Critics may not have allowed cornettist Ernest Loring “Red” Nichols (1905-1965) the genius of an Armstrong or a Beiderbecke but, apart from being a magnificent player, he was a unique catalyst and, under his leadership, his celebrated Five Pennies created some of the finest ‘white jazz’ of all time.

Uniquely, Retrospective offers both sides of The Five Pennies. Disc One collects together 26 glorious originals from Red Nichols’ vintage years of 1926-1930: jazz of superb originality on an exalted level he never quite regained (although he came very close!). The (usually more than) Five Pennies featured such jazz all time greats as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Pee Wee Russell, Miff Mole, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang! All his most famous jazz classics are here, including his eternal Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider, and such 1926/7 gems as Feelin’ No Pain, That’s No Bargain, Washboard Blues, Delirium and Buddy’s Habits.

Over a quarter of a century later, Red’s fame received a boost through the 1959 biopic 'The Five Pennies', in which he played the music heard emerging from Danny Kaye’s trumpet on screen. In fact Red’s own playing was even better than it had been in the 30s, and Disc Two presents the very best of a string of fine LPs issued in 1956/61 - exhilarating jazz that has not previously appeared on CD.

Contents:
CD 1 (1926-1930)
1. Washboard Blues
2. That’s No Bargain
3. Buddy’s Habits
4. Boneyard Shuffle
5. Alabama Stomp (Red & Miff’s Stompers)
6. Hurricane (Red & Miff’s Stompers)
7. Davenport Blues (Red & Miff’s Stompers)
8. Bugle Call Rag
9. Delirium (The Charleston Chasers)
10. Cornfed
11. Five Pennies
12. Mean Dog Blues
13. Riverboat Shuffle
14. Eccentric
15. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider
16. Feelin’ No Pain
17. Nobody’s Sweetheart
18. Panama
19. Imagination
20. Original Dixieland One-Step
21. I Never Knew
22. Sweet Georgia Brown
23. China Boy
24. Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble
25. I Got Rhythm (Orchestra; With Dick Robertson)
26. Corrine Corrina (With Wingy Manone)

CD 2 (1956-1961)
1. Louisiana
2. Mood Indigo
3. Peg O’ My Heart
4. Marchin’ With The Saints
5. Mama’s Gone, Goodbye
6. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider
7. Farewell Blues
8. Blues At Midnight
9. Buddy’s Habits
10. Japanese Sandman
11. Mississippi Mud
12. Delta Roll
13. Dixie
14. Avalon
15. Davenport Blues
16. Tea For Two
17. Washboard Blues
18. Eccentric
19. Battle Hymn Of The Republic
20. Lullaby In Ragtime
21. Indiana
22. The Five Pennies
23. Margie
24. What Is There To Say?
25. Moonlight Bay