Jack McDuff - The Prestige Years (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:40
Size: 180.1 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[8:13] 1. The Honeydripper
[2:59] 2. Brother Jack
[4:49] 3. Sanctified Waltz
[8:55] 4. Yeah, Baby
[5:00] 5. Mellow Gravy
[6:01] 6. He's A Real Gone Guy
[6:22] 7. Candy
[7:00] 8. Tough 'Duff
[2:23] 9. Grease Monkey
[6:46] 10. Jive Samba
[2:59] 11. Organ Grinder's Swing
[7:18] 12. Screamin'
[2:56] 13. Hot Barbeque
[6:54] 14. Opus De Funk

Alto Saxophone – Leo Wright; Bass – Wendell Marshall; Drums – Bill Elliot, Joe Dukes; Guitar – Bill Jennings, Eddie Diehl, George Benson, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell; Organ – Brother Jack McDuff; Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons, Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest, Red Holloway; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester.

The history of jazz is full of great musicians who died tragically young; Clifford Brown, Bix Beiderbecke, Eric Dolphy, Fats Navarro, Charlie Christian, Booker Little, and the seminal Charlie Parker were among the many legendary improvisers who died in their twenties or thirties. But when Jack McDuff passed away on January 23, 2001, at the age of 74, his fans could take some comfort in knowing that he had lived a long and productive life. The soul-jazz/hard bop organist left behind a huge catalog, which is why best-of releases like The Prestige Years and The Best of the Concord Years are sorely needed. While the latter is devoted to McDuff's Concord Jazz recordings of the '90s and early 2000s, this 79-minute CD focuses on his Prestige output of 1960-1965. Although McDuff only spent a fraction of his career at Prestige and was still keeping busy 35 years after leaving the label, Prestige was the company that put him on the map as a recording artist -- and most soul-jazz enthusiasts would agree that he recorded some of his most essential work there. The Prestige Years bears that out; "Rock Candy," "Yeah, Baby," and McDuff's 1960 version of Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" are required listening for anyone with even a casual interest in gritty, down-home organ combos. The list of musicians who join McDuff on these recordings reads like a who's who of '60s soul-jazz; Gene Ammons, George Benson, Red Holloway, Jimmy Forrest, and Grant Green are among the major names appearing in the credits. The Prestige Years is far from the last word on McDuff's long recording career -- for that matter, it's far from the last word on his Prestige output. But if one is seeking an introductory overview of McDuff's five years at that label, The Prestige Years wouldn't be a bad investment at all. ~Alex Henderson

The Prestige Years (Remastered)

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Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Calling All Jitterbugs

Styles: Jazz, Swing, Big Band
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:37
Size: 96,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Streamliner
(3:43)  2. Mildred, Won't You Behave?
(3:01)  3. I'm Beginning To Like It
(3:09)  4. Sportsman's Mambo
(3:38)  5. Twelve Cylinders
(3:32)  6. I Dreamed About You
(3:03)  7. Bill's Bounce
(3:25)  8. The Guy I Met This Evening
(2:58)  9. Whisper Amor
(2:45) 10. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe
(3:24) 11. Tonight I'm Goin' Out With You
(1:44) 12. We Tried To Reach For The Moon
(1:41) 13. Oh, Vicky!
(1:38) 14. My Baby Said She'd Marry Me

The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra, fifteen musicians and four singers strong, plays exciting swing music in the styles of the '30s, '40s, and '50s, with a twist: much of the band's repertoire has been written in the '90s and 2000 by leader Bill Elliott, a composer and arranger whose songs have been prominently featured in many feature films and TV shows, including the recent HBO film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and the current Disney Channel film Alley Cats Strike. Elliott began his career as a rock'n'roll piano player, touring and recording with such artists as Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, and many others, before finding his calling as a swingmeister while writing and arranging songs for the 1989 film Dock Tracy. The Swing Orchestra, formed in 1993, was an outgrowth of Elliott's continuing success in writing original, vintage-sounding swing music for film, television, and commercials. He has assembled many of L.A.'s hottest musicians for his mission of recreating the authentic fire and style of big bands at their peak in the late '30s. The band also features Bill’s Luck Stars, a vocal quartet who sing in the close-harmony style of the Pied Pipers and the Modernaires, and glamorous lead singer Cassie Miller in featured solos as well. Playing a dominant role in southern California's current swing revival, Elliott's band is a favorite among the young jitterbug and Lindy Hop dancers whose vibrant new counterculture has been growing rapidly. Elliott's music is in the style of the great swing bands of the late '30s and early '40s - as hard-swinging as they come, with an emphasis on colorful arrangements, sophisticated and light-hearted lyrics, and danceability.

