The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz
The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz is a six-LP box set released in 1973 by the Smithsonian Institution. Compiled by jazz essayist and historian Martin Williams, the album featured 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. The compilation has been recognized as an invaluable document of jazz history and maintains a legacy as introductory listening for new jazz fans as well as scholarship due to its extensive liner notes.
Track list
- Side one
- Scott Joplin – "Maple Leaf Rag" (Joplin) – 3:16
- Jelly Roll Morton – "Maple Leaf Rag" (Joplin) – 2:37
- Robert Johnson – "Hellhound on My Trail" (Johnson) – 2:39
- Bessie Smith – "St. Louis Blues" (W. C. Handy) – 3:12
- Bessie Smith – "Lost Your Head Blues" (Bessie Smith) – 2:57
- King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band – "Dippermouth Blues" (Joe "King" Oliver) – 2:22
- Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers – "Grandpa's Spells" (F. J. Morton) – 2:55
- Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers – "Dead Man Blues" (Morton) – 3:00
- Side two
- Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers – "Black Bottom Stomp" (Morton) – 3:14
- The Red Onion Jazz Babies– "Cake Walking Babies (From Home)" (B. Smith, A. Troy, and C. Williams) – 3:28
- Sidney Bechet and His Blue Note Jazzmen – "Blue Horizon" (Bechet) – 4:26
- James P. Johnson – "Carolina Shout" (Johnson) – 2:47
- Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five – "Struttin' with Some Barbeque" (Lil Hardin Armstrong) – 3:04
- Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven – "S.O.L. Blues" (Excerpt) (Louis Armstrong) – 1:05
- Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven – "Potato Head Blues" (Excerpt) (Louis Armstrong) – 1:14
- Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five – "Hotter Than That" (Lil Hardin Armstrong) – 3:02
- Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five – "West End Blues" (Joe "King" Oliver) – 3:17
- Side three
- Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines – "Weather Bird" (Louis Armstrong) – 2:46
- Louis Armstrong and His Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra – "Sweethearts on Parade" (C. Lombardo and C. Newman) – 3:15
- Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra – "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" (Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler) – 2:59
- Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra – "Riverboat Shuffle" (Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Mills, and Mitchell Parish) – 3:15
- Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra – "Singin' the Blues" (Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh) – 3:02
- Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra – "The Stampede" (Henderson) – 3:18
- Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra – "Wrappin' It Up" (Henderson) – 2:48
- Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra – "Moten Swing" (Bennie Moten and Buster Moten) – 3:26
- Side four
- Fats Waller – "I Ain't Got Nobody" (Roger A. Graham and Spencer Williams) – 3:09
- Meade Lux Lewis – "Honky Tonk Train" (Lewis) – 3:01
- Benny Goodman Trio – "Body and Soul" (Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, and Robert Sour) – 3:30
- Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra – "Body and Soul" (Eyton, Green, Heyman, and Sour) – 3:02
- Coleman Hawkins Quartet – "The Man I Love" (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) – 5:10
- Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra – "He's Funny That Way" (Neil Morret and Richard A. Whiting) – 2:41
- Billie Holiday and Eddie Heywood and His Orchestra – "All of Me" (Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons) – 2:59
- Ella Fitzgerald – "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Cole Porter) – 2:56
- Side five
- Art Tatum – "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronnell) – 2:58
- Art Tatum – "Too Marvelous for Words" (Johnny Mercer and Richard A. Whiting) – 2:25
- Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra – "Lunceford Special" (Eddie Durham) – 2:51
- Gene Krupa and His Orchestra – "Rockin' Chair" (Carmichael) – 3:02
- Roy Eldridge and Benny Carter – "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" (Excerpt) (Clarence Gaskill and McHugh) – 3:02
- Lionel Hampton – "When Lights Are Low" (Benny Carter) – 2:15
- Count Basie and His Orchestra – "Doggin' Around" (Edgar Battle and Herschel Evans) – 2:57
- Count Basie – "Taxi War Dance" (Basie and Lester Young) – 2:55
- Side six
- Count Basie's Kansas City Seven – "Lester Leaps In" (Young) – 3:14
- Benny Goodman Sextet – "I Found a New Baby" (Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams) – 2:57
- Benny Goodman Sextet and Charlie Christian – "Blues Sequence" (From Breakfast Feud) (Goodman) – 2:24
- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (Ellington and Bubber Miley) – 3:38
- Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra – "New East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (Ellington and Miley) – 3:04
- Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra – "Creole Rhapsody" (Ellington) – 6:00
- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – "Harlem Air Shaft" (Ellington) – 3:00
- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – "Concerto for Cootie" (Ellington) – 3:22
- Side seven
- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – "In a Mellotone" (Ellington) – 3:19
- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – "Ko-Ko" (Ellington) – 2:42
- Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – "Blue Serge" (Mercer Ellington) – 3:22
- Don Byas – "I Got Rhythm" (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) – 5:07
- Dizzy Gillespie Sextet – "I Can't Get Started" (Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin) – 3:08
- Dizzy Gillespie's All Star Quintet – "Shaw 'Nuff" (Gillespie and Parker) – 2:57
- Charlie Parker's Re-Boppers – "KoKo" (Parker) – 2:57
- Charlie Parker – "Embraceable You" (Excerpt) (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) – 2:14
- Charlie Parker – "Embraceable You" (Alternate Version) (Excerpt) (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) – 2:01
- Side eight
- Charlie Parker Quintet – "Klacktoveedsedsteen" (Parker) – 3:02
- Charlie Parker Sextet – "Little Benny" (Benny Harris) – 3:30
- Charlie Parker's All Stars – "Parker's Mood" (Parker) – 3:01
- Erroll Garner – "Fantasy On 'Frankie and Johnny" (Garner) – 2:55
- Bud Powell Trio – "Somebody Loves Me" (Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, and Ballard MacDonald) – 2:48
- Sarah Vaughan – "Dancing in the Dark" (Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz) – 2:37
- Sarah Vaughan – "Ain't No Use" (Leroy Kirkland and Sidney J. Wyche) – 3:55
- Lennie Tristano – "Crosscurrent" (Lennie Tristano) – 2:52
- Side nine
- Miles Davis and His Orchestra – "Boplicity" (Gil Evans and Cleo Henry) – 3:02
- Tadd Dameron's Sextet – "Lady Bird" (Tadd Dameron) – 2:54
- Dexter Gordon Quartet – "Bikini" (Gordon) – 3:32
- Thelonious Monk Quartet – "Misterioso" (Monk) – 3:22
- Thelonious Monk Quintet – "Criss-Cross" (Monk) – 3:00
- Thelonious Monk – "Evidence" (Monk) – 2:35
- Thelonious Monk Quintet – "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Otto Harbach and Jerome Kern) – 4:32
- Thelonious Monk – "I Should Care" (Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, and Paul Weston) – 3:16
- Side ten
- Thelonious Monk – "Blues Improvisation" (Excerpt from "Bags' Groove") (Milt Jackson) – 2:54
- Miles Davis with Gil Evans' Orchestra – "Summertime" (George Gershwin) – 3:22
- Sonny Rollins Quartet – "Blue 7" (Rollins) – 11:22
- The Modern Jazz Quartet – "Django" (John Lewis) – 5:34
- Charles Mingus and His Orchestra – "Hora Decubitus" (Mingus) – 4:44
- Side eleven
- Sonny Rollins Plus 4 – "Pent-Up House" (Excerpt) (Rollins) – 7:32
- Cecil Taylor – "Enter Evening" (Taylor) – 11:05
- Miles Davis Sextet – "So What" (Davis) – 9:11
- Side twelve
- Ornette Coleman – "Lonely Woman" (Coleman) – 5:02
- Ornette Coleman – "Congeniality" (Coleman) – 6:45
- Ornette Coleman – "Free Jazz" (Excerpt) (Coleman) – 10:14
- John Coltrane – "Alabama" (Coltrane) – 5:07
Personnel
- "Maple Leaf Rag" (Joplin recording)
- Recorded in New York City, New York in April 1916 and released on Biograph Records as BLP 1006Q
- "Maple Leaf Rag (Morton recording)
- Recorded in Washington, D.C. in May 1938 for the Library of Congress and released on Riverside Records as Riverside 9003 and 140
- "Hellhound on My Trail"
- Recorded in Dallas, Texas on June 20, 1937, for American Record Co. and released on CBS Columbia Records as Columbia CL 1654
- "St. Louis Blues"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on January 14, 1925, for Columbia Records and released on Columbia CBS Records as Columbia G 30818
- "Lost Your Head Blues"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on March 18, 1926, for Columbia Records and released as Columbia G 31093
- "Dippermouth Blues"
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on June 23, 1923, for Okeh Records and released as Epic LN 16003 and Swaggie ST1257
- "Grandpa's Spells"
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on December 16, 1926, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA Victor LPM 1649
- "Dead Man Blues"
- Barney Bigard – clarinet
- Andrew Hilaire – drums
- Darnell Howard – clarinet
- John Lindsay – double bass
- George Mitchell – trumpet
- Jelly Roll Morton – piano
- Kid Ory – trombone
- Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
- Omer Simeon – clarinet solo
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on September 21, 1926, for RC Victor Records and released as RCA Victor LPM 1649
- "Black Bottom Stomp"
- Andrew Hillaire – drums
- John Lindsay – double bass
- George Mitchell – trumpet
- Jelly Roll Morton – piano
- Kid Ory – trombone
- Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
- Omer Simeon – clarinet
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on September 15, 1926, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA Victor LPM 1649
- "Cake Walking Babies (From Home)"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on December 22, 1924, for Gennett Records and released on Milestone Records as Milestone 47017
- "Blue Horizon"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on December 20, 1944, for Blue Note Records and released as Blue Note BSP 81201
