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John Kirby Orchestra

Rather forgotten now, in the Swing Era the John Kirby Orchestra was known as "the biggest little band in the land", famed for witty, swinging arrangements of pop, folk and classical music. Geoffrey Smith surveys its brilliant career and star sidemen.

1 hour

Last on

Sun 29 Jul 2018 00:00
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Buster Bailey

    Dizzy Debutante

    • Buster Bailey 1925 - 1940.
    • Classics.
    • 8.

  • John Kirby

    Rehearsin' For A Nervous Breakdown

    • THE BIGGEST LITTLE BAND.
    • ASV.
    • 5.

  • John Kirby

    From Ab To C

    • John Kirby The Biggest Little Band 1937-1944.
    • Smithsonian.
    • 6.

  • John Kirby

    Effervescent Blues

    • THE BIGGEST LITTLE BAND.
    • ASV.
    • 1.

  • Billy Kyle

    Finishing Up A Date

    • THE GREAT JAZZ PIANISTS.
    • PAST PERFECT.
    • 9.

  • John Kirby

    Front And Centre

    • THE BIGGEST LITTLE BAND.
    • ASV.
    • 7.

  • John Kirby and His Orchestra

    Opus Five

    • And the Angels Sing over the Rainbow.
    • Phontastic.
    • 18.

  • Maxine Sullivan, Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope & Billy Kyle

    If I Had A Ribbon Bow

    • Maxine Sullivan 1938-1941.
    • Classics.
    • 15.

  • John Kirby

    Coquette

    • John Kirby The Biggest Little Band 1937-1944.
    • Smithsonian.
    • 5.

  • John Kirby

    Original Dixieland One-Step

    • John Kirby and His Band.
    • Jazz Anthology.
    • 9.

  • John Kirby

    Tweed Me

    • John Kirby and His Orchestra 1941 - 1943.
    • Classics.
    • 8.

  • John Kirby

    St. Louis Blues

    • John Kirby and His Orchestra 1941 - 1943.
    • Classics.
    • 16.

  • Bud Powell

    Fine And Dandy

    • Bud Powell - Tempus Fugue-It: Disc Four: So Sorry Please.
    • Proper.
    • 2.

  • Allen Eager & Tadd Dameron

    The Tadd Walk

    • Proper Records: Properbox 11.
    • Proper Records.
    • 11.

  • Don Byron

    Bounce Of The Sugar Plum Fairy/ Charley's Prelude

    • BUG MUSIC.
    • NONESUCH.
    • 5.

  • Charlie Shavers

    Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm

    • Horn O'Plenty.
    • Lonehill Jazz.
    • 6.

John Kirby Orchestra

Dizzy Debutante

Buster Bailey

Buster Bailey

Performers: John Kirby (b), Frankie Newton (tr), Pete Brown (as), Don Frye (p), James McLin (g) O’Neil Spencer (d)

Classics 904 (1)

Ìý

Rehearsin’ for a Nervous Breakdown

John Kirby

Shavers / Robin

Performers: John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p),Ìý O’Neill Spencer (d)

ASV CD AJA 5304

Ìý

From Ab to C

John Kirby

Billy Kyle

Performers: John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), O’Neill Spencer (d)

Smithsonian R013/A

Ìý

Effervescent Blues

John Kirby

Charlie Shavers

Performers: John Kirby (b),Ìý Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p),Ìý O’Neill Spencer (d)

ASV CD AJA 5304

Ìý

Finishing Up a Date

Billy Kyle

Billy Kyle

Performers: Billy Kyle (p), Dave Barbour (g), Marty Kaplan (b), O’Neill Spencer (d)

Past Perfect PPCD 78107

Ìý

Front and Centre

John Kirby

Shavers / Kirby

Performers: John Kirby (b),Ìý Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p),Ìý O’Neill Spencer (d)

ASV CD AJA 5304

Ìý

Opus 5

John Kirby

Chopin arr. Shavers

Performers: John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), O’Neill Spencer (d)

Phontastic PHONTCD7667 (1)

Ìý

If I Had a Ribbon Bow

Maxine Sullivan

Trad

Performers: Maxine SullivanÌý (voc), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), John Kirby (b), O’Neill Spencer (d)

Classics 991

Ìý

Coquette

John Kirby

Carmen Lombardo / Johnny Green

Performers: John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), O’Neill Spencer (d)

Smithsonian R 013/B

Ìý

Original Dixieland One-Step

John Kirby

Joe Jordan / Nick LaRocca / Russell Robinson

Performers: John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), O’Neill Spencer (d)

Jazz Anthology 550252 (1)

Ìý

Tweed Me

John Kirby

Kyle

Performers: John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), Specs Powell (d)

Classics 792 (1)

Ìý

St. Louis Blues

John Kirby

Handy

Performers: John Kirby (sb), Charlie Shavers (tr), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), Specs Powell (d)

Classics 792 (1)

Ìý

Fine and Dandy

Bud Powell

Swift / James

Performers: Bud Powell (p), Sonny Stitt (ts)

Proper P1188

Ìý

Tadd Walk

Tadd Dameron

Dameron

Performers: Fats Navarro (tr), Rudy Williams (as), Allen Eager (ts), Tadd Dameron (p), Curly Russell (b), Kenny Clarke (d)

Properbox 11

Ìý

Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy/ Charley’s Prelude

Don Byron

Peter Llyich Tchaikovsky / Louis C. Singer

Performers: Don Byron (cl), Charles Lewis (tr), Steve Wilson (as), Uri Caine (p), Ken Davis (b), Billy Hart (d)

Nonesuch 7559794382 (1)

Ìý

Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm

Charlie Shavers

Charlie Shavers

Performers: ÌýCharlie Shavers ((tp), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Biily Kyle (p), Aaron Bell (b), Specs Powell (d)

Lonehill Jazz LHJ10140 (1)

Broadcast

  • Sun 29 Jul 2018 00:00
    Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3

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