The White Sheik

His recording career as a leader in the United States lasted for about two years, from 1944-46. In the autumn of 1946 Don Byas left for Europe touring with the Don Redman Band; essentially, from that point on he simply stayed in Europe until his death in 1972. Considering the time period, and the extent of his talent, expatriation was a doubtful career move if he was concerned with his place in the contemporary jazz scene and ultimately his place in jazz history.
This four disc set, Don Byas: Complete American Small Group Recordings, documents Byas’ recordings as a leader prior to his emigration, with one disc documenting his work as a sideman in a variety of bands. Although he was later to record extensively in Europe, Byas should be established as a major tenor saxophonist based on this four disc set alone.

The future "King of Swing", Benjamin David Goodman, was born on the 30th May, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Jewish immigrants and grew up with 11 brothers and sisters. Benny Goodman learned to play the clarinet in a synagogue and took his first steps as a musician on the pleasure boats on the nearby Lake Michigan.
He worked for several years from the middle of the Twenties with Ben Pollack, but also played with several other bands. Goodman met the well-known music producer John Hammond in 1933, and was persuaded by Hammond to form his first big-band…

Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich combines two historical performances from the spring/summer 1980 band. The first is from a set at FZ’s favorite NYC nightclub – the famous Mudd Club. Presented from a hi-res transfer of the original master tape. The second, from Olympiahalle in Munich, is the first ever live direct to digital stereo recording of Zappa. Mastering by Bernie Grundman, 2022.