new king oliver

[kenny weir]

Has anyone heard this? (Yet)

I'm listening to the samples right now, and it does indeed sound very bloody good.

http://www.archeophone.com/product_info.php?products_id=85

King Oliver, Off the Record: The Complete 1923 Jazz Band Recordings

[ARCH OTR-MM6-C2] $31.99 $28.99

The 37 issued titles by King Oliver's (Creole) Jazz Band are among the finest recordings of genuine New Orleans Jazz ever recorded! The sheer drive, imagination and power found on these 1923 recordings have inspired countless musicians, collectors, and jazz fans.

While universally treasured, these gems have been largely inaccessible sonically for two reasons:

the limitations of the original recordings themselves

the fact no reissue has yet presented these performances in a consistent manner, bringing out their true characteristics.

Off the Record offers an amazingly fresh and simple alternative - one that proves to be a definitive step in presenting these truly classic sides. By special arrangement with Archeophone Records, Off the Record is proud to present all 37 issued titles by the Oliver band, newly transferred from the best available original sources, issued on two compact discs. Engineer and master sound recording restoration specialist Doug Benson - known for his definitive work on "The Complete Hit of the Week" on Archeophone Records - and David Sager - jazz historian and trombonist - have searched far and wide to gain access to the cleanest copies of all the Oliver discs, including the unique copy of "Zulus Ball" and "Working Man Blues." Using a meticulous musical ear, a wide variety of styli and the subtlest application of digital technology, Benson, perhaps for the first time, has revealed the natural ambience of these discs.

Unprecedented Detail and Clarity

The Oliver ensemble has never been heard to better advantage. Passages long accepted as muddy and indistinct pour forth with unprecedented clarity. The sterling ensemble work and swing of "Canal Street Blues" has never sounded more compelling. Even the introduction of the ultra-rare "Zulus Ball," often lamented for its poor condition, shines through crystal clear!

Straight off the discs with as little processing as possible

There is no better way to bring these old discs to life than with the right stylus, a sensitive ear, and careful application of non-invasive processing. Whereas many reissues are marred by over-processing, resulting in muffled sound and/or digital artifacts, Off the Record has judiciously applied just enough non-invasive technique in order to remove ticks, pops, harsh resonances and other unwelcome noise - leaving the music to speak for itself.

Expertly Speed Corrected

Just because we call 'em 78s doesn't mean that they really are. Sound recordings from the early days of sound recording rarely spin at exactly 78 rpm. Back in those days there was no standardization regarding speed; often discs ran at 70, 76, or even 85 rpm! Of course if you want to hear the music the way it was played, the discs must spin at the same speed at which they were recorded. All 37 sides here have been painstakingly adjusted so that they play in correct pitch and tempo.

The King and Louis

The 1923 Oliver records are notable in so many ways, not the least of which is that they are the earliest recordings of Louis Armstrong. The inspiring anecdotes about the musical kinship between the 22-year-old Armstrong and his mentor, "Papa Joe" are endless. Now, with sonic clarity that has never before been realized, hear these two great masters on selections such as "Weather Bird Rag" and "Snake Rag" as they harmonize, drive the ensemble, and play their legendary breaks.

The Dodds Brothers, Dutrey and Miss Lil Too!

You will also hear the soaring, heroic sound of Johnny Dodds' clarinet, masterfully wrapping the ensemble with his magical obbligati. And don't forget brother Baby Dodds: though his drum set was often reduced to woodblock, Chinese tom-tom and cymbal (for the sake of the recording method), his contribution can now be heard for what it was: supportive, rhythmic and exciting as on the great Paramount recording of "Mabel's Dream." The great tailgate trombone of Honore Dutrey and the swinging piano of Lil Hardin come through like never before!

Read all about it

The package includes a handsome 32 page illustrated booklet containing:

Scholarly and thoughtful essay by David Sager on the Oliver Band, with many hitherto unpublished facts.

Photographs and historical documents - both rare and well known - including shots of each and every label!

Engineer Doug Benson's explanatory note on the techniques used for this landmark reissue.

A preface by the dean of jazz journalists, Dan Morgenstern.

Discography of the 37 Oliver recordings.

Technical information chart showing playback speeds, styli used and record condition.

Layout and design by the folks at Archeophone Records - alone, this is worth the price of admission!

Praise for King Oliver, Off the Record

Hear what these famous and widely respected critics, producers and scholars have to say about King Oliver - Off the Record:

"To hear these astonishing transfers is, in a very real sense, to truly hear this music for the first time."

- Dan Morgenstern, Director, Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies

"…Here at last is what I believe to be the closest anyone has gotten to reproducing what Oliver laid down in those glorious few months before Louis split."

- George Avakian, Recipient, 2000 Down Beat Lifetime Achievement Award

"The realism and dimension of these fresh transfers from 80+ year old artifacts confirm that the king Oliver band was inspired, inspiring, and unforgettable."

- Dick Spottswood, author/compiler, Ethnic Music on Records

"…Maybe you can hear the Oliver band's music in far greater detail than if you'd been lucky enough to be in the Lincoln Gardens in 1923 with jostling and shoving and feet stepping on yours."

