Complete Victor Recordings

Complete Victor Recordings

Complete Victor Recordings

ASIN: B000002W3E

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Jelly Roll Morton recorded voluminously for RCA, and this five-CD set includes many of the masterpieces of New Orleans jazz, the bulk of them recorded between 1926 and 1930, when Morton's art was at its peak. First recording in Chicago and later in New York, the great composer evolved his style within its own terms, gradually moving from fairly tight arrangements of his compositions to a more expansive approach that increasingly exploited the special talents of his players. Whether playing with musicians whose names are obscure today, or with some of the most famous names from the early history of jazz, like Red Allen, Bubber Miley, Zutty Singleton, and Baby Dodds, Morton created music of relaxed verve, often favoring medium tempos that highlighted his keen sense of detail. In addition to all the great band tracks, there are superb trios featuring the clarinets of Omer Simeon and Johnny Dodds, as well as fine solo piano pieces. Among early jazz recordings, these rank in importance with those of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. --Stuart Broomer

Complete Victor Recordings,Jelly Roll Morton,RCA,Jazz,Jazz Music,Jazz Traditional,Pop
The Complete RCA Victor Recordings: 1937-1949
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great innovative jazz an' a piece of history...
  • Can we have a remaster?
  • Oop-Bob-Sh-BAM!!
  • Boppin!
  • Lots of great early Diz in one spot...unlike the LPs
 The Complete RCA Victor Recordings: 1937-1949
Dizzy Gillespie
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Latin Music | Styles | Music
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  1. The Complete Decca Recordings
  2. Diz 'N Bird at Carnegie Hall
  3. Charlie Parker: A Studio Chronicle 1940-1948
  4. Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945
  5. The Hot Fives & Sevens

ASIN: B000002WRX
Release Date: 1995-01-24

Tracks:

  1. Manteca
  2. Anthropology
  3. King Porter Stomp
  4. Yours And Mine
  5. Blue Rhythm Fantasy
  6. Hot Mallets
  7. 52nd Street Theme - Take 1
  8. 52nd Street Theme - Take 2
  9. Night In Tunisia - Take 1
  10. Night In Tunisia - Incomplete Take
  11. Ol' Man Rebop
  12. Anthropology - Take 1
  13. Ow!
  14. Oop-Pop-A-Da
  15. Two Bass Hit
  16. Stay On It
  17. Algo Bueno (Woody 'N You)
  18. Cool Breeze
  19. Cubana Be
  20. Cubana Bop
  21. Ool-Ya-Koo
  22. Minor Walk

Tracks:

  1. Good Bait
  2. Guarachi Guaro
  3. Duff Capers
  4. Lover, Come Back To Me
  5. I'm Be Boppin' Too
  6. Swedish Suite
  7. St. Louis Blues
  8. I Should Care
  9. That Old Black Magic
  10. You Go To My Head
  11. Jump Did-Le Ba
  12. Dizzier And Dizzier
  13. I'm Be Boppin' Too - Take 2
  14. Hey Pete! Le's Eat More Meat
  15. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
  16. If Love Is Trouble
  17. In The Land Of Oo-Bla-Dee
  18. Overtime - Shorter Take
  19. Overtime - Longer Take
  20. Victory Ball - Shorter Take
  21. Victory Ball - Longer Take

Amazon.com

These two Diz discs bookend two-years'-worth of late-'40s Gillespie orchestra recordings with some earlier Teddy Hill Orchestra and Lionel Hampton Orchestra sides. Actually, the '40s Gillespie-helmed recordings of "Manteca" and "Anthropology" begin the first disc, but that's kind of a sequencing quirk. Also included here are later Metronome All-Stars baubles. Here's a generous and savory taste of Gillespie ascending. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Great innovative jazz an' a piece of history..........2007-07-05

This collection may seem a lil' overwhelming if you're a firsttime listener, an' its definitely too broad for a thorough straight through listen, as many'a the takes appear a few times in different incarnations. But if your a fan'a bebop an' of the early years of jazz music, then you'll more than likely eat this up. Dizzy was indisputably one'a the innovators an' had one'a the longest an' most profilic careers of all jazz legends.

With forty-three tracks total, there isn't much sense in tryin'ta list highlights, but I will say that 'A Night in Tunisia' is one'a my favorite jazz recordings ever (though I admit I have an affinity for Parker's version from the Dial Years) and this early interpretation of 'That Old Black Magic' is priceless. All in all, there is nothing not worth a listen on here, an' the different and unfinished takes reinforce the feeling that we're gettin' in on a decade's worth of brilliant, exciting musical evolution. Highly recommended for the already-initiated.

4 out of 5 stars Can we have a remaster?.......2005-12-13

Of course this is a fine collection. Of course Dizzy's big band in the forties made some fantastic music. Of course this is an indispensible part of jazz history. But oh, the sound...

Previous issues of this music on both CD and vinyl far surpass this one in terms of sound quality. The dreaded nineties-era noise reduction technology is all over this music, taking great hunks of sonic elements away from these vital performances. Since Bluebird corrected similar problems by issuing the Blanton/Webster sides by Duke Ellington, should they not do the same for these great records?

5 out of 5 stars Oop-Bob-Sh-BAM!!.......2004-11-23

From the first time I heard Dizzy's big band, on a now-defunct RCA Vintage LP ("The Bebop Era"), I was hooked...then I found out that my father had heard the band for FREE when he worked at the Metropole in NYC on 52nd Street...and HATED it because Dizzy didn't play like Sammy Kaye (his favorite band)!! How I envied and disliked him for that!!

These innovative Gil Fuller arrangements, in which the entire trumpet section swung like five Dizzies, are simply staggering. The music swirls and eddies, jumps and dives like a hyperactive jazz dancer. And all the soloists are fabulous: inventive, original, highly swinging. The jam sessions at the Metronome All-Star sessions are also very historic, with a trumpet section of Dizzy, Miles Davis and Fats Navarro, all trying to sound like Dizzy in their solos (and succeeding!), as well as scintillating piano solos by the brilliant but anti-social Lennie Tristano. All in all, an exciting and important album that no jazz lover should be without.

5 out of 5 stars Boