Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology

Last updated
JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology
Jazz The Smithsonian Anthology.jpg
Box set by
various artists
Released2011 (2011)
Recorded1917–2003
Genre Jazz
Length7:45:34
Label Smithsonian Folkways
Producer Richard James Burgess, John Edward Hasse, Daniel E. Sheehy, Atesh Sonneborn
Various artists chronology
Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz
(1973)
JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology
(2011)

JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology is a six-CD, box-set released by Smithsonian Folkways that covers the history of jazz. The set includes 111 tracks [1] with representative works from many styles, including big band, dixieland, free jazz, fusion, Latin jazz, swing, and smooth jazz. An accompanying 200-page book includes essays, analysis, and photographs.

Contents

Compilation and release

Following requests for an update to Martin Williams's Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (1973), Smithsonian Folkways began the process of selecting music for a new anthology in late 2004. Over fifty acknowledged experts reviewed a list of 2,500 potential tracks and agreed that the set should represent the development of jazz through the 20th century. By March 2005, the Folkways staff had compiled a 300-page document explaining the positive and negative aspects of each potential selection. [2]

Smithsonian Folkways formed a second executive committee of five members in June of the same year. To keep the price low the committee reduced their choices to 110 songs on six CDs. In making their decision, committee members concentrated on the historical impact of the recordings and significance of the musicians, rather than the recordings' commercial success.

After years of deliberation, the committee finalized the selections for the anthology. The committee then contacted more than 30 authors to write articles for the recordings that pertained to their areas of research. Smithsonian Folkways released the anthology on March 29, 2011.

Organization

JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology is organized chronologically, covering the history and development of the genre from 1899, the estimated date of composition of "Maple Leaf Rag", to 2003, the date of the latest recording. The book focuses on the individual tracks, describing each recording with two to three pages of liner notes. [3] The executive committee chose to place certain songs out of chronological arrangement in order to maximize the amount of space utilized on each disc.

The first disc opens with Dick Hyman's recording of "Maple Leaf Rag", a historically informed performance that imitates the precision of ragtime compositions on player pianos at the end of the 19th century. Midway through the set Sidney Bechet’s 1932 interpretation gives a "hot jazz" interpretation of the Rag. The final disc begins with a modern take on "Maple Leaf Rag," the 1976 recording by Anthony Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams. Producer Richard Burgess notes these consecutive examples of how jazz progressed function as, "the pedagogical moment... A lot of the thinking behind the set was to make it good for jazz history, jazz appreciation courses." [4]

Design

The design for JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology was created by Visual Dialogue, a graphic design company from Boston, Massachusetts. The company used the album cover design from Fred Ramsey’s Jazz series on Folkways Recordings by his wife Amelia as their inspiration [5] modifying both color scheme and graphics to create an updated look and feel for the new product. The final box set consists of a 200-page hardcover text within an etched, plastic slipcover. Six pockets hold CDs in the final pages of the book. [6]

The Anthology includes many photographs by the jazz photographer Herman Leonard. [7]

Reception

Time magazine critic Douglas Wolk wrote, "Assembled over seven years, JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology is a 6-disc monolith with a 200-page book of liner notes – the best single introduction to America's first great musical form." [8] In the Washington Post, JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology was recognized as, "a landmark achievement. It is the most important and most comprehensive collection of historical jazz recordings and will be a valuable educational tool for years to come. But the collection reaches beyond the classroom, capturing something of the spirit of America as well." [9]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Track listing

