The Bluebird Sampler 1990

• Artist: Various Artists
• Release Date: 1990
• Total Time: 70:22
• Type: Collection (various artists), Instrumental
• Genre: Jazz

Review

When RCA assembled this excellent 22-track compilation in 1990, it had one of jazz's most ambitious reissue programs -- not only for hard bop, cool jazz, and post-bop, but also for swing, classic jazz, Dixieland, and stride. The RCA Victor and Bluebird catalogs boasted the cream of the jazz crop, and collectors loved the fact that most of RCA's reissues offered comprehensive liner notes and fine digital remastering. Hardcore collectors, however, weren't necessarily the target of The Bluebird Sampler 1990. Offering 22 tracks from various reissues that RCA had put out on Bluebird in the late '80s or in 1990, this CD was perfect for novices who needed an introductory sample of what the program had to offer. Pre-bebop jazz is dominant, and the list of artists reads like a who's who of the 78 era. If the purpose of this CD was to make novices want to run out and buy a bunch of Bluebird reissues, the label did the right thing by choosing five-star material by heavyweights like Duke Ellington ("Caravan"), Glenn Miller ("Sunrise Serenade"), Sidney Bechet ("Indian Summer"), Louis Armstrong ("St. Louis Blues"), and Fletcher Henderson ("Hocus Pocus"). The oldest track is King Oliver's 1930 recording of "Struggle Buggy," and the most recent is Sonny Rollins' 1964 version of Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time." Post-swing jazz is not a high priority, but the disc does contain a few fine examples of bop, including "Now's the Time" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia" from 1946. Meanwhile, Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan's 1962 interpretation of "All the Things You Are" is the essence of cool jazz; the changes are bop changes, but they are played in a subtle, restrained fashion. There are no duds on The Bluebird Sampler 1990, which paints a consistently attractive picture of RCA's jazz reissue program. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
St. Louis Blues (Lyrics)	W.C. Handy	Louis Armstrong	(2:39)
Moten Swing	Bennie Moten, Buster Moten	Bennie Moten	(3:22)
Indian Summer	Victor Herbert, Al Dubin	Sidney Bechet	(3:08)
Georgia on My Mind (Lyrics)	Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell	Hoagy Carmichael	(3:06)
Ill Wind	Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler	Benny Carter	(3:00)
All the Things You Are	Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II	Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan	(5:48)
Well, Git It!	Sy Oliver	Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra	(3:01)
Caravan	Irving Mills, Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol	Duke Ellington & His Orchestra	(2:47)
Body and Soul [Take 1]	Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton	Jimmy Blanton, Duke Ellington	(3:04)
A Night in Tunisia	Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli	Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra	(3:02)
Tuxedo Junction	Erskine Hawkins, Julian Dash, Buddy Feyne, William Johnson	Erskine Hawkins	(3:15)
Hocus Pocus	Will Hudson	Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra	(3:14)
What Is This Thing Called Love? (Lyrics)	Cole Porter	Lena Horne	(2:39)
Honky Tonk Train Blues	Meade "Lux" Lewis	Meade "Lux" Lewis	(2:58)
Sunrise Serenade	Frankie Carle, Jack Lawrence	Glenn Miller & His Orchestra	(3:21)
Struggle Buggy	Clinton Walker	King Oliver	(2:55)
After You've Gone	Henry Creamer, Turner Layton	Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France	(2:59)
Now's the Time	Charlie Parker	Sonny Rollins	(4:02)
The Grabtown Grapple	Artie Shaw, Buster Harding	Artie Shaw Gramercy Five	(2:57)
St. James Infirmary	Traditional, Joe Primrose	Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars	(3:35)
All That Meat and No Potatoes	Fats Waller, Ed Kirkeby	Fats Waller & His Rhythm	(2:45)
Boogie Misterioso	Mary Lou Williams		(2:45)

