In the Summer of 1991, Tony Bennett, the American vocalist who was once described by Frank Sinatra as “the best in the business,” celebrated his 40th year in the music industry with a concert in England at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on Old Compton Street. One of the songs he performed was “When Joanna Loved Me,” written in 1964 by two American songwriters, composer Robert Wells and lyricist Jack Segal.

This recording of Roy Eldridge‘s composition “Heckler’s Hop,” ranks among the very best records in his discography. In addition to the breathtaking playing of the leader, also note the magnificent drumming of Zutty Singleton.

Which Roy Eldridge record do you consider to be one of your favorites?

Ella Fitzgerald once said “Who influenced me? There was only one singer who influenced me. I tried to sing like her all the time, because everything she did made sense musically, and that singer was Connie Boswell. Connie Boswell was doing things that no one else was doing at the time. You don’t have to take my words for it. Just check the recordings.”

Between 1957 and 1967 clarinetist/composer George Lewis made three trips to Japan and a dozen tours to Europe.

Lewis’s signature tune was his own composition “Burgundy Street Blues,” performed here by clarinetist George Lewis, pianist Joe Robichaux, bass player Alcide “Slow Drag” Pavageau, and drummer Joe Watkins.

The Benny Goodman Orchestra’s signature tune “Let’s Dance” was probably the best know theme song of the 1930s. It was composed by pianist Josef Bonime (1891-1959), born in Vilna, Poland, and violinist Gregory Stone (1900-1991) born in Odessa, Russia. This arrangement by New Yorker George Bassman takes off from a swatch of “Invitation to the Dance” (Aufforderung zum Tanz), a 1819 piano piece written by the German romantic composer Carl Maria Von Weber (1786-1826).

Singer and pianist Blossom Dearie -- who died 10 years ago this month -- appeared on TV France in 1965 performing “I Wish You Love” with the accompaniment of bass player Jacques Hess and drummer Franco Manzecchi. It is followed by a piano-duet with Jack Dieval called “Impro Blues.”

On September 15, 1932 Sidney Bechet directed the first recording session under his own name in the RCA Victor studios in New York. The small group was called Sidney Bechet & his New Orleans Feetwarmers and they recorded 6 titles for the Bluebird label, including Spencer Williams’ composition “I’ve Found A New Baby.”

The song “Emily” was composed by New York musician/arranger Johnny Mandel in 1964 as the title song for the war film drama “The Americanization of Emily” which was set in pre D-Day London. Immediately, this melody by Mandel -- who is 93 now -- found it’s way in the jazz repertoire. In September 1975 it was played by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond at the 18th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in California, one of the world’s longest consecutive running jazz festivals.

New York’s Harlem is located in North-Manhattan, in what you call “Uptown.” “Uptown Blues” is a fine composition by Mississippi-born Jimmy Lunceford, which he recorded with his orchestra in New York City on December 14, 1939. The soloist are alto saxophonist Willie Smith, who was working on building a reputation like Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter, and 20-year old trumpet player Snooky Young, who had just joined the band.

Over the past year I’ve written about many jazz musicians from past generations who started out on the road to fame as toddlers. The present generation fortunately offers some natural talents too. 12 Year old Brandon Goldberg from Miami, Florida, is such a talented kid.

On June 24, 1930, Duke Ellington’s manager Irving Mills secured a movie deal with Radio- Keith-Orpheum Pictures. William LeBaron, vice-president in charge of R.K.O. production, signed the “the world’s hottest jazz band, Duke Ellington’s Negro orchestra” on a contract for a fee of $27,500. The band, then a sensation of New York‘s Cotton Club, would appear in “Check and Double Check,” directed by Melville Brown.

On Sunday, November 4, 1962, the VARA (a Dutch broadcasting company) began a series of monthly live jazz television programs called “Improvisaties,” inspired on the American “Jazz from Studio 61” CBS broadcasts. The musicians were in the middle of the studio, with the rhythm section on small elevated stages. The microphones hung from the ceiling so the cameramen were able to maneuver freely around the musicians.

Jo Jones was one of the most inventive drummers the world of jazz ever had. His imagination had no limit and enabled him to improve the most unexpected rhythmic figures, the most audacious ones, in a smooth and talented manner that is just incredible. The delicacy of his touch allowed him to draw unique sounds from his cymbals and toms, provoking the admiration of amateurs and professionals alike and he has inspired a considerable number of drummers.

Earlier this week our Classic Jazz Lovers group member Frans Ronday posted the only Christmas song ever recorded by Charlie Parker and I would like to share this song recorded during the Christmas Day 1948 WMCA radio broadcast from the Royal Roost: Irving Berlin’s 1942 composition “White Christmas.” During his solo Parker quotes “Jingle Bells.”

By the late 1930s Chicago trade union boss James Petrillo, of the American Federation of Musicians, had called for a local ban on any recordings by union members in the city of Chicago in an effort to limit the availability of new records for the jukeboxes. This new technology was seen as a threat to the union members live performance revenue opportunities. Therefore RCA Victor’s Lester Melrose had to find a suitable place to produce the recordings he needed for their Bluebird subsidiary catering to the jazz and blues race market. Melrose found just the right location in the top floor Sky Club at the Leland Hotel in downtown Aurora, Illinois. Over a period of 20 months in 1937 and 1938 some of the most seminal blues recordings of all time were documented in Melrose’s make shift studio in Aurora. Among the recording artists at the nightclub was the legendary Tampa Red with his own composition “Rock It In Rhythm.”

“Thou Swell” was a show tune composed by two New Yorkers of German Jewish families: Queens-born Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and Harlem-born lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895-1943). They wrote the song in 1927 for the musical “A Connecticut Yankee,” and it soon developed into a classic jazz standard.

On Thursday February 18th, 1937 -- one day before Ella was awarded the key to the city of Yonkers -- rival singer Billie Holiday stepped into the Brunswick recording studio at 1776 Broadway in New York with pianist Teddy Wilson. This recording session, produced by John Hammond, included a song composed by tenor player Teddy McRae, drummer Chick Webb and trombonist Benny Green. The lyrics were by another singer, Ella Fitzgerald, and the song was called “You Showed Me The Way.”

In 1930, Kansas City, Missouri-born pianist Bennie Moten was under contract with the largest record company at the time, Victor. Between the Summer season at KC’s Fairyland Park and the Winter season touring Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the bandleader was too busy to travel to their recording studios in Chicago or Camden, so the Victor recording engineers came to him. They set up their recording equipment in Lincoln Hall, Kansas City. It was there on five consecutive days -- October 27-31, 1930 -- that Victor recorded the orchestra. This is the final number of the second day, Thomas Gordon’s “The Count.”

“Blues In The Closet” is a 1953 composition by Oklahoman Oscar Pettiford (1922-1960). It was originally titled “Collard Greens And Black Eyed Peas.” Oscar Pettiford is one of the most recorded jazz bass players, who is also considered as one of the pioneers of the cello as an instrument in jazz. Pettiford, who is often overlooked when it comes to mentioning giant jazz players, specialized in intricate solo work and was credited with a “wide knowledge of both jazz and classical music and an outstanding sense of rhythm.”

“Born To Be Blue” is a jazz standard written in 1946 by singer-composer Mel Tormé (1925-1999) from Chicago and lyricist Robert Wells (1922-1998) who was born in Washington state as Robert Levinson. This team also wrote “The Christmas Song” together. It’s a bit early for their most successful composition now, but on my 70th birthday today it’s appropriate to play “Born To Be Blue.”