Therefore, I'm asking for recommendations ("requests", if you will) of recordings from that period that I should take a listen to! Here are my parameters. Because of the size of my band (three reeds, three brass, four rhythm), I'm going to focus on songs with great written arrangements rather than collective improvisation. In other words, I'm more interested in pre-Swing big band repertoire (or small-group repertoire with a minimum of group improvisation) than polyphonic New Orleans hot jazz. I'm also looking for instrumental music rather than vocals.
For example, here are some artists I'm thinking of (with examples of the sort of song I mean)
- Duke Ellington (The Mooche, Saturday Night Function, Black Beauty, many others)
- Benny Moten (Moten Swing)
- Jimmie Lunceford (Flaming Reeds And Screaming Brass, White Heat, Stomp It Off)
- Fletcher Henderson (King Porter Stomp, Sugar Foot Stomp)
- Jelly Roll Morton (Deep Creek, New Orleans Bump)
- Fats Waller (The Minor Drag)
- King Oliver (Struggle Buggy)
- Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (Casa Loma Stomp, San Sue Strut)
- Mound City Blue Blowers (Hello Lola!)
- Reuben Reeves (Yellow Five)
Oh, and also, I'd especially appreciate stuff that's between 120bpm and 220bpm... it seems much easier to come up with great stuff outside of that range, as you can see from my list above. But feel free to suggest songs at any tempo, as long as they were recorded before 1936.
Thanks in advance! I look forward to seeing what suggestions you guys can come up with.
Solomon