Benny Goodman the King of Swing takes on Chick Webb!! 

Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb. St. Louis Blues. 

Kicking hard at the Savoy Ballroom uptown Manhattan. 

I adore big band music - who couldn’t - the 1st Brian Setzer Orchstra CD is one of my faves, they play just like their heroes did, it’s great

robertdee you might know the Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra too - similar great stuff, they play 1920s-era speakeasy big band/jazz like it’s the roaring 20s itself - live recordings - Don’t Ever Leave Me, The Mooch, the title tune Sweepin The Clouds Away ….Authenticity resonates on these 2 CDs

Chick Webb Benny Goodman Tommy Dorsey Louis Jordan Tiny Bradshaw…….they would’ve been so pleased

@stephen The Johnny Crawford Dance Band is fantastic. 

When I was early teens my dad was a big Lionel Hampton fan. Had a lot of his albums. Mainly a Vibe player but a good drummer too. 

My dad took me to see a show on the Buddy Rich/Lionel Hampton tour. 

It was kinda of scary to see musicians play that good. 

Here is their version of Cherokee.

I only listened to the first track. Irish Rose, so far. I didn't know Chick Webb so well back in my big band madness days, not like Basie or Fletcher Henderson. But Chick sure is pounding away there, playing like his life depended on it, and it sounds like he might have felt like that sometimes, when you read about his poor health condition.

I'd say my favourite drum record from those days has to be this Rock Hill Special featuring the lesser remembered Alvin Burroughs. The trumpet Walter Fuller and tenor sax Bud Johnson, less known now, too, are just fantastic here. The trumpet could have been a Duane solo, just wailing.

@tenorsfan Hey that is really good. Haven't heard anything off that album in years. My dad had a lot of Lionel Hampton records and I recall that being one of them. 

Jaimoe turned on the ABB band to jazz. Especially Miles Davis. Musicians used to call that "blowing". I remember Dickey in an interview telling about how they had two or three weeks rehearsal before Gregg Allman showed up. Dickey said they played a song for Gregg with Oakley singing and Dickey said " We were really BLOWING!! And Gregg backed up against the wall and when they finished Gregg put his hands and arms up and said that was the best he had ever heard. Turned to Duane and said there isn't anything I can add to this. And he said he couldn't cut the gig. Duane took Gregg into another room and they eventually came back with the words to Trouble No More and sat Gregg down at the keys and counted it off and Gregg sang and played really well. 

Here are Duane and Gregg and the others REALLY BLOWING!!! 

@tenorsfan I also got to see Jack Teagarden on trombone and Bobby Hackett on trumpet when I was young in New Orleans. 

Here they are with Peanuts Hucko on clarinet, Cozy Cole on drums, Marty Napoleon on piano and Arvell Shaw on bass in 1957.