jazztrain

Another one worth checking out is the "Legendary Little Theater Concert." The story, as I recall, is that his appearance there and the subsequent album really helped bring him to back in the public eye after a period of relative neglect.

I got one several years ago from KAB: http://www.kabusa.com/slbd78.htm

Presumably these are drawn from the Audiophile LPs. Dare I ask if this set is complete?

To close the loop on this, here's the CD listing from Tommy T along with notations providing the LP from which each track came (where 1-A-2, for example, refers to Volume 1, Side A, track 2). The conclusion is that the 3-CD set provides everything on the four MJR LPs, albeit in a somewhat different order. Disc: 1 1. Love You Madly 1-A-1 2. Sophisticated Lady 1-A-2 3. I'm Beginning to See the Light 1-A-3 4. Black and Tan Fantasy 3-A-1 5. Warm Valley 1-A-4 6. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me 1-A-5 7. "C" Jam Blues 1-B-1 8. Caravan 3-A-3 9. Everything But You 1-B-2 10. Mood Indigo 1-B-3 11. Just Squeeze Me 3-B-1 12. Come Sunday 1-B-4 Disc: 2 1. The Creole Love Call 4-A-1 2. I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues 4-A-2 3. The Shepherd 4-A-3 4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore 2-A-3 5. Black Butterfly 4-B-1 6. Take Love Easy 4-B-2 7. The Jeep is Jumping 4-B-3 8. Heaven 4-B-4 Disc: 3 1. In a Mellotone 2-A-1 2. Solitude 2-A-2 3. It Don't Mean a Thing 2-B-1 4. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart 2-B-2 5. Satin Doll 2-B-3 6. In a Sentimental Mood 2-B-4 7. Don't You Know I Care 3-A-2 8. I'm Just a Lucky So and So 3-A-4 9. Prelude to a Kiss 3-B-2 10. All Too Soon 3-B-3

My recollection is that there were four LPs on MJR of this material (two of them as a "two-fer" plus two single LPs). Anyone know if this CD reissue is complete?

Perhaps. There are these two sessions on Verve with Torme and Whiting, but I'm not sure that they would be described as "duo" recordings: >>> Mel Torme And Margaret Whiting With Russ Garcia Orchestra Mel Torme, Margaret Whiting (vo) Russ Garcia Orchestra Los Angeles, CA, November 9, 1960 23361-7 All You Need Is A Quarter Verve MGV 2146 23362-6 Waldcat-Tall Hopes - 23363-10 Hey Look Me Over Verve V 10230, MGV 2146 23364-4 Do-Re-Me / Fireworks Verve MGV 2146 * Mel Torme/Margaret Whiting - Broadway Right Now! (Verve MGV 2146) * Margaret Whiting/Mel Torme - Hey Look Me Over c/w What's New At The Zoo (Verve V 10230) Mel Torme And Margaret Whiting With Russ Garcia Orchestra Mel Torme, Margaret Whiting (vo) Russ Garcia Orchestra: same personnel Los Angeles, CA, November 10, 1960 23365-8 If I Ever Would Leave You Verve MGV 2146 23366 (Camelot) I Loved You Once In Silence - 23367 (Irma La Douce) Our Language Of Love - 23368 Far Away From Home (Angelina) - 23369 Cry Like The Wind - 23370 Make Someone Happy - 23371 From A Prison Cell - 23372 What's New At The Zoo Verve V 10230, MGV 2146 * Mel Torme/Margaret Whiting - Broadway Right Now! (Verve MGV 2146) * Margaret Whiting/Mel Torme - Hey Look Me Over Do you think that should be "Mel Torme Verve"?

The "original" issues of many of the Columbia LP box sets include rather nice booklets and generally have much better sound than the later reissues. The later reissues, as you note with the Swing Street box, omit the original booklets, have the discographical information printed on the box, and, in some cases, have inferior sound.

I seem to remember commenting on this issue in last year or so. There's a distinctive "whistle" that is audible on lots of Victor 78s. It becomes more and more prominent as you go deeper into the record. Many people who have lost the ability to hear high frequencies don't notice it, but it's definitely there. In fact, one way to tell if an engineer has lopped off too many of the highs on a transfer from a Victor 78 is the absence of the whistle. Chuck is right; the "whistle" is in the original master. I just purchased a cache of mostly unreissued (or poorly reissued) jazz 78s and began to play them at home last night. Once again, I was blown away by how good they sound. Yes, there's some surface noise at times, but if you listen through the surface noise, there's a wonderful life-like warmth and presence to the sound, almost like you're right there at the performance. The shrillness on many CD transfers is due to excessive filtering of the highs.

Carol Sloane is still alive and singing.

Send them up here (along with the others). I'll play them for you!

Augustin: I can supply a copy of the review of the Morse Auditorium concert from the Boston Globe if you want or need it.

