Various Artists - Complementary Tracks 1924-1949 (1999)

Tracklist

CD1:

1. Chick Webb and His Orchestra - Who Ya Hunchin' (02:54)
2. Chick Webb and His Orchestra - In the Groove at the Grove (02:41)
3. Taft Jordan & The Mob - Night Wind (02:39)
4. Taft Jordan & The Mob - If the Moon Turns Green (02:44)
5. Taft Jordan & The Mob - Devil in the Moon (02:54)
6. Taft Jordan & The Mob - Louisiana Fairy Tale (02:55)
7. Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans - Boats (02:51)
8. Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans - Fish for Supper (02:38)
9. Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans - 'Ats in There (02:42)
10. Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans - Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide (02:46)
11. Jerry Kruger & Her Orchestra - Rain, Rain Go Away (02:26)
12. Jerry Kruger & Her Orchestra - Summertime (03:01)
13. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Pistol Packin' Mama (03:50)
14. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Redman Blues (04:53)
15. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Great Day in the Morning (03:14)
16. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Midnite Mood (03:02)
17. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Dark Glasses (02:29)
18. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Mickey Finn (02:40)
19. Don Redman and His Orchestra - Carrie Mae Blues (03:08)
20. Alphonso Trent & His Orchestra - Clementine (03:11)
21. Alphonso Trent & His Orchestra - I Found a New Baby (03:12)
22. Luis Russell and His Orchestra - After Hour Creep (02:49)
23. Luis Russell and His Orchestra - Garbage Man Blues (02:53)
24. Chickasaw Syncopaters - Chickasaw Stomp (03:17)
25. Chickasaw Syncopaters - Memphis Rag (03:22)

CD2:

1. Garnet Clark - I Got Rhythm (02:58)
2. Midge Williams - St. Louis Blues (03:27)
3. Midge Williams - Lazy Bones (03:28)
4. Midge Williams - Dinah (03:23)
5. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - King Porter Stomp (03:00)
6. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - Moten Swing (02:53)
7. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - Minor Riff (02:46)
8. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - Satchel Mouth Baby (03:03)
9. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - Close Your Eyes (02:52)
10. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - This Is Everything I Prayed For (02:43)
11. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - Again (02:52)
12. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - Ain't I Losing You (03:01)
13. Red Onion Jazz Babies - Of All the Wrongs You Done to Me (02:43)
14. Red Onion Jazz Babies - Terrible Blues (02:48)
15. Red Onion Jazz Babies - Santa Claus Blues (02:40)
16. Red Onion Jazz Babies - Cake Walking Babies From Home (03:08)
17. Perry Bradford's Jazz Phools - Lucy Long (02:49)
18. Perry Bradford's Jazz Phools - I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle (02:35)
19. Evelyn Preer - If You Can't Hold the Man You Love (02:47)
20. Walter Page’s Blue Devils - Blue Devil Blues (02:45)
21. Walter Page’s Blue Devils - Squabblin' (03:00)
22. Omer Simeon - Smoke-House Blues (02:31)
23. Omer Simeon - Beau-Koo Jack (02:41)
24. Ella Logan & The Spirits of Rhythm - Exactly Like You (03:06)
25. Slim Gaillard - Froglegs and Bourbon (03:07)

CD3:

1. Art Tatum - I Would Do Anything for You (02:40)
2. Benny Carter - Tiger Rag (02:43)
3. Jimmie Lunceford - Bugs Parade (02:31)
4. Duke Ellington - Wall Street Wail (03:00)
5. Luis Russell - Poor Li'l Me (03:22)
6. Cab Calloway - Are You Hep to the Jive? (02:49)
7. Lucky Millinder - All the Time (02:35)
8. Billie Holiday - On the Sentimental Side (03:05)
9. Pete Johnson - Pete's Lonesome Blues (02:53)
10. Pete Johnson - Mr. Drums Meets Mr. Piano (02:58)
11. Pete Johnson - Mutiny in the Doghouse (02:48)
12. Pete Johnson - Mr. Clarinet Knocks Twice (02:58)
13. Pete Johnson - Ben Rides Out (03:02)
14. Pete Johnson - Page Mr. Trumpet (03:07)
15. Pete Johnson - J.C. From K.C. (03:04)
16. Pete Johnson - Pete's Housewarming Blues (02:52)
17. Bunny Berigan - It's Been So Long (03:05)
18. Bunny Berigan - I'd Rather Lead a Band (02:51)
19. Bunny Berigan - Let Yourself Go (02:50)
20. Bunny Berigan - A Melody From the Sky (02:50)
21. Bunny Berigan - Rhythm Saved the World (02:38)
22. Bunny Berigan - I Nearly Let Love Go Slipping Thru' My Fingers (02:50)
23. Bunny Berigan - But Definitely (03:02)
24. Bunny Berigan - If I Had My Way (02:41)

From the alternative-rock fanatic who will gladly blow $500 on a bunch of Nirvana bootlegs at a CD swap meet to the jazzhead who would like to own everything that Chet Baker ever recorded, collectors can be an obsessive bunch. The casual listener might have a hard time understanding that obsession and wonder why collectors insist on hearing 50 different live performances of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box," or why they will go out of their way to acquire a Baker recording that the trumpeter himself would have considered less than essential. But for collectors, their addiction is endlessly fascinating. Serious jazz collectors are the target audience of Classics, a small French label that has, since 1989, been reissuing artists' recordings in chronological order. Classics' forte is pre-1950 master recordings from the 78 era -- the company usually doesn't get into alternate takes (although some completists wish that it did), nor does it concern itself with recordings from the LP era. In 1999, Classics celebrated its tenth anniversary with this three-CD set, which isn't a sampler but rather a collection of rarities and odds and ends that, for various reasons, didn't appear on previous Classics collections. Spanning 1924-1949, Classics: Complementary Tracks contains material by some well-known jazzmen (including Don Redman, Slim Gaillard, and Chick Webb) along with little known recordings by such obscure improvisers as stride pianist Garnet Clark, bandleader Alphonso Trent, clarinetist Omer Simeon, and female swing vocalist Jerry Kruger. Those with a taste for the esoteric will appreciate hearing singer Midge Williams' ultra-rare Japanese translations of "St. Louis Blues," "Dinah," and "Lazy Bones," all recorded with Japanese musicians in Tokyo in 1934. Meanwhile, disc three focuses on mostly well-known artists and sets out to correct various things that Classics felt needed correcting. For example, the spoken introductions to several Pete Johnson sides from 1946 are re-added, and the full versions of eight Bunny Berigan performances from 1936 are provided. Generally decent and occasionally excellent, Classics: Complementary Tracks isn't recommended to the casual jazz fan but is interesting and enjoyable if you're a seasoned jazz collector.~Alex Henderson