These recordings are primarily organized by composer/arranger name. In cases where the band that recorded the selection is more prominent, the name of the bandleader is given, with the composer/arranger indicated in bracket.
Three primary collections are indicated by abbreviated titles. (Unfortunately, these Smithsonian Collection recordings went out of print in 1998, although many libraries have them and used copies can be found for sale.)
[BBJ] Big Band Jazz: From the Beginning to the Fifties. Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, 1983. 4 CDs.
[BBR] Big Band Renaissance: The Evolution of the Jazz Orchestra. Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, 1995. 5 CDs.
[SCCJ] Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, 1987. 5 CDs.
Compositions for which scores are provided to students are marked with §.
| COMPOSITIONS | RECORDINGS |
|---|---|
| Muhal Richard Abrams | |
| Hearinga | BBR v. 5, #15; or The Hearinga Suite. Black Saint, 1989. |
| Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band | |
| Sumie | BBR v. 3, #11. |
| Count Basie | |
9:20 Special | Atomic Swing. Blue Note, 1999. |
| April in Paris § | April in Paris. Polygram, 1997. |
| Basie Straight Ahead § | On the CD accompanying Wright, Rayburn. Inside the Score. Delevan, NY: Kendor Music, 1990. ASIN: B000MMKKWO. |
| Everyday I Have the Blues § | Vol. 3, #10 on Swing that Music! Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, 1994. |
One O'clock Jump | Count Basie: Complete Decca Recordings. Verve, 1992. |
| Sent for You Yesterday [Arr.: M. Harvey] § | Private recording |
| Carla Bley | |
On the Stage in Cages | Big Band Theory. ECM, 1993. |
| Anthony Braxton | |
| Composition No. 286 (Ghost Trance Music) | Six Compositions (GTM) 2001. Rastascan, 2002. |
| Creative Orchestra Music, 1976 | Creative Orchestra Music. RCA/Bluebird, 1976 [original release]; reissued on The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton, Mosaic Records, 2008. |
| Willem Breuker Kollektief | |
| Congratulation Cigar | BBR, v. 5, #13; or Parade. BVHaast, 1991. |
| Bob Brookmeyer | |
| Big City Life | [See: Gerry Mulligan] |
| St. Louis Blues § | Monday Night: Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orch. recorded live at the Village Vanguard. Solid State, 1968 [original release]; reissued on The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra, Mosaic Records 5-151, 1994. |
| Willow Weep for Me | [See: Thad Jones / Mel Lewis] |
| Don Cherry and Krysztof Pederecki | |
Humus - the Life Exploring Force [Don Cherry] | Actions. Intuition, 2002. |
| Either/Orchestra | |
| Soul Tezeta | Live in Addis: Ethiopiques Vol. 20. Buda Musique, 2005. |
Duke Ellington (some jointly-credited compositions with Billy Strayhorn, marked '+') | |
Across the Track Blues § | Beyond Category. Buddha, 1994. |
Almost Cried +§ | Anatomy of a Murder. Columbia, 1999 (original release 1959). |
Black and Tan Fantasy | The Best of Duke Ellington Centennial Edition. RCA Victor, 1999. |
| Blood Count + | …And His Mother Called Him Bill. RCA, 1990 (original release 1967). |
| Blue Serge [Mercer Ellington] | SCCJ v. 3, #8. |
| Come Sunday § | The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts, January 1943. Prestige, 1991. |
| Cottontail | SCCJ v. 3, #6. |
|
Far East Suite (excerpts):
| Far East Suite. RCA, 2003 (original release 1966). |
|
Far East Suite, arr. Anthony Brown (excerpts):
| Anthony Brown's Asian American Orchestra. Far East Suite. Asian Improv Records, 1999. |
| Harlem Air Shaft § | CD accompanying Jazz Styles: History and Analysis, 6th ed. Compiled by Mark Gridley. East Rutherford, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. ISBN: 9780132609852. |
| In a Mellotone | SCCJ v. 3, #7. |
| In a Sentimental Mood [Arr: H. Pomeroy] § | Private recording |
| The Mooche § | Early Ellington: The Original Decca Recordings [aka "Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings, 1926-1931."] Verve/GRP, 1994. |
|
The Nutcracker Suite +
