Ken Burns JAZZ: The Story Of America's Music [Box]

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Compilation producers include: Ken Burns, Steve Berkowitz, Sarah Botstein, Michael Cuscuna, Peter Miller. Includes liner notes by Geoffrey C. Ward, Michael Cuscuna, and Loren Schoenberg. Digitally remastered by Seth Foster and Mark Wilder (Sony Studios, New York, New York) and Kevin Reeves (Universal Mastering Studios-East, Edison, New Jersey). This is part of the Columbia/Legacy Ken Burns JAZZ series. Personnel: Jimmy Garrison (vocals, chant); Mississippi Fred McDowell (vocals, guitar); Charles Gaylord (vocals, violin); Chano Pozo (vocals, congas); Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Eberie, Irene Daye, Jack Fulton, Marion Hutton, Baby Cox, Charles Mingus, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby (vocals); "Big" Mike McKendrick (guitar, banjo); Eddie Durham (guitar, trombone); Danny Barker , Eddie Lang, Eric Gale, Ernest Ashley, Freddie Green, Will Johnson, Al Avola, Richard Fisher , Al Norris, Lawrence Lucie, Leroy Berry, Paul Chapman, Jimmy Miller , John McLaughlin , Lonnie Johnson, Ray Biondi, Pierre Ferret, Al Casey, Jimmy McLin, Bobby Johnson, Charlie Byrd (guitar); Kevin Breit (electric guitar, banjo); Charlie Christian (electric guitar); Fred Guy (banjo, tuba); Bill Johnson, Buddy Christian , Mancy Carr, Tony Gattuso, Charlie Dixon (banjo); Bronislaw Gimpel, Oscar Madera, Kurt Dieterle, Mario Perry, Carroll Dickerson, Milton Lomask, Joseph Malin, Matty Malneck, St�phane Grappelli, Harold Kohon, David Nadien, Max Hollander, Max Ellen, Harry Lookofsky (violin); Frank Brieff, Al Brown (viola); Frank Miller , Charles McCracken (cello); Wayman Carver (flute, tenor saxophone); Calvin Jones (piccolo); Don Cherry, Thomas Morris (cornemuse); Heine Beau, Eddie Barefield, Hal McLean, Garvin Bushell, Hal McIntyre, Chet Hazlett, Albert Nicholas, Charlie Holmes (clarinet, alto saxophone); Coleman Hawkins, Rube Crozier, Sam Musiker (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Ernie Caceres, Harry Carney (clarinet, baritone saxophone); Darnell Howard, Edmond Hall, Jimmy Dorsey, Joe Darensbourg, Johnny Dodds, Peanuts Hucko, Rudy Jackson, Barney Bigard, Benny Goodman, Buster Bailey (clarinet); Mitch Miller (oboe); Jes�s Hern�ndez, Arturo Ayala, Antonio Gonzales (reeds); Ornette Coleman (saxophone); Otto Hardwick, Sidney Bechet (soprano saxophone); George Koenig, Lester Boone, Dan Grissom, Eustis Moore, Eric Dolphy, Howard E. Johnson , George James, Jackie Fields, Bert Curry, Hilton Jefferson, Ed Brown , Manny Gershman, Ernie Powell, Jimmy Powell , Johnny Hodges, Lee Konitz, Louis Jordan, Russell Procope, Toots Mondello, Paul Desmond, Hank Freeman, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Stanley Payne, Ronnie Perry , Dexter Gordon, Dick Clark , Kenneth Hollon, Walter Bates, Hank Mobley, Herschel Evans, Joe Gayles, Stan Getz, Teddy Hill, Teddy McRae, Tex Beneke, Tony Pastor, Vido Musso, Al Klink (tenor saxophone); Gerry Mulligan, Earl Carruthers, Phil Bodner (baritone saxophone); Louis Armstrong (trumpet, cornet, piano); Frank De Broit, Jake "Vernon" Porter (trumpet, cornet); Chet Baker , Manny Klein, Nate Kazebier, Clyde Hurley, Joe Keyes, Elmer Chambers, Dizzy Gillespie, Doc Cheatham, Ed Lewis, Leigh Knowles, Chuck Peterson, Clarence Brereton, Freddie Jenkins, Homer Hobson, Demas Dean, Jimmy Blake, John Best , Harry "Sweets" Edison, Harry James, Otis Johnson, Henry "Red" Allen, Henry Busse, Hot Lips Page, Charlie Margulis, Herbie Jones, Dale McMickle, Claude Bowen, Kenny Dorham, Marcus Belgrave, Mario Bauz�, Mercer Ellington, Miles Davis, Sy Oliver, Taft Jordan, Ted Curson, William Cat Anderson, Zilner Randolph, Wendell Culley, Louis Metcalf, Wallace Jones, Bubber Miley, Buck Clayton, Bunny Berigan (trumpet); George Mitchell, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, Bobby