Ted O'Reilly

Well, maybe. But that doesn't mean "Ballads" is unworthy of affection. By me, and I'd guess many thousands of others. (Suggest me the much-more-beautiful later ones, please. Always looking for Beautiful...)

There's a hole in your life. It's beautiful. Got no time for beautiful?

That's a good deal Chuck... Still, for any of the Treasury sets that's 600 discs. And I wonder if it would be any different in the EU (soon to be a member short, I hear.) And, I wonder what the situation is about paying composer royalties. In Canada, if you press 1000 copies you prepay on them all. Sell 237, tough: George Gershwin got paid for 763 extras. Same in the US? I think in the EU that's paid on copies sold, not on copies manufactured.

I have the complete series, no CD-Rs. I'm not defending Storyville (or the CD-R format), but could it be a way of keeping the material in stock, actually pleasing customers? These are two-disc sets, and that would likely mean having to make 1000 (500 + 500) new discs for what may very well be a saturated market. In my experience, since printing booklets is just about the priciest part of manufacture, and it's almost the same price to print 1500 as 1000, so you do, but make 1000 CDs. If there's a demand, it's best to just repress the disc. So, maybe the CD-Rs turning up now are just re-filling the left over booklets... Besides, the first volume was issued in 2000 (the debated Vol. 6 in 2002, 16 years ago) so perhaps your should have bought it then. Kudos to Storyville for doing it in the first place, and double kudos for finishing it. How many small niche companies would go as far as they have done? Same artwork for the whole series, perhaps you don't like the colour? For the most part, I'm here for the music, so cover art (especially on CDs) is of less interest to me.

Wild Bill made a really good record in Toronto that virtually launched John Norris' Sackville label back in 1968. "The Jazz Giants" featured Benny Morton on trombone, Herb Hall (Edmond's brother) on clarinet and a rhythm section of Claude Hopkins, Arvell Shaw and Buzzy Drootin. I don't know if the Delmark version of Sackville carries it, but it did get released as a CD back in 1986, but it's one worth seeking if you like some solid dixie/swing played by distinctive musicians. (The catalogue # was Sackville SKCD2-3002.)

I have the Forte, and it looks like (from that list) about the last half are on the Forte. It would seem that the Frog draws from only Vocalion and Pathe, while the Forte in offering the complete Armstrong with Henderson offers 65 tracks released on about 16 other labels. That would include alternate takes issued separately.

Sorry, Peter: it says "Bill Parkins". Who should I trust, you or my lying eyes? ;-)

Yeah...think of that: an uncompromising artist ("not going to change what I do") who thinks about his audience and is considerate of them.

I've just ordered the LA sessions volume 1, and expect I'll like it as I have all of his work. I recorded him once for broadcast, and actually visited him at his home outside Paris. Many years later (2003) emceed a solo piano Toronto concert performance where he played a VERY short first set, perhaps 25 minutes in length of standards: "Here's That Rainy Day", "Prelude To A Kiss", "I Wish You Love".... He came offstage and said "Let's take a brief intermission, maybe 10 minutes. I know that there are people who don't like the way I interpret these things, so let's give them a chance to leave without making a fuss." Most people were still in their seats when I went back out, and I repeated what Solal said. He came back out to strong applause, played another full hour (more standards, and jazz standards: "Round Midnight", "April In Paris", "Sophisticated Lady/"In A Sentimental Mood", etc. and at the end got a standing ovation. I've always found him to be one of the great musicians, as a player (whether as a sideman -- Bechet to Reinhardt to Byas to Koller & Zoller, Konitz to Liebman to Thielemans); or leader of a big band or as a soloist. He's composed for small groups, big bands, film, stage, TV, concert orchestras. He is deeply musical, and Gallicly whimsical in his playing -- I've laughed out loud at his audacity. Martial Solal is an amazing musician, and I'm happy I've met and recorded him, and even more happy that I've heard him. He's over 90 now: what a life. What music!

