Pianist, composer and bandleader Jay "Hootie" McShann was an influencial figure throughout the 1940s, the years that saw the end of the big band era and the emergence of smaller ensembles that would change the direction of jazz on the one hand and see the development of rhythm 'n' blues music on the other. The 50 tracks on this double CD trace those changes, beginning with recordings from 1940 and 1941 that feature a young Charlie Parker exercising his chops in the McShann band, on to 1951 via evolving variations of McShann-led combos, each featuring excellent vocalists who bridged the jazz and R&B markets, among them Walter Brown, Al Hibbler, Julia Lee, Crown Prince Waterford and Jimmy Witherspoon. The accompanying 16 page booklet follows McShann's career and includes a discography of the recordings.

CD 1:
[1] MOTEN SWING (Moten) 1940
[2] HONEYSUCKLE ROSE (Waller, Razaf) 1940
[3] SWINGMATISM (Scott, McShann) 1941
[4] HOOTIE BLUES (Parker, McShann, Brown) 1941
[5] DEXTER BLUES (McShann, Scott) 1941
[6] VINE STREET BOOGIE (McShann) 1941
[7] CONFESSIN' THE BLUES (Brown, McShann) 1941
[8] HOLD 'EM HOOTIE (McShann) 1941
[9] ONE WOMAN'S MAN (McShann, Tums, Brown) 1941
[10] 'FORE DAY RIDER (Brown, McShann) 1941
[11] SO YOU WON'T JUMP (Ramey, McShann) 1941
[12] NEW CONFESSIN' THE BLUES (Brown, McShann) 1941
[13] RED RIVER BLUES (Nelson) 1941
[14] BABY HEART BLUES (Brown, McShann) 1941
[15] CRYIN' WONT MAKE ME STAY (Williams) 1941
[16] HOOTIE'S IGNORANT OIL (McShann, Anderson) 1941
[17] CHEROKEE (Noble) 1942
[18] LONELY BOY BLUES (Brown, McShann) 1942
[19] GET ME ON YOUR MIND (Johnson, Tums) 1942
[20] THE JUMPIN' BLUES (McShann) 1942
[21] SEPIAN BOUNCE (Hall, McShann) 1942
[22] WRONG NEIGHBOURHOOD (McShann, Merrill, Hall) 1943
[23] HOME TOWN BLUES (Brown, McShann) p 1943
[24] COME ON OVER TO MY HOUSE (Lee) 1944
[25] WALKING BLUES (Davis) 1945

CD 2:
[1] HARD WORKING MAN BLUES (McShann, Witherspoon) 1945
[2] WHEN I'VE BEEN DRINKING (Broonzy) 1945
[3] MERRY-GO-ROUND BLUES (McShann, Waterford) 1945
[4] BAD TALE BOOGIE (McShann) 1945
[5] McSHANN'S BOOGIE BLUES (McShann) 1945
[6] GARFIELD AVENUE BOOGIE (McShann, Waterford) 1945
[7] SHIPYARD WOMAN BLUES (Witherspoon) 1945
[8] CROWN PRINCE BLUES (Waterford) 1945
[9] ERNESTINE (McShann, Witherspoon) 1946
[10] ROLL ON KATY (Baxter) 1946
[11] VOODOO WOMAN (Demetrius, Moore) 1946
[12] I WANT A LITTLE GIRL (Stevenson) 1946
[13] HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN? (McShann, Witherspoon) 1946
[14] GONE WITH THE BLUES (Turner, Johnson) 1946
[15] BAR FLY BLUES (Tennyson) 1947
[16] PLEASE STOP PLAYING THESE BLUES, BOY (Demetrius, Moore) 1947
[17] ALL MY GEETS ARE GONE (Davis) 1947
[18] MONEY'S GETTING CHEAPER (McShann, Witherspoon) 1947
[19] AIN'T NOBODY'S BUSINESS PT 1 & 2 (Witherspoon) 1947
[20] HOT BISCUITS (McShann) 1948
[21] GERONIMO (McShann) 1949
[22] YOU DIDN'T TELL ME (McShann) 1951
[23] GOT YOU BEGGING (McShann) 1952
[24] THE DUKE AND THE BRUTE (Webster, McShann) 1952
[25] REACH (McShann) 1951

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