Disc 1

  1. "Maple Leaf Rag" Dick Hyman  – (1975)
  2. "In Gloryland" – Bunk's Brass Band – (1945)
  3. "Livery Stable Blues" Original Dixieland Jazz Band  – (1917)
  4. "Dippermouth Blues" King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band  – (1923)
  5. "The Stampede" Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra – (1926)
  6. "Black Bottom Stomp" Jelly Roll Morton and His Red Hot Peppers  – (1926)
  7. "Singin' the Blues (Till My Daddy Comes Home)"  Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra – (1927)
  8. "Backwater Blues" Bessie Smith and James P. Johnson  – (1927)
  9. "Black and Tan Fantasy" Duke Ellington And His Orchestra – (1927)
  10. "From Monday On" Bix Beiderbecke & Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra – (1928)
  11. "West End Blues" Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five  – (1928)
  12. "Weather Bird" Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines  – (1928)
  13. "That's a Serious Thing" Eddie Condon's Hot Shots – (1929)
  14. "Handful of Riffs" Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson  – (1929)
  15. "You've Got to Be Modernistic" James P. Johnson  – (1930)
  16. "Moten Swing" Bennie Moten and His Kansas City Orchestra  – (1932)
  17. "Everybody Loves My Baby" The Boswell Sisters  – (1932)
  18. "Maple Leaf Rag" Sidney Bechet  – (1932)
  19. "Dinah" Fats Waller and His Rhythm – (1935)
  20. "Swing That Music" Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra – (1936)
  21. "Honky Tonk Train Blues" Meade "Lux" Lewis  – (1936)
  22. "Mean To Me" Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra – (1937)
  23. "For Dancers Only" Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra – (1937)
  24. "One O'Clock Jump" Count Basie and His Orchestra  – (1937)
  25. "Harlem Congo" Chick Webb and His Orchestra – (1937)

Disc 2

  1. "Minor Swing" Quintette du Hot Club de France  – (1937)
  2. "Mary's Idea" Mary Lou Williams with Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy  – (1938)
  3. "When Lights Are Low" Lionel Hampton  – (1939)
  4. "Body and Soul" Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra – (1939)
  5. "Honeysuckle Rose" Benny Goodman and His Orchestra – (1939)
  6. "Tiger Rag" Art Tatum  – (1940)
  7. "Ko-Ko" Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra – (1940)
  8. "Hard Times" (Topsy Turvy) Cab Calloway and His Orchestra – (1940)
  9. "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" The Chocolate Dandies  – (1940)
  10. "Stardust" Artie Shaw and His Orchestra – (1940)
  11. "Let Me Off Uptown" Gene Krupa and His Orchestra – (1941)
  12. "Shaw 'Nuff" Dizzy Gillespie's All-Star Quintette – (1945)
  13. "Manteca" Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra – (1947)
  14. "Virgo" from The Zodiac Suite  Mary Lou Williams  – (1945)
  15. "Dexter Rides Again" Dexter Gordon  – (1946)
  16. "I Want to Be Happy" The Lester Young Buddy Rich Trio  – (1946)
  17. "Indiana" Bud Powell  – (1947)
  18. "Embraceable You" Charlie Parker Quintet – (1947)
  19. "Four Brothers" Woody Herman and His Orchestra – (1947)
  20. "Misterioso" Thelonious Monk Quartet – (1948)
  21. "Lady Bird" Tadd Dameron Sextet – (1948)
  22. "Tanga" Machito and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra  – (1948)
  23. "September in the Rain" – The George Shearing Quintet – (1949)
  24. "WOW" Lennie Tristano Sextet – (1949)

Disc 3

  1. "Boplicity" Miles Davis Nonet – (1949)
  2. "The Golden Bullet" Count Basie Octet – (1950)
  3. "Popo" Shorty Rogers and His Giants – (1951)
  4. "Walkin' Shoes" – The Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker  – (1952)
  5. "23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West" Stan Kenton  – (1952)
  6. "Daahoud" Clifford Brown and the Max Roach Quintet – (1954)
  7. "Django" – The Modern Jazz Quartet  – (1954)
  8. "The Preacher" Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers – (1955)
  9. "I'll Remember April" Erroll Garner Trio – (1955)
  10. "Jonaleh" – The Chico Hamilton Quintet – (1956)
  11. "Tricrotism" Lucky Thompson Trio – (1956)
  12. "St. Thomas" Sonny Rollins  – (1956)
  13. "Call For All Demons" Sun Ra and His Arkestra – (1956)
  14. "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" Nat "King" Cole and His Trio – (1956)
  15. "Stompin' at the Savoy" Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald  – (1957)
  16. "Blues in the Closet" Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson  – (1957)
  17. "Ol' Man River" Oscar Peterson Trio – (1959)
  18. "Summertime" Miles Davis: orchestra under the direction of Gil Evans  – (1958)