| Three Suites. Columbia, 2008 (original release 1960). |
| On a Turquoise Cloud | BBR v. 1, #4. |
| The River [suite] | The Private Collection, Vol. 5: The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970. Atlantic/WEA, 1990. |
| The Second Sacred Concert | The Second Sacred Concert. Prestige, 1990 (original release 1968). |
| Solitude [Arr. M. Harvey] § | Private recording |
| Such Sweet Thunder | Such Sweet Thunder. Columbia, 1999 (original release 1957). |
| Gil Evans and Miles Davis | |
Boplicity § | The Complete Birth of the Cool. Capitol/Blue Note, 1998. |
Maids of Cadiz | Miles Ahead. Columbia, 1997 (original release 1957). |
|
Porgy and Bess tracks #1-5:
| Porgy and Bess. Columbia, 1997 (original release 1958). |
| Robbins Nest § | Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Claude Thornhill and his Orchestra, 1947. Hindsight Records, 1994. |
Saeta | Sketches of Spain. Columbia, 1997 (original release 1959). |
| Maynard Ferguson | |
| On Green Dolphin Street | BBR v. 2, #9. |
| Erroll Garner | |
| Misty [Arr. M. Harvey] § | MIT Festival Jazz Orchestra. Transformations. MIT, 2004. |
| Misty [Arr: G. Wilson] | The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of Gerald Wilson and His Orchestra. Mosiac Records, 2000. |
| Dizzy Gillespie | |
| Chorale [Lalo Schifrin] | BBR v. 5, #2. |
Cubano Be/Cubano Bop | The Complete RCA Victor Recordings: 1947-1949. RCA, 1995. |
Hot House | Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Diz n' Bird at Carnegie Hall. Blue Note, 1997. |
| Things to Come | BBJ v. 4, #16. |
| Jimmy Guiffre | |
Cork n' Bib § | Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre. Verve, 1996. |
| Four Brothers § | [see Woody Herman recordings] |
| Suspensions | Bill Evans and Orchestra. Brandeis Jazz Festival, 1957. Gambit, 2005. |
| Vinny Golia | |
| Views | Vinny Golia Large Ensemble. Pilgrimage to Obscurity. Nine Winds NWCD0130, 1985. |
| Benny Golson | |
| I Remember Clifford | BBR v. 2, #14. |
| I Remember Clifford | Oscar Pettiford: Complete Big Band Studio Recordings. Lonehill Jazz, 2005. |
| Whisper Not § | Benny Golson's New York Scene. Contemporary/OJC, 1997 (original release 1957). |
| Whisper Not | Dizzy Gillespie. Birks Works: The Verve Big-Band Sessions. Verve, 1995. |
| Whisper Not | Private recording |
| Benny Goodman | |
| Blue Skies | The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. Columbia/Sony, 1999. |
Bugle Call Rag § | Sing, Sing, Sing. Bluebird, 2008. |
| Undercurrent Blues | BBR v. 1 #9. |
| Charlie Haden | |
The Circus | Liberation Music Orchestra. Impulse/GRP, 1996 (original release 1969). |
| Lionel Hampton | |
| Flying Home § | BBJ v. 4, #6. |
| Mark Harvey | |
Blue Sequence § | Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Aardvark Steps Out. Nine Winds NWCD 0155, 1993. |
| Flex § |
Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Recorded live at Regattabar, Cambridge MA, July 18, 2001. iTunesU (MP3 - 38MB) |
| Flex § |
MIT Festival Jazz Orchestra. Recorded live at MIT Kresge Auditorium, December 9, 2000. The Tale of the Sky Swimmer. HerbMIT Productions, 2002. (Courtesy of Frederick Harris, Jr. and the MIT FJE. Used with permission.) iTunesU (MP3 - 33MB) |
| No Walls | Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. No Walls. Aardmuse, 2007. |
| The Prophet § | Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Bethlehem COUNTERPOINT. Aardmuse, 2002. |
| The Seeker § |
Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Recorded live at Regattabar, Cambridge MA, March 21, 2001. iTunesU (MP3 - 16MB) Alternate recording: Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. The Seeker. Leo Records, 2000. |
| Spirals | Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Trumpet Madness. Leo Records, 2005. |
St. James Infirmary [arr. Mark Harvey] § | Private recording |
| Swing Landscape | Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Paintings for Jazz Orchestra. Leo Records, 1993. |
| Fletcher Henderson | |
The Stampede § | SCCJ v. 2 #1-2. |
| Woody Herman | |
