"Norman Granz's Jazz Scene" on Night Lights

[ghost of miles]

This week on Night Lights it’s “Norman Granz’s Jazz Scene.” Jazz impresario Norman Granz, who started the popular Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tour series in the 1940s as well as the record label that came to be known as Verve, also produced a lavish package of jazz recordings that was somewhat akin to an early box-set: The Jazz Scene, a folio packet of six 78 records with an accompanying set of photographs of some of the top jazz artists of the day and liner notes for each musical selection. In his introductory note Granz wrote, “This is our attempt to present today’s jazz scene in terms of the visual, the written word, and the auditory,” and emphasized that he’d given the set’s musicians complete artistic freedom. Among those appearing in the collection were Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, pianist and arranger Ralph Burns, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Latin jazz bandleader Machito. The set was issued in a limited edition of 5,000 copies and sold for a cool $25 (yes, that’s 1949 dollars).

“Norman Granz’s Jazz Scene” airs Saturday, September 9 at 11 p.m. EST on WFIU and at 9 p.m. Central Time on WNIN-Evansville. It will be posted Monday afternoon in the Night Lights archives.

Next week: "Jazz Goes Disney."

[Big Al]

I own this wonderful set, and this oughta be a great show!

[Fer Urbina]

I own this wonderful set, and this oughta be a great show!

Ditto.

This set, like the "Birks Works" discussed elsewhere comes from what is IMHO a sort of golden age of reissues at what used to be PolyGram, in the mid-90s and under Richard Seidel. They did some excellent reissues, and more importantly, they *stuffed* CDs, like the 2 LPs in 1 CD (Gloomy Sunday/How to succeed...), 3 LPs in 2 CDs (like a couple of Ben Webster sets) or even 4 LPs in 2 CDs (the Lee Konitz/Jimmy Giuffre set).

F

[ghost of miles]

I own this wonderful set, and this oughta be a great show!

Ditto.

This set, like the "Birks Works" discussed elsewhere comes from what is IMHO a sort of golden age of reissues at what used to be PolyGram, in the mid-90s and under Richard Seidel. They did some excellent reissues, and more importantly, they *stuffed* CDs, like the 2 LPs in 1 CD (Gloomy Sunday/How to succeed...), 3 LPs in 2 CDs (like a couple of Ben Webster sets) or even 4 LPs in 2 CDs (the Lee Konitz/Jimmy Giuffre set).

F

A golden age indeed. Michael Lang, Ben Young, and Peter Pullman were some of the other folks involved w/the Polygram reissue program at the time. Re: The Jazz Scene, the bonus material on disc 2 is really good as well. I bought this set in late 1994, shortly after it came out, when I was in the first throes of my love affair with jazz, and TJS served as my introduction to Ralph Burns, George Handy, and Machito.

"Norman Granz's Jazz Scene" up for broadcast in about five minutes on WNIN-Evansville, and again in about an hour and five minutes on WFIU.

[Big Al]

There's a used copy of this set sitting at the Half-Price Books on S. Cooper St. in Arlington. Been there for a while. I'm surprised no one's picked it up.

[ghost of miles]

"Norman Granz's Jazz Scene" is now archived.

[ghost of miles]

This program will air tonight at 10 EST on Michigan's Blue Lake Public Radio.

[Big Al]

A wonderful show it is, too. Adds even more insight to an already insightful collection!