Big Beat Steve

Don't, dawg!! I once bought a set of (professional) photo negatives from 1957 at a swap meet and filed them inside their cardboard sleeve and this in turn inside a standard letter-size clear plastic document holder like you put them ni 3-hole binders. The plastic document holder wasnt new at all and things went well for a couple of years but then, after maybe 10 or 15 years or so when I checked again after 2 or 3 years or so I discoved the negative surfaces had become all crumbly, showing a cobwebbed structure and the top layers had started to delaminate. In short, the negatives were shot! A pity because they were one-of-a-kinds and as they were of an odd, no longer-current size that you can only have prints made from at specialist photo shops I delayed this and then it was too late. Gone forever ... The only explanation I have is that some sort of solvents from the plastic material of the document holder evaporated and killed the negatives. (I have older negatives than this that are still fine but they' have been in their cellophane negative strip holders all their lives) I am not so sure that this can NOT interact with acetate materials too.

Regular contributor to JAZZ MAGAZINE in the 50s and into the 60s and one of the few jazz specialists in the early days of jazz coverage on French TV (where he started in 1958 and hosted a regular jazz show in the 60s).

The above clip just as an indicator that there still might be hope in case sidewinder and Brad should aspire to "brother" status. Just a wee bit of leg-pulling, Mike, you know ...

Actually , having been born in 1933 or 1936 (depending on which sources you believe) and having had chart successes from 1957 onwards Dalida does seem to have been a contemporary of the announcer and there was some similarity. But of course, given that there was no twin, it Is just a matter of visual similarity, nothing else. But somehow I can see JSngry's crush on the announcer.

Ah ... so Elvis did "Jailhouse BLUES" at the time these transcriptions were made? Wishful thinking or out-of-touchiness of the '(not so unknown) liner note writer who compiled them from the perspective of a c.1940 bobby-soxer date?

If I didn't know better I might be inclined to assume she was Dalida's twin sister. GEOgraphically speaking that puts things quite a bit closer but BIOgraphically unfortunately it is quite improbable (in-depth genealogical reasearch pending ) because there is no evidence that Dalida had a twin sister.

I have originals of these two Command LPs, guess I will have to give them a closer listen again (after many years' silence) now that you plug them so incessantly.

Well, there is the CD on Blue Moon with his "complete" 1947-55 output. I suppose you are aware of that one. "I'm Wise To You Baby", for example, is a dancing crowd pleaser heard fairly regularly in those circles.

This thread might be better placed in the Jazz in Print section ....

I have virtually everything by him up to and including his Dot album (so basically I would consider myself a fan) but honestly, I am rather on the fence about this one (and am still unsure about the new Verve reissue too, considering the huge overlaps with previous reissues). Listened to the sound samples of the "Lost Singles" and on first impression I must say I do not find those rerecordings or aural updates all that essential. One for ultra-competists acc. to my 2c.

You mean all of Ghost's topics have become "ghosts"?

I don't think that should be a problem for anybody. Thanks beforehand.

Good move, but how would anyone know or remember accurately what there is that might be of primary interest? Did anyone make a list of the existing threads any any time? I am afraid the only option is to unblock them ony by one.

Which would be a real shame.

Not wanting to dismiss him too rashly but for obvious reasons of interest in the music of that era I've had this on my Amazon buying list for some time but reading the reviews in various places has left me with rather mixed feelings about the depth of coverage and I've put it on hold for the time being. Quite apart from all the other books on the Swing era, where would this book fit in and add something profoundly new as a listener's guide beyond the "Swing" volume of the "Third Ear" listening companion book series (which I rather like) and the "Music Hound Essential Album Guide" on Swing (which I had bought before the Third Ear book and still find useful but prefer the Third Ear book now). I do wonder what kind of "companion" this one REALLY is and if he aims at more than the total or almost total newbies to the music. OTOH, if he can provide an up to date guide to where to pick the best reissue(s) by the Floyd Ray band (to name just ONE example ) , then I'll be won over. Edit:Checking again I see that the post-swing big bands of jazz covered in the book should add something new vs the above-listedbooks but I wonder about the balance of it all. Will probably have to check sample pages somewhere. But what I can say I don't like (if the reviews are right in this respect) is listening recommendations based on Youtube. This is for tasters, fast consumption but not for ongoing listening. Besides, how fast is a book based on Youtube availability going to be outdated? (No, I'm not on Facebook and won't be)

