Earlier this month, on August 6th, one of the first Dutch members of our Classic Jazz Lovers group, bass player Piet Stokkermans, passed away, and our thoughts go out to his wife Ria and family.

Piet Stokkermans was born in 1931 and the teenage years of this jazz lover were hampered by the Second World War. As soon as that ended Piet took up guitar lessons. In those post war years, there were so many guitar players around that Piet -- wanting gigs where he could play and earn some money -- quickly switched to the double bass. First he played in Hawaiian bands and then Piet moved on to main stream jazz and Dixieland, the raucous yet sweet, stirring yet sentimental, bumpy music that gave the world the only rhythm recognized as strictly American.

Filippo Napoli (1901-1990), better known as Phil Napoleon, was an influence on both Bix Beiderbecke en Red Nichols.

In 1917, together with pianist Frank Signorelli (1901-1975), Napoleon formed a group called the Original Memphis Five.

In April 1922, they made their first record: “Gypsy Blues” and “My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms.” That first year the Original Memphis Five recorded more than a hundred titles.

When Artie Shaw waxed Cole Porter’s “Begin The Beguine” for RCA Victor’s Bluebird label in New York City, on July 24, 1938, the coupling on the Shaw record was “Any Old Time” for which Shaw wrote both the music and the words. It was sung by Billie Holiday, the second black female singer to be featured in an all white orchestra.

In the mid 1930s Benny Goodman popularized the “band within a band” idea by adding Lionel Hampton and Teddy Wilson to his entourage, forming a quartet with himself and Gene Krupa. After Krupa and Wilson departed to lead their own outfits, the quartet -- or sometimes trio, or quintet -- had seen many personnel changes until it emerged as a sextet in 1939. Any doubts one might have had concerning the freedom of action afforded in the Benny Goodman Sextet in comparison to similar groups, may rest assured that the new outfit did not suffer from the size. The first recorded evidence: “Flying Home.”

With tropical temperatures outside, no one in his right mind is going to sit down behind his laptop and write a Sunday Classics post. It’s just “Too Darn Hot.”

American vocalist Stacey Kent singing Cole Porter’s classic song from his 1948 musical “Kiss Me Kate.”

William James Basie (1904-1984) hit the bigtime with Benny Moton’s band in Kansas City, and took charge when 40-year-old Moten died in 1935. Ever since, Count Basie has flavored his music consistently with one Moten ingredient -- a dancing beat -- and the added spice was Basie’s own driving swing.

After some friction within the Ellington band during its late 1950 tour through Europe, altoist Johnny Hodges, slide trombonist Lawrence Brown and drummer William “Sonny” Greer handed in their notices in early 1951. Together with other former Ellingtonians they formed a small group around Hodges. They soon started recording, including many of the Duke’s tunes, like his 1939 composition “In A Mellow Tone,” based on the chords of Art Hickman‘s “Rose Room.”

In the 1930s, June Richmond became the first African-American songstress to join an all white band when she was asked by reedman/bandleader Jimmy Dorsey to join his Orchestra. One of her feature numbers with this band was Shelton Brooks’ 1917 composition “The Darktown Strutters’ Ball,” recorded for Brunswick in New York on April 29, 1938.

In the spring of 1938, Bill Oetzel’s Society Dance Band, playing in Decatur, Illinois, found themselves without a girl vocalist. Among the eager aspirants requesting auditions was a thirteen-year-old hopeful, Shirley Luster, who also had childhood dreams of movie stardom. The boys in the band exchanged smiles and picked up their instruments to accompany this 5-foot-2 “baby of song.” Thirty-two bars later, Shirley was hired, and the fresh and sweet singer who was one day to become known to us as June Christy was on her way.

From time to time a song composed for a play or film becomes a jazz classic. One of those songs was “On Green Dolphin Street,” originally written for the MGM movie based on Elizabeth Goudge's 1944 novel "Green Dolphin Street."

The melody was written by Bronislaw Kaper (1902-1983), who emigrated from Poland to the U.S.A. and became a film composer. The lyricist was Pennsylvania-born Ned Washington (1901-1976).

This recording is by The George Shearing Quintet with Nancy Wilson, from their 1961 album “The Swingin’s Mutual.”

For this Mother's Day I have selected the tune "My Mother's Eyes." It was written 90 years ago by two Tin Pan Alley songwriters: composer Abel Baer (1893-1976) from Baltimore, Maryland, and lyricist Louis Wolfe Gilbert (1886-1970) who was born in the Russian Empire town of Odessa.

This is Sonny Stitt's soulful rendering of the tune.

Edward "Sonny" Stitt (1924-1982) was a saxophonist whose self developed style bore an uncanny resemblance to that of Charlie Parker.

Nina Simone--vocal/piano/arrangements, accompanied by The Malcom Dodds Singers and an orchestra conducted by Ralph Burns.

“Nina Simone sing Ellington!” was released in August 1962. It was Nina’s idea to do the Ellington album. She had taken a flock of Duke Ellington tunes, some familiar and some not-so-familiar, and handed them interesting and intriguing renditions in her own special style.

Another classic song about this time of year is “April Showers,” written for the 1921 Broadway musical “Bombo” by two men from New York City: composer Louis “Lou” Silvers (1889-1954) and songwriter George Gard “Buddy” DeSylva (1895-1950). Here it is sung by Mel Tormé in a Los Angeles studio in 1950, with a trio led by Al Pellegrini on piano. The harpist is probably June Weiland.

The times that Count Basie's guitarist Freddie Green contributed a composition of his own to the band's repertoire are scarce. During his 50 year career with Basie Green wrote only 18 pieces of music. This is one of them, "Down For Double."

None of the people in the Jewish community of Tyumen, on the border of Russia and Kazachstan, watching how little Israel Isidore Beilin looked up with admiration to his cantor father, could have imagined that little Izzy would come to write both of America's two classic seasonal anthems: "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade."

This version of "Easter Parade" was recorded by the Roy Eldridge Quartet for Vogue in Paris, France, on June 14, 1950, with Roy Eldridge-trumpet, Gerry Wiggins-piano, Pierre Michelot-bass and Kenny Clark-drums.

One year ago this weekend singer/actress Lola Albright died, age 92. Here she sings "How High the Moon," a classic song written in 1939 by composer Morgan Lewis (1906-1968) and singer/songwriter/actress/author Nancy Hamilton (1908-1985).

One of the giants of tenor sax in Billy Eckstine's band, which I discussed last week, was Gene "Jug" Ammons. He was ranked among the better tenor saxophonists of the late 1940s and is among the most prominent Chicago-born jazz artists. Here is Gene Ammons All Star Sextet with "Juggernaut."

Ammons own composition "Juggernaut" was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on June 15, 1955, with Art Farmer-trumpet; Lou Donaldson-alto saxophone; Gene Ammons-tenor saxophone; Freddie Redd-piano; Addison Farmer-bass; Kenny Clarke-drums.

One the composer duos who had a fruitful collaboration was formed by two New Yorkers: Harry Akst (1894-1963) -- who wrote "Dinah," one of the most recorded songs of the 1920s -- and Benny Davis (1895-1979) -- who had his first 1920s hit with a song about another girl, "Margie." Together they wrote such hit songs as "Baby Face" and "There's Nothing Too Good For My Baby." And this one: "A Smile Will Go A Long Long Way."

When a handsome young man with an exciting baritone voice came along with a new band that broke attendance records, that’s unusual. But, when he made a single recording that sold far beyond the capacity of the record company to produce it, and theatres were paying him prices never before paid for a new attraction -- then it’s pretty evident that a new star had been born.