The BESO has repeatedly drawn crowds of over 1100 dancers at the Hollywood Palladium and the Satin Ballroom in Los Angeles. The band has appeared often at Merv Griffin's Coconut Club in Beverly Hills, and has played to large crowds at the Avalon Casino Ballroom on Catalina Island and at ballrooms in San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, OR. In July '99 the BESO made its first east coast appearances, headlining at Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing in Manhattan, the Mann Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and at swing dance events in Boston and Washington, DC. The band is also in demand for private and corporate events, and its resume includes Emmy Award balls, the Jonathan Club Centennial, America's Cup Ball, Junior Philharmonic Ball, and parties for most of the major Hollywood studios. The band's three CDs, Swing Fever, Calling All Jitterbugs!, and Swingin’ The Century, have made the band well-known at swing clubs and dances from Seattle to London, and also receive enthusiastic airplay on jazz and swing radio programs around the world. Elliott's arrangements and his band's recordings were featured both in the HBO film and the RCA soundtrack album for Introducing  Dorothy Dandridge, and on John Lithgow's Sony-Wonder CD Singing in The Bathtub. Elliott's association with Mr. Lithgow also resulted in the recent Carnegie Hall premiere of a fifteen-minute piece for symphony orchestra, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, composed by Elliott as a setting of Lithgow's children's story which was released as a book by Simon & Shuster in the fall of 2000.

Elliott's career as a bandleader complements his activities in film and television. He and the band recently recorded both the orchestral score and the big band music for the Disney Channel film Alley Cats Strike which began airing in March 2000, and he has used his band as the core of a large orchestra when arranging the songs for Disney's sequels to Aladdin, The Return Of Jafar and Aladdin And The King Of Thieves, which make use of his distinctive swing style. Four of Elliott's songs appeared in the Oliver Stone film NIXON, and eight of his songs are in the film Killer starring James Woods. Elliott's swing music also appears in the films Contact, Independence Day, Disney's remake of That Darn Cat, and the animated feature Cats Don’t Dance. Bill and the band appeared as themselves (in 1939!) in the Disney TV movie Tower Of Terror. Bill also used his band in composing music for episodes of the TV shows Ellen and Drew Carey. Besides playing the original music of its leader, the band performs authentic arrangements from the golden years of swing, including music by Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, Bunny Berigan, Jimmie Lunceford, Chick Webb, and Duke Ellington. Such classics as "King Porter Stomp", "Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe", "Carioca", "Blues In The Night", and many others come to life with a suave polish and authentic style that no other contemporary band can match. The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra seems to have leaped out of a time machine, and performs with all the excitement, sophistication, and enthusiasm of the best bands of the first swing era.  http://www.swingorchestra.com/band.html

Personnel: Bill Elliot, Frederick Hodges (vocals, piano); Amy Weston, Jeff Gilbert, Frederick Hodges, Cassie Miller, John O'Campo, Michael Lescault, Royce Reynolds (vocals); Don Shelton, Jay Mason (alto saxophone); Roger Neumann, Bill Liston (tenor saxophone); Bob Reitmeier, Chuck Erdahl, Gene Burkert, Ray Herman, John Reilly, Lemoyne Taylor (saxophone); Don Clarke, Wayne Bergeron, Darrel Gardner, Brian Atkinson (trumpet); Andy Martin, Alex Iles, Bill Tole, Bruce Otto, John Grab, Charlie Morillas, Jim Boltinghouse (trombone); John Brand (tuba); Bobby Bruce (violin); Barry Zweig (guitar); Brad Roth (banjo); Dave Stone, Simeon Pillich (bass); Gordon Peeke, Ray Templin (drums).

