looking for new versions of 30s & 40s music
 

I've been taking dance lessons (tap) and find myself really enjoying old music like In The Mood and Sing, Sing, Sing. What I don't like is the scratchy mono sound on the original records. Does anyone know of a recent performer who does this stuff?

The Boston Pops does a lot of classic stuff

and you can find In The Mood on any p2p network. Glenn Miller was the artist

The Swing Kids soundtrack has a good version of sing sing sing on it and a couple other good grooves

The Time-Life compilations like "Your Hit Parade" have been remastered and sound pretty good.

I only have it on vinyl -- but The Lester Lanin Orchestra put out a bunch of albums that has the big band swing stuff - I think my albums are older than I am... but it used to be fun to listen to .

What about The Brian Setzer Orchestra?

It's DeLovely - the movie about the life of Cole Porter -- some of the remakes of a lot of the songs are horrendous... but if you go for the earlier stuff, you'll probably find a bunch of Cole Porter stuff you'd like.

That, and Harry Connick Jr who's got that Cole Porter feel to him.

believe it or not some of those $5 CD's in the bargain bins at record stores have GREAT big band on 'em.

Modern recordings of the classics.

Michael Buble' does it sometimes

Asta!!

Most stuff by Diana Krall. It's not big, band stuff ... it's more like jump music.

let' s see:
some of my favorite reworkings of old-school big band stuff were done by sun ra. check out "reflections in blue" for example. the story runs that the young mr. ra got his start doing charts for fletcher henderson, so the affinity between his arkestra and music of that period is not surprising biographically, even if it is a bit if you run into these tracks after listening to other, more out recordings.

amina claudine meyers (spelling?) has a release called "jumping at the sugar bowl" which is entirely made up of bessie smith tunes. its a fine thing.

there's quite a bit of stuff done under the general rubric of the synton marsalis school, most of which is altogether too reverent--and therefore altogether too tedious from my viewpoint--but others i run into seem to like this museyroom approach to jazz, so there you are.

all that said, the originals are best, i think: i would suggest starting with the bluebird duke ellington reissue from a few years ago, "the blanton-webster band" which is just great. from there, forward or backward in time, its hard to lose.

if that counts for swing too i would throw in the "cherry poppin daddies" great stuff i only wish i could find their tape i made. They have the swing sound but more.. eh zz topish lyrics

I already own Bib Bad Voodoo Daddy stuff. Like Shakran wrote, I'm looking for "Modern recordings of the classics." Thanks for all the suggestions.