Leapin' At The Lincoln

In the pantheon of Big Band leaders of the genre's 30’s and 40’s heyday, saxophonist Charlie Barnet is perhaps unfairly linked with second division bands. However his achievements in the areas of popularity, originality and ability to spot latent talent would seem to guarantee his place alongside the likes of Ellington, Basie ,Goodman ,Dorsey et al. Throughout his career he was heavily influenced by Ellington’s works, as a glance at the composer credits to many of these titles will show. In 1933 his band was the first white orchestra to play Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, despite the oft-reported claim that Buddy Holly was the first white artist to achieve that accolade. Tracks include; "Skyliner", "Ebony Rhapsody", "Gulf Coast Blues","The Duke's Idea", "Harlem Speaks".