Charlie Barnet

Charlie Barnet – Cherokee (Remastered) (1958/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 36:33 minutes | 427 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Everest Records

One of Charlie Barent’s later efforts, CHEROKEE proved to be more than fortuitous for this enigmatic musician. Spurning conventional wisdom, he released this set of vintage big band tunes when rock & roll was the rage, and big-band jazz had long since metamorphosed into bebop, cool, and even newer, more avant-garde styles. Barnet’s 1958 band, composed of jazz greats such as trumpeter Clark Terry and pianist Nat Pierce, showed a previously apathetic audience that big band music was not only still viable, but exciting. Heavily influenced by the Basie and Ellington orchestras, Barnet successfully leads a tight, hard-swinging ensemble on this date. Songs such as “East Side, West Side,” “Blue Juice,” and the title track, prove this band’s ability to match the legendary orchestras from the Golden Era of swing. Arguably Barnet’s strongest effort, CHEROKEE is an exhilarating album.

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Charlie Barnet – The Complete Charlie Barnet, Vol. IV (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:27:11 minutes | 1,72 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA – Legacy

Charlie Barnet was unusual in several ways. One of the few jazzmen to be born a millionaire, Barnet was a bit of a playboy throughout his life, ending up with a countless number of ex-wives and anecdotes. He was one of the few white big band leaders of the swing era to openly embrace the music of Duke Ellington (he also greatly admired Count Basie). Barnet was a pioneer in leading integrated bands (as early as 1935). And, although chiefly a tenor saxophonist (where he developed an original sound out of the style of Coleman Hawkins), Barnet was an effective emulator of Johnny Hodges on alto in addition to being virtually the only soprano player (other than Sidney Bechet) in the 1930s and ’40s.
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Charlie Barnet – The Complete Charlie Barnet, Vol. II (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:35:05 minutes | 1,84 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA – Legacy

Charlie Barnet was unusual in several ways. One of the few jazzmen to be born a millionaire, Barnet was a bit of a playboy throughout his life, ending up with a countless number of ex-wives and anecdotes. He was one of the few white big band leaders of the swing era to openly embrace the music of Duke Ellington (he also greatly admired Count Basie). Barnet was a pioneer in leading integrated bands (as early as 1935). And, although chiefly a tenor saxophonist (where he developed an original sound out of the style of Coleman Hawkins), Barnet was an effective emulator of Johnny Hodges on alto in addition to being virtually the only soprano player (other than Sidney Bechet) in the 1930s and ’40s.
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