mikeweil

Excellent music of a still underrated composer, Benedetto Marcello.

In Germany we have online shops selling all kinds of CD trays, here is a six CD tray: https://cdn02.plentymarkets.com/2gppe2bbih4e/item/images/100494/full/100494-CD-Jewelbox-6fach.jpg

Thre still is this 3 CD box from the Capitol Blues Collection - US buyers can find reasonably priced copies on discogs:

I have seen and bought replacement cases holding five or six discs. I wouldn't have any glue come anywhere near to any disc.

That album's title shows the problem - or what later generations of Verve reissue producers might have seen as one. Machito ‎– Afro-Cuban Jazz - The Music Of Chico O'Farrill Two leaders? Machito's band, O'Farrill composing and arranging. Mosaic could have conceived a box with the complete recordings of both - that would have been the best solution. Or Verve themselves. A look into the Verve discography would have revealed it. IIRC there even is a later session by O'Farrill with a studio orchestra thta was not on the double CD Cuban Blues.

No - I have both. The tracks on the two Verve compilations you have are tops, sound-wise. Wish there was a complete reissue like that.

Workman and Cyrille! My dream bass/drums team! Just ordered a copy for ten bucks incl. shipping.

Just read in the credits that the Proper Box dubbed the respective Norman Granz tracks from the Pablo CD. No sound improvement.

Rebecca Coupe Franks (tp,flhrn) Joe Henderson (ts) Kenny Barron (p) Leni Stern (g) Buster Williams (b) Ben Riley (d)

Sonny Bravo (Latin Jazz guy)

Several tracks were reissued on Verve compilations with much better sound. To me it sounds like Pablo used an old tape transfer, where Verve had access to much better sources. Now whether these still exisr after all those vault fires is another question. The Jazz Scene double CD includes all takes of Tanga not available anywhere else. There is a Proper Box, too, but I'll have to compare first. Details can be found on discogs. I for one never understood why they did not give Machito a similar treatment like they afforded the Chico O'Farrill sessions - there would have been some overlap, of course.

One of the swinginest ever! R.I.P.

That's the one I have! Looks like the same tracks in different sequence.

This cover would as well fit in the "women with big hats" or "artists lying down" categories.

I will cover all the RCA albums until 1960. I'm just waiting for the box Vol. 2 to arrive to get the recording dates it supposedly lists.

On a gerneral note, and after finishing Powell's biography, I have the impression that Puente often wanted too much at a time. He suffered from the snobbishness of most Cubans towards Puerto Ricans and wanted to be better in all respects. He was a studied musician with great arranging skills taking jazz as his yardstick, which was perfect for what we call Latin Jazz, but perhaps overloaded the whole thing. It would be interesting to hear how his band sounded on a live gig in the 1950's, without the three minute time limitation of a 78 rpm record, which he seemingly internalized to a high degree; this may have been supported by his producers who wanted selling singles and radio play. For the dancing audience of later days his music was too sophisticated. Until his death he dreamed of some very ambitious projects with orchestras and all that never were done the way he really wanted. It was a question of financing projects, just as well. You get a good glance at his personality from Powells's book, she was very close to him. His music often is truly eciting, but never moves me as much as e.g. Mongo's band, who had more warmth and good spirits. Puente is like the Kenton of Latin Jazz. Right now I am waiting for a copy of the RCA box Vol. 2 to arrive which was shipped from Israel and might take a few weeks to arrive here. This will give me some more insight into the chronology of recordings dates, I hope. TTK, do you know of any live recordings of Puente before 1960?

This is great! Shirley Scott climbed up several steps on my admiration ladder with this.She swings so much! And I like Vick here much better than on his Blue Note LP, which kinda disappointed me.

Belated birthday wishes from Germany, too!