Jazz Playlists to Share

[Soandso]

Just finished compiling a public Spotify playlist titled "1940s JAZZ" featuring a very large number of musicians which includes their better recordings. It runs for 62 hours and I thought there might some ASR readers who would appreciate a selective musical archive so opened this post. The decade of 1940 was a transitional stage for jazz and time has eroded the fame of so much foot tapping talent.

As Soandso on Spotify I've another public playlist titled "Daddy-O Jazz" that runs for 35 hours. It features several famous old musicians'and jazz composers' more mellow rhythmic songs. I still intend to add to it and keep it as a classic jazz groove compendium rather than a contemporary smooth jazz collection. The songs are not curated by theme groups or chronologically, but rather musical selections are listed by artist. It seems to me suitable for a background sound track which every now and then you might sway to.

 

[Soandso]

The first jazz recording was released by The Dixieland Band was in 1917 titled "Dixie Jass Band One-Step" (with "Livery Stable Blues"). These were white musicians and historically part of what led to culturally deeming Dixie Land Jazz as distinct from black musicians' New Orleans Jazz.

Supposedly during that period of time the word "jass" about a playing card game was in use as a crude slang verb with sexual innuendo. By 1916 tromobonist Tom Brown's Dixieland Band moved (with many having been in local Jack "Papa" Lane's bands) from New Orleans to Chicago. Attempts were made there to demean them by members of the Chicago musicians union by calling them a "jass" band.

In 1916 New Orleans cornetist Nick LaRocca came to Chicago, bringing pianist Henry Ragas and trombonist Eddie "Daddy" Edwards along. Soon they took Brown's clarinetist Larry Shields with them to New York City forming the "Original Dixieland Band" with Tony Sbarbo playing on 58th Street at the Reisenweber Cafe. This is the group, as The Dixieland Band, which 1st recorded "jass" together in early 1917.

The first known jazz recording issued by black musicians was made in 1921 titled "Ory's Creole Trombone" (with "Society Blues"). It was done in Los Angeles by Ory's Sunshine Band.

"Kid" Ory was originally from New Orleans and eventually moved to California. In New Orleans his band at one time had "King" Oliver until replacing him with Louis Armstrong. "King" Oliver, who had been performing in Chicago since 1917, rejoined them in California for a time.

1923 is the next earliest existent black jazz recording titled "Southern Stomp" (with "Riverside Blues") was made in Chicago by King Oliver's Jazz Band. The Louis Armstrong Hot Five (and Hot Seven) jazz recordings date from 1925.

 

[Soandso]

Ready for USA's 4th of July 2023 holiday gatherings is this short Spotify jazz playlist "pre-Bop Jazz Combos".