Blues, ballads, and big bands ruled the day during the 1940s, with the beginning and ascent of a plethora of artists that defined, created and embodied subsequent generations of music fans. This six disc set contains 130 songs that range from toe tapping R&B to sophisticated sweet orchestras and enough top notch vocalists fill the airwaves with sounds beyond nostalgia, more towards inspiration.
The battle of the “Best Male Vocalist” was a major topic of discussion during this era, with reigning champion Bing Crosby at the peak of his popularity with pieces like “I’ll Be Seeing You,” but getting a run for his money with newcomers such as Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra (“I’ll Never Smile Again”), Nat Cole (“Nature Boy”), Vaughan Monroe (“Riders In The Sky”) and Perry Como (“Surrender”) taking their careers from this decade well into the next decade and beyond.
Female singers were usually canaries for big bands, with stars such as Helen O’Connell (“Green Eyes”), Helen Forrest (“I’ve Heard That Song Before”), and Dinah Shore (“Sentimental”) being the m ajor starlets and draws for the big bands of Dorsey, James and Brown, respectively. Solo artists were dominated by Jo Stafford (“Temptation”) on the female side, and newcomers such as Mel Torme’ pint towrrds the future with a vo-cool “Careles Hands.” And, don’t forget the plethora of vocal groups, most importantly the trend setting Mills Brothers (“Paper Doll”), Ink Spots (“To Each His Own) and of course the trendy and swinging Andrews Sisters(“Shoo Shoo Baby“).
But the Swing Era wouldn’t have swung without the big bands themselves, and almost all of the important orchestras are included here, including Count Basie( “Open the Door, Richard”), Woody Herman (“GI Jive”), Harry James (“It’s Been A Long, Long Time”) , Benny Goodman (“Taking A Chance On Love”) Tommy (“There Are Such Things”)and Jimmy Dorsey (“Amapola”), Artie Shaw (“Frenesi”) and the Kenny G of the Swing Era, Glenn Miller (“String of Pearls”), with even Spike Jones’ irreverence getting traction on “All I Want For Christmas.”
What is impressive about this surfeit of songs is that during a period of war and recovery, the air waves were able to mix rich melodies, clever arrangements and music made for dancing, wooing or laughing. The apotheosis of 20th Century popular music.