Search - Larry Clinton, Bea Wain :: 1937-1938 I Transcription Sessions

Quintessential Larry Clinton

Joseph | Philadelphia, PA USA | 01/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No need to mince words: This is a MUST HAVE for the swing afficianado.Larry Clinton's was by any standard the archetype of the popular swing band in the late 30s, when swing was going firmly mainstream. This CD is Volume 1 of a 2-volume set that includes the ENTIRE Associated Transcriptions sessions that Clinton recorded in 1937-38. The transcription material has infinitely better fidelity than the commercial releases,and some of the tunes arranged or composed for Glen Gray and Tommy Dorsey are here performed by Clinton's own band. If you're familiar with the other versions, you're bound to be astounded by how much better Clinton's versions are. No doubt about it: Clinton knew how to lead a precise, polished, and very swinging band.And then there's Bea Wain. If you really want to know what this powerhouse of a vocalist had going in the early days of her career, this CD will give you a very good idea. Whether the material was sweet or silly, she never fails to wring the best out of it. And you can actually hear what she sounded like, given the fidelity of these recordings.Special treats on this volume: "I Cash Clo'es," an introspective sounding swinger with a strangely haunting quality to it, "Shades of Hades," a bouncing swinger with the sleek, streamlined dynamics of a '38 Buick convertible, and "Dance of the Hours," proof positive that Clinton's adaptations of classical themes were as much fun as anyone could make them.All in all, a great collection!!"