Standing Tall (1996)

This Drive Archive CD features Chick Webb's Orchestra on two radio broadcasts performed shortly before the drummer passed away. Ella Fitzgerald takes vocals on six of the dozen selections, including a rollicking "Tain't What You Do," but it is the instrumentals that are of greatest interest, especially "Blue Room," "One O'Clock Jump" and "My Wild Irish Rose" (which has some exciting drum breaks from Webb). The recording quality of this music, formerly out as an Alamac LP, has been improved, and overall this CD, although not ... Read More

This Drive Archive CD features Chick Webb's Orchestra on two radio broadcasts performed shortly before the drummer passed away. Ella Fitzgerald takes vocals on six of the dozen selections, including a rollicking "Tain't What You Do," but it is the instrumentals that are of greatest interest, especially "Blue Room," "One O'Clock Jump" and "My Wild Irish Rose" (which has some exciting drum breaks from Webb). The recording quality of this music, formerly out as an Alamac LP, has been improved, and overall this CD, although not definitive, does give listeners a good idea of how the Chick Webb big band sounded live. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi Read Less