ETHEL WATERS – 1931-1934 | The Classics Chronological Series – 735 (1993) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Ethel Waters was one of the very few Black performers who was able to keep working in music during the early years of the Depression; in fact her fame grew during the period covered by this excellent CD from Classics' Complete series. Among her backup musicians on these consistently excellent sides are violinist Joe Venuti, the Dorsey Brothers, trumpeter Bunny Berigan, trombonist Jack Teagarden, clarinetist Benny Goodman members of the Chick Webb big band and the entire Duke Ellington orchestra (the latter on "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" and "Porgy"). Highpoints include the Ellington tracks, "St. Louis Blues" (with The Cecil Mack Choir), the original version of "Stormy Weather," "A Hundred Years from Today" and a remake of "Dinah." Highly recommended as are all of the Ethel Waters Classics discs. Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1  River, Stay 'Way from My Door 3:00 
Mort Dixon / Harry Woods
2  Shine on Harvest Moon 2:58 
Nora Bayes / Jack Norworth
3  I Can't Give You Anything But Love 3:03 
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
4  Porgy 3:09 
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
5  St. Louis Blues 3:24
W.C. Handy
6  Stormy Weather 3:09 
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
7  Love Is the Thing 3:15
Ned Washington / Victor Young
8  Don't Blame Me 3:13 
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh / David Raksin / F. Wess
9  Shadows on the Swanee 2:59 
Johnny Burke / Harold Spina / Joe Young
10  Heat Wave 2:58 
Irving Berlin
11  Harlem on My Mind 3:26 
Irving Berlin
12  I Just Couldn't Take It, Baby 2:54 
Mann Holiner / Alberta Nichols
13  A Hundred Years from Today 2:45 
Ned Washington / Joseph Young / Victor Young
14  Come up and See Me Sometime 3:08 
Louis Alter
15  You've Seen Harlem at Its Best 2:56 
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
16  Miss Otis Regrets 3:02 
Cole Porter
17  Dinah 2:43 
Harry Akst / Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young
18  When It's Sleepy Time Down South 2:43 
Clarence Muse / Otis Rene / Leon René
19  Moonglow 3:19 
Eddie DeLange / Will Hudson / Irving Mills
20  Give Me a Heart to Sing To 3:18 
Ned Washington / Joe Young
21  I Ain't Gonna Sin No More 3:06
Herbert Magidson
22  Trade Mark 3:01 
Sidney Easton
23  You're Going to Leave the Old Home, Jim 3:03
Traditional
Credits :
Larry Binyon – Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)
Jimmy Dorsey – Clarinet, Sax (Alto)
Tommy Dorsey – Drums, Guitar, Piano, Trombone, Violin
 Duke Ellington – Director, Piano
Benny Goodman – Clarinet, Piano, Sax (Tenor), Viola, Violin
Harry Hoffman, Lou Kosloff, Walter Edelstein – Violin
Art Karle – Sax (Tenor)
Stan King, Gene Krupa, Chauncey Morehouse – Drums
John Kirby, Artie Bernstein – Bass
Manny Klein – Clarinet, Trombone, Trumpet
Dick McDonough, John Trueheart – Guitar
Edgar Sampson – Sax (Alto), Violin
Joe Steele, Joe Sullivan, Joe Meresco, Fulton McGrath – Piano
Jack Teagarden, Sandy Williams, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Lawrence Brown – Trombone
Joe Venuti – Guitar, Piano, Violin
Ethel Waters – Vocals
Arthur Whetsol, Cootie Williams, Shirley Clay, Freddie Jenkins, Taft Jordan, Charlie Teagarden, Bunny Berigan, Sterling Bose – Trumpet
Elmer "Skippy" Williams – Sax (Tenor)