Calling All Jitterbugs

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Various - We're Swingin'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:48
Size: 102.6 MB
Styles: Retro Swing
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Bellevue Cadillac - Prozac
[4:37] 2. Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums - Jumptown
[3:08] 3. Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88's - Straight Eight
[3:44] 4. The Swingtips - Checkbook Daddy-O
[3:42] 5. Bill Elliott - Mildred, Won't You Behave
[2:34] 6. Speak Easy Spies - Hey Kat
[5:32] 7. Lee Press-On & The Nails - Big Pants Dance
[4:01] 8. The Acme Swing Co. - Warm It Up
[3:58] 9. Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - What's The Matter With You
[2:08] 10. Louis Prima - Lip
[3:49] 11. New York Jimmy & The Jive Five - She Won't Dance
[2:47] 12. New Morty Show - Knockin' At Your Door

As they say within, 'Jump, joy and swing your blues away'. ~Stephem Cramer

We're Swingin'

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The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Swing Fever

Styles: Jazz, Swing,  Big Band
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:29
Size: 104,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. Struttin' With Kate
(2:44)  2. I Wanna Talk About Love
(2:50)  3. Wham-Rebop
(3:35)  4. Young And Foolish
(4:07)  5. White Heat Stomp
(2:33)  6. The Things We Did Last Summer
(2:44)  7. The Best Things Happen When You Dance
(2:52)  8. Swing Fever
(3:09)  9. Azure
(2:43) 10. Dickie's Weather Jive
(3:07) 11. Moonlight Savings Time
(3:28) 12. Bill's Bounce
(2:53) 13. Alaskan Nights
(3:19) 14. Pep, Vim, & Verve

The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra differs from most swing bands today in that it sounds very much like an orchestra from circa 1940 and yet most of its repertoire consists of originals by its leader-pianist-arranger. In other words, the music and writing are quite creative within the vintage swing style. For its debut recording, the big band performs ten Elliott originals plus four standards. Clarinetist Bob Reitmeier, tenor saxophonist Roger Neumann, and trombonist Andy Martin are among the main "names" in the band, yet many of the lesser-known players also take excellent solos. Amy Weston sings two numbers and the Vocalworks (a fine four-voice ensemble) is a major asset too. Recommended both for retro swing listeners and fans of early swing who are open-minded enough to discover a new big band. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/swing-fever-mw0000248101

Personnel: Bill Elliott (piano); Mike Geiger, Amy Weston (vocals); Paul Viapiano (guitar, piano); Mark Linnet (recorder); Bill Liston, Bob Reitmeier (clarinet, alto saxophone); Roger Neumann (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Jay Mason (bass clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Chuck Erdahl (tenor saxophone); Darrel Gardner, Peter Olstad, Wayne Bergeron (trumpet); Alex Iles, Andy Martin , John Grab (trombone); Gordon Peeke (drums).

Swing Fever

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The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Swingin' The Century

Styles: Jazz, Big Band, Swing
Year: 1999
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 45:41
Size: 88,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Swingin' The Century
(3:00)  2. The Shim Sham Song
(3:18)  3. Camp Hollywood Special
(3:10)  4. When We Dance
(2:38)  5. I'm Fallin' In Love Again
(3:17)  6. Hep Hop
(3:28)  7. Blues In The Night
(2:38)  8. Somebody Loves Me
(2:35)  9. Lets' Get Married
(3:21) 10. Oh, Lady Be Good
(3:21) 11. Boogie Woogie Rhumba
(2:45) 12. Maze Of Death
(2:16) 13. At The Coconut
(3:50) 14. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(2:53) 15. Jeep Jockey Jump

The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra is a swing band for today, with its own distinctive songs and sound  light-hearted, energetic, witty, romantic feel good music. Our third Cd Swingin' The Century has been spun with great enthusiasm by DJs and dance teachers in LA, SF, NY, and DC! The band recorded at famed Capitol Studios A and B in Hollywood, using a combination of vintage microphones and modern technology to create a distinctive sound that fits Elliott’s retro-style arrangements. As on the second record, the vocal quartet Bill’s Lucky Stars is featured prominently, and lead singer Cassie Miller steps out on three solos as well. Its 15 tracks include ten of Bill Elliott’s brand-new original songs as well as five classic tunes from the first swing era. Songs include "Swingin' the Century," "Oh Lady Be Good," "Blues in the Night,"Camp Hollywood Special," and "The Shim Sham Song." http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/belliottswing

