This week’s theme: The Gershwin Songbook, as played by jazz pianists and their groups. Featured artists include: Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Red Garland, Billy Taylor, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford, Art Blakey, Paul Motian, Scott LaFaro, Hampton Hawes, Red Mitchell, Chuck Thompson, John Lewis, Percy Heath, Connie Kay, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, John Ore, J.C. Moses, Ray Barreto, Arthur Taylor, Paul Chambers, Randy Weston

This week’s theme: Jazz vocals with verses included. Featured artists include: Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nancy Lamott, Anita O’Day, Chet Baker, Stacey Kent, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Rosemary Clooney, Karrin Alysson, Carmen McRae, Scott Hamilton, Clifford Brown, Paul Quinichette, Warren Vache, Ed Bickert, Roy Haynes, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Quincy Jones, Russ Freeman, Mundell Lowe.

This week I indulge myself with a show for my very own birthday. In the past I’ve played tracks recorded on Feb. 4, including Miles Davis Milestones. But two years in, I’ve dipped into that well too often. So this year, the focus is on the year I was born, 1953. As I say on the Podcast, it was a very good year for jazz and boys from Queens. Also a great chance to focus on 10-inch records from the collection. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Curley Russell, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Shavers, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Dodge, Ron Crotty, Jay Jay Johnson, Jimmy Heath, Gil Coggins, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Gigi Gryce, Charlie Parker, Red Garland, Roy Haynes, Chet Baker, Russ Freeman, Carson Smith, Larry Bunker, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Bob Cooper, Jummy Giuffre, Bob Enevoldsen, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, George Syran, Teddy Kotick, Nick Stabulas.

This week’s theme: Jazz Singers, American Songbook. Pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think? Featured artists include Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dinah Washington, Quincy Jones, Helen Humes, Helen Merrill, Clifford Brown, Anita O’Day, Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Chet Baker, Beverly Kenney, Johnny Smith, Lous Armstrong, Diana Krall, Stacey Kent, John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman, Joe Williams, Count Basie, Rosemary Clooney.

This week’s theme: Duets. Featured artists include John Cotrane, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Philly Joe Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Art Pepper, George Cables, Al Cohn, Jimmy Rowles, Tal Farlow, Dan Axelrod, Stephane Grappelli, Marc Fosset, Zoot Sims, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Lewis, Hank Jones, George Shearing, Carmen McRae, Rosemary Clooeny, Ed Bickert, Nancy Lamott, Christopher Marlowe, Ken Sebesky.

A few weeks ago, on the radio show I was playing tracks from the album John Coltrane Ballads, Impulse 32. I brought the vinyl into the studio, but I wanted to have backup, so I also brought in the Deluxe edition CD set. As I was doing the show, I noticed that the CD set has a previously unreleased duet version of They Say It’s Wonderful, the Irving Berlin song, featuring just a duet by Trane and McCoy Tyner. It’s a wonderful track and amazing that it was sitting in a vault for 40 years. I provided a link to it on YouTube.

Anyway, it gave me an idea to do a whole show on duets, starting with that track. The next one I thought of was Sonny Rollins and Philly Joe Jones, Surrey With the Fringe on Top from New’s Time, Blue Note 4001. Then I did what I normally do to prepare a show, I started going through my records. I have my records loosely organized in three categories: Instrumentals pre-1970s, instrumentals 1970 and later, vocals. There are various sub-categories because, like many of you I’m sure, I love to organize and reorganize, probably a little too obsessively.

Anyway, I started going through the 1970s and later records and I pulled out more than 30 records of various types: The five duet albums Oscar Peterson did with trumpet players, Zoot and Bucky, George Shearing and Hank Jones, Art Pepper and George Cables. You get the drift. At that point, I knew I had several shows and I never even bothered to go through the more collectible records from pre-1970. But based on this strictly anecdotal research, it seems to me that duet albums and tracks become more of a thing later on in the jazz vinyl era.

So here’s the thing: If you can think of any good duet albums or tracks, please comment here. If I have them in my collection, I’ll see if I can use them on the show. As I said, I’ve already pulled out more than 30 records, so I’m sure we’ll have some duplication. But I thought it would be a fun project to share here at Jazz Collector if any of my former regular readers and commenters are still around. In any case, I’ll try to be doing more regular posts for a while, so perhaps we’ll build up a regular following once again.

This week’s theme: Songs that have the name of a woman in the title. Eclectic, but fun. And some great music. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Wynton Kelly, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Connie Kay, Percy Heath, Eddie Jefferson, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Rushing, and many more.

This week’s theme: Jazz tracks that reference U.S. cities and states. Featured artists include Al Cohn, Barry Harris, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Rouse, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich, Rosemary Clooney, John Oddo, Richie Cole, Bruce Forman, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Nancy LaMott, Freddie Redd and many more.

This week’s podcast: More vocals and instrumentals from the Great American Songbook. Featured artists include Dinah Washington, Ben Webster, Annie Ross, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Barney Kessell, Herb Ellis, Rosemary Clooney, Zoot Sims, Scott Hamilton, Ray Charles, Betty Carter, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond Jim Hall, Sonny Criss, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more.Featured songs include Makin’Whoopee, I Was Going All Right, Diane, I’ve Got a Crush on You, Cry Me a River, I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, For All We Know, and more.

This week’s theme: Sonny Stitt on alto and tenor. Featured artists include Sonny Stitt, Mel Lewis, Lou Levy, Leroy Vinnegar, Hank Jones, Shadow Wilson, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Ed Thigpen, Bobby Timmons, Edgar Willis, Kenny Dennis, Barry Harris, Sam Jones, Alan Dawson and more.