Kings of Swing in Britain
Big bands became popular in America during the mid 1930s. Playing the pop music of the time, a style of jazz called swing, they provided a touring for Dances or concerts, presenting star soloists and featuring a vocalist or two. Every top swing band was lead by a virtuoso instrumentalist, and the clarinet ruled. Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were the two patriarchs. Shaw was styled ‘King of the Clarinet’, and Goodman the ‘King of Swing’.
Their enormous influence permeates these recordings of Leslie Ormondroyd (on bass clarinet) with Henry Hall & BBC Dance Orchestra; Buffoon / Confrey Burton Gillis & Leslie Ormondroyd with Henry Hall & BBC Dance Orchestra Eccentric Robinson Freddy Gardner, Jack Simmons, Max Abrams.
Including:
- Carl Barriteau
- Sid Phillips
- Freddy Gardner
- Henry McKenzie
- Harry Parry
- Danny Polo
and many more….Take a walk down memory lane with the many standards performed by the leading bands and soloists of the day. Foot stomping music by Britain’s early swingers!
‘…the playing is delicious and the repertoire of popular standards will bring back a bygone age. This is an important and historical testament of light jazz for which the clarinet was so famous.’
REVIEWER’S COLLECTIVE
Playing Time: 76 mins.
CC0051