Nope, never stated that there was a stereo mix on it, and as I was in the radio business then I can assure you mono was the standard. A national broadcaster like ORTF might very well have done stereo or multi-track, but if they had, wouldn't those master tapes be the source of the Montgomery issue? JSngry, no *slack* is needed, and I'm not complaining in any way about the product, nor about monaural recording. At ALL. I just am concerned about the way the language is used in the description: it muddies the waters, given that a lot of folks really don't have a concept of "everybody playing together at once and that's the record, no editing/fixing in the mix". I was recently at a big band session with great musicians playing pretty hard charts almost faultlessly, certainly no one would know there was a 'mistake' by the third trombone at bar 120 but the producer. It was painful seeing the other 19 guys sitting while the isolated horn was found to have perhaps cuffed a note, then took three cracks at it, being slightly humiliated by the 'need' to fix it. The other trombonists offered to play the section together so the blend would be better, but nope, says producer, just him. Okay, now the band is on edge, fearful they'll be called out next. And of course, the soloist didn't play in real time at all, reserving his work for later so he could have three or six cracks at being inspired and creative. I know that's how it's done now, and the sound is perfect and the playing's note perfect and the result I heard when the post-work was done was sterile and unswinging. I played it once, then put the new Basie tracks from the Savory set on for about the ninth time. Live, lovely and mono. Heaven.

Of course, Peter Nero was originally thought to be a jazz pianist. Under his birth name (Bernie Nerow) he recorded a couple of times with Red Norvo (aka Norville).

Agreed, Scott. But I wish people would say *remaster* and not *remix*... (And if they recorded it 4/8/12 track, or whatever, those tapes would be 'the original session reels'.)

I'm currently listening to the recent Resonance Wes Montgomery In Paris on CD. Nice, clean sound -- the best I've heard of this event. In his notes the producer says "First, we went back to the original session reels and made a high-resolution transfer direct from the original tapes". Okay, good so far. Always go to the source. It's not from a half-speed copy the assistant took home as a souvenir, or an over-the-air tape a fan made, or a cassette hidden in a coat at the concert. "This offered us an opportunity to remix the original recording, providing a wider range of sound, and ultimately, a new, improved aural experience". Here's where I have trouble, and it may only be the choice of the word *remix*. The originals were mono, the balance decided at the time by the original producer/engineer. How do you *remix* a single source? *Remix* means to me to take separate tracks (per instrument, or several tracks -- drum set, piano bass/treble) and producing a different result. From a mono source isn't the only augmentation equalization -- with electronic means emphasize or reduce the various frequencies; or add reverb/echo. (Don't know how you'd take them out). Engineers do wonderful things with old recordings, such as clicks and pops from discs and tape hiss, ground-loop hum, and I thank them for that. But am I misunderstanding the reference to *remix*?

Perhaps this will be the only opportunity to have such tracks on CD, or any digital format? Perhaps this is a far superior transfer, or from the prime source?

I recorded that trio at the Montreal Bistro, for radio broadcast. John Norris wanted to release it on his Sackville label, but Marian was tied to Concord so nothing ever happened with it.

I don't know how "you guys" would get together on such a thing. And, I'm in Canada, not the USA. Add another 35% exchange to MY costs. Interesting that because of the difference in exchange rates it's cheaper to buy from the Swiss, but the mail costs are much higher. The set is more in the US, but shipping costs a bit less. Then, I know I'd have to pay Canadian import taxes on top of either choice, so...

I have that set too, and agree that Mezz is, well, Mezz... I investigated both sources of the Swiss release, and mailing costs in both cases was enough for me to close the pages in a hurry. Wow!

Agreed. Also, being old enough, I recall the late '40s/early '50s radio show "Casey Crime Photographer", where the hero would retire to Club Blue Note (Herman Chittison, house pianist) for a beverage after solving another crime. That's 70 years ago, and there was a Blue Note record label then. (Now that I think of it, it was probably the Blue Note Cafe...)

Certainly confused me. I thought it was attached to the label.

This would be something like what Blue Note did around 1989 with younger players in Out Of The Blue, right?

Here's the NYTimes item: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/09/arts/music/lorraine-gordon-dies.html?action=click&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=Article&region=Footer&contentCollection=Music

Brad, you're skipping over one contribution. I said copyrights, in effect agreeing with you I suppose; and indeed think that accuracy in terms in really important. I spent four decades in live-on-air radio (37 of them doing exclusively jazz programmes) recognizing it's out-of-your-mouth on the air, and people mishear (BOY! do they mishear!), so be accurate. EVERYbody insults my former broadcasting profession so I currently just admit to being retired. Who can possibly insult that??? Prep H users?

Have you no sense of humour? Or are you a lawyer protecting your client? Jeez, a nickname for hemorrhoids needs an explanation? Wow.