Born in remote Utah in 1905, trumpeter and cornetist Red Nichols became one of the most successful bandleaders in jazz during the 1920s and '30s, recording prolifically with a huge variety of small bands and early swing orchestras, and with his primary band The Five Pennies (there were often many more than five) composing some of the most important and memorable tunes and making some of the most important recordings of the era. This 93-track 4-CD set comprises recordings which were released on Brunswick under the name of Red Nichols & The Five Pennies during the band's classic era, along with other recordings done by similar line-ups led by Nichols under the name of The Charleston Chasers for Columbia, presented in chronological order of their recording. The varying line-ups of The Five Pennies helped provide early opportunities for some of the genre's future big names, including Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti, Miff Mole, Adrian Rollini, Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa and others. It's a substantial and fairly comprehensive overview of the output of the Five Pennies which captures the vibrant and innovative spirit of the early jazz era and showcases not only the work of an influential bandleader but the improvisational talents of some of the genre's most celebrated practitioners.
