Lanin’s Southern Serenaders

Like Icarus flying dangerously close to the sun, Loren McMurray was an all-too-bright flame in the nascent field of jazz recordings. Dead at only 25, and having made records for just two years, “Mac” was a genuine musical pioneer. His trailblazing sides offered many listeners their first real taste of jazz saxophone, and his signature performance style revolutionized dance music. Today, his recordings provide an unparalleled glimpse into the saxophone’s transformation from just-another-voice in the band to a signature sound of jazz. Featuring 2 CDs with 50 selections and an 80-page booklet by Grammy-nominated authors Colin Hancock and Mark Berresford, The Moaninest Moan presents the story and sounds of Loren McMurray, from his early days of making music in Kansas to his final sides recorded in New York. Read more
List price: $32.99

27 songs from 1897-1925, 28-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and unusual graphics chronicling the rise of "hot" playing in American music over four decades. Rare tracks by banjo virtuosos Cullen and Collins, vocalist Silas Leachman, Jim Europe's Orchestra, and his proteges in the Versatile Four. The ultra-rare "Sunset Medley" by Haenschen and Schiffer is here released for the first time, along with Edison cylinders by Sophie Tucker and Polk Miller. Companion to the book by David Wondrich, published by Chicago Review Press on the A Cappella imprint. Read more
List price: $16.49