Clunky

Look away now. Only by second shellac casualty in 4 years. The first was a Parker Dial and now this. Picked up around ten 78s with my right hand only and heard an ominous crack and discovered this discovered with it's thick cardboard sleeve. I didn't think i'd been clumsy but there you go, the dangers of liking shellac. Not a brilliant record but quite decent and I'd presume not all that common especially here in UK. Oh well

I'll certainly look out for it and some of the others recommended above. My local shop has acquired a major collection of 78, mainly from the 20s and early 30s. They are slowly sorting through it all in batches. The most recent batch was Ted Lewis and loads of California Ramblers ( by various names). No idea what'll be in store next week but I've never seen so many collectable 78s. They know what to charge but even so prices don't strike me as too bad and nothing like eBay.

You gotta be very wary of anybody who allowed himself to be called "the high-hatted tragedian of song" and then had the nerve to ask if everybody was happy. That whole thing just reeks of dickishness. Just sayin'. Yep. I'm looking for a 78 copy of Lewis's "Ho-Hum." As I understand it, during Benny Goodman's clarinet solo, Lewis himself interjects, "Play it, Ted!" I'll look out for a copy of "Ho-Hum"and if I find two.. ...

Interesting comments Jeff re Ted Lewis. I'm really totally unfamiliar with his work but realised he can be pretty hit or miss. My usual shop had a box full of Ted Lewis. I'll be careful !!

Busy week getting these ... Duke Ellington.. Chloe E /Across the track blues HMV Victor UK B 9171 Just a settin and rockin/ Moon Over Cuba HMV Victor UK B 9268 Jack the Bear / Morning Glory HMV Victor UK B 9048 Riff Staccato/ Time’s a Wastin HMV Victor UK B 9456 Sherman Shuffle / Hayfoot strawfoot HMV Victor UK B 9324 Harlem airshaft/ Sepia Panorama HMV Victor UK B 9135 Barney Bigard A lull at dawn / Charlie the Chulo HMV Victor UK B 9185 Roy Eldridge ... Aint that a shame All the cats join in Decca USA 23532 Twilight time Fish Market Brunswick Decca UK 03608 Adrian Rollini Swing low /Stuff etc Decca USA 807- brilliant Golden Gate Orchestra -OH THOSE EYES /Ah ha (Puritan) USA 11394- good solos even on the nonsense Ah Ha All Stars Swedish L’estrado/ Sophisticated Lady (Esquire UK) 10-313 Johnny Hodges Squatty Roo /Things aint what they used to be (HMV) Victor UK B 9283 Ted Lewis Dallas Blues/ Royal Garden Blues (Columbia )UK CB 446- mint laminate- Waller in fine voice, great band Gene Norman’s Just Jazz No 2- One O’clock Jump /Two o’clock jump (Vogue) UK V2271- complements parts 3 and 4 on Gazell Lionel Hampton -Bouncing at the Beacon/ Chasin with Chase (HMV) UK B 9395- average only Oscar Peterson Soft Winds/ Sweet Lorraine Columbia Clef UK LB 10035- quite good really Oscar Peterson - Angel eyes/ Unforgettable Columbia Clef UK LB 10011- ok/forgettable Dizzy Gillespie Interlude in C / Swing Low Sweet Chariot Vogue UK V 2024- hmm not sure, not Diz's best for certain Gerry Mulligan Loverman / Sextet Vogue UK V 2165- brilliant clarity of sound Dizzy Gillespie Oo Shoo be Doo be/ They cant take that away from me Vogue UK V 2160 Milton Jackson Criss Cross/ Willow Weep for me Vogue UK V 2161- wonderful of course Benny Carter Isn’t it romantic/ Key Largo Columbia UK LB 10016- slush Joe Liggins - Honeydripper Part 1 Honeydripper Part 2 Parlophone UK R 3124- repetitive RnB sides. sadly W Jackson on credits is not Willis Jackson

Agreed. One CD in my 3-disc Getz West Coast/East of the Sun album won't play as it nears 80 mins. Someone - I think it was Clunky (?) - said his copy had the same problem. So did mine. Correct , disc 3 IIRC was very reluctant to play.

A few non jazz sides, Picked these up several years ago thinking they'd be cool. Mixed bag really with both boys tending to croon a bit. Ivory Joe probably has the edge. Although Thelma Lou by Milton has a nice RnB feel.