- Lawrence Gushee, author, Pioneers of Jazz: The Story of the Creole Band

Catalogue number: ARCH OTR-MM6-C2

UPC: 777215111028

Running length: 104:59 / 37 tracks (2 CD set)

Booklet: 32 page booklet

Tracks recorded: 1923

Disc 1

1. Just Gone

2. Canal Street Blues

3. Mandy Lee Blues

4. I'm Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind

5. Chimes Blues

6. Weather Bird Rag

7. Dipper Mouth Blues

8. Froggie Moore

9. Snake Rag

10. Snake Rag

11. Sweet Lovin' Man

12. High Society Rag

13. Sobbin' Blues

14. Where Did You Stay Last Night

15. Dipper Mouth Blues

16. Jazzin' Babies Blues

Disc 2

1. Alligator Hop

2. Zulu's Ball

3. Workingman Blues

4. Krooked Blues

5. Chattanooga Stomp

6. London (Café) Blues

7. Camp Meeting Blues

8. New Orleans Stomp

9. Buddy's Habit

10. Tears

11. I Ain't Gonna Tell Nobody

12. Room Rent Blues

13. Riverside Blues

14. Sweet Baby Doll

15. Working Man Blues

16. Mabel's Dream

17. Mabel's Dream [take 1]

18. Mabel's Dream [take 2]

19. The Southern Stomps [take 1]

20. The Southern Stomps [take 2]

21. Riverside Blues

Edited November 11, 2006 by kenny weir

[Harold_Z]

Egads !

I've got to buy these for the SEVENTH time!!??

I've Got the:

Riverside

The Fantsasy

The Herwin

The King Jazz

The Swaggie

The Retrieval (I think...maybe Oracle?)

The samples DO sound good...But I won't be sure until I hear the cds on my system. So far the best I've heard (By Far!) are the JRT Davies issues, bot on lp and cd (yeah...I bought 'em all.).

This sounds like it's worth going for.

[John L]

Good news.

This is one of the only set of recordings for which I would always invest in a sonic upgrade.

[John L]

Just got my copy

This was a HELL of band, and this is one hell of a sonic upgrade.

Harold: Don't hesitate. I have the Davies' transfers too. This is the next phase, a whole new level.

Edited December 13, 2006 by John L

[kenny weir]

I have had mine for a couple of weeks - and am enjoying it right now in the office.

It's definitely superior to my old copy - but not quite the quantum leap I was kinda hoping for. I guess those expectations are never gonna be met with this sort of thing, and improvements are all relative.

In any case, I'm a happy camper. Johnny Dodds sounds great, as does Bill Johnson - positively funky!

Edited December 14, 2006 by kenny weir

[Neal Pomea]

Did this just come out recently?

It's the kind of thing Rob Bamberger would cover on his radio show Hot Jazz Saturday Night on WAMU in Washington DC, but I believe he did a whole show on Oliver this summer (or was that last year, so it's time for another special? )

Thanks for calling it to attention.

[kenny weir]

Brand new, as fas as I can tell.

[J.A.W.]

The Retrieval King Oliver set sounds awful to my ears; they used John R.T. Davies transfers, but unfortunately they were no-noised to death in the process.

Doug Benson, who did the transfers for the new Archeophone set, consulted Davies (just in time!) - see also this thread on the Hoffman forum.

Edited December 14, 2006 by J.A.W.

[Harold_Z]

I can't resist this. I'm pulling the trigger as soon as the holidays are past...unless thru some miracle I see it in a store first.

[AllenLowe]

Davies did not use No Noise - just Cedar on occassion, and he did not do any de-hissing - just take those Retrievals and boost the treble on your system (or use a good EQ) and all the highs will return -

[J.A.W.]

Davies did not use No Noise - just Cedar on occassion, and he did not do any de-hissing - just take those Retrievals and boost the treble on your system (or use a good EQ) and all the highs will return -

I did not say that Davies used NoNoise; he didn't. I'm told that Retrieval applied noise reduction when they used Davies' transfers.

Boosting the treble isn't an option in systems (like mine) that don't have tone controls or an equalizer. Besides, highs that have been removed from music can't be restored, they're lost forever - what's gone is gone...

Edited December 26, 2008 by J.A.W.

[AllenLowe]

just to add - Davies was a great engineer and did some terrific work - however, some of his stuff does sound a little dead on the high end, but it has nothing to do with digital - this is because for a long time he transferred everything to open-reel tape at a speed of 7.5 IPS; he did this in order to scrape away at the tape to elimiate pops and clicks. Though this was an ingenious method, it often resulted in a deadening of the high end - even an old recording, put at a tape speed like 7.5, will suffer loss of high-end signal. And those Hoffman guys don't know it, but he did use CEDAR a lot in his last years; I have this info from a US mastering engineer who knew him well.

[Clunky]

Dang...I only last year upgraded from a poor EMI LP of 16 of these sides to the full Retrieval set. I was hughly impressed with the sound of JRT's transfered. I thought they sounded almost as good as decent electric recordings... what do I know. Add to the list .....sometime mid 2008