Personnel: Michael Lescault, Cassie Miller (vocals); Barry Zwieg (guitar); Don Shelton , Bob Reitmeier (clarinet); John Reilly, Gene Burkert, Ray Herrmann (reeds); Jay Mason (alto saxophone); Roger Neumann, Jeff Driskill (tenor saxophone); Chuck Erdahl (baritone saxophone); Darrel Gardner, Donald Clarke, Gary Halopoff, Jeff Bunnell, Wayne Bergeron, John Grab (trumpet); Charlie Morillas, Andy Martin , Bruce Otto (trombone); Brad Dutz (bongos).

Swingin' The Century

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The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Swingin' The Century

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:10
Size: 103.4 MB
Styles: Swing, Jump blues
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:00] 1. Swingin' The Century
[2:59] 2. The Shim Sham Song
[3:17] 3. 69 Camp Hollywood Special
[3:07] 4. When We Dance
[2:36] 5. I'm Fallin' In Love Again
[3:14] 6. Hep Hop
[3:26] 7. Blues In The Night
[2:37] 8. Somebody Loves Me
[2:33] 9. Let's Get Married
[3:19] 10. Oh, Lady Be Good
[3:19] 11. Boogie Woogie Rhumba
[2:43] 12. Maze Of Death
[2:14] 13. At The Coconut
[3:48] 14. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[2:50] 15. Jeep Jockey Jump

Long time favorites in the L.A. swing scene, the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra deftly recreates the sound of big bands from the 1930's and 1940's. On their third album Swingin' The Century, Bill, his vocal group The Lucky Stars, and the 15 piece orchestra lay to rest any rumours that the swing scene is dying. The instrumental title track, "Swingin' the Century," starts off the album and re-introduces the use of a clarinet, which was noticeably absent on the last album Calling All Jitterbugs!.

Much Of Elliott's music on this album is geared towards dancers, "The Shim Sham Song" having been written specifically for the Shim Sham, a sort of swing line-dance, at the urging of Rusty Frank, an L.A. dance instructor who specializes in Shim Sham. Bill also pays tribute to the dancers in "Camp Hollywood Special." Camp Hollywood is a popular L.A. dance camp/workshop that teaches the Dean Collins 'smooth style' Lindy Hop, which is often referred to as 'Hollywood Lindy' because of its prevalence in films of the 1930's like Hellzapoppin' and The Groovie Movie. And while I never thought I would hear an ode to Merv Griffin, that's just what "At the Coconut Is." It was written as a sort of thank you to Griffin, who is the owner of the Beverly Hills Hotel and opened up The Coconut Club last year and turned it into a haven for big bands to play to a dance floor where "Swing kids mix with the Hollywood elite."

Ten of the fifteen songs on the album are original compositions like the hilarious "Let's Get Married" and "Maze Of Death," which sounds like the theme to a forgotten noir thriller from the 40's. With the vocal stylings of Cassie Miller and the Lucky Stars, Bill also takes on classics like Arlen & Mercer's "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and Gershwin's "Oh Lady Be Good" to spectacular results. Maybe khakis don't swing anymore, but Bill certainly does. ~Courtney Knopf

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California between December 1998 and May 1999.

Michael Lescault, Cassie Miller (vocals); Barry Zwieg (guitar); Don Shelton , Bob Reitmeier (clarinet); John Reilly, Gene Burkert, Ray Herrmann (reeds); Jay Mason (alto saxophone); Roger Neumann, Jeff Driskill (tenor saxophone); Chuck Erdahl (baritone saxophone); Darrel Gardner, Donald Clarke, Gary Halopoff, Jeff Bunnell, Wayne Bergeron, John Grab (trumpet); Charlie Morillas, Andy Martin, Bruce Otto (trombone); Brad Dutz (bongos).

Swingin' The Century

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