GRP-Decca Jazz Reissue series

[gmonahan]

I've been trying to compile a fairly complete list of the 600s in this series, which first appeared 'round about 1991. Below is what I've come up with, but there are a couple of gaps. Can anyone out there help to fill them in, especially for catalog numbers 624, 632, and 634? Comments on the series?

GRP GRD-601 Billie Holiday, Complete Decca Recordings

GRP GRD-602 Louis Armstrong, Rhythm Saved the World

GRP GRD-603 Bing Crosby, Bing Crosby and Some Jazz Friends

GRP GRD-604 James P. Johnson, Snowy Morning Blues

GRP GRD-605 Roy Eldridge, After You’ve Gone

GRP GRD-606 Woody Herman, Blues on Parade

GRP GRD-607 Art Tatum, Classic Early Solos 1934-37

GRP GRD-608 Jimmy Lunceford, Stomp It Off

GRP GRD-609 Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden, BG and Bit T in NYC

GRP GRD-610 Carmen McRae, Here to Stay

GRP GRD-3-611 Count Basie, Complete Decca Recordings

GRP GRD-612 Charlie Barnet, Drop Me Off in Harlem

GRP GRD-4-613 Louis Armstrong, The California Concerts

GRP GRD-614 Jay McShann, Blues from Kansas City

GRP GRD-615 Bob Crosby, South Rampart Street Parade

GRP GRD-616 King Oliver, Sugar Foot Stomp

GRP GRD-617 Mel Torme, In Hollywood

GRP GRD-2-618 Ella Fitzgerald, The Early Years, Part I with Chick Webb

GRP-GRD-2-619 Ella Fitzgerald, 75th Birthday Celebration

GRP GRD-620 Louis Armstrong, Vol. 2: Heart Full of Rhythm

GRP GRD-621 Joe Turner, Every Day in the Week

GRP GRD-622 Andy Kirk, Mary’s Idea

GRP GRD-2-623 Ella Fitzgerald, Early Years, Part II: 1939-41

GRP GRD-624 ??

GRP GRD-625 Lionel Hampton, Midnight Sun (1947-47)

GRP GRD-626 Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Contrasts

GRP GRD-627 Coleman Hawkins, Body and Soul Revisited

GRP GRD-2-628 Ella Fitzgerald, The War Years

GRP GRD-2-629 Anthology of Big Band Swing 1930-1955

GRP GRD-630 Art Tatum, I Got Rhythm, Vol. 3: 1935-1944

GRP GRD-631 Carmen McRae, Sings Great American Songwriters

GRP GRD-632 ??

GRP GRD-633 Jimmie Noone, Apex Blues

GRP GRD-634 ??

GRP GRD-635 Chick Webb, Spinnin’ the Webb

GRP GRD-636 Ella Fitzgerald, Pure Ella

GRP GRD-637 Eddie Condon, Dixieland All Stars

GRP GRD-2-638 Louis Armstrong, Highlights from His Decca Years

GRP GRD-639 A Piano Anthology From Jelly Roll Morton to Bill Evans

GRP-GRD-3-640 Duke Ellington, The Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick/Vocalion Recordings

GRP GRD-641 Black Legends of Jazz

GRP-GRD-642 The Legendary Big Band Singers

GRP GRD-643 Fletcher Henderson, Tidal Wave

GRP GRD-644 Mildred Bailey, Rockin Chair Lady 1931-50

GRP GRD-645 Jimmie Lunceford, For Dancers Only

GRP GRD-646 52nd Street Swing: New York in the 30s

GRP GRD-2-647 Carmen McRae, I’ll Be Seeing You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae

GRP GRD-4-648 Ella Fitzgerald, The Legendary Decca Recordings

GRP GRD-649 Louis Armstrong, Vol. 3: Pocketful of Dreams

GRP GRD-650 ??