Blue Flame | The Thundering Herds 1945-1947. Columbia/Sony, 2008. |
| Ebony Concerto | Ebony Concerto. Sounds of Yesteryear, 2006. |
Sister Sadie | BBR v. 1, #17-18. |
| Baird Hersey | |
The Prince | The Year of the Ear. Have You Heard? Arista Novus, 1979. |
| The International Sweethearts of Rhythm | |
| Bugle Call Rag | Hot Licks, 1944-1946. Sounds of Yesteryear, 2006. |
| Thad Jones & Mel Lewis | |
| Kids are Pretty People § | On the CD accompanying Wright, Rayburn. Inside the Score. Delevan, NY: Kendor Music, 1990. |
| Quietude | Central Park North. Blue Note, 2004 (original release 1969). |
| Willow Weep for Me [Arr: B. Brookmeyer] | BBR v. 3, #5. |
| Stan Kenton | |
A Trumpet [Bob Graettinger] | BBR v. 2, #1 & #3. |
|
by Bill Russo:
by Bill Holman:
| Kenton Showcase: Music of Bill Russo & Bill Holman. Capitol/Blue Note, 2000. |
| Andy Kirk | |
| Big Jim Blues | [see Mary Lou Williams] |
| McGhee Special [H. McGhee] | Vol. 3, #15 on Swing that Music! Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, 1994. |
| Moten Swing | Andy Kirk & The 12 Clouds of Joy, with Mary Lou Williams. ASV, 1993. |
| Guillermo Klein | |
| Impacto Gaudi | MIT Festival Jazz Orchestra. Recorded live at MIT Killian Hall, May 2001. The Tale of the Sky Swimmer. HerbMIT Productions, 2002. |
| Ray McKinley | |
| Idiot's Delight | BBR v. 1 #3. |
| Glenn Miller | |
| String of Pearls [comp. Jerry Gray] | BBJ v. 3 #11. |
| Charles Mingus | |
Adagio Non Troppo | Let My Children Hear Music. Columbia/Sony, 2008 (original release 1971). |
| The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, tracks #1-4 § | The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Impulse/GRP, 1995 (original release 1963). |
| Duke Ellington's Sound of Love | Mingus Big Band 93: Nostalgia in Times Square. Dreyfus, 1993. |
E's Flat Ah's Flat Too | Blues and Roots. Atlantic/WEA, 1998 (original release 1959). |
| Epitaph (excerpts) | Epitaph. Conducted by Gunther Schuller. Sony, 1990. |
Fables of Faubus | Mingus Ah Um. Columbia/Sony, 1999. |
| Haitian Fight Song § | MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. Flexology. MIT, 2005. |
| Revelations (1st movement) § | Brandeis Jazz Festival, 1957. Gambit, 2005. |
| MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble (FJE) | |
| Raga Jog [w/ Natraj] | World Fusions. MIT CD, 2002. |
| [See also: compositions by Harvey, Klein, Mingus, Sharifi, Souriau] | |
| Thelonius Monk | |
| Evidence | Big Band and Quartet in Concert. Columbia/Sony, 2008 (original release 1963). |
| Four in One | BBR v. 5, #4. |
| Round Midnight [Arr: Marty Paich] § | Art Pepper + Eleven. Contemporary/OJC, 1991 (original release 1959). |
| Round Midnight [Arr: Oliver Nelson] | Oliver Nelson: The Argo, Verve & Impulse Big Band Studio Sessions. Mosaic #233, 2007. |
| Round Midnight [Arr: H. Mancini] | BBR v. 5 #7. |
| Butch Morris | |
| Conduction #28, II – X Conduction #26, E | Testament: A Conduction Collection. New World Records, 1995. |
| Bennie Moten | |
| Moten Swing | BBJ v. 1 #15. |
| Moten Swing | [see Andy Kirk] |
| Moten Swing | [see Count Basiel] |
| Moten Swing | Private recording |
| Gerry Mulligan | |
| Godchild § | The Complete Birth of the Cool. Capitol/Blue Note, 1998. |
| Jeru [both takes] § | The Original Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker. Pacific Jazz Records/Blue Note, 1998. |
| Walkin' Shoes [Arr: Marty Paich] [both takes] | Art Pepper + Eleven. Contemporary/OJC, 1991 (original release 1959). |
| Walkin' Shoes § | Pete Rugolo and his Orchestra. Adventures in Sound. Fresh Sound Records, 2006 (original release 1956). |
|
Little Rock Getaway [Arr: Al Cohn] Ballad [G. Mulligan] Big City Life [B. Brookmeyer] Pretty Little Gypsy; Bridgehampton South; Bridgehampton Strut [G. McFarland] | The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions. Mosaic Records, 2003. |
| Oliver Nelson | |
| Blues and the Abstract Truth § The Jazzhattan Suite Miss Fine § Soundpiece § | Oliver Nelson: The Argo, Verve & Impulse Big Band Studio Sessions. Mosaic #233, 2007. |
