Spinnin the Webb
Though Chuck Webb is most frequently cited as the bandleader who gave Ella Fitzgerald her start, he was a spectacularly creative drummer as well. He led one of the most energetic bands of the swing era before his death at age 30, in 1939, from spinal tuberculosis. This compilation of Webb's Decca recordings covers his career from its beginnings in 1929 and emphasizes his band's instrumental prowess. Arrangements by the altoists Benny Carter and Edgar Sampson gave the band a style that was advanced for the day, while Webb's brilliant sense of swing cemented the ensemble's popularity with dancers and made him the model for drummers such as Jo Jones and Gene Krupa. The tightly rehearsed band explodes with precision on the leader's feature, "Clap Hands!  Here Comes Charlie," and the charging "Harlem Congo."--Stuart Broomer