Hackett (cornet); Bill Rank, Jack Lacey, Al Mastern, Joseph Nanton, Eddie Edwards, George Arus, Russell Bowles, Herb Fleming, Honore Dutrey, Chester Burrill, Ward Andrews, Eddie Crumbley, Dave Jacobs, Amos Gillard, Boyce Cullen, J.C. Higginbotham, J.J. Johnson , Jay Kelliher, Wilbur Hall, Ted Kelly, Earl Hardy, John Mayfield, Keg Johnson, Kid Ory, Lawrence Brown , Murray McEachern, Rafael Hern�ndez, Art Baron, Wayne Andre, Wycliffe Gordon, Ziggy Elman, George Matthews , Dan Minor, Claude Jones, Red Ballard, Preston Jackson, Buster Cooper, Charlie Green, Charlie Irvis (trombone); Lee Perry, John Barber , Pete Briggs (tuba); Gene Anderson (piano, celesta); Chummy MacGregor, Tommy Fulford, Count Basie, Paul Mertz, Charlie Alexander , Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Duke Jordan, Eddie Heywood, Fletcher Henderson, Frank Froeba, George Cables, Henry Ragas, James P. Johnson, Bob Kitsis, Erskine Butterfield, Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Guarnieri, Lil Hardin, Milt Raskin, Pete Johnson , Richie Powell, Stan Freeman, Tommy Flanagan, Roy Bargy, Billy Kyle , Les Burness, John Malachi, Bud Powell, Earl Hines (piano); Chick Corea, Bob James (electric piano); Herbie Hancock (keyboards, mini-Moog synthesizer); Michael Beinhorn (mini-Moog synthesizer); Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Harvey Brooks (electric bass); Buddy Deppenschmidt (drums, percussion); Baby Dodds (drums, chimes); Chico Hamilton, Wilbert Kirk, Cozy Cole, Danny Barcelona, Denis Charles, Moe Purtill, Eddie Dougherty, Eddie Gladden, Elvin Jones, Herbert Cowans, Gene Krupa, Harvey Mason, Sr. , Karl Kenny, Jack DeJohnette, Joseph "Kaiser" Marshall, Arthur Herbert, Jimmy Cobb , Jimmy Crawford , Jo Jones , Joe Morello, Kenny Clarke, Alex Acu�a, Nick Fatool, Andrew Hilaire, Osie Johnson, Paul Barbarin, Roy Haynes, Art Blakey, Sonny Greer, Tubby Hall, Walter Johnson , Billy Higgins, Cliff Leeman, Chauncey Morehouse (drums); Don Alias (congas); Daniel Ponce (bata); Manolo Badrena (tambourine); Ralph MacDonald (percussion); Marty Bloom (sound effects). Directors: David Berger ; Ken Burns. Editors: Sandra Marie Christie; Erik Ewers; Paul Barnes; Craig Mellish; Lewis Erskine. Arrangers: Count Basie; Eddie Durham; Fletcher Henderson; Fud Livingston; Gil Evans; Gil Fuller; Jerry Gray; Horace Henderson; Elton Hill; Bill Challis; Jimmy Carroll; Jimmy Mundy; Sy Oliver; Van Alexander; Thad Jones; Bob James. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is renowned for the thoughtful approach he takes to big subjects (baseball, the Civil War, etc.). Jazz fans are fortunate to have someone as intellectually curious as Burns to chronicle the music. As expected, he takes the historian's view that's needed to really cover the story of jazz's development. The fact that a five-disc box can barely scratch the surface speaks more about jazz's rich legacy than it does about any shortcomings of this impressive soundtrack to Burns' work. The discs are divided up chronologically, moving from the Dixieland sound of Louis Armstrong and King Oliver to the big bands of Duke Ellington, on to the bop innovations of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. If this set is lacking in its representation of more "modern" jazz variants (free jazz and beyond), it's only because the 1920s and '30s material that gives the box much of its heft is such an endangered species in need of careful attention. The jazz innovations of the latter 20th century are well catalogued elsewhere, but the nearly lost world of pre-swing is what this box illuminates best.

Entertainment Weekly (12/1/00, p.95) - "...Gathers many of the 20th century's greatest recordings...that belong in any library....providing as richly rewarding an overview of jazz...as any available..." - Rating: A-

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