Disc 4

  1. "Moanin'" Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers  – (1958)
  2. "Meet B. B." Count Basie and His Orchestra – (1958)
  3. "So What" Miles Davis Sextet – (1959)
  4. "Giant Steps" John Coltrane Quartet – (1959)
  5. "Better Git It in Your Soul" Charles Mingus  – (1959)
  6. "Blue Rondo à la Turk" – The Dave Brubeck Quartet – (1959)
  7. "Ramblin'" Ornette Coleman Quartet – (1959)
  8. "Work Song" Cannonball Adderley  – (1960)
  9. "Wrap your Troubles In Dreams" Sarah Vaughan  – (1960)
  10. "My Favorite Things, Part 1" (Single Version) John Coltrane Quartet – (1960)
  11. "Waltz For Debby" Bill Evans  – (1961)
  12. "‘Round Midnight" George Russell Sextet – (1961)
  13. "Cotton Tail" Ella Fitzgerald with the Duke Ellington Orchestra – (1965)

Disc 5

  1. "One by One" Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – (1963)
  2. "The Girl From Ipanema" Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto  – (1963)
  3. "A Love Supreme Part I: Acknowledgement" John Coltrane Quartet – (1964)
  4. "E.S.P." Miles Davis Quintet – (1965)
  5. "Haig & Haig" Clark Terry and the Bob Brookmeyer Quintet – (1966)
  6. "King of the Road" Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery  – (1966)
  7. "Isfahan" Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – (1966)
  8. "The New National Anthem" (from A Genuine Tong Funeral) Gary Burton  – (1967)
  9. "Matrix" Chick Corea  – (1968)
  10. "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" Miles Davis  – (1969)
  11. "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" Mahavishnu Orchestra  – (1972)
  12. "Watermelon Man" Herbie Hancock  – (1973)
  13. "Long Yellow Road" Toshiko Akiyoshi  Lew Tabackin Big Band  – (1974)
  14. "Jitney No. 2" Cecil Taylor  – (1974)
  15. "Bright Size Life" Pat Metheny  – (1975)

Disc 6

  1. "Maple Leaf Rag" Anthony Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams  – (1976)
  2. "Birdland" Weather Report  – (1976)
  3. "My Song" Keith Jarrett  – (1977)
  4. "Iya" Irakere  – (between 1973 and 1978)
  5. "Bush Magic" Art Ensemble of Chicago  – (1980)
  6. "Steppin'" World Saxophone Quartet  – (1981)
  7. "The Glide Was in the Ride" Steve Coleman Group – (1985)
  8. "Manenberg (Revisited)" Abdullah Ibrahim  – (1985)
  9. "Nothing Personal" Michael Brecker  – (1987)
  10. "Airegin" Tito Puente  – (1989)
  11. "Down the Avenue" Wynton Marsalis Septet – (1992)
  12. "Ting Ning" Nguyên Lê  – (1995)
  13. "Kilayim" Masada  – (1997)
  14. "Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho" Medeski Martin & Wood  – (1997)
  15. "Neutralisme" Martial Solal and Johnny Griffin  – (1999)
  16. "Suspended Night Variation VIII" Tomasz Stańko  – (2003)

Production Personnel

Credits

Notes

  1. An Introduction to Jazz from Smithsonian Folkways on Smithsonian's official YouTube channel
  2. Burgess, Richard. "Producer's Note," liner note essay. JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology, 2010, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
  3. "Richard Burgess – 'JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology'", interview by Tavis Smiley, March 11, 2011.
  4. Marc Steiner, Richard Burgess interview, The Marc Steiner Show, April 14, 2011.
  5. Provizer, Norman. "The New Smithsonian Collection: An Anthology That Matters." Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  6. "jazz appreciation in a box". Visual Dialogue. Retrieved August 9, 2011
  7. Duckett, Jodi, "'JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology' unrivaled in quality and detail. Allentown natives featured", Lehigh Valley Music, May 17, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  8. Wolk, Douglas, "Swing States", Time Magazine . April 9, 2011. ].
  9. "'JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology' highlights genre's history", Washington Post , March 26, 2011.
  10. Leggett, Steve. Various Artists: " JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2010.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Pettiford</span> American jazz musician and composer (1922–1960)

Oscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Heath</span> American jazz bassist (1923–2005)

Percy Heath was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet throughout their long history and also worked with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk and Lee Konitz.

