Big Band Swing music List
Symbols: (v) and (I) stand for vocal (present in recording) and Instrumental (all instrumental) respectively. Noted vocalists or instrumental soloists mentioned made an out-sized contribution to the recording.
Criteria: This list is made up mostly of songs within the "Golden Age of Swing" (1935-1945), plus a few songs from some of the same artists in the same style recorded shortly after the "Golden Age". (See below the list for more details.)
1. Sing, Sing, Sing - Benny Goodman & His Orchestra (1937)
2. Take The A Train - Duke Ellington (1941)
3. In The Mood - Glenn Miller Band (1939)
4. Begin The Beguine - Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (1938)
5. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) - Billie Holiday (1944)
6. White Christmas - Bing Crosby (1942)
7. Stardust - Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (1940)
8. I'll Never Smile Again - Tommy Dorsey Orch. w/F. Sinatra & Pied Pipers (v) (1940)
9. Mack The Knife - Louis Armstrong (1955)
10. Chattanooga Choo-Choo - Glenn Miller Band, w/Tex Benecke & The Modernaires (v) (1941)
11. String of Pearls - Glenn Miller Band (1942)
12. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon - The Andrews Sisters (1937)
13. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrews Sisters (1941)
14. At The Woodchoppers Ball - Woody Herman Orchestra (1939, Decca)
15. Jumpin' At The Woodside - Count Basie Orchestra (1938)
16. T'Ain't Whatcha Do - Jimmie Lunceford Band (1939)
17. One O'Clock Jump - Count Basie Orchestra (1937)
18. Flying Home - Lionel Hampton Band (1942)
19. Blues In The Night - Woody Herman w/his Orchestra (v) (1941)
20. Tenderly - Randy Brooks & His Orchestra (1946)
21. Sentimental Journey - Les Brown Band w/Doris Day (v) (1945)
22. Sometimes I'm Happy - Lester Young (I) (1943)
23. Don't Be That Way - Benny Goodman Orchestra (1938)
24. Stardust - Charlie Spivak Orchestra (1943-aircheck)
25. The Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet & His Hot Six (1951)
26. Satin Doll - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (1953)
27. Solitude - Billie Holiday (1940)
28. Why Don't You Do Right? - Benny Goodman Band w/Peggy Lee (v) (1942)
29. The Man I Love - Benny Goodman Quartet (I) (1937)
30. Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland (1939)
31. It's Only A Paper Moon - Nat "King" Cole Trio (1944)
32. Where Or When - Benny Goodman Trio (I) (1937)
33. Deep Purple - Larry Clinton Orchestra w/Bea Wain, (v) (1938)
34. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire - The Ink Spots (1941)
35. I Can't Get Started - Bunny Berigan (1937)
36. Nuages - Django Reinhardt (1940)
37. It Might As Well Be Spring - Dick Haymes (1945)
38. Hep Hep The Jumpin' Jive - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra (1939)
39. Rum and Coca-Cola - The Andrews Sisters (1945, Decca version)
40. Marie - Tommy Dorsey Band w/Jack Leonard, vocal (1937)
41. God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday (1941)
42. Stormy Monday Blues - Earl Hines Orchestra, w/Billy Eckstine, vocal (1942)
43. The Christmas Song - Nat "King" Cole (1946)
44. A Tisket, A Tasket - Ella Fitzgerald w/Chick Webb Band (1937)
45. Oh! Look At Me Now - Tommy Dorsey Band w/Frank Sinatra & The Pied Pipers (1941)
46. Summertime - Billie Holiday (v) (1936) / Artie Shaw & Orchestra (I) (1945)
47. Glow-Worm - The Mills Brothers (1952)
48. Frenesi - Artie Shaw & Orchestra, (1940)
49. Body & Soul - Coleman Hawkins (1939)
50. I'll Be Seeing You - Tommy Dorsey (Orchestra) w/Frank Sinatra (v) (1940-s, 1944-r)
51. If I Loved You - Perry Como (1945)
52. Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller (1936)
53. September Song - Sarah Vaughn (v) w/Teddy Wilson Quartet (1946)
54. The Trolley Song - Judy Garland (1944)
55. Tangerine - Jimmy Dorsey Band w/Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell (v) (1941)
56. Perfidia - Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (1941)
57. Straighten Up & Fly Right - Nat "King" Cole Trio (1942)
58. Let's Get Away From It All - Tommy Dorsey Band w/Frank Sinatra, & The Pied Pipers (1941)
59. Stompin' At The Savoy - Benny Goodman Orchestra (1937)
60. And The Angels Sing - Benny Goodman Orchestra w/Ziggy Elman (I) & Martha Tilton (v) (1939)
61. Taking A Chance On Love - Benny Goodman w/Helen Forrest (v) (1940-s, 1943-r)
62. Yes Indeed! - Tommy Dorsey Band w/Jo Stafford (v) (1941)
63. Nature Boy - Nat "King" Cole (1948)
64. Night And Day - Billie Holiday (1939)
65. Song of India - Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1937)
66. You Always Hurt The One You Love - The Mills Brothers (1944)
67. Moonglow - Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (1940)
68. The Man I Love - Billie Holiday (live, 1946) / (studio, 1939)
69. On The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe - Johnny Mercer (1945) / Judy Garland (1945) [competing versions]
70. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - Tommy Dorsey Band w/The Clark Sisters (v) (1944)
71. It's A Sin To Tell A Lie - Fats Waller (1936)
72. Lady Day - Artie Shaw Orchestra w/Roy Eldridge (I) (1944)
73. Choo-Choo Ch'Boogie - Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five (1946)
74. Celery Stalks At Midnight - Will Bradley Orchestra (1940)
75. Skyliner - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra (1944)
76. All The Things You Are - Artie Shaw w/Helen Forrest (v) (1939)
77. Long Ago And Far Away - Dick Haymes & Helen Forrest (1944)
78. One For My Baby and One More For The Road - Frank Sinatra (1947)
79. I've Heard That Song Before - Harry James Band w/Helen Forrest (v) (1942)
80. Cherokee - Charlie Barnet (1939)
81. Salt Peanuts - Dizzy Gillespie w/Charlie Parker (1945)
82. Perdido - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (1942)
83. With The Wind and The Rain In Your Hair - Bob Chester Band w/Delores O'Neill (v) (1940)
84. All Or Nothing At All - Harry James Band w/Frank Sinatra (1939)
85. Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford (v) (1945)
86. The Gypsy - The Ink Spots (1946)
87. Artistry In Rhythm - Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (1943)
88. Opus One - Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1944)
89. The House Of Blue Lights - Ella Mae Morse w/Freddy Slack Orchestra (1946)
90. Mr. Five By Five - Ella Mae Morse w/Freddy Slack Band (v) (1942)
91. As Time Goes By - Dooley Wilson (1931, re-issued 1942)
92. Skylark - Harry James Band w/Helen Forrest (v) (1942) / Maxine Sullivan (v) (1943)
93. Personality - Johnny Mercer (1945)
94. Moonlight In Vermont - Billy Butterfield & His Orchestra w/Margaret Whiting (v) (1945)
95. Fools Rush In - Tommy Dorsey Orchestra w/Frank Sinatra (v) (1940)
96. The Mole - Harry James Orchestra (1941)
97. Sweet Lorraine - Nat "King" Cole Trio (1941)
98. I've Got A Gal In Kalamazoo - Glenn Miller Band, w/Tex Benecke & The Modernaires (1942)
99. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Les Brown Orchestra (1946-s, 1949-r)
100. Green Eyes - Jimmy Dorsey Band w/Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell (v) (1941)
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