Swingville - Original Jazz Classics Sampler

Tracklisting:

01. Coleman Hawkins: I'm Beginning
to See the Light 6:58
02. Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco & Herb Ellis Sextet: These Foolish Things [Live] 4:57
03. Django Reinhardt: The Sheik of Araby 2:17
04. Claude Hopkins: On the Sunny Side
of the Street 5:52
05. Tiny Grimes with Jerome Richardson:
Durn Tootin' 4:29
06. Benny Carter, Ben Webster & Barney Bigard:
When Lights Are Low 4:44
07. Earl 'Fatha' Hines & His Band: Yes Sir,
That's My Baby 2:58
08. Duke Heitger & His Swing Band: My Buddy 5:20
09. Billy Kyle's Big Eight: Contemporary Blues
(A.k.a Billy's Blues) 2:59
10. Joe Thoma's Big Six A Touch of Blue 2:43
11. Shorty Baker & Doc Cheatham: Night Train 6:41
12. Budd Johnson Quintet: Serenade in Blue 3:39
13. Buck Clayton & Buddy Tate:
Can't We Be Friends? 4:06
14. Pee Wee Russell: The Very Thought of You 4:42
15. Henry 'Red' Allen: St. Louis Blues 4:15
16. Rex Stewart: Please Don't Talk About Me
When I'm Gone 3:30
17. Buddy Tate: Overdrive 4:04
18. Joe Newman Quintet: Don't Worry 'Bout Me 4:40

Total Time 79:05 min.



Liner notes by W. Royal Stokes (August 2002)
Art direction: Jamie Putman

Stereo AAD · Digitally Remastered

(Tracks #3,9 & 10 Mono)

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Review:

"Prestige's Swingville series was launched in 1959 for the purpose of keeping swing-era jazz alive and the practitioners of said style in the record stores. This compilation features 13 tracks from the Swingville label plus five songs released on other labels under the Fantasy umbrella that fall within the style. The Swingville tracks date from 1959-1962 and are by such giants of the swing era as Coleman Hawkins, Buck Clayton, Pee Wee Russell, Buddy Tate, Joe Newman, Ben Webster, and Benny Carter. These old lions were still going strong and sound just as fresh and powerful as they did in their prime. Tracks of note include "Can't We Be Friends" by Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate from their relaxed and wonderful Buck & Buddy album from 1960, Shorty Baker and Doc Cheatam's slow and sexy take on "Night Train" from 1961's Shorty & Doc, and the rockin' "Durn Tootin'" by Tiny Grimes and Jerome Richardson from 1959's Tiny in Swingsville.

The tracks that weren't recorded for Swingville include a Django Reinhardt cut from 1935, a Billy Kyle track from 1946, a Joe Thomas track from 1946, an Earl Hines recording from 1961, a track by the Terry Gibbs/ Buddy DeFranco/Herb Ellis sextet from 1991, and a cut by Duke Heitger & His Swing Band from 1998. As nice as some of these tracks are, it spoils the mood of the compilation to throw in these tracks from different eras, especially the Duke Heitger track, which sounds like a bloodless exercise in nostalgia. It would have been more satisfying from both a historical and auditory perspective to cull all the tracks from the Swingville series. Despite this complaint and the Duke Heitger track, the disc is a strong artifact from a noble label - and it sure does swing."

Tim Sendra -All Music Guide