Credits

Milt Jackson (Vibraphone), Chummy MacGregor (Piano), Bennie Moten (Performer), King Oliver (Performer), Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars (Performer), Ben Webster (Sax (Tenor)), George Arus (Trombone), Paul Desmond (Sax (Alto)), Otto Hardwick (Sax (Alto)), Art Taylor (Banjo), Harry Dial (Drums), Benny Carter (Arranger), Sidney Bechet (?), Leroy Berry (Guitar), Erskine Hawkins (Trumpet), Bobby Holmes (Reeds), Jimmy Mitchelle (Sax (Alto)), Jack Teagarden (Vocals), Lou Bring (Conductor), Irving Brodsky (?), "Big" Mike McKendrick (Banjo), Alvin Raglin (Bass), Vic Engle (Drums), Ray Hall (Engineer), Al Gibson (Reeds), Marcellus Green (Trumpet), Hoagy Carmichael (?), Lena Horne (Performer), William McLemore (Guitar), Eugene "Honeybear" Cedric (Sax (Tenor)), William Johnson (Sax (Alto)), Eddie Durham (Trombone), Ray Nance (Violin), Roy McCurdy (Drums), Freddie Moore (Drums), Stanley Aronson (Sax (Alto)), Lawrence Brown (Trombone), Cat Anderson (Trumpet), Scoville Brown (Sax (Alto)), George Avakian (Producer), Phil Stevens (Bass), Ray Lodwig (Trumpet), Albert Johnson (Sax (Tenor)), Allan Ruess (Guitar), Sonny Greer (Drums), Wilbur Schwartz (Clarinet), Dee Stewart (Trumpet), Peanuts Hucko (Clarinet), Hoagy Carmichael (Vocals), Al Haig (Piano), Henry "Red" Allen (Trumpet), Fats Waller (Vocals), Russell Procope (Clarinet), Jimmy Blake (Trumpet), Stéphane Grappelli (Violin), Bob Prince (Producer), Erskine Hawkins (?), Ray Brown (Bass), George Oldham (Clarinet), Tex Beneke (Sax (Tenor)), Ned Freeman (Arranger), Jack Teagarden (Trombone), Benny Carter (Sax (Alto)), Frank Henry (Sax (Baritone)), Bernard Addison (Guitar), Sam Lowe (Trumpet), Bix Beiderbecke (Trumpet), Wendell Marshall (Bass), June Rotenburg (Bass), Mary Lou Williams (?), Bob Haggart (Bass), Glenn Miller (?), Ron Carter (Bass), Ernie Powell (Reeds), Louis Armstrong (Trumpet), Bob Price (Trumpet), Duke Ellington (Piano), Claude Jones (Trombone), Heine Beau (Saxophone), Min Leibrook (Sax (Bass)), Buster Bailey (Clarinet), Clinton Walker (Tuba), Duke Ellington (Performer), John Kirby (Bass), Glyn Paque (Reeds), Moe Purtill (Drums), Shelton Hemphill (Trumpet), Benny Carter (?), Gerry Mulligan (Sax (Baritone)), John McConnell (Trombone), Charles Frazier (Reeds), Dan Minor (Trombone), Orrin Keepnews (Liner Notes), Jimmy Dorsey (Clarinet), Joe Venuti (Violin), Julian Dash (Sax (Tenor)), Pete Johnson (?), Charlie Howard (Guitar), Lou Fromm (Drums), "Big" Mike McKendrick (Guitar), Emmett Berry (Trumpet), Rostelle Reese (Trumpet), Wilson Myers (Bass), Albert Johnson (Clarinet), Chuck Peterson (Trumpet), J.C. Heard (Drums), Kenny Clarke (Drums), Eugene "Honeybear" Cedric (Clarinet), Carlo Recori (Bass), Arnold Brillhardt (Sax (Alto)), Walter Page (Bass), Django Reinhardt (Guitar), Al Casey (Guitar), Robert Range (Trombone), Harry Carney (Sax (Baritone)), Eddie Barefield (Clarinet), Count Basie (Piano), Louis Armstrong (Performer), Fletcher Henderson (?), Bill Oldham (Tuba), Willie McWashington (Drums), Joe Keyes (Trumpet), Hilton Jefferson (Sax (Alto)), Manny Gershman (Saxophone), King Oliver (?), Morris Rayman (Bass), Albert Ammons (?), Jimmy Hamilton (Clarinet), Sidney Bechet (Performer), John "Bugs" Hamilton (Trumpet), Avery Parrish (Piano), Wilbur Schwartz (Sax (Alto)), Bennie Moten (?), Jimmy Archey (Trombone), Roland Bundock (Bass), Hot Lips Page (Trumpet), Elmer Whitlock (Trumpet), George Wettling (Drums), Dud Bascomb (Trumpet), Lena Horne (Vocals), Erskine Hawkins (Arranger), Benny Carter (Performer), Gianni Safred (Piano), Fats Waller & His Rhythm (Performer), Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (Performer), Herbie Hancock (Piano), Dizzy Gillespie (Trumpet), Eddie Barefield (Sax (Alto)), Edward Sims (Trombone), Arthur Shapiro (?), Rose Gottesman (Drums), Gerry Mulligan (Performer), Frank Henry (Clarinet), Charlie Beal (Piano), Dale McMickle (Trumpet), Sonny Rollins (?), Bud Freeman (Sax (Tenor)), Ed Michel (Producer), Fletcher Henderson (Piano), Don Byas (Sax (Tenor)), Nathaniel Williams (Trumpet), James Morrison (Drums), Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (Performer), Duke Ellington (?), Ziggy Elman (Trumpet), Glenn Miller (Trombone), Joe Tricky Sam Nanton (Trombone), Connie Kay (Drums), Leemie Stanfield (Bass), George Oldham (Sax (Alto)), Erskine Hawkins (Performer), Coleman Hawkins (Sax (Tenor)), Bruce Snyder (Saxophone), Jimmy Blanton (Bass), Jack Washington (Sax (Alto)), Gene Krupa (Drums), Bill DeArango (Guitar), James Skiles (Trombone), Jimmy Dorsey (Sax (Alto)), Russell Procope (Sax (Alto)), Dizzy Gillespie (Performer), Sy Oliver (Arranger), Marjorie Hyams (Vibraphone), Jimmy Yancey (?), Eddie Lang (Guitar), George James (Reeds), Charles Drayton (Bass), Keg Johnson (Trombone), Taft Jordan (Trumpet), Scoville Brown (Clarinet), Mary Lou Williams (Piano), Sonny White (Piano), Fats Waller (Piano), Aurelio de Carolis (Drums), Hal McIntyre (Sax (Alto)), Zilner Randolph (Trumpet), Milt Raskin (Piano), Rex Stewart (Cornet), King Oliver (Trumpet), Cedric Wallace (Bass), Bill Finegan (Arranger), Al Klink (Sax (Tenor)), Benny Morton (Trombone), Meade "Lux" Lewis (Performer), Sidney Bechet (Sax (Soprano)), David Jacobs (Trombone), Eric Franker (Piano), Jimmy Blanton (Performer), Fats Waller (?), Dave Nelson (Trumpet), Al Sears (Sax (Tenor)), Will Hudson (Arranger), Manny Klein (Trumpet), Tommy Dorsey (Trombone), Sonny Rollins (Sax (Tenor)), Django Reinhardt (?), Louis Armstrong (?), Johnny Hodges (Sax (Alto)), Paul Tanner (Trombone), Meade "Lux" Lewis (Piano), Russell Smith (Trumpet), Boyce Cullen (Trombone), Jack Teagarden (Performer), Ray Nance (Cornet), Dizzy Gillespie (?), Jack Washington (Sax (Baritone)), Mary Osborne (Guitar), Tommy Dorsey (?), Dodo Marmarosa (Piano), Wilmore Slick Jones (Drums), Ernest Purce (Reeds), Roy Eldridge (Trumpet), Artie Shaw (Clarinet), Al Mastren (Trombone), Barney Kessel (Guitar), Paul Desmond (Performer), Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra (Performer), Fred Guy (Guitar), Dick Cary (Piano), Clark Yocum (Guitar), Buddy Rich (Drums), Eddie Durham (Guitar), Joe Lopes (Engineer), William Johnson (Arranger)