GRP GRD-651 Hal McCusick, Now’s the Time

GRP GRD-2-652 Lionel Hampton, Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings

GRP GRD-653 Billie Holiday, Greatest Hits

GRP GRD-4-654 Ella Fitzgerald, The Early Years, Parts I and II

GRP GRD-655 Count Basie, The Best of Early Basie

GRP GRD-656 Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World

GRP GRD-657 ??

GRP GRD-2-658 Pete Fountain, Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

GRP GRD-659 Ella Fitzgerald, The Best of Ella Fitzgerald

GRP GRD-660 Duke Ellington, The Best of Duke Ellington

GRP GRD-661 Louis Armstrong, Satchmo at Symphony Hall

GRP GRD-662 Nat King Cole, Hit That Jive, Jack

GRP GRD-663 Ella Fitzgerald, Ella and Friends

GRP GRD-664 ??

GRP GRD-665 Pete Fountain, The Best of Pete Fountain

[SwingItTrev]

Just found this thread. Some excellent releases here. I recommend GRP GRD-2-629 Anthology of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 to just about anyone interested in Big Band.

[Bill Nelson]

Yes, Decca's Legendary Masters of Jazz series of 59 titles (listed above) was released thru GRP from 1992-95 and was a quality CD reissue endeavor.

The one most Organissimo's have in hand is Hal McKusick's 'Now's the Time' (GRD-851, issued 1995).

On this and the three others I've got (Lunceford, McShann, McRae), Orrin Keepnews was the project coordinator and producer (probably for the entire series).

Each CD booklet is thoroughly researched with historical perspective and discography with details of each track.

The CD era of the early 90's was one of boundless destiny and most major labels green-lighted reissue projects from their holdings but few were this good.

With the exception of McKusick, each of the 58 other titles was perhaps given a run of 2,500 copies.

If 5,000, then I would've seen 'em appear in cut-out bins (Music For A Song) and discount merch catalogs (Daedalus).

Maybe they were and I didn't get busy when they got dumped. Wish I had more but am happy with what I got.

[colinmce]

A great many of these are available on Amazon for quite cheap. Only a few command collector prices. I try to pick them up here and there. Same story with all the great RCA-Bluebird CDs of the 80s-90s.

[J.A.W.]

A great many of these are available on Amazon for quite cheap. Only a few command collector prices. I try to pick them up here and there. Same story with all the great RCA-Bluebird CDs of the 80s-90s.

Many of those RCA/Bluebirds and the GRP Decca series suffer from noise reduction. Some people don't mind, but those CDs sound too suffocated to my taste.

Edited January 1, 2014 by J.A.W.

[colinmce]

You're right. I don't mind personally, but I get it.

[SwingItTrev]

Also agreed. But from the ones I have, the source material is usually good and I feel like their noise reduction choices are within the realm of reasonable.

[Bill Nelson]

And in the realm of physical media in this world as we know it -- "That's all folks!"

For the bulk of these Decca GRP Jazz masters, they ain't happening again.

[AllenLowe]

many are quite good but, as JAW pointed out there are sonic problems; mainly through the use of no-noise, which will often respond to sudden transients with a horrible crackilng sound, ususally on brass (this is true on a bunch of them; IIRC it's all over the Bob Crosby, sporadic on the Armstrongs, bad on the Chick Webb); shameful and completely unnecessary, the result of engineers who set the program at a constant level of noise reduction, walk away, and are too lazy to re-do passages with problems.

[gmonahan]

That was sadly the case with many cd reissues from the early 90s. I think engineers were so enamored of the "silence" of cds that they sometimes neglected to realize that a little noise could hide a lot of music. That got corrected later, but by then, some of the big labels had already "done" their work and were not interested in going back and doing it again. Mosaic did (look what they've done with the cd remasters from the GRP Decca Jazz Chick Webb, for example), as did Jasmine and a few small labels, but, well, so it goes. Look at it this way--the GRPs were FAR superior to the old re-processed stereo disasters of the ancient Decca Jazz Heritage Series on LP!

gregmo

[SwingItTrev]

Look at it this way--the GRPs were FAR superior to the old re-processed stereo disasters of the ancient Decca Jazz Heritage Series on LP!

