Bing Crosby was as familiar and fluent with Dixieland as any other big-time vocalist of the 1940s and '50s, since he slightly predated most of his crooning brethren and sang plenty of Dixieland as a youngster -- even though his influence came more from
Al Jolson than Buddy Bolden. Regardless of whose lap he was on when he learned "Swanee," his radio show of the mid-'50s included plenty of Dixieland, mostly recorded with a band led by
Buddy Cole but sometimes a larger group led by the estimable
John Scott Trotter. The
Bing in Dixieland compilation focuses almost entirely on these radio-show recordings, but the material is sparkling and bright -- mostly because
Crosby always prerecorded his radio shows in a studio, making them sound more polished than most. Highlights include "At the Jazz Band Ball," "Muskrat Ramble," and "That's A-Plenty," plus as bonus tracks, a pair of duets with two other all-timers:
Louis Armstrong ("Now You Has Jazz") and
Ella Fitzgerald ("Memphis Blues"). ~ John Bush