Begin the Beguine [Dynamic]

Personnel: Dick Haymes, Nita Bradley, Helen Forrest, Hot Lips Page, Tony Pastor (vocals); Billy Butterfield (trumpet).
Liner Note Author: Chris White .
Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" was one of clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw's biggest hits. This explains why the song's title has appeared on the masthead of at least 14 different Artie Shaw collections, including this 25-track sampler released by Dynamic Entertainment in 2007. Like much of Shaw's output during the heyday of big band dance music, many of these recordings feature vocalists (Helen Forrest, Dick Haymes, Hot Lips Page, Tony Pastor, and Nita Bradley). Instrumental delights include the title track, "Frenesi," "Nightmare," the "Back Bay Shuffle," "Traffic Jam," "Summit Ridge Drive," and the "Concerto for Clarinet." This disc constitutes an accurate appraisal of all the elements that established Artie Shaw as one of the most popular bandleaders of the late 1930s and early '40s. ~ arwulf arwulf