clandy44

Berigan, thanks for the heads-up on the possibility of actually cracking a cd, which fortunately has never happened to me. I got the Mulligan meets Hodges cd yesterday, and it seemed like it took 5 minutes to coax that sucker out of the jewel case. After reading about your experience, I was determined not to repeat it. Seems like it's just part of the "packaging" trend these days-you know, everything from razor blades to vitamins are bubble packed so that only a welder's torch (or your teeth) can ever get them open.

I took the plunge and ordered 1 set. Not much to lose-either they ship or they don't. Web site says they don't charge until they ship. Prices are very nice.l

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy I got the Berigan and I stand by comments in the first post. It's just that I had underestimated how cheesy some of the lyrics and melodies could be. Definitely pop music with heavy emphasis on "stayin' happy" tru the Depression, etc. Like you Ghost, I have a number of Jazz Oracles-for every Louisiana Rhythm Kings or Hot Notes cd that really swings, there are some like the Dorseys or Curtis Mosby that are more middle of the road. I knew that going into the purchases and I still enjoy them. In fact, the sound quality on these are so good that I almost forget when they were recorded. The amazing thing about the Berigan set is that Mosaic went into triple letters again in compiling all of the sessions-awful lot of effort in the project, which adds to my admiration for their work.

Now I know why Bunny started drinking so much...he had to comp behind some of the worst Depression era songs ever written. I thought I had heard most of the bad ones, but disc 1 digs up some new ones for me. The thud you hear is me falling off that high horse. Mnytime is, unfortunately, right-lot of crappy vocals.

I have ordered this and the Jubilee Jam Sessions disc from Storyville. I have the Basie Jubilee disc and both the music and sound are excellent. The history of the Jubilee music surprised-I knew the Armed Forces were segregated in WWII, but I guess I never knew that there was separate music as well.

It is unrealistic to expect every track to be a masterpiece. Some songs can have corny lyrics or forgettable melodies, but I like to listen carefully-not just for Bunny (or any other instrumentalist's part) but for the entire context. The historical development of jazz over time interests me, and I am not put off by the styles of the times. It is fun to hear Bunny in 1931 and listen to his development over the years, and I have no problem doing that even when he plays second fiddle to ordinary singers of the day. This is what he was doing then and I want to hear it that way. Extra bonuses appear when his solo is a stunner or you can hear the amazing Boswells or someone else that blows you away. I only heard about the first 7 or 8 tracks of disc 1 this morning, but I have no complaints-it is music of the early 1930s and representative of what white bands were doing. As PD once said, you are only disappointed in a new cd when you don't know what to expect from the artist and what you hear isn't what you expected.

Ah, my little Bunny arrived tonight, just in time for the drive into work tomorrow. Am I the only one who likes vocals with his jazz? Sure is a lot of complaining about the Bunny set before anyone has said he actually listened to it. A few overlaps? I can deal with it.

This is a review of the set by Nat Hentoff which appeared in the Wall Street Journal this week. The review mentions Mosaic, which probably accounts for the special promo on its web site. BIG BAND JAZZ The Jubilee Sessions, 1943-1946 Hindsight/ Mosaic Records Jubilant Sounds Swinging Through America By NAT HENTOFF Just as our Constitution -- as Justice John Marshall said -- is a living document, not fixed in the time of its origin, so too the free spirit of jazz keeps changing as it moves on. But largely lost have been the big jazz bands that for years filled the nation's ballrooms and those clubs big enough to hold them. As a boy growing up during the big-band era, I likened those exultant ensembles to the flare of trains roaring through the American night. Swinging through towns and cities from coast to coast, these crisp musicians lighted the dark with excitement, surprises and romance. An enduring memory is standing as close as I could get to the magisterial Duke Ellington orchestra in a Boston ballroom, and whispering to baritone saxophonist Harry Carney at the end of a number, "What was the name of that?" "He hasn't named it yet," was the genial answer. I had heard history in the making. There are still some traveling big bands, but none with the luster of Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy, among many others. These bands are among the 20 joyful orchestras in the three-CD set "Big Band Jazz/The Jubilee Sessions/1943-1946" (Hindsight Records, available from that cornucopia of invaluable reissues, Mosaic Records, 203-327-7111). Peter Kline, who assembled these sessions for Hindsight, tells me that most of the performances were actual live recordings of airchecks, along with a few rehearsals and some studio tracks. They were originally cut by Armed Forces Radio and aired primarily for black service personnel during the war years. Hindsight, formed by the late Wally Heider, has never gone in much for promotion, so I didn't know about this treasure trove until the label's Don Mupo sent it to this fellow big-band enthusiast. In addition to the aforementioned renowned bands, there are jubilant sounds from the battalions of Lucky Millinder, Benny Carter, Earl "Fatha" Hines (one of the hottest of the big bands), Erskine Hawkins, Billy Eckstine (where many later icons of modern jazz were sidemen), and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, who proved that men have no monopoly on swinging and unmistakably individual soloist sounds. Listening to such "Sweethearts" as tenor saxophonist Viola Burnside would not reveal the gender of the player as the horn bursts into "Tuxedo Junction" and the rhythm section comes on like the Wabash Cannonball locomotive. Coursing through all the Jubilee sessions is the musicians' sheer collective delight in being part of this glorious American enterprise that so entranced the home-folks across the land. Ralph Ellison remembered the impact of the bands on him as a boy in "Living with Music" (the Modern Library): "Their uniforms, their sophistication, their skills, their golden horns, their flights of controlled and disciplined fantasy. . . . They were news from the great wide world." Among the timeless skills of the players on these tracks is the soulful, worldly wise singing of Jimmy Rushing, found here in "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" at a 1943 Count Basie rehearsal. And the golden tenor horn of often forgotten Paul Bascomb on "The Bear Mash Blues" reminded me of the deeply satisfying consistency of the Erskine Hawkins orchestra, which deserves much more attention in jazz histories and reissue projects. I had entirely forgotten the arranging and composing mastery of Jimmy Mundy, who scored "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "Swingtime in the Rockies" for Benny Goodman and "Queer Street" for Count Basie. Leading his own band on several shows in this set, Mundy's easy rolling "Hello, Goodbye, Forget" exemplifies what "grooving" means. On the Andy Kirk and his Clouds of Joy sessions, the disciplined passion of the long overlooked trumpet player Howard McGhee is showcased on "McGhee Special." Also seldom mentioned in jazz magazines these days is the distinctive, often rollicking, Jimmie Lunceford Harlem Express, which combined precise showmanship with adventurous solos and unexpected ensemble voicings. The opening of the sensuous Lunceford version of "Alone Together" recalled Duke Ellington telling me of how when alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges was playing a ballad at a dance and a sigh came from the floor, "that sigh became part of our music." That relationship between the dancer-listener and the jazz storyteller was long at the core of the jazz experience, but is found mostly these nights in memories. While Earl Hines is remembered primarily for his "trumpet-style" piano and his early recordings with Louis Armstrong, his big band -- as in "Scoops Carry Mary," recorded at a show in Hollywood in 1944 -- has such energizing drive that back then I'd put his recordings on when I wanted a special lift. As Tom Reed recalls in the notes to the Jubilee Sessions, in those years, "There was no Civil Rights Act, no integration to speak of, and yet it was a period of supreme African American artistry under conditions of duress. . . . As these great bands traveled from coast to coast, they encountered the 'Colored can't stay -- but they can play' signs with regard to hotel accommodations. White night clubs featured African American bands for White Clientele only -- and there were 'we serve colored in the rear' signs when it came to finding a place to eat, as they toured from town to town." But, as Ralph Ellison wrote, "Who were so worldly, who so elegant, who so mockingly creative?. . . And who treated the social limitations placed in their paths with greater disdain?" But also with no little anger, as I heard sidemen tell of Jim Crow waiting outside the ballroom or the stage door. All of it -- the pride, the anger, the anticipation of making more joy in the next set -- is in the music, thanks to Armed Forces Radio and Hindsight, which has an extensive catalog of rare big- and small-combo jazz of all colors, available at (800) 775-8467.

