General Information: In all of the discographies, personnel exceptions are listed only as actual appearances and never as omissions. So, for example, if John Doe performs on trumpet on all of eight tracks of a session except for flugelhorn on the fifth track (track e), the assignments will read: John Doe (t) on (a-d), f-h; (fh) on e. If he performs on trumpet on all tracks and additionally flugelhorn on the fifth track, the assignments will read: John Doe (fh) on e.
Personnel (including subject artists) participating only as arranger on a session will be found in the discographies. Arrangers are not listed with the rest of the personnel but rather, in the song title line, after composers.
Session takes are assumed to be masters unless otherwise denoted:
tk or tk. = take (Used when more than one version of a song is recorded at a session.)
alt = alternate
inc = incomplete
reh = rehearsal
bd = breakdown
Solo Information: Solos are listed by track between issues and session notes. The soloists are listed in order of appearance and solo duration is indicated by number of bars and/or choruses. In some cases, the beginning of a solo is indicated by the timing within the track, by minutes and seconds, eg. 5:42. It should be noted that solo information is not provided for every session, for example, for those recordings that have not been auditioned.
Issues are listed first by format and then by release date. Within a format, issues with unknown release dates are shown AFTER the most recent of the dated ones. The format order is as follows:
78
Electrical Transcription
45
EP
LP 10 inch
LP 12 inch
Tape – reel
Tape – cassette
Videotape
CD
DVD
Digital Download
Digital downloads are a new format and conventions for listing them in discographies have yet to be established. One problem with them that should be noted is the lack of catalog numbers. For the time being, I am not including digital downloads that are identical to existing issues with regards to label, title and content. My main source for issues in this format is the iTunes Store. Note as of October 2017: I am no longer including digital downloads because of their ephemeral nature, probably a result of licensing restrictions.
Country Abbreviations (record label):
Arg. = Argentina
Aus. = Australia
Belg. = Belgium
Bra. = Brazil
Can. = Canada
Croat. = Croatia
Dan. = Denmark
Du. = The Netherlands, Holland
Eng. = Britain, United Kingdom
Eu. = European
Fi. or Fin. = Finland
Fr. = France
Ger. = Germany
Gr. = Greece
Hung. = Hungary
It. = Italy
Jpn. = Japan
Mex. = Mexico
Nor. = Norway
Pol. = Poland
Port. = Portugal
Ru. or Russ. = Russia
S. Afr. = South Africa
S. Kor. = South Korea
Sp. = Spain
Swd. = Sweden
Swi. = Switzerland
Yug. = Yugoslavia
Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Venezuela not abbreviated
Instrument List By Alphabetic Order
| acp | Accompanied |
| acc | Accordion |
| acg | Acoustic Guitar |
| acl | Alto Clarinet |
| af | Alto Flute |
| ah | Alto Horn |
| as | Alto Sax |
| arr | Arranger |
| ban | Bandoneon |
| bj | Banjo |
| bh | Baritone Horn |
| bar | Baritone Sax |
| b | Bass (upright double bass) |
| bcl | Bass Clarinet |
| bd | Bass Drum |
| bf | Bass Flute |
| bg | Bass Guitar |
| bsx | Bass Sax |
| btb | Bass Trombone |
| btp | Bass trumpet |
| bsn | Bassoon |
| bel | Bells/Glockenspiel |
| bo | Bongos |
| bou | Bouzouki |
| br | Brass |
| cel | Celeste |
| chm | Chimes |
| chr | Choir |
| Cm | C-Melody Sax |
| cl | Clarinet |
| clv | Clavinet |
| con | Conductor |
| cng | Congas |
| cbc | Contrabass Clarinet |
| cbn | Contrabassoon |
| c | Cornet |
| cwb | Cowbell |
| dir | Director |
| d | Drums (set) |
| eb | Electric Bass |
| elp | Electric Piano |
| enh | English horn |
| eu | Euphonium |
| fh | Flugelhorn |
| flp | Flumpet (flugelhorn-trumpet hybrid) |
| f | Flute |
| frh | French Horn |
| glk | Glockenspiel |
| g | Guitar (electric or amplified) |
