Swing Music

I'm not going to spend much time with the rest. The first 6 tracks are remakes of some of Armstrong's great early triumphs, and don't really add anything much. They're well - played, sophisticated and a bit glib. But 2 tracks, What Is This Thing Called Swing? and Harlem Stomp, send this disc soaring into the realm of the essential. What happened to this band in the recording studio? Nothing much prepares you for the brilliance of thes two cuts. Sid Catlett's drumming is out of this world. I hate to use the term "ahead of its time" but it is at least that. The hookup between Armstrong and Sid is white hot and outrageous. Would that there were more ! I guess I'm duty-bound to mention that the live cuts have very amateurish sound. But hopefully that won't stop anyone who wants to experience them.

If you know who John Kirby was and what the band was about, then there's no point reading any reviews. If you're here because you're randomly bopping around Amazon looking for interesting music, then I encourage you to buy this album. There's nothing but fun here: it's pure joy to listen to. Pop classical passages set to classic swing orchestrations by a super-tight ensemble - what more could you want? It's fantastic. Listen to this music and beautiful people will fall in love with you.

John Kirby had a nice combo, with a trumpet, alto sax and a clarinet playing the melody lines. The nice thing to listen is how they play together. They start at the same point, wander off and come back. If you like swing, this band is a must !