The Chronological

James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most influential arrangers and bandleaders in jazz history. Henderson's influence was vast. He helped bridge the gap between the Dixieland and the swing eras. He was often known as Smack Henderson (apparently because of his skill as a batter playing baseball in college).

There have been few jazz musicians as consistently controversial as Stan Kenton. Dismissed by purists of various genres while loved by many others, Kenton ranks up there with Chet Baker and Sun Ra as jazz's top cult figure. He led a succession of highly original bands that often emphasized emotion, power, and advanced harmonies over swing, and this upset listeners who felt that all big bands should aim to sound like Count Basie.

From the quality jazz archive series "The Chronological Classics", this is the musical story of the African-American pianist, vocalist and band leader Bob Howard, in four rare CD. He played New York's Park Central Hotel, Famous Door, Hickory House and other clubs as well as theaters. He was signed to Decca in late 1934 and recorded a series of hot small group swing records between 1935 and 1938. In late 1947, Howard returned once again to the studios. In this excellent collection you will find 87 great remastered authentic recordings, and four detailed scanned booklets with tons of information about Bob Howard's life, career, groups and all the 87 tracks included. Enjoy a really professional presentation of a great jazz artist.