Sidney Bechet - Pre-War Classic Sides

Covering the years 1931-1940 and packed with informative liner notes as well as a detailed discography, this four-CD chronological tribute to New Orleans master clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet places his essential work in context within a remarkably diverse weave of collaborations with some of the best jazz musicians active in the decade preceding the Second World War. Bechet's recording career may be delineated into four periods; his primal sessions with Louis Armstrong and Clarence Williams (1923-1925); his variegated career as leader and sideman during the '30s; his pivotal role at the heart of the New Orleans Revival during the '40s, and his triumphant domination of the traditional jazz scene in Paris during the '50s. Read More