Jazz in Britain: 1919-1950
This 4CD set (in LP replica sleeves) is one of the most comprehensive surveys of the evolution of jazz music in the UK, as played by visiting luminaries from the USA as well as those who were inspired by the Americans but born and bred on home turf. Tracing the story from 1919 and the first visits to London by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, this set takes in visits to the UK by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman during the Swing era and then illustrates the influence these musicians had on the likes of homegrown talent such as Harry Parry, George Shearing and Nat Gonella. As the waves from the bebop revolution reached the UK in the '40s, musicians such as Ronnie Scott and John Dankworth took up the baton, their performances included here along with recordings of those who influenced them, such as Dizzy Gillespie. Proper. 2005