Let's Get Together

An influential drummer and bandleader, Chick Webb (1909-1939) didn't live long enough to make as many records as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, or Count Basie. His contribution to the development of the tradition from hot jazz to full-throttle swing was as important as theirs, however, and ABM's Let's Get Together proves the point with 20 instrumentals recorded between 1934 and 1939. Chick Webb's other claim to fame was his own discovery, a versatile young vocalist named Ella Fitzgerald. Unlike most other Webb collections, Let's Get Together leaves the singer almost entirely out of the picture so as to focus upon the strengths of the Chick Webb Orchestra. This is where saxophonist Edgar Sampson developed his strengths as an arranger and hatched his best tunes, including "If Dreams Come True," "Blue Lou," "Don't Be That Way," and "Stomping at the Savoy." The title track was composed by Chick Webb. ~ arwulf arwulf|