| hag | Hag’houge |
| h | Harmonica |
| har | Harmonium |
| hrp | Harp |
| hps | Harpsichord |
| kal | Kalimba |
| kar | Karkaba |
| k | Kazoo |
| key | Keyboards |
| kor | Kora |
| ldr | Leader |
| md | Mandolin |
| mnz | Manzello |
| mar | Marimba |
| mel | Mellophone |
| mph | Mellophonium |
| mca | Melodica |
| o | Oboe |
| oc | Ocarina |
| or | Organ (Hammond type) |
| oth | Other |
| oud | Oud |
| per | Percussion |
| p | Piano |
| pic | Piccolo |
| pt | Piccolo Trumpet |
| pip | Pipa |
| reb | Rebab |
| rec | Recorder |
| r | Reeds |
| sax | Sax |
| shl | Shells (Seashells) |
| sit | Sitar |
| sw | Slide Whistle |
| sd | Snare Drum |
| sns | Sopranino Sax |
| ss | Soprano Sax |
| spk | Speaking |
| slg | Slide Guitar |
| stg | Steel Guitar |
| sp | Steel Pan |
| str | Strings |
| swa | Swarmandal (Suramandal) |
| syn | Synclavier |
| snt | Synthesizer |
| tam | Tamborine |
| tan | Tanpura (Tambura) |
| tap | Tap Dancer |
| th | Tenor Horn |
| ts | Tenor Sax |
| tim | Timbales |
| tmp | Timpani |
| tw | Tin Whistle |
| tri | Triangle |
| tb | Trombone |
| t | Trumpet |
| tu | Tuba |
| u | Ukulele |
| unk | Unknown |
| vtb | Valve Trombone |
| var | Various Instruments |
| vib | Vibraphone |
| vl | Viola |
| vn | Violin |
| vc | Violoncello |
| v | Vocalist |
| bkv | Vocals |
| wb | Washboard |
| w | Whistling |
| ww | Woodwinds |
| xal | Xalam |
| x | Xylophone |
Instrument List By Sort Order
| ldr | Leader |
| br | Brass |
| t | Trumpet |
| pt | Piccolo Trumpet |
| flp | Flumpet (flugelhorn-trumpet hybrid) |
| fh | Flugelhorn |
| c | Cornet |
| btp | Bass trumpet |
| tb | Trombone |
| vtb | Valve Trombone |
| btb | Bass Trombone |
| mph | Mellophonium |
| mel | Mellophone |
| frh | French Horn |
| tu | Tuba |
| ah | Alto Horn |
| th | Tenor Horn |
| bh | Baritone Horn |
| eu | Euphonium |
| mca | Melodica |
| h | Harmonica |
| r | Reeds |
| ww | Woodwinds |
| sax | Sax |
| sns | Sopranino Sax |
| ss | Soprano Sax |
| as | Alto Sax |
| mnz | Manzello |
| ts | Tenor Sax |
| bar | Baritone Sax |
| bsx | Bass Sax |
| Cm | C-Melody Sax |
| cl | Clarinet |
| acl | Alto Clarinet |
| bcl | Bass Clarinet |
| cbc | Contrabass Clarinet |
| pic | Piccolo |
| f | Flute |
| af | Alto Flute |
| bf | Bass flute |
| rec | Recorder |
| o | Oboe |
| enh | English horn |
| bsn | Bassoon |
| cbn | Contrabassoon |
| shl | Shells (Seashells) |
| str | Strings |
| vn | Violin |
| vl | Viola |
| vc | Violoncello |
| hrp | Harp |
| kor | Kora |
| vib | Vibraphone |
| mar | Marimba |
| x | Xylophone |
| chm | Chimes |
| sp | Steel Pan |
| g | Guitar (electric or amplified) |
| bg | Bass Guitar |
| sit | Sitar |
| tan | Tanpura (Tambura) |
| swa | Swarmandal (Suramandal) |
| oud | Oud |
| xal | Xalam |
| pip | Pipa |
| hag | Hag’houge |
| acg | Acoustic Guitar |
| stg | Steel Guitar |
| slg | Slide Guitar |
| bj | Banjo |
| md | Mandolin |
| bou | Bouzouki |
| u | Ukelele |
| reb | Rebab |
| kal | Kalimba |
| key | Keyboards |
| p | Piano |
| elp | Electric Piano |
| clv | Clavinet |
| cel | Celeste |
| hps | Harpsichord |
| snt | Synthesizer |
| or | Organ (Hammond type) |
| acc | Accordion |
| ban | Bandoneon |
| b | Bass (upright double bass) |
| eb | Electric Bass |
| d | Drums (set) |
| per | Percussion |
| bo | Bongos |
| cng | Congas |
| tim | Timbales |
| tmp | Timpani |
| tri | Triangle |
| tam | Tamborine |
| cwb | Cowbell |
| kar | Karkaba |
| sd | Snare Drum |
| bd | Bass Drum |
| bel | Bells/Glockenspiel |
| glk | Glockenspiel |
| tap | Tap Dancer |
| acp | Accompanied |
| k | Kazoo |
| syn | Synclavier |
| oc | Ocarina |
| har | Harmonium |
| sw | Slide Whistle |
| tw | Tin Whistle |
| w | Whistling |
| wb | Washboard |
| spk | Speaking |
| chr | Choir |
| bkv | Vocals |
| oth | Other |
| dir | Director |
| con | Conductor |
| arr | Arranger |
| v | Vocalist |
| unk | Unknown |
| var | Various Instruments |
Updated March 9, 2022