Andy Kirk (1898-1992) and his Clouds of Joy played a major role in the development of the Kansas City big-band swing tradition, picking up where Bennie Moten left off and plowing a fertile furrow parallel to those of Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Erskine Hawkins. In 1998, the Best of Jazz label released a collection of 22 well-chosen examples of this band in its finest moments, recorded between 1929 and 1946, a period during which jazz evolved from hot to swing to bop. The heart of Kirk’s operation was pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams. Vocalists included honeyed crooner Pha Terrell, guitarist Floyd Smith, and Cab Calloway’s big sister Blanche Calloway. Through the years the trumpet section was heated up by Edgar Battle, Harold “Shorty” Baker, Howard McGhee, and Fats Navarro. Tenor saxophonists included Don Byas, Jimmy Forrest, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, and Al Sears. Listen also for the violin of Claude “Fiddler” Williams and (on the later end of the timeline) a young Mississippi-born pianist who was raised in Pontiac, MI by the name of Hank Jones. With ingredients like these, it’s not surprising that the music presented on this collection is solid and satisfying. – arwulf arwulf
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