Quadromania Box Sets?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

This Mozart Symphony box with Ernest Bour, which I've seen recently at Half-Price Books, is a gem:

http://www.amazon.de/The-Essential-Symphon...2786&sr=1-7

Got mine a couple of years ago.

Don't know about any of their jazz stuff. Would be reluctant there on moral grounds in any case.

Well, perhaps you could advise me about a better set of Cab Calloway, Larry.

MG

[Larry Kart]

This Mozart Symphony box with Ernest Bour, which I've seen recently at Half-Price Books, is a gem:

http://www.amazon.de/The-Essential-Symphon...2786&sr=1-7

Got mine a couple of years ago.

Don't know about any of their jazz stuff. Would be reluctant there on moral grounds in any case.

Well, perhaps you could advise me about a better set of Cab Calloway, Larry.

MG

I like the orchestra, but Cab himself gives me the creeps, so I'm not the best person for advice. The Mosaic Chu Berry box?

[jazzbo]

JSP has several comprehensive Cab Calloway sets, nothing to complain about at all, very good sound, inclusive discographic material.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2113122

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5893680

Edited December 25, 2008 by jazzbo

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

JSP has several comprehensive Cab Calloway sets, nothing to complain about at all, very good sound, inclusive discographic material.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2113122

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5893680

Wow! Thanks Lon, that looks like what I want - at least for the thirties. Is there another set covering the forties? Couldn't see one.

MG

[jazzbo]

Not yet. . .I imagine JSP will get to it, but I'm not sure there's a set anywhere compiling all the forties sides. Some nice single disc offerings. . . .

[J.A.W.]

Interestingly enough, last night I just listened to a Harry James Quadromania 4-CD set I bought years ago.

It sucks if you own a somewhat audiophile system.

Each and every CD has been no-noised to death.

Membran has put out some good stuff recently, but these late 90s/early 2000s sets are horrible.

Disclaimer: If you just want the music cheap, you play it in the car/on some boom box, or you just want to have a starting reference point, these sets can't be beat. I think I paid a Euro or two for 4 jam-packed CDs with Harry James.

I agree with Volkher in his old post above, those Quadromania boxes suck big time sonically, they have indeed been

no-noised to death. Awful.

Edited December 25, 2008 by J.A.W.

[J.A.W.]

JSP has several comprehensive Cab Calloway sets, nothing to complain about at all, very good sound, inclusive discographic material.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2113122

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5893680

Wow! Thanks Lon, that looks like what I want - at least for the thirties. Is there another set covering the forties? Couldn't see one.

MG

I'd also recommend those JSP Calloway sets. The earlier discs were mastered by the late John R.T. Davies, the later ones by his "successor" Ted Kendall. For once JSP paid for the masterings instead of "borrowing" them from labels like Bear Family and Mosaic.

Edited December 25, 2008 by J.A.W.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks Lon & Hans - I've put those two boxes into my Amazon wish list, so I don't forget them.

MG

[Swinging Swede]

Classics has released 13 Cab Calloway CDs covering his complete output 1930-1955. Many of them may be OOP now, but perhaps not impossible to find.

I'm not a fan of Calloway's vocals, but his band was one of the best, and especially the late 30s-early 40s edition with Chu Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Cozy Cole, Milt Hinton and others was great.

[J.A.W.]

Classics has released 13 Cab Calloway CDs covering his complete output 1930-1955. Many of them may be OOP now, but perhaps not impossible to find.

I'm not a fan of Calloway's vocals, but his band was one of the best, and especially the late 30s-early 40s edition with Chu Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Cozy Cole, Milt Hinton and others was great.

I prefer the JSP sets, even though they do not cover the entire period (how much Calloway does one really need?? ). The Classics are a mixed bag sonically, while the JSP sets sound relatively fine.

Edit: just checked, the two JSP sets (8 CDs) cover the years 1930-1940.

Edited December 25, 2008 by J.A.W.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

(how much Calloway does one really need?? ).

Calloway's music was a social document - much more so than, say, Duke Ellington's, which documents a genius. It seems to me that there is more importance in a comprehensive view of a social document, than of a great genius. YMMV, of course

MG

[tranemonk]

What does "no-noised to death" mean? Seriously..... :unsure:

Interestingly enough, last night I just listened to a Harry James Quadromania 4-CD set I bought years ago.

It sucks if you own a somewhat audiophile system.

Each and every CD has been no-noised to death.

Membran has put out some good stuff recently, but these late 90s/early 2000s sets are horrible.

Disclaimer: If you just want the music cheap, you play it in the car/on some boom box, or you just want to have a starting reference point, these sets can't be beat. I think I paid a Euro or two for 4 jam-packed CDs with Harry James.

I agree with Volkher in his old post above, those Quadromania boxes suck big time sonically, they have indeed been

no-noised to death. Awful.

[Swinging Swede]

It means "cedarized to death".

[medjuck]

The only one I have is the Pee Wee Russell which includes the Candid set with Coleman Hawkins. The sound is completely different with the bass pumped way up. (I gotta admit I sort of like it that way.) They're so sloppy that they repeat one song twice and leave out one they list in their completely inadequate notes.

[ejp626]

I think they do best with material from the 1950s (where the sound isn't too bad), particularly that is slightly more obscure (no real point in getting the Quadromania of Miles Davis or Stan Getz or Mingus). I only have one -- James Moody and that seems pretty good.