Jack Purvis Jazz Oracle set

[ghost of miles]

There was some discussion of this set's forthcoming release on that other board we all used to frequent (and I don't mean AAJ or Harlem). Today I finally finished listening to it and can give it a hearty endorsement for anybody who likes or loves early jazz and hot trumpet playing. The English researcher who helped spark this set uncovered more than 400 sides on which Purvis--a flamboyant, unstable musician who grew up in Kokomo, Indiana--played. Those were pared down to about 70 for the 3-CD Jazz Oracle set, which comes with a 60-page booklet, including a biography of Purvis and notes on the music by Michael Brooks. Purvis had an erratic but intense sound, and it's fascinating to hear him with Hal Kemp and other lesser-known bands of the late 20's and early 30's, as well as with the Boswell Sisters on two tracks. Hearing Purvis' unpredictable trumpet among some tracks that undoubtedly were pedestrian in their day gives one a broader context of the jazz/entertainment sounds of the times; it's easy for a listener like me to forget sometimes that not everybody was Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, Bix, etc., and that a lot of interesting players were recording in so-so musical settings. Anyway, definitely worth it for those with a predilection for the era:

Purvis

[Out2Lunch]

The music is good but the booklet that chronicles the legend of Purvis is great! What a whacked-out life!!

[BERIGAN]

Guys...explain something to me....I have this set on pre-order from Cduniverse...they and amazon show a May 27th release date, yet Ghost got it thru Oracle a while back and it has been on worldsrecords.com site for a while as well...a shorter timeframe Mosaic select kind of thing????

[jazzbo]

No idea, but it's not a Mosaic Select type thing.