From the Record Shelves #227 - Miss HannahFrom the Record Shelves #227 – Miss Hannah – This record that I bought second-hand has Coleman Hawkins signature on the back of the sleeve. Thus, I feel like choosing a tune where he is featured on the record that otherwise has two different sides. On the first (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #188 - Beedle Um BumFrom the Record Shelves #188 – Beedle Um Bum – This is one of the first LPs that I bought in my life, and it is still one of the best. I had seen it in a shop, and when I had saved up the money I went back. This was in the 1960s, and I was naive when I was shocked because (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #173 - 31st Street BluesFrom the Record Shelves #173 – 31st Street Blues – When I started to listen to jazz, I learned many things from the books. One often repeated “truth” was that Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra was nothing but a common dance orchestra until Louis (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #172 - Parlor Social StompFrom the Record Shelves #172 – Parlor Social Stomp – Once, when I was in Paris, I heard that the attendants of the museums held a wild one-day strike, so you could enter without paying. I made a quick visit to the Louvre to have a new look at Mona Lisa (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #94 - The SwamplandFrom the Record Shelves #94 – The Swampland. I remember a quote from Willie the Lion Smith: “The musician never masters music, but learns something new every day”. I agree with that! He was himself one of “The Three” which means one of the three (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #54 - Once Upon a TimeFrom the Record Shelves #54 – Once Upon a Time. This is a heavenly record, especially if you like saxophone and good arrangements. The key persons and masters in both departments are Don Redman and Benny Carter. Still I have chosen a number (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #52 - Wild CherryFrom the Record Shelves #52 – Wild Cherry. Today we hear some territory jazz. San Antonio, Texas had several big bands in the thirties and one of them was led by the drummer Boots Douglas. That the music is rare you can understand from the battered picture (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #41 - It’s a Lonesome Old TownFrom the Record Shelves #41 – It’s a Lonesome Old Town. The double LP contains the last recordings of McKinney’s Cotton Pickers which are put together with sessions from 1939-40 by Don Redman’s Orchestra (…) read more and listenread more and listen