Strictly Lunceford

2007 four CD box set from Proper. The Jimmie Lunceford band was one of the outstanding black big bands of the '30s and '40s. The relative lack of latter-day attention might be attributable to Lunceford's tragically early death in 1947 at the age of 45. But this alone cannot be the cause of Lunceford's apparent dismissal from the collective memory of the Jazz world. In this respect the Lunceford band might have been a victim of it's versatility, the band functioned as a show band, a dance band and a Jazz band, serving a musical menu of novelty tunes, sentimental ballads, music for dancing and spectacular "Flag wavers". Proper.