New Orleans & early Swing on cd

From Billie Holiday's soul-searching to Duke Ellington's Cotton Club, build the perfect jazz collection from this cream of the crop set of early recordings.

There's New Orleans at its absolute peak with KING OLIVER and BESSIE SMITH.

BIX BEIDERBECKE injected a new romantic, wistful mood into jazz and JELLY ROLL MORTON was the finest pianist to come out of New Orleans, but it was LOUIS ARMSTRONG who emerged like a prophet, bearing influence on almost all of 20th Century music.

FLETCHER HENDERSON'S band led the way to the big band era, employing New York's best soloists including Coleman Hawkins. DUKE ELLINGTON'S most magnificent recordings from the late 'twenties are here, alongside COUNT BASIE - who's still as fresh 70 years on.

Finally, enjoy the wry, tender, vulnerability of BILLIE HOLIDAY and LESTER YOUNG.

Save £10.00 over individual prices when you order all ten at £49.90.

Listen through the dim and distant acoustic sound and you will encounter the intricate and joyous sound of New Orleans at its absolute peak. "Oh Play That Thing" has original 1923 recordings featuring the young Louis Armstrong.

Bessie Smith's recordings of the Twenties have a matchless stateliness of delivery and monumental vocal strength. "Downhearted Blues" has recordings from 1923-24.

Beiderbecke was the doomed Scott Fitzgerald of music. But before whisky killed him, he introduced a new mood into jazz - romantic and wistful. "Riverboat Shuffle" has recordings from 1924-29.

Jelly-Roll was a pool-shark, hustler and pimp, but also the finest pianist to come out of New Orleans and the first great composer / arranger in jazz, above all n these recordings dating from 1924-30.

"Heebie Jeebies" charts the early period of New Orleans jazz (1925-30) in which the youthful Louis Armstrong emerges like a prophet, filled with power and glorious eloquence. His example influenced almost all of 20th century popular music.

Henderson's band paved the way to the big band era. He also employed some of the best soloists in New York, Coleman Hawkins among them. "Blue Rhythm" dates back to 1931-33 and has solos by Hawkins.

Magnificent explorations of mood and tone-colour from this Cotton Club Stomp from the late Twenties and early Thirties.

Basie's big band had a propulsive beat, a cluster of great soloists and the easy grace of a much smaller group. Eight decades later, these original recordings from 1936-1939 sound just as fresh today.

Wry, tender, vunerable and beautiful, Holiday's ability to infuse emotional power into a lyric grew and grew. These sessions with Teddy Wilson and his orchestra date from 1935-1939.

The tenor saxophonist brought a new sensibility to big band swing, in "Lester Leaps Again" these early original recordings from 1942-1944 remain extraordinarily fresh.