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We like arranging and playing background music, and very often the clients ask for jazz.
Currently we list 297 jazz artistes (see below), of all shapes and sizes.
Because jazz aficionados can spend many happy hours categorising and disagreeing (Wikipedia lists 48 jazz genres. Really? ) for convenience we tend to suggest a choice of 5 styles:
Ragtime/Dixeland/New Orleans/Chicago
British trad
Big Band & Swing Music.
Bebop
Modern
Of course, the British Trad bands (Chris Barber, Bob Wallis, Ken Colyer – remember?) were modifying the American styles for a modern audience, and much of their music upset the purists (and still does) but it’s ideal for parties.
Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball and The Temperance Seven were particularly criticised for merging trad jazz with pop, but it was fun – and some of their tracks still prompt happy memories.
Many enthusiasts think that Boogie is a separate genre, but we think it spans all the years and all the genres from Ragtime through to Metal, so it has its own section in our database.
Often the time of day will dictate the choice. How about –
Afternoon garden parties – Dixieland and Trad.
Pre-dinner drinks – modern jazz
During dinner – big band/swing
As always, the real skill lies in deciding which tracks to leave out, and not assuming that everybody will share the DJ’s enthusiasm. But given free rein today we particularly like Kid Ory, Turk Murphy, Johan Blohm, the MJQ, Jacques Loussier, Eva Cassidy, and Papa Bue’s Viking Jazz Band.
Are any of these your favourites?
| Track | Artist |
|---|---|
| Acker Bilk | Artie Shaw |
| Albert Ammons | Artie Shaw & His Orchestra |
| Alec Templeton (Piano) | B.B. King |
| Andre Previn | ‘Banjo’ Ikey Robinson & His Band |
| Andre Previn & David Rose | Barney Kessel |
| Andre Previn & Dinah Shore | Beale Street Washboard Band |
| Andre Previn & Russ Freeman | Bechet-Mezzrow Feetwarmers |
| Anita O’Day | Ben Webster |
| Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers | Ben Webster & MJQ |
| Art Farmer | Bennie Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra |
| Art Hodes | Benny Carter & His Orchestra |
| Art Pepper | Benny Carter & His Swing Quintet |
| Art Tatum | Benny Goodman |
| Art Tatum / Ben Webster Quartet | Benny Goodman small group |
| Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup | Benny Goodman Trio |
| Bessie Smith | Diablo Swing Orchestra |
| Big Bill Broonzy | Diana Krall |
| Big Bill Broonzy & Washboard Sam | Dinah Washington |
| Big Joe Turner | Dizzy Gillespie |
| Big Joe Williams | Django Reinhardt |
| Billie Holiday | Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli |
| Billie Holiday Feat. Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra | Don Byas |
| Billie Holiday with Benny Goodman & His Orchestra | Duke Ellington & His Orchestra |
| Billy Banks | Dukes of Dixieland |
| Billy Eckstine | Dutch Swing College & Acker Bilk |
| Billy Taylor Trio | Dutch Swing College Band |
| Bing Crosby Paul Whiteman | Dutch Swing College Band & Sidney Bechet |
| Bix Beiderbecke | Earl “Fatha” Hines |
| Bix Beiderbecke & Crosby | Earl Bostic |
| Bix Beiderbecke & His Gang | Earl Hines & His Orchestra |
| Blind Willie McTell | Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis |
| Blues Brothers | Eddie Condon |
| Bob Crosby | Eddie Condon´s Hot Shots |
| Bob Crosby & His Orchestra | Edmond Hall |
| Bob Crosby & The Bob Cats | Edmond Hall Sextet |
| Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen | Ella Fitzgerald |
| Bobby Hackett | Ella Fitzgerald & Chick Webb |
| Brownie McGhee | Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong |
| Bud Freeman | Ella Fitzgerald With Bob Haggart And His Orchestra |
| Bud Freeman and his Chicagoans | Erroll Garner |
| Bud Powell | Erskine Hawkins |
| Bud Shank | Eva Cassidy |
| Bunk Johnson & His New Orleans Band | Eva Cassidy & Chuck Brown |
| Bunk Johnson & Sidney Bechet Orchestra | Fats Navarro |
| Bunk Johnson&Yerba Buena Jazz Band | Fats Waller |
| Bunny Berigan | Firehouse Five Plus Two |
| Buster Bailey | Fletcher Henderson |
| Carl Barriteau | Frank Sinatra |
| Charles Mingus | Frank Sinatra With Tony Mottola Trio |
| Charleston Chasers | Frankie Trumbauer |
| Charlie Barnet | Friars Society Orchestra |
| Charlie Christian | Gene Ammons |
| Charlie Parker | Gene Krupa |
