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Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions


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Guys, I'm still trying to make my mind up on how I'm going to take advantage of this Mosaic/True Blue sale! The problem isn't what to get from True Blue, I've worked that out pretty well. The problem is the Mosaic sets. For some reason, this one keeps popping up in my mind. Anyone out there got it? Like it? Hate it? Good but not essential? (I always hated that, "not essential"...jeez!) Any comments would be appreciated!

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I've had this since about five or six months after its release.

I love it. It has so many fantastic sessions many to most of which we aren't going to see get separate release for a LOOOOOOONNNNNNGG time. The sound is great. It's exensive, BUT it would mean a nice discount on other items from True Blue. I recommend it.

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Guest mary mcgoon

Actually one of my favorite Mosaics, and the kind of set I wish they would do more often.

There's a lot of great music from people who are often undeservedly overlooked- Mel Powell, Carl Kress, Rex Stewart, Red Norvo, Stan Hasselgard (Benny Goodman's clarinet protogee), and Bud Freeman, in addition to the Benny Carter and Cootie Williams big bands, and various trad sessions featuring Nappy Lamare & Eddie Miller among others.

What I really like is the variety- the set runs from dixieland to bop, and includes a lot of stuff (Kress, Norvo and Powell especially), that falls into that ?? category- it's jazz but it's jazz of a somewhat uncategorizable and highly individualistic type. A lot of what's on here has made itself a little home in my brain, which is the only definition of "essential" I recognize.

And of course, like Lon said, most of this music is probably not going to be easily available again once the set's gone. So it's worth it....

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One of my absolutely favorite Mosaics. A treasure trove of music that would never have and may never will see the light of day. There's so much great material and so many different styles on this set that I find it very easy to listen to the whole set straight through. Can't say much more that what the others posters have added. I would not be without this set - it's fabulous.

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If I had to pick one set to keep and sell the others- it would be the Classic Capitol Jazz set.....(and the Nat King Cole set). I like the fact that I'm exposed to lots of artists I've never heard of- so I can go off in different tangents and find other works by those artists. There's so much variety in this set- I never tire of listening to it.

I enjoy the multiple artists sets- the HRS set being another one!

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One of the top ten Mosaic sets based on the quality and selection of music. Its a time capsule of great music that will probably not be available anwhere anytime soon, if at all. Its an expensive proposition, but one that will be worth it as you get deeper and deeper into the set! :tup:tup

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My own tastes in jazz range from New Orleans to Coltrane, I found it a fascinating set, well worth the expense. I also have the HRS set, but for sheer variety I would recommend the Capitol set.

But someone with less eclectic tastes in jazz, or a strong bias towards modern jazz, might be disappointed.

My own favorites:

Cootie Williams

Jack Teagarden

Joe Sullivan

But there is lots more!

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Ahhhhhh... consensus. An awesome set, one of the very best. Capitol Records is also a fascinating story in and of itself, if ya' listen to hillbilly music at all, you can run in parallel worlds with various Bear Family single artist sets. (I am not aware of a top notch Capitol '40s & '50s country anthology. Anyone?)

We need look no further than "Cow Cow Boogie!" The whole Ella Mae Morse saga is an interesting study in and of itself.

Clem, I have a friend who does a great 40s-60s radio show called "Rhythm Ranch," devoted to country, r & b, and pop from that period. (He writes for AMG, too, and did the review of the Bear Family Morse set.) If anybody knows of a good Capitol set, it would be him. I'll drop him a line and report back.

Cow Cow Boogie is fun, eh?

Also a country-ish early Capitol artist is the singer Tenessee Ernie Ford

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As the pr types are wont to say, just the kind resuscitation project that has made Mosaic its rep. The music is terrific and the collection can not be pieced together by what is available today. The HRS sides are still better in my view, but I would strongly recommend this set.

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Another strong recommendation from me. I wondered when someone would get around to mentioning this set. There's so much good stuff on this (the Williams, Carter, Stewart, & Teagarden alone make it primo IMHO) that the only negative element is the sheer expense. The current True Blue/Mosaic promotion would seem to mitigate that somewhat. I say go for it!!!! :tup

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...and there are nice stray sets of Anita O'Day and Kay Starr...

Whoa! If the other comments hadn't already pushed me over the edge, this one would have given me a swift boot!

Thanks guys; I think it's a go. Brad, the variety of this set is what attracts me; I want to be overwhelmed! Just to get me back in your good graces, I'll let you know that part of my "taking advantage of Mosaic" will be finally getting that Savoy/Dial Bird set! Man, this is going to be good...and I'll be so broke, I'll have plenty of time to listen! :g

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Mark,

Not to take anything way from the Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions, but you're in for a real treat with the Bird set, especially the Red Norvo sessions. They're a real classic and important in the history of the music. There is so much good music on that set, it's hard to know where to begin.