Tom McIntosh. I distinctly remember seeing musicians like Tommy Flanagan, Milt Jackson, and perhaps James Moody, among others who always seemed to play at least one of his tunes.

The entire session also was on an Onyx LP: Onyx 209 (Tootin' Through the Roof, Vol. 1).

Some of those "classics" were either appropriated from others or incorrectly attributed to Davis. quote name='Cliff Englewood' date='May 29 2009, 05:54 AM' post='921083'] Considering how many sessions he was on or leader of, and considering how much of it got released, Miles Davis. I know he composed a good few classics but there are so many albums where it's all standards or the writing of his band members.

Interesting question. Although there are a few exceptions to your observation (most notably "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and to a lesser extent "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" and "Orange Was the Color of Her Dress..."), most of the recordings of his compositions seem to be by his own groups or by the Mingus Dynasty Band. He wrote some striking ballads (such as "Vassarlean") that should be played more often. Pepper Adams did a nice album of Mingus compositions. An element of this may be true, but I think there has to be some other reason too.

I liked what I heard (but have only heard part of the new CD). Freddie was in fine form at that time (the material is from live 1969 dates in Europe). The MPS album recorded around that time ("The Hub of Hubbard") has some truly scary playing by Freddie. If you've heard that album, you'll know what I mean. The live recordings on the new CD are by the same group (minus Eddie Daniels who was on part of the MPS album). If you like the MPS album, I imagine you'd like the new CD. From memory, some of the songs on the new CD were also on the MPS album (but obviously in different performances). All of the recordings are issued for the first time with the exception of "Body and Soul" which was issued previously on the Jazz Wave, Ltd. anthology mentioned a bit earlier in this thread. What's the verdict?

It's out. I unpacked it and aired a few tracks yesterday afternoon.

I've enjoyed the LP for many years. Anything extra on the CD issue?

"Blue Horizon" is an old favorite. Bechet's tone is wide and warm on clarinet, and the performance just builds and builds. A real tour de force. The date with Bunk Johnson is memorable as well. Check out "Lord Let Me in the Lifeboat." The session with Bechet and Albert Nicholas also has some wonderful moments. It's hard to pick a favorite Mosaic. Off the top of my head, the Edmond Hall/James P. Johnson/Sidney DeParis/Vic Dickenson, the Bechet, and the Art Hodes boxes would be high on the list, as would the Jimmy Giuffre, the Commodore sets, the Buddy DeFranco/Sonny Clark, and the Herbie Nicholas. I guess you can't really have more than one "favorite" so I'll stop.

Tom: There's some information on John Wilson here: http://www.newsroom.duq.edu/r20050112.html Here are some excerpts from that page (which concerns a 2005 concert to honor him upon his retirement from Duquesne): >>> John Wilson, who played trumpet with some of jazz's legendary performers for 25 years then brought his considerable talent and credentials to Duquesne's Mary Pappert School of Music in 1972, will be honored this month as he finishes his last semester at the university. >>> Wilson, an adjunct professor of music and director of the Duquesne University Jazz Ensembles, developed a jazz studies curriculum for the university in 1975—the first ever in Pennsylvania. Wilson served as director of jazz studies at Duquesne through 1997. >>> Prior to joining Duquesne, Wilson worked for 25 years in New York City in a successful career that included all aspects of performance—large and small jazz ensembles, television, radio, movies, recordings and Broadway theatre. He performed with the Benny Goodman and Sauter-Finnegan Orchestras, and recorded with those groups as well as with Gerry Mulligan, Bobby Brookmeyer, Phil Woods and Jimmy Raney. He earned arranging credits with Nancy Wilson, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Orchestra, John Scofield and Tony Williams. In addition, Wilson wrote the score Indigo in Motion, a tribute to Billy Strayhorn, which was performed by the Pittsburgh Ballet in 2000 and 2002. Wilson also contributed arrangements for the Grammy-nominated A Nancy Wilson Christmas, and his arrangement Day In, Day Out for Wilson is featured on the current National Endowment for the Arts tribute to jazz masters. Currently, he's writing a textbook on jazz arranging and orchestration with Tomaro. >>>

The seller's feedback ranking was relatively low also. That's why I backed off ordering a few items.

Part of it sounds like a Jelly Roll Morton tune ("King Porter Stomp" perhaps) but the rest of it doesn't. Just coming up for air for a short break at work. Over and out...

It's hard to explain how the music sounds from 78s if you haven't experienced it. There's a certain presence and fullness as well as a "you are there" quality to it. And, in many cases, there are fine details that just don't seem to make it to LP or CD reissues.

Not sure where to post this or if someone else has already. Here's a link to a review in the New York Times about a Sun Ra exhibit in Philadelphia. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/arts/des...20ra&st=cse

It's a wonderful book. I also found a copy at a reasonable price in a used book store, probably 20 or 25 years ago. I lent it to a friend, and it never came back. It took quite a while to come up with another copy. I'll have to take it out this weekend and enjoy it once again. Thanks for bringing it up.