Search - Various Artists :: Cocktail Hour: Swing Time

The titles of the respective discs in this two-CD set pretty much tell the story. Disc 1 covers the 1930s and '40s. There are venerable standards like Glenn Miller's "In the Mood," Duke Ellington's "Take The 'A' Train," and Les Brown's "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio." Additionally, there are gems from Count Basie, Woody Herman, Louis Armstrong, and the Dorsey Brothers. A total of 14 bands strut their stuff. Disc 2, entitled "Martini Mood," keeps things equally lively and varied. Among the numerous highlights are Benny Carter's "Everybody Shuffle," Andy Kirk's "Walkin' and Swingin'," and Fletcher Henderson's wonderful "Queer Notions." This is a marvelous anthology if you're looking for music, plain and simple--it gives an almost complete overview of the big-band era and, of course, swings like crazy. The one drawback is the lack of session details, but the music speaks well for itself. --Wally Shoup