| Charlie Parker Big Band | George Lewis |
| Charlie Parker Quartet | George Lewis And His New Orleans Stompers |
| Charlie Parker Quintet | George Shearing |
| Charlie Shavers | George Wettling`s Rhythm Kings |
| Chet Baker | Gerry Mulligan |
| Chicago Rhythm Kings | Gerry Mulligan Quartet |
| Chick Webb | Glenn Miller |
| Chris Barber | Glenn Miller/Tommy Dorsey |
| Chris Barber & Ottilie Patterson | Harry James |
| Chris Barber / Lonnie Donegan | Harry James Trio |
| Clarence Williams | Henry “Red” Allen |
| Clifford Brown | Herbie Mann |
| Coleman Hawkins | Herbie Mann & Sam Most Quintet |
| Count Basie | Herbie Mann Quartet |
| Dave Brubeck Quartet | Horace Silver |
| Delta Rhythm Kings | Howlin’ Wolf |
| Dexter Gordon | Humphrey Littleton |
| Illinois Jacquet | Louisiana Rhythm Kings |
| Ivie Anderson | Lu Watters Yerba Buena |
| J. C. Higginbotham | Lucky Thompson |
| J.J. Johnson | Luis Russell |
| Jabbo Smith’s Rhythm Aces | Ma Rainey |
| Jack Bland & His Rhythm Makers | Max Kaminsky |
| Jack Teagarden | McKenzie & Condon’s Chicagoans |
| Jack Venuti’s Blue Four | McKinney’s Cotton Pickers |
| Jackie McLean | Meade “Lux” Lewis |
| Jaco Pastorius | Mel Tormé |
| Jacques Loussier | Memphis Slim |
| James Moody | Mezz Mezzrow |
| Jelly Roll Morton | Michel Petrucciani |
| Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers | Miff Mole & His Little Molers |
| Jelly Roll Morton’s New Orleans Jazzmen | Mildred Bailey |
| Jimmie Lunceford | Miles Davis |
| Jimmie Noone | Mississippi John Hurt |
| Jimmy McPartland And His Orchestra | MJQ |
| Jimmy Witherspoon | Mound City Blue Blowers |
| Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang | Muddy Waters |
| John Coltrane | Muggsy Spanier |
| John Lee Hooker | Muggsy Spanier & His Ragtime Band |
| Johnny Bastable’s Chosen Seven | Nat King Cole |
| Johnny Dodds | Nelson Riddle |
| Johnny Dodds’ Black Bottom Stompers | New Orleans Feetwarmers |
| Johnny Hodges | New Orleans Rhythm Kings |
| Johnny Otis | Original Dixieland Jazz Band |
| Johnny Parker | Original Tuxedo Jazz band |
| Josh White | Papa Bue’s Viking Jazz |
| Judy Carmichael | Paul Quinichette |
| June Christy | Pearl Bailey |
| Karrin Allyson | Pee Wee Russell |
| Keith Nichols, Paul Whiteman | Pee Wee Russell’s Rhythm Makers |
| Ken Colyer | Peggy Lee |
| Kenny Ball | Peggy Lee & The Benny Goodman Orchestra |
| Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band | Pete Johnson |
| King Oliver | Phil Woods |
| King Oliver & His Dixie Syncopaters | Powder Blues Band |
| Kokomo Arnold | Preservation Hall Band |
| Lead Belly | Ray Brown |
| Lena Horne | Ray Noble |
| Lennie Tristano | Red Nichols |
| Lennie Tristano Trio | Red Nichols & His Five Pennies |
| Lester Lanin | Red Norvo Sextet |
| Lester Young | Robert Johnson |
| Lightnin’ Hopkins | Roosevelt Sykes |
| Lionel Hampton | Roy Eldridge |
| Lionel Hampton & Ella Fitzgerald | Sara Tidwell |
| Lou Donaldson | Sarah Vaughan |
| Louis Armstrong & His Dixieland Seven | Savoy Havana Band |
| Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven | Savoy Orpheans |
| Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Shelly Manne |
| Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Shelly Manne |
| Louis Armstrong & Russ Garcia Orchestra | Shorty Rogers |
| Louis Prima | Shorty Rogers & His Giants |
| Sidney Bechet | |
| Sidney Bechet & His New Orleans Feetwarmers | |
| Sidney Bechet & His Orchestra | |
| Slam Stewart | |
| Sleepy John Estes | |
| Sonny Rollins | |
| Sonny Stitt | |
| Sonny Terry | |
| Stan Getz | |
| Stan Kenton | |
| Stan Kenton & His Orchestra | |
| Sweet Sisters | |
| Tal Farlow | |
| Tampa Red | |
| T-Bone Walker | |
| Teddy Wilson | |
| Temperance Seven | |
| Terry Lightfoot | |
| The Andrews Sisters | |
| The Benny Goodman Quartet | |
| The Boswell Sisters | |
| The George Lewis Ragtime Jazz of New Orleans | |
| The Mills Brothers | |
| The Rhythmakers | |
| The Six Hottentots (Red Nichols) | |
| Thelonious Monk | |
| Tommy Dorsey | |
| Tommy Ladnier And His Orchestra | |
| Tony Bennet & Count Basie | |
| Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band | |
| Wagner, Douglas E. | |
| Wardell Gray | |
| Washboard Rhythm Kings | |
| Wilbur De Paris | |
| Wild Bill Davison | |
| Wild Bill Davison And His Commodores | |
| Will Bradley Orchestra | |
| Woody Herman | |
| Zoot Sims |