| Emancipation Blues § | Afro-American Sketches. OJC, 1993 (original release 1960). |
| Intro to a Samba [C. Adderley/Arr: O. Nelson] | Cannonball Adderley. Domination. Capitol/Blue Note, 2005 (original release 1965). |
| Stolen Moments § | Blues and the Abstract Truth. Impulse/Verve, 2007 (original release 1961). |
| See also these suites: The Kennedy Dream [a tribute to John F. Kennedy] Peter and the Wolf [featuring Jimmy Smith, organ] | Oliver Nelson: The Argo, Verve & Impulse Big Band Studio Sessions. Mosaic #233, 2007. |
| New York Composers Orchestra | |
|
92 + (30, 32, 139) + (108c, 108d) For Creative Orchestra [Comp: Anthony Braxton] Dance Music for Composers Orchestra [Comp: Lenny Pickett] | First Program in Standard Time. New World Records, 1992. |
| Jaco Pastorius | |
| Punk Jazz | The Birthday Concert. Warner Bros., 2008 (original release 1981). |
| Liberty City | Word of Mouth. Warner Bros., 2002 (original release 1981). |
| Oscar Pettiford | |
Deep Passion | Oscar Pettiford: Complete Big Band Studio Recordings. Lonehill Jazz, 2005. |
| Herb Pomeroy | |
| Theme for Terry | BBR v. 2 #12. |
| Sun Ra | |
The Cosmos | The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 & 2. ESP Disk, 2006. |
| Boyd Raeburn | |
A Night in Tunisia | BBJ v. 4 #12-13. |
| Dalavatore Sally | BBR v. 1 #2. |
| Buddy Rich | |
| Goodbye Yesterday | BBR v. 2 #10. |
| Johnny Richards | |
| Nipigon | BBR v. 2 #13. |
| Pete Rugolo | |
| Cuban Carnival | [see Stan Kenton] |
| Impressionism | Pete Rugolo and his Orchestra. Adventures in Sound. Fresh Sound Records, 2006 (original release 1956). |
| George Russell | |
| The African Game, #1-#4 | The African Game. Blue Note, 1983. |
| All About Rosie § | Bill Evans and Orchestra. Brandeis Jazz Festival, 1957. Gambit, 2005. |
| Cubano Be/Cubano Bop | [see Dizzy Gillespie] |
| Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature So What | The 80th Birthday Concert. Concept Publishing, 2005. |
| Maria Schneider | |
El Viento | Coming About. Enja, 1996. |
| Gunther Schuller | |
Blue Moon | Jumpin' in the Future. GM Recordings, 2001. |
| Transformation | Bill Evans and Orchestra. Brandeis Jazz Festival, 1957. Gambit, 2005. |
| Jamshied Sharifi | |
| Katarina's First Song | MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. JAMIT Productions, 1990. |
| Artie Shaw | |
|
Begin the Beguine [Cole Porter] Evensong [Paul Jordan] The Glider [Buster Harding] Krazy Kat [Johnny Mandel] Similau [Arr: G. Russell] Suite #8 [Paul Jordan] | Self Portrait: The Artie Shaw Collection. Bluebird, 2001. |
| Magali Souriau | |
| The Tale of the Sky Swimmer [feat. Herb Pomeroy, trumpet] | MIT Festival Jazz Orchestra. Recorded live at MIT Kresge Auditorium, December 9, 2000. The Tale of the Sky Swimmer. HerbMIT Productions, 2002. |
| Walter Thompson | |
| PEXO - A Soundpainting Symphony |
PEXO - A Soundpainting Symphony. Nine Winds, 2003. Video of the Walter Thompson Orchestra: climbersax. "Soundpainting - Walter Thompson." November 4, 2007. YouTube. Accessed June 6, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA4nnxG30og. |
| Gerald Wilson | |
Out of This World | The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of Gerald Wilson and His Orchestra. Mosiac Records, 2000. |
| Mary Lou Williams | |
Big Jim Blues § | Andy Kirk & The 12 Clouds of Joy, with Mary Lou Williams. ASV, 1993. |
| In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee | [See Dizzy Gillespie] |
| Scorpio § | The Zodiac Suite. Smithsonian Folkways, 1995 (original release 1945). |
| Scorpio | The Dutch Jazz Orchestra. The Rediscovered Music of Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band. Challenge, 2006. |
| Scorpio | Oscar Pettiford: Nonet & Octet 1954-1955 Recordings. Fresh Sounds, 2007. |
| Scratchin' in the Gravel | Andy Kirk & Mary Lou Williams. Mary's Idea. Decca/GRP, 1993 (original release 1936). |
| Trumpets No End (Blue Skies) | Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. Happy Birthday Duke, Vol. 3. LaserLight, 1992. |