Arthur David Davis was a double-bassist, known for his work with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner and Max Roach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Van Ronk</span> American folk musician (1936–2002)

David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street".

<i>Someday My Prince Will Come</i> (Miles Davis album) 1961 studio album by Miles Davis

Someday My Prince Will Come is the seventh studio album by Miles Davis for Columbia Records, catalogue CL 1656 and CS 8456 in stereo, released in 1961. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in Manhattan, New York City, it marked the only Miles Davis Quintet studio recording session to feature saxophonist Hank Mobley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Jazz Festival</span> Annual music festival in California since 1958

The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz disc jockey Jimmy Lyons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Grey</span> American jazz trombonist

Al Grey was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called Plunger Techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Lawrence (jazz)</span> Musical artist

Doug Lawrence is an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Lake Charles, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Foster (jazz musician)</span> American musical artist

Frank Benjamin Foster III was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. Foster collaborated frequently with Count Basie and worked as a bandleader from the early 1950s. In 1998, Howard University awarded Frank Foster with the Benny Golson Jazz Master Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birdland (New York jazz club)</span> Jazz club (1949–1965, 1985–present)

Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979. A revival began in 1986 with the opening of the second nightclub by the same name that is now located in Manhattan's Theater District, not far from the original nightclub's location. The current location is in the same building as the previous headquarters of The New York Observer.

William Melvin Mitchell was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Davis Quintet</span> Jazz band led by Miles Davis

The Miles Davis Quintet was an American jazz band from 1955 to early 1969 led by Miles Davis. The quintet underwent frequent personnel changes toward its metamorphosis into a different ensemble in 1969. Most references pertain to two distinct and relatively stable bands: the First Great Quintet from 1955 to 1959, and the Second Great Quintet from late 1964 to early 1969, Davis being the only constant throughout.

Matthew Gee was an American bebop trombonist.

This is the discography for jazz record label Prestige Records. Not all original releases are included. Others are listed by the Jazz Discography Project. The earlier New Jazz/Prestige 78rpm releases and the 100/200 series, are omitted. Prestige also released albums on several subsidiary labels including the New Jazz, Bluesville, Moodsville and Swingsville labels.

<i>The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz</i> 1973 compilation album

The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz is a six-LP box set released in 1973 by the Smithsonian Institution. Compiled by jazz critic, scholar, and historian Martin Williams, the album included tracks from over a dozen record labels spanning several decades and genres of American jazz, from ragtime and big band to post-bop and free jazz.

"Nardis" is a composition by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was written in 1958, during Davis's modal period, to be played by Cannonball Adderley for the album Portrait of Cannonball. The piece has come to be associated with pianist Bill Evans, who performed and recorded it many times.

This is the discography of Mosaic Records the American jazz record company and label established in 1982 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie. Over three decades the jazz press and general publications have recognized Mosaic, with The New York Times naming it "the most distinctive reissue label in jazz", All About Jazz calling the company "arguably the premiere reissue label in jazz", and Esquire suggesting it is "America's most obsessive jazz label".

"Tune Up" or "Tune-Up" is a composition written by Eddie Vinson, but is traditionally credited to Miles Davis, who first recorded and popularized it. It has become a jazz standard.

<i>Zodiac Suite</i> 1945 jazz composition by Mary Lou Williams

Zodiac Suite is a series of 12 pieces of jazz music written by the American jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams and first performed in 1945. The suite makes use of elements of classical music alongside jazz, and Williams was influenced by modernism when writing and arranging it. Each song in the suite is inspired by an astrological sign and musicians or performers who were born under it. Williams began writing music for Zodiac Suite in 1942 and finished the composition in 1945.