Name: 1939-1941
Brand: Hindsight Records
SKU: 54674
Availability: OutOfStock

1939-1941

Rating

Performer Notes

Often lambasted by jazz critics, the "sweet bands" of the 1930s and 1940s weren't jazz bands so much as jazz-influenced pop units. It's best to judge a CD like 1939-41 (which consists of World War II-era transcriptions that went out to radio stations but weren't released commercially until Hindsight acquired them in the 1970s) by pop standards instead of jazz standards; as far as pop goes, these performances (some of which feature singers Lee Bennett and Fritz Heilbron) are generally quite forgettable. While instrumental versions of "Stardust" and "Rose Room" are pleasant enough, "Love Song of Renaldo" and "Ooh, What You Said" are unlistenable examples of the type of dumb, corny novelty tunes Jan Garber often stooped to playing. Garber loved to play one dance-band clich‚ after another, and these automatic pilot recordings are full of them. With so much great jazz-influenced pop of the 78 era having been reissued on CD (everyone from the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots to Bing Crosby and early Frank Sinatra), it's best to pass on 1939-41. ~ Alex Henderson