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This compilation chronicles the arrival of New Orleans Jazz in Chicago during the early 1920s and demonstrates how that body of music was integrated into the Chicago music scene. The album features... more

The intricate novelty rag demands virtuosic technique and an ability to establish one's own musical identity while remaining true to the composition. The performances on Interpretations represent the... more

The boundaries between jazz and popular music were never as blurry as in the 1920s, when jazz bands played pop songs and dance bands performed jazz tunes. This recording celebrates this mixture and... more

As it did with blues and jazz, the early recording industry missed the beginnings of ragtime. Luckily, the burgeoning player piano industry produced ragtime tunes on paper rolls, and these rolls... more

A cornetist blowin', a clarinetist wailin', a trombonist mournin', a pianist groovin'... all in a crowded, smoky parlor. The 1940s arguably marked the height of big band era, and a resurgence of... more

Ragtime was first recorded in 1897, and this selection of recordings begins shortly thereafter, in 1902. Although listeners associate ragtime with the piano, musicians arranged popular rags for other... more

This compilation reflects musicians' accounts of the growth of jazz, spotlighting forms they heard in New Orleans such as the march, rag, blues, spiritual and "standards. " Featured are Jelly Roll... more

There is no single kind of music that led to the creation of Jazz. Instead, the genre evolved, and continues to evolve, from diverse musical avenues. The best big band Jazz orchestration is created... more

Illustrious musicians from two bands came together for this night of jazz greatness at Town Hall in NY. Recorded in '46 but not released 'til 1960, it includes "Royal Garden Blues," "China Boy,"... more

A unique subgenre, the history of jazz poetry runs parallel to the musical movement, in which jazz and it's artists serve as a muse for the authors. This collection of New Jazz Poets represents the... more

From the "breathy theatricalism" of Chicago theater jazz to the "youthful enthusiasm" of Birmingham and St. Louis's bands, the 1920s and 30s were decades of experiment, change, and stylistic... more

Long after it's initial popularity in the 78rpm format, ragtime reappeared in the 1940s and 1950s when, encouraged by the introduction of the 45rpm disc and the LP, piano players and composers... more

Most of the recordings on this collection were made by white Chicago high school students in the Roaring Twenties "who took Jazz for their text and, in the spirit of Jazz, improvised upon that text."... more

This collection features country ragtime from 1917 to 1935-a genre that mixes the syncopation of African-American rhythms with the melodic structure of European dance music. As these recordings... more

The piano got off to a late start in Jazz, notes Frederic Ramsey Jr., but, beginning with Jelly Roll Morton, it made up for lost time. Pianists became important in performance and composition. On... more

There is no single kind of music that led to the creation of Jazz. Instead, the genre evolved, and continues to evolve, from diverse musical avenues. In his liner notes to the final volume of... more

Behold the surging energy of the first years of swing, as the bands grew larger and arrangers endeavored to balance melody with rhythm. Hot stuff here: "Farewell Blues" Paul Whiteman, "Boston Tea... more

Catchy melodies, individual interpretation, and flashy technique epitomize "novelty" ragtime, a style of ragtime that emerged after World War I. This recording features "the effervescence of... more

Here is a sampling of some of the most active Jazz vocalists of the 1920's, '30's and '40's: Louis Armstrong, Ivy Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Bessie Smith, Sonny Terry and Ma Rainey. They... more

This balanced collection of novelty rags includes compositions by the famed Zez Confrey and Roy Bargy, as well as expert interpretations of rarely heard pieces by Harry Jentes, Sid Reinherz, Jean... more

This selection of Dixieland classics offers a range of different kinds of tunes performed by bands in the 1920s and during the Dixieland revival in the 1940s and 50s. This album of "joyous,... more

As well as presenting a collection of first-rate piano solos from the likes of Willie "The Lion" Smith, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Art Tatum, Mary Lou Williams, Teddy Wilson, and Erroll Garner, this album... more

A continuation of Volume 1, this archival recording moves into the realm of big band jazz, showing off heavyweights like Muggsy Spanier, Pee Wee Russell, Mary Lou Williams and Art Tatum.