Muggshot

Muggsy Spanier’s cornet cuts through the ensemble with the clarity of early New Orleans jazz, captured here on ASV—a label devoted to reissuing jazz history with meticulous care. Recorded in the swing era when Spanier’s melodic sensibility could still anchor a full band, these sides showcase the cornetist’s lyrical approach to blues-inflected ensemble playing, a counterpoint to the more aggressive brass styles of his contemporaries.