Doc Powell

This segment of the Teddy Wilson chronology contains 23 recordings made for the Columbia label in New York and Chicago between December 11, 1939 and September 16, 1941. The first eight tracks showcase Wilson's 12-piece big band, using arrangements by Wilson, Edgar Sampson and Buster Harding. This unusually upsized version of the Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra had Doc Cheatham and Harold "Shorty" Baker in the trumpet section, Ben Webster and Rudy Powell among the reeds, and Al Casey and J.C. Heard playing rhythm. Those who are accustomed to Wilson's customary small group sound will find this material pleasantly, perhaps surprisingly different from the norm. In December of 1940 Wilson led an octet with Bill Coleman, Benny Morton and Jimmy Hamilton in the front line…