A true no-brainer. Grab it while you can, you won't be sorry.

Terrific music, terrific sound. Weston is one of at least two highly regarded jazz pianists (Garner is the other) whose music I had little of. The Select does a fine job of showing off his talent and, especially, his growth as a player and composer. Not to be missed.

Tod-watched Opera yesterday and didn't see one pop-up. Hats off to her. Unfortunately, Mosaic has made a further change by eliminating the "Search the Music Catalog" option. For those of us still catching up on older sets, it is now more difficult to run down the list and see the number of each set.

What is Opera?

Parkertown-I have heard parts of the Jones set and just don't care for the solo drumming that seems to occupy much of the set. The contrast with the Roach set is stunning for me-the Roach set is vibrant with his work and that of all of his collaborators over the years, and it is an exciting collection. But, I have been known to do a 180, so Jones may yet be mine some day.

Cluttered and busy-looking. Interestingly, the most useful button "Search the Music Catalog" is not on the opening page. To reach it, you must hit one one of the other buttons, which then shows the familiar listing of what is presently available. The revision isn't of much use to the regulars, but may help Mosaic rookies.

Sal, it really is impossible to make specific recommendations. Much depends on what you are into at the moment. The only Mosaic sets that I do not intend to buy are the Four Frosh and the Elvin Jones. Everything else is fair game. I own a bunch and not one is inferior in terms of material or sound...and that includes the Hackett, Vaughan, etc. Django is awesome, but so is Hank, Mildred, Hodges and so on. Buy with confidence as long as you really know and like the artist.

I'm in for both. These Selects are too good to pass up. As if the quality of the music weren't enough (which it is), the sound quality alone makes it worthwhile.

I can't limit it to five but two names that deserve mention if not inclusion: Martial Solal and John Hicks.

Strongly recommend Naima and the Keystone cds.

Try half.com. Got a new one there for $103.

Chet's sound always appealed to me because I am not wed to having trumpeters work the high register like Maynard, Roy or Harry James-I have always grooved on the likes of Miles, Kenny Dorham and the like. And I never paid attention to Chet's so-called cult status because it was before my time. What attracts me to Chet is the melody, which is never far from anything he did.

Amazing. I can understand the suits at BN not caring, but I just have to believe the Mosaic folks are not pleased by this development since they got many sales just from the enthusiastic chatter on the BNBB among ourselves. I too don't think it's a Norah thing as the cause.

GOM has it right. This is terrific music that you will regret passing up. I love this period and find the work energizing. Pull this off the shelf a fair bit.

I've got Dynaudio 1.3 MKII-small but pricey at about $2400. On the other hand, they sound terrific, with incredibles highs and a solid bass. If the price new is too steep, try the classifieds on www.audiogon.com.

Jazzbo=Lon=Lonson? All right, just didn't recognize the new handle. Good to see you, Lon.

Thanks, Jazzbo...no problem and happy to be here. I'm Chuck or clandy44.