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I hear you, Brad. I'm kind of embarrassed that I'm just getting around to it now. The only Bird I have is a handful of live discs (including The Quintet and Bird 'n' Diz, of course!) and one disc on the Music Club label of Dial stuff. Its an oversight that should have been corrected ages ago. I can't wait!

The only drawback I can see with these two sets (if you can even call it a drawback!) is that it's all going to be "careful listening" stuff, if you know what I mean. I may not finish the first listen to both sets for months. Then again, as much as they're busting the budget, that had better be the case!

Edited by Jazzmoose
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Late in the game, so I'll keep it simple - this is a do not miss boxed set. Great music, variety, excellent sound quality, definitive booklet, and composed mostly of stuff that was truly rescued from obscurity (at least as far as U.S. reissue is concerned). Pricey, but worth it, particularly with the current True Blue/Mosaic deal.

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Ahhhhhh... consensus. An awesome set, one of the very best. Capitol Records is also a fascinating story in and of itself, if ya' listen to hillbilly music at all, you can run in parallel worlds with various Bear Family single artist sets. (I am not aware of a top notch Capitol '40s & '50s country anthology. Anyone?)

We need look no further than "Cow Cow Boogie!" The whole Ella Mae Morse saga is an interesting study in and of itself.

Clem, I have a friend who does a great 40s-60s radio show called "Rhythm Ranch," devoted to country, r & b, and pop from that period. (He writes for AMG, too, and did the review of the Bear Family Morse set.) If anybody knows of a good Capitol set, it would be him. I'll drop him a line and report back.

I'm not a fanatic country collector or any kind of expert in that genre, but I have a Charly LP, Boogie Woogie Fever (Charly 30215), with Capitol recordings from the likes of Tennessee Ernie Ford (early stuff - not his pop TV-type material), Gene O'Quinn, Ramblin' Jimmy Dolan, The Milo Twins, Jess Willard, Merle Travis, etc., which is a good listen if you like country boogie. I don't know if all of it was originally recorded by Capitol, or if some was purchased by them from other labels.

I also have a CD, Hillbilly Music - Thank God! (Capitol CDP 7 91346 2), issued in 1989, which is a compilation of Capitol artists (Gene O'Quinn, The Farmer Boys, The Louvin Brothers, Hank Thompson, Rose Maddox, Merle Travis, Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West, Skeets McDonald, etc.). I don't know if it's still in print.

Gene O'Quinn and the Farmer Boys, who recorded country music with a beat, for want of a better description, both have single Cd's issued by Bear Family, and both are truly fine, if you like this kind of thing.

Edited by paul secor
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Ghost of Miles wrote:

The Capitol sides are a treasure! I think Ocium swiped them for their Powell CD, though.

Definitive/Jazz Factory also released those Mel Powell Capitol sides (along with the Joe Sullivan sides) on their 'Two Cats and a Mouse' CD (the 'mouse being Mary-Lou Williams!)

moments after the Mosaic Capitol set became available.

The material that Mel Powell recorded for Vanguard is essential (the trio sides with

Ruby Braff and Paul Quinichette are awesome) and has yet to be reissued properly.

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Ruby Braff and Paul Quinichette are awesome) and has yet to be reissued properly.

I don't know if this is "proper" but the complete Borderline.. the Quinichette date, is on the Mel Powell " It's been So Long".. in the recent Vanguard reissues.

The Braff set " Thingamagig " was included in the other Powell " The Best Things in Life " but is missing one track Don-Que-Dee which is mainly a Caravanish type drum solo by Bobby Donaldson with very little Braff or Powell.

Both albums were released complete on a FNAC french Vanguard CD in 1993 ( as were most of the other Vanguards at that time)

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The material that Mel Powell recorded for Vanguard is essential (the trio sides with

Ruby Braff and Paul Quinichette are awesome) and has yet to be reissued properly.

Agreed. I have the two CDs that came out several years ago, but didn't he do four or five albums for Vanguard? I know that the CDs were a distillation of his work for the label.

Powell's Vanguard dates resdulted in 5 albums

Septet

Borderline

Thingamagig

Bandstand

Out on a Limb ( trio / quintet and septet recordings)

The complete recordings are spread over the two CDs mentioned above.

There are only 5 tracks missing

Don-Que-Dee the drum solo from Thingamagig

Soon and My Last Millionaire from Bandstand.. these both feature vocalist Joan Wylie

When Your Lover has Gone ( septet), You're Lucky to Me ( trio) from Out on a Limb.

So if you are into Powell from this period, the two CDs give you just about everything.

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Ghost, Clem, Paul... if you like "Hillbilly Boogie" Proper has a 4 cd set called..."Hillbilly Boogie" strangely enough! Just a few Capitol tracks, but a kick, for $20 bucks. Just listening to disc 4 now...wouldn't want to listen to 4 cds in a row with songs with boogie in the title, but well worth checking out a disc a day, IMO. For a rapturous review, check out AMG!>AMG<

Hey Ghost, you didn't get Ella Mae without tellin' me what you thunk of it, did ya??? :angry:;)

Edited by BERIGAN
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