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Charlie Ventura recomendations


Jazztropic

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I've been reading a lot on this site and others about how I oughta boycott the Proper Box label, but I see that they have one out of Charlie Ventura. That's 4 cd's of Ventura and I hope it contains those trio records he made with Krupa(?). Anyway, I'm gonna order them now and see and the hell with boycott. Ventura is dead now anyway, so none of the money is gonna get to him or his anyway. :excited:

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There were some comments on Ventura on another thread you started, just in case you missed them....

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...=0entry337920

Some good stuff out there. I just dug up the Simitar cd Runnin' Wild, now out of print like all cds from this defunct label.($7.99 on amazon) From 1956 with Dave McKenna, Richard Davis, Mousey Alexander, and Billy Bean. Ventura plays tenor, alto, baritone and bass on it. 2 alternate tracks are on this cd, but Allmusic says 2 tracks on the original lp were left off for some reason. (Cd is only 34 minutes long)

Also have the no doubt legit release from Definitive records :rolleyes: Charlie Ventura Quartet and Quinet 1951-52 Verve Studio sessions. Looks like all the music is on the Classics releases that have since come out.

I mentioned on the other thread that high on an Open Mike was in the Proper box set, which has a few of the Charlie Ventura and Bill Harris Live at the Three Deuces recordings that are on 2 High Note cds. (mainly 1947 recordings)The 2 High Note cds have probably my favorite Charlie Ventura recordings. Very loose,(They were playing Well past midnight, not many people listening, and they let it all hang out) and with the great Bill Harris and Dave Tough, he was clearly inspired.

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... the Charlie Ventura and Bill Harris Live at the Three Deuces recordings that are on 2 High Note cds. (mainly 1947 recordings)The 2 High Note cds have probably my favorite Charlie Ventura recordings. Very loose,(They were playing Well past midnight, not many people listening, and they let it all hang out) and with the great Bill Harris and Dave Tough, he was clearly inspired.

I have this one:

7066.jpg

And I assume that's the other here:

7082.jpg

Are they from the same date?

I don't consider Ventura a very interesting player - he's playing a bit too much "for the crowd" and is not all that subtle...

However, Bill Harris and Dave Tough are smokin' indeed!

I think my want for Ventura is satisfied by this disc and the parts of the Mosaic (which, in part, are quite good - but just as with Bill Harris, I think Ventura is no match for Flip Phillips, really).

I'll have to consider this second Highnote disc, though, on the strenghts of the first!

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... the Charlie Ventura and Bill Harris Live at the Three Deuces recordings that are on 2 High Note cds. (mainly 1947 recordings)The 2 High Note cds have probably my favorite Charlie Ventura recordings. Very loose,(They were playing Well past midnight, not many people listening, and they let it all hang out) and with the great Bill Harris and Dave Tough, he was clearly inspired.

I have this one:

7066.jpg

And I assume that's the other here:

7082.jpg

Are they from the same date?

I don't consider Ventura a very interesting player - he's playing a bit too much "for the crowd" and is not all that subtle...

However, Bill Harris and Dave Tough are smokin' indeed!

I think my want for Ventura is satisfied by this disc and the parts of the Mosaic (which, in part, are quite good - but just as with Bill Harris, I think Ventura is no match for Flip Phillips, really).

I'll have to consider this second Highnote disc, though, on the strenghts of the first!

Gee, thought I could easily tell you if the tracks on disc 2 were from the same date, but there are no dates on either cd, beyond the year! Tracks 1-5 are from 1947, but track 5, Dark Eyes is from a Carnagie hall concert, track 6 Broadway, is from a birdland broadcast from 1952, without Tough of course. But the first 5 tracks are very nearly as good as the tracks on the first cd. (I thought one of the cds mentioned there was enough music for 3 cds total, but can't find that in the liner notes, perhaps wishful thinking)

I like Ventura a lot, but on this here board, I am in the minority. ^_^

Edited by BERIGAN
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Thanks Berigan! I guess you're well-trained on being in the minority from the politics section :P

I don't really dislike Ventura, it's just that I don't find him to be the most compelling musician (while contrary, Bill Harris is a musician I can return to and find more and more enjoyable and more and more rich in nuances at each go I have).

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I'm a Ventura fan. I just felt the former recommendation thread had said enough!

Same here.

Got my start in Venturaland at a pretty early age when I heard a tune by him on a Savoy ten-inch compilation of tenor sax greats! Can't remember the tune but liked his agressive tone!

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