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Leonard Feather Presents: A Battle Of Jazz


Rabshakeh

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I'd never heard of this series, which seemingly put out split LPs with contrasting groups.  

Examples include:

Dixieland Vs Birdland

Hot Vs. Cool

Cats vs. Chicks

West Coast Vs. East Coast

An example cover:

image.jpeg

The whole concept seems wacky - high off genre infighting. But the artists were legit. I suppose Feather had enough clout to get whoever he wanted on these things.

Did people buy these? 

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During my early eBay days in the very early 2000s this series came to my attention and somehow struck my fancy. I found the basic idea of these comparisons intriguing and one by one I scored the 10-inchers of the first three you list as well as the 12" West Coast-East Coast LP on MGM. They are no desert island discs to me but I like them all and find the comparisons not only entertaining but also quite instructive style-wise (but you need to be prepared to look at them without any preconceived notions of dead-serious "high art" that jazz might have to conform to in the minds of some). Period reviews (such as in Down Beat) were a bit lukewarm at times as by the reviewers' expectations and standards some worked better (or worse) than others and I think they found the basic idea too gimmicky (not enough "art" in the basic idea of these records?). Or maybe some of the reviewers had an underhanded axe to grind with Leonard Feather as the producer of these series? ;)

As for the cover you show, the picture had its real-life equivalent that the drawing was based on:
 

mcpartland-gillespie-kl.jpg

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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On 9/18/2022 at 9:34 PM, Rabshakeh said:

I'd never heard of this series, which seemingly put out split LPs with contrasting groups.  

Examples include:

Dixieland Vs Birdland

Hot Vs. Cool

Cats vs. Chicks

West Coast Vs. East Coast

An example cover:

image.jpeg

The whole concept seems wacky - high off genre infighting. But the artists were legit. I suppose Feather had enough clout to get whoever he wanted on these things.

Did people buy these? 

Is the Dizzy session available elsewhere?

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14 minutes ago, medjuck said:

Is the Dizzy session available elsewhere?

There was this CD reissue:

https://www.discogs.com/release/10222725-Various-Hot-Versus-Cool-Cats-Versus-Chicks

And an earlier Japanese reissue on vinyl:

https://www.discogs.com/release/5759362-Leonard-Feather-Presents-Hot-Versus-Cool-A-Battle-Of-Jazz-Cats-Versus-Chicks-A-Jazz-Battle-Of-The-Se

 

 

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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16 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Considering the overwhelming silence reigning here, did I maybe do something wrong in ANSWERING your QUESTION about availability "elsewhere"? :huh:^_^

I know about that phenomen. 

I haven´t read the topic  before, but I think the hot versus cool I saw in the book about Diz from that Orios Jazz Press series, but it is not a very informative book. 

Those Bop versus Dixie were very well presented by Barry Ulanov too, with the radio broadcasts of the two shows on some european label, maybe musidisc or spotlite, I remember somehow they did "Tiger Rag" and since the solos are in Ab, they play the solos based on Dizzy Atmoshpere and the ending also is the shout chorus of the outing of Dizzy Athmosphere, I think they also did "Sunny Side of the Street with the outing of 52´nd street theme. It´s really fine how they made that friendy combination of bop and oldtime jazz. Others , mostly amateur Dixilanders are not as smart and get mad if a modernist does that gimmick.....

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You know I certainly wouldn't have wanted to solicit a "Thanks" but I am somewhat puzzled by that TOTAL silence. Ho hum ...

Regarding the Ulanov radio show you mentioned, IIRC this was a good-natured match between modernist Ulanov and moldy fig Rudy Blesh, including that "Tiger Rag" played by Bird and other boppers on an episode of the "Bands for Bonds" radio show series. It's been out on a Musidisc LP and therefore no doubt elsewhere.

Now as for Dixielanders getting mad if a modernist does that gimmick, well, yes ... musical awareness may sometimes have been lacking. But let's see if OTOH modernists can take their OWN music lightheartedly enough to enjoy THIS ... :D - without quibbling about "missed" harmonies or chord sequences or whatever ... :lol:

https://www.discogs.com/de/release/2407757-Anachronic-Jazz-Band-Anthropology

(The band had more releases, and in a way what they did was the reverse image of what Steve Lacy did in his very early days (with the Dick Sutton band) on the Jaguar label.)

Re- that LP series on MGM that's the topic of this thread, I find it amusing and amazing anyway, though of course not earth-shattering.

 

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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5 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

You know I certainly wouldn't have wanted to solicit a "Thanks" but I am somewhat puzzled by that TOTAL silence. Ho hum ...

Regarding the Ulanov radio show you mentioned, IIRC this was a good-natured match between modernist Ulanov and moldy fig Rudy Blesh, including that "Tiger Rag" played by Bird and other boppers on an episode of the "Bands for Bonds" radio show series. It's been out on a Musidisc LP and therefore no doubt elsewhere.

Do you know what this one is called?

Apologies for not thanking before. I did not actually see the update, which is why.

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4 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Do you know what this one is called?

You are referring to that "Tiger Rag" played by Bird?

I have it on Musidisc 30JA5108 ("Charlie Parker - Live Sessions 1947") and according to the back cover this was recorded on 20 Sept. 1947 (though the session info on these Musidisc budget LPs of the 70s aren't always totally reliable). It has been reissued on numerous other LPs.
See the Discogs entry:
https://www.discogs.com/de/release/2305342-Charlie-Parker-Live-Sessions-1947

The announcer's blurb at the end of the tune and prior to the closing theme mentions the musical "battle" between The Rudi Blesh All stars and Barry Ulanov Modern Jazz All Stars recorded in the New York Mutual studios for the "Bands for Bonds" broadcast series. And at the end of the Tiger Rag track there is an audible comment (by one of the musicians - Dizzy Gillespie?): "We sure took that tiger out of the jungle of Jazz!" :lol:

 

P.S.Never mind the "Thanks" (or not). That was not what I was after at all (regardless of by whom). I was just puzzled that the specfic reply to a specific question about a reissue did not lead to any follow-up comment of any sort.

 

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All of the Bands For Bonds recordings involving Charlie Parker (September and November, 1947) were released on Philology "Bird's Eyes" Volume 17.  It might be a bit hard to find now.  But these recordings are bootlegged all the time.  So it should be possible to track them done. 

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