- "Carolina Shout"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on October 18, 1921, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as CL 1780
- "Struttin' with Some Barbeque"
- Lil Armstrong – piano
- Louis Armstrong – cornet
- Johnny Dodds – clarinet
- Kid Ory – trombone
- Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on December 9, 1927, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as Columbia CL 852
- "S.O.L. Blues"
- Lil Armstrong – piano
- Louis Armstrong – cornet, vocals
- Pete Briggs – bass brass
- Baby Dodds – drums
- Johnny Dodds – clarinet
- Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
- John Thomas – trombone
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on May 14, 1927, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as Columbia CL 852
- "Potato Head Blues"
- Lil Armstrong – piano
- Louis Armstrong – cornet, vocals
- Pete Briggs – bass brass
- Baby Dodds – drums
- Johnny Dodds – clarinet
- Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
- John Thomas – trombone
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on May 13, 1927, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as Columbia G 30416
- "Hotter Than That"
- Lil Armstrong – piano
- Louis Armstrong – cornet, vocals
- Johnny Dodds – clarinet
- Lonnie Johnson – guitar
- Kid Ory – trombone
- Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on December 13, 1927, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as Columbia CL 851
- "West End Blues"
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on June 28, 1928, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as Columbia G 30416
- "Weather Bird"
- Louis Armstrong – trumpet
- Earl Hines – piano
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1928, for Okeh Records and released on Columbia Records as Columbia CL 853
- "Sweethearts on Parade"
- Recorded in Los Angeles, California on December 23, 1930, for Okeh Records and released on Parlophone as PMC 7098 and Biograph Records as BLPC-5
- "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues"
- Louis Armstrong – trumpet, vocals
- Scoville Brown – alto saxophone, clarinet
- Budd Johnson – tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Keg Johnson – trombone
- Mike McKendrick – banjo, guitar
- Bill Oldham – double bass
- George Oldham – alto saxophone, clarinet
- Yank Porter – drums
- Zilner Randolph – trumpet
- Elmer Whitlock – trumpet
- Teddy Wilson – piano
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on January, 26, 1933, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA Victor LPM 2322
- "Riverboat Shuffle"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on May 9, 1927, for Okeh Records and released on CBS Columbia Records as Columbia CL 845
- "Singin' the Blues"
- Bix Beiderbecke – cornet
- Jimmy Dorsey – alto saxophone, clarinet
- Eddie Lang – guitar
- Chaunsey Morehouse – drums
- Bill Rank – trombone
- Itzy Riskin – piano
- Frankie Trumbauer – C-melody saxophone
- Recorded in New York City, New York on February 4, 1927, for Okeh Records and released on CBS Columbia Records as Columbia CL 845
- "The Stampede"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on May 14, 1926, for Columbia Records and released on CBS Columbia Records as Columbia C4L 19
- "Wrappin' It Up"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on September 12, 1934, for Brunswick Records and released on Decca Records as Decca DL 79228
- "Moten Swing"
- Recorded in Camden, New Jersey on December 13, 1932, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA Victor Vintage LPV-514
- "I Ain't Got Nobody"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on June 11, 1937, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA 730.570 in France
- "Honky Tonk Train"
- Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on March 7, 1937, for RCA Victor Records and released on RCA Victor Records as LPM 2321 and RCA Camden as Camden CA L 328
- "Body and Soul" (Goodman recording)
- Recorded in New York City, New York on July 13, 1935, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA Victor LPM 226
- "Body and Soul" (Hawkins recording)
- Recorded in New York City, New York on October 11, 1939, for RCA Victor Records and released as RCA Victor LPV 501
- "The Man I Love"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on December 23, 1943, for Flying Dutchman Records and released as Flying Dutchman FD-10146
- "He's Funny That Way"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on September 13, 1937, for Okeh Records and released on CBS Columbia Records as Columbia K9 32127
- "All of Me"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on March 21, 1941, for Okeh Records and released on CBS Columbia Records as Columbia K9 32124 and Columbia 32060
- "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"
- Recorded in Antibe, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France in July 1964 for Verve Records and released as Verve V/V6-4065
- "Willow Weep for Me"
- Recorded in New York City, New York on July 13, 1949, for Capitol Records and released as Capitol M-11028
- "Too Marvelous for Words"
- Recorded in Hollywood, California in late 1956 for 20th Century Fox Records and released as 20th Century-Fox TCF 102-2 and Movietone 72021