Haha, file those under "Seemed like a good idea at the time"?

[Big Beat Steve]

Look at it this way--the GRPs were FAR superior to the old re-processed stereo disasters of the ancient Decca Jazz Heritage Series on LP!

Haha, file those under "Seemed like a good idea at the time"?

Ha - over here quite a few of the vols. from that Jazz Heritage Series (with exactly the same tracks in the same order) were reissued on German Brunswick in their "The Golden Swing Years" series in the mid-60s, strictly in mono and with no tampering.

On the other hand those Decca Jazz Heritage LPs were very nicely compiled for their time and for some LPs from that Decca Jazz Heritage Series there just was no subsitute (that was compiled as well) in any other reissue series for a VERY long time - e.g. the Jan Savitt LP (DL 79243) (and as Trev no doubt will confirm this one has some great lindy hoppers' delights on it ... )

Edited January 2, 2014 by Big Beat Steve

[gmonahan]

Look at it this way--the GRPs were FAR superior to the old re-processed stereo disasters of the ancient Decca Jazz Heritage Series on LP!

Haha, file those under "Seemed like a good idea at the time"?

Ha - over here quite a few of the vols. from that Jazz Heritage Series (with exactly the same tracks in the same order) were reissued on German Brunswick in their "The Golden Swing Years" series in the mid-60s, strictly in mono and with no tampering.

On the other hand those Decca Jazz Heritage LPs were very nicely compiled for their time and for some LPs from that Decca Jazz Heritage Series there just was no subsitute (that was compiled as well) in any other reissue series for a VERY long time - e.g. the Jan Savitt LP (DL 79243) (and as Trev no doubt will confirm this one has some great lindy hoppers' delights on it ... )

You're dead on about the Jan Savitt LP. It remains the only one in that series I still dig out on rare occasions, but the material from the others has mostly been reissued in far better sound on cd, thank goodness (well, maybe not the Woody Herman "Turning Point" volume??). That said, Milt Gabler did do a fine job on the compilations, and the liners were generally pretty good too. But the sound. Oh my.

gregmo

[Bill Nelson]

many are quite good but, as JAW pointed out there are sonic problems; mainly through the use of no-noise, which will often respond to sudden transients with a horrible crackilng sound, ususally on brass (this is true on a bunch of them; IIRC it's all over the Bob Crosby, sporadic on the Armstrongs, bad on the Chick Webb); shameful and completely unnecessary, the result of engineers who set the program at a constant level of noise reduction, walk away, and are too lazy to re-do passages with problems.

Jimmy Lunceford: re-assessing the Decca Jazz GRP vs. the Decca Jazz Heritage series 'enhanced stereo' vinyl (1969):

Since writing #8 above, I've A/B'd the Jimmy Lunceford tracks on both and consistently arrived at a surprising conclusion:

If you can handle the slight reverb of its 'enhanced stereo', the Jazz Heritage vinyl provides more clarity, open air, and detail.

The computerized NoNoise of the Decca GRP CD not only dampens the total sound but also muffles the instrumental solos and vocals.

The result of this processing and re-equalizing depletes the ambient air so the Lunceford band sounds like it's in a closet full of clothing.

While the seven bonus tracks on the CD are nice, the overall playback does not reward close listening.

[gmonahan]

many are quite good but, as JAW pointed out there are sonic problems; mainly through the use of no-noise, which will often respond to sudden transients with a horrible crackilng sound, ususally on brass (this is true on a bunch of them; IIRC it's all over the Bob Crosby, sporadic on the Armstrongs, bad on the Chick Webb); shameful and completely unnecessary, the result of engineers who set the program at a constant level of noise reduction, walk away, and are too lazy to re-do passages with problems.

