Product Description:
Personnel includes: Erskine Hawkins (trumpet), William Johnson, Jimmy Mitchelle, Bobby Smith (alto saxophone), Julian Dash, Paul Bascomb, Aaron Maxwell (tenor saxophone), Heywood Henry (baritone saxophone, clarinet), Sam Lowe, Marcellus Green, James Harris, Charles Jones, Robert Johnson (trumpet), Edward Sims, Richard Harris, Norman Greene (trombone), Avery Parrish, Ace Harris (piano), William McLemore, Leroy Kirkland (guitar), Leemie Stanfield (bass), James Morrison, Kelly Martin (drums).
Recorded in New York between 1939 and 1942, and Chicago on January 10, 1945. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.
Digitally remastered by Joe Lopes and Jay Newland (September 1991, BMG Recording Studios, New York).
During the Swing era, there were jazz-oriented orchestras and there were the more pop-oriented ones. Occasionally, there was a big band that combined the best of both worlds, playing super-catchy dance tunes but with some dandy jazz soloing as well. Such a band was led by Erskine Hawkins, a fabulous high-note trumpet specialist. While they didn't have that many hits, his band was very popular with jazz and dance fans both, and the Dutton label's 2008 compilation, TUXEDO JUNCTION, with 24 tunes representing the Hawkins band's entire career, is a superb sample of their work.
