The Transcription Performances 1941

The Charlie Barnet Orchestra was busy on Jan. 27, 1941, waxing no less than 25 titles as radio transcriptions. There is one vocal apiece for Lena Horne ("It's a Haunted Town") and Bob Carroll, but otherwise it is a purely instrumental date. The popular Barnet band, which often looked toward Duke Ellington and Count Basie for inspiration, had few major soloists (trumpeter Bobby Burnet, pianist Bill Miller, guitarist Bus Etri and Barnet himself on tenor, soprano and alto) and a spirited ensemble sound. Many of the charts on this CD were provided by Horace Henderson, and the band swings hard on such numbers as "Charleston Alley," "Redskin Rhumba," "Little John Ordinary" and "Dutch Kitchen Stomp."