Swing That Music Parts 1 - 5

Throughout the years, the Smithsonian Institute has produced some great collections of Jazz and Big Band music. My first three sets were collections of Duke Ellington's music from the years of 1938, 1939, and 1940. The liner notes were very extensive along with the nice packaging. While looking through the music library at the radio station, I came across a set that I haven't seen in a while. It was produced in 1994 and was called Swing That Music. I say was because it is no longer available. The set consisted of 4 cds from the years of 1928 to 1950. It is full of hits from the big band years as well as some that weren't as well known. For the next 5 weeks we are going to be listening to these great sides so get ready to go into the past as we Swing That Music. Here is a review of the set from AllMusic.com:

The Smithsonian's four-disc tribute to the swing/big band era, compiled by the late, great Martin Williams, offers as comprehensive a look at the genre as possible from a general perspective. Williams featured great and lightweight bands, highly popular vocalists like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, dubious ones with large followings like Bob Eberly and Doris Day and underrated ones such as Al Hibbler and Helen Humes. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman and Benny Goodman are well-represented, but so are Harry James, Glenn Miller and Bob Crosby. The sound quality is first-rate and the liner notes are informative, and the material is nicely divided between familiar cuts and obscure tracks. The Smithsonian's sets are sometimes attacked for emphasizing one style over another or not representing each era of a genre; that cannot be leveled at this anthology.