I wouldn't hold it against you that you dislike THESE songs. Probably same here if I were to narrow down the selections. I was just wondering because the Jimmy Rushing vocal was in there and so were 1 or 2 Martha Tilton vocals. So no clear criteria for exclusion that were discernible. But never mind. I will check elsewhere. I just thought I'd ask you (as someone who'd checked BG's output closely) because as opposed to discographies like those by Rust or even Bruyninckx there may be more TODAY that have since been issued and would now be part of whatever reissue project there is.

Thanks! Did a quick spot check starting from the end and see a few female vocals are not in your list that are on the LPs. Will have to check against my copy of Rust, maybe.

@Captain Howdy: I wasn't specifically talking about YOU but about whether "one" would have all the material you are referring to here if "one" had all these Bluebirds twofers? I.e. I was asking a discographical question. See what I mean? More specifically, I have about 4 of these 8 twofers (and no doubt would be able to source more if looking closer) plus the run of the RCA Black & White 2-albums sets and a number of other BG RCA-period orchestra and small group vinyls (plus the occasional CD compilation) so I guess I have what I'd want to have. But of course the Bluebirds look like they would cover the grounds in the most straightforward manner. And FWIW to me the Bluebird twofer reissues (regardless of which band) do not sound that bad.

Don't know exactly which FRENCH jazz concert recordings you are refering to, but quite a bit of this "lack of shyness" in the 50s was not a case of disapproving but rather of factions of the rivaling moldy fig vs. progressives partisans trying to ruin the OTHER faction's concerts (see contemporary concert reviews). Childish. Certainly. Prehistoric hooligans? Maybe ...

@Captain Howdy: Since you seem to have explored this body of recordings thoroughly: Assuming you have all the RCA Bluebird twofer LPs from the 70s, would you have all of these (minus the alt. takes probably) that we're talking aobut here?

An oversight that can easily happen. The overall presentation is smilar and the books can hold their own. You know the first box set I bought from that label (out of only 2 so far admittedly - the other one is the MOD Records set) was the "Texas Box" on the BE!SHARP label featuring Texas rockabilly. This was the label's first box set and the seller I bought it from told me that when the Bear Family people first saw the book to that one they were in tears.

Except that the Jutta Hipp box is NOT from Bear Family but from Micha Gottschalk who runs the BE!SHARP and BE!JAZZ labels. He's the one I alluded to in an earlier post. His books are truly excellent that IMO rank on a level with those of Bear Family but he uses P.D. music material which is a financial advantage (and the saying goes that some were a bit underwhelmed when aurally checking some of the material on his BE!SHARP reissues). Though in fairness it needs to be said that apparently his MOD Records box set, for example, had the blessings of some surviving musicians from those sessions.

So you'd exclude the Reprise recordings?

What do you mean, exactly? As with any imported product, this product of course is more expensive if you buy it in an import country. And in my case the (domestic) cost in the US PLUS overseas shipping PLUS customs duties due on arrival here were a wee $5 above what the list price of the imported product was at Jazzmessengers (incuding shipping because their box set prices include shipping to other countries in the EU). I.e you pay more for the product but save on shipping and customs. In my case it almost was a draw between the two options. BUT - as discussed in the Savory thread, of course customs duties and associated "handling" (i.e. ripoff) charges vary (e.g. by country) and may make buying in the US substantially more expensive. OTOH it is a rare occurrence that a large box set slips through customs without any duties being charged (in which case you'd save by buying in the US). So that's that ...

Depends on how you go about it and what the actual box set is. I was eager to get my hands on the Savory box set and chose the cheaper US of the two airmail shipping rates quoted by Mosaic. Still got it several weeks before Jazzmessengers had it listed and in the end I paid about $5 more (INCLUDING our customs duties) than what I would have paid at Jazzmessengers all included. I'm fine with that.