From the Broadway scrap heap to a widely interpreted jazz standard, “Darn That Dream” has had quite the journey.

Usually, “Sing, Sing, Sing” is played in a show-off arrangement to spotlight how fast a group can play together, but Chicago takes a different approach.

Yes, I drank muddy water — and slept in a hollow log! Um, hmm! I said that I steady drank muddy water, and slept in a hollow log. Ah huh! You May Also Like: How Eric Clapton’s ‘Me and Mr. Johnson’ Made the Case for British Blues Gato Libre [NatsukiRead More

A vibraphonist very much in the tradition of Lionel Hampton, Peter Appleyard — who’d, fittingly, worked with Benny Goodman in the period that these recordings were made — has issued 21 albums as a leader. Unfortunately, many (maybe most) of them have long been out of print, including a pairRead More

Photo from After Midnight’s gigsalad.com web page by Nick DeRiso Clarinetist Roger Campbell has turned an enduring passion for swing legend Benny Goodman into a sizzling six-piece jazz project called After Midnight. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that a new live effort finds him slithering his way through “Memories ofRead More

NICK DERISO: Finding an impressive record by Lionel Hampton, known for both his harmonic and rhythmic sophistication, is easy. Finding one that delights as much as its intrigues anymore, however, is rare. His legacy, now more than ever, is secure: Born in Louisville, Ky., in 1908, Hamp would record hundredsRead More

by Nick DeRiso A line-up from jazzer nirvana is one thing. Wringing such ringing performances out of the guys is quite another. Call this cool vibes from vibrophonist Hampton, who certainly knows where to mail the invitations — a veritable who’s-who of jazz for the newbie: Pianist Hank Jones, trumpeterRead More