Found this interesting Swedish All Star 78 in Oxfam. Vey nice modern arrangement with glimpses of Gullin and Domnerus Sophisticated Lady/L'Estrado (Esquire 10 313). Can't find much info on this on the web but it's well worth the £1.

I have Coltrane Jazz as a Black Fan edition. Sound is just acceptable

Rex Stewart - Menelik- The Lion of Judah/ Poor Bubber (HMV) UK JO 282 Duke Ellington - Old man blues/ Hittin the Bottle (HMV ) UK B 4888 Only Xmas 78s in the house are a few English carols - Hark the Herald ..etc and I feel it's too early to play them just yet. I have a Roy Milton 78 on Speciality - So Tired/ Thelma Lou- I don't recall much about either side and can't be bothered to hunt for it now. Meanwhile just two near mint 78s this weekend . The Rex Stewart the better of the two. As indicated above I rarely can be bothered with A/B comparisons but for "fun" I put on The Great Ellington Units CD from RCA to see how it compared. The CD was not only dull and lifeless appeared to sound slower. I'll need to find my strobe disc but last time I checked my TT was bang on 78. . Because my Lenco has continuously variable speed I was able to slow it down to match the CD. It's a pity the CD does sound so poor as it was my first exposure to Ellington all those years ago and I've yet to collect all the sides on 78. I'll need to dig out the relevant LP edition and check it too.

Produced by a Scottish record label which is literally around the corner , Mersault- All Creatures will make merry- (Songs by Toad)- indie folksy rock, pretty melancholic but an attractive overall sound which replays repeated listening.

I usually avoid 78s which are derived from tape masters as but in the case of Clifford Brown I felt differently. Two very clean Swedish 78s of his Parisian sessions in very vivid sound. Edit to add that the labels are quite nice too and look like the Shearing disc above. The song is you/ Come rain come shine (Jazz selection) Blue & Brown / I can dream can’t I (Jazz selection)

Had to dig out some Byas , two nice forties sides Dark eyes /Laura (American records) USA These foolish things/ Blues for Panassie (Bluestar) France

I've these two and they are excellent. Mid 40s Byas is almost always excellent and I've frequently thought these sessions would make a fine Mosaic.

Did Sun Ra ever do a Christmas tune ? I'd like that I'm sure.

although off topic , I really like this album JHS had something

thanks for going to the effort of pulling this all together, many new names, to me.

Louis Armstrong - Skip the gutter/ Knee Drops ( Parlophone UK) R 2438 - played this for a friend yesterday. He was totally unfamiliar with the music or indeed any form of jazz. He felt he couldn't but smile in response to the joyful noise of Knee Drops. It's no novelty song but the percussion does indeed make you smile. Both sides appear near mint with very little crackle and great sound- a perfect 78 - even if it's a 40s reissue.

Thanks for these thought provoking choices , I'm tempted by these two in particular. The samples of the Canada Day Octet sound really good.

I really like this session. Mine's a Pye Nixa edition. It's a cut l above a usual jam session. I agree - and you've given me the courage to ask a question I was too embarrassed to ask with my original post - does baritone saxophonist Bob Gordon really play on this session? He's listed on the back cover, but I didn't hear any bari on the record. My embarrassment comes from the possibility that maybe I zoned out for part of the record and missed it. I'll need to find and play, risk of zoning out high as I'm rather belatedly writing my Christmas cards!!

I really like this session. Mine's a Pye Nixa edition. It's a cut l above a usual jam session.

I like this one , can't recall if my copy is mono or stereo but it's good

that's good to know. When I started this thread I had four 78s , I now have over four hundred but it's still a very small collection. I have no intention of becoming a collector as such but I'm fascinated by them as historical artefacts and by the promise of improved sound they often seem to offer even when quite worn.

Ananda Shankar- (Reprise) Ravi's nephew's take on Indian traditional sitar. Some tracks work better than others. Light my fire and Jumpin Jack Flash are fun but that's it.

Allen Eager- Swinging with Allen Eager ( Marshmallow) Jpn, ltd edition of two airshots of Terry Gibbs Allstars and Eager/McGhee Quintet. Sound on side 1 is just fine but side 2 is pretty dull sound even if the music swings really hard. Don't pay an insane amount for this would be my advice