Jimmy Lunceford: re-assessing the Decca Jazz GRP vs. the Decca Jazz Heritage series 'enhanced stereo' vinyl (1969):

Since writing #8 above, I've A/B'd the Jimmy Lunceford tracks on both and consistently arrived at a surprising conclusion:

If you can handle the slight reverb of its 'enhanced stereo', the Jazz Heritage vinyl provides more clarity, open air, and detail.

The computerized NoNoise of the Decca GRP CD not only dampens the total sound but also muffles the instrumental solos and vocals.

The result of this processing and re-equalizing depletes the ambient air so the Lunceford band sounds like it's in a closet full of clothing.

While the seven bonus tracks on the CD are nice, the overall playback does not reward close listening.

An interesting finding, but I think the new Mosaic trumps any other reissue of the Lunceford Deccas. It certainly does to these ears.

gregmo

[jazzbo]

And to mine as well. I need to spend more time with that set, but I'm very happy with the sound.

[AllenLowe]

it actually is not the No Noise that muffled the sound; back then NoNoise was basically only a de-crackle and not a de-hiss; what you are hearing is 2 things -

1( the way the original Deccas sounded - very crisp and bright, but little reverberation; that was the way that label sounded in those days; check out the 78s -

2) bad EQ; as I've said in the past, too many engineers have no ears for jazz -

though one reason the highs are rolled off on these is because the No Noise de crackler distorts so quickly on high-frequecy transients; but it was still possible in those early days of sound restortation to do decent transfers; those engineers were just too lazy.

[mikeweil]

Has anybody compared the Lunceford Decca/GRP CDs to the Mosaic remastering? - Saw this is on backorder - has it been released?

[J.A.W.]

Has anybody compared the Lunceford Decca/GRP CDs to the Mosaic remastering? - Saw this is on backorder - has it been released?

The Lunceford Mosaic was released in 2011.

Edited January 4, 2014 by J.A.W.

[jazzbo]

Mike, I've compared one disc to the set, and the Mosaic sounded better. Mosaic didn't turn the Decca sides into audiophile wonderment, but they sound a bit livelier.

[mikeweil]

Thanks!

[king ubu]

Just in case, since I double-checked wth Scott from Mosaic: the Lunceford can be bought from jazzmessengers.com - and they're an official partner/vendor for Mosaics, so ... I'm tempted to go that route, but since stuff piles up so quickly thes days, I might just wait and give business to Mosaic straight, eventually (to me, it makes no difference re: the custom n*zis, but to you - with EU - it might and jazzmessengers.com might indeed be a more feasible way to get Mosaic sets).

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Just in case, since I double-checked wth Scott from Mosaic: the Lunceford can be bought from jazzmessengers.com - and they're an official partner/vendor for Mosaics, so ... I'm tempted to go that route, but since stuff piles up so quickly thes days, I might just wait and give business to Mosaic straight, eventually (to me, it makes no difference re: the custom n*zis, but to you - with EU - it might and jazzmessengers.com might indeed be a more feasible way to get Mosaic sets).

Is Jazzmessengers.com in the EU? If so, I'd certainly go to them, given that they're an official Mosaic vendor. It's not so much the customs duty - I only paid £4-32 on the Dizzy Gillespie last month - but the completely outrageous Post Office charges £8 to collect it!!!

MG

[J.A.W.]

Just in case, since I double-checked wth Scott from Mosaic: the Lunceford can be bought from jazzmessengers.com - and they're an official partner/vendor for Mosaics, so ... I'm tempted to go that route, but since stuff piles up so quickly thes days, I might just wait and give business to Mosaic straight, eventually (to me, it makes no difference re: the custom n*zis, but to you - with EU - it might and jazzmessengers.com might indeed be a more feasible way to get Mosaic sets).

Is Jazzmessengers.com in the EU?

They are based in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. Catalunya may be forced to leave the European Union depending on the outcome of a possible referendum on its independence, but for the moment they are still in the EU. Same goes for Scotland, by the way, they may have to leave the EU if they vote for independence later this year.

Edited January 13, 2014 by J.A.W.