John Kirby & His Onyx Club Boys: The Biggest Little Band in the Land

Release Date: 4th Aug 2017
Catalogue No: RTR4312
Label: Retrospective
Length: 77 minutes

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Charlie Shavers: Undecided

Work length3:01

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Charlie Shavers: Rehearsin' for a Nervous Breakdown

Work length2:39

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Charlie Shavers, Artie Shaw: Pastel Blue

Work length3:10

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Billy Kyle: From a Flat to C

Work length2:32

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Trad, Claude Thornhill (arranger): Loch Lomond

Work length2:57

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys, Maxine Sullivan

Charlie Shavers: Effervescent Blues

Work length2:49

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer: Jeepers Creepers

Work length3:00

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Edvard Grieg, Charlie Shavers (arranger): Anitra's Dance

Work length2:50

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Maceo Pinkard, Ben Bernie: Sweet Georgia Brown

Work length2:53

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

John Kirby, Charlie Shavers: Front and Center

Work length2:56

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams: Royal Garden Blues

Work length2:32

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Charlie Shavers: Opus Five

Work length2:48

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Berlin, I: Blue skies

Work length2:40

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Art Hickman: Rose Room

Work length2:37

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

John Kirby, Charlie Shavers: Jumpin' in the Pump Room

Work length2:51

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Charlie Shavers: Blues Petite

Work length3:11

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Moret, Neil: Chloe

Work length2:47

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Kay Swift: Can't We Be Friends?

Work length2:38

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Gaetano Donizetti, Charlie Shavers (arranger): Sextette

Work length2:36

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Ludwig van Beethoven, Charlie Shavers (arranger), John Kirby (arranger): Beethoven Riffs On

Work length2:52

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

John Kirby, Charlie Shavers: Close Shave

Work length2:31

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Arlen: It's only a paper moon

Work length3:10

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Richard Whiting, Newell Chase, Leo Robin: My Ideal

Work length2:25

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys, Maxine Sullivan

Billy Kyle: No Blues at All

Work length2:03

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Handy: Saint Louis Blues

Work length2:46

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Earl Warren: Nine-Twenty Special

Work length2:47

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Lecuona: At the Crossroads

Work length2:18

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

Claude Demetrius, J. Mayo Wiliams: Mop, Mop!

Work length2:59

John Kirby, Onyx Club Boys

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Here is the best single CD selection available of John Kirby’s famous 6-piece group, creating one of the most popular and distinctive jazz styles of the early 40s. John Kirby (1908-1952) is the first double-bass player to head a Retrospective album. He was indeed the most accomplished bassist on the jazz scene of the late 30s and early 40s, with a light, subtle sound and a superior technique to his contemporaries. But his biggest claim to fame was as the leader of the Onyx Club Boys, a sextet which deservedly won the accolade: “The Biggest Little Band In The Land”. This remarkable ‘orchestra’ boasted a starry front line of Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet and Russell Procope on alto saxophone, and a rhythm section of Kirby, Billy Kyle on piano and O’Neil Spencer on drums. They developed a brand of neatly swinging ‘chamber’ jazz that enjoyed tremendous popularity. The superlative ensemble playing was contained within polished, tight arrangements and driven by a flexible yet powerful rhythm. The Biggest Little Band In The Land gives a superb 28-track demonstration of their abilities: a happy blend of standards (e.g. Sweet Georgia Brown, Blue Skies, It’s Only A Paper Moon, St. Louis Blues), originals (e.g. Undecided – their biggest hit, Pastel Blue, Jumpin’ In The Pump Room) and breezy adaptations of classics (e.g. Anitra’s Dance, Lucia Sextette, Beethoven Riffs On). Also, an exuberant Jeepers Creepers features English trumpet star Nat Gonella. At the time, John Kirby’s wife was stylish singer Maxine Sullivan, and their two most successful collaborations, Loch Lomond and My Ideal, are included.

John Kirby & His Onyx Club Boys

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