pioneered the use of the pipe organ and Hammond organ in jazz…
There's a bittersweet beauty to the passing of time – the changes it brings are just as often heartbreaking as they are heartwarming. The inevitable tension that arises from that sway is Gretchen Peters' most trusted muse. “The years go by like days. Sometimes the days go by like years. And I don't know which one I hate the most,” she sings in “Arguing with Ghosts,” the hauntingly wistful opening cut on her new album, Dancing with the Beast.
The fifties and sixties were such a wonderful time to grow up and fall in love. It was the first time teenagers had their own music and their own love songs. Time Life is proud to offer The Teen Years, a new 10-CD, 150-song collection filled with teen idols, doo-wop groups, girl groups and more. It's the only rock 'n' roll collection devoted to the most romantic teen hits of the first (pre-Beatles) rock 'n' roll era.
The fifties and sixties were such a wonderful time to grow up and fall in love. It was the first time teenagers had their own music and their own love songs. Time Life is proud to offer The Teen Years, a new 10-CD, 150-song collection filled with teen idols, doo-wop groups, girl groups and more. It's the only rock 'n' roll collection devoted to the most romantic teen hits of the first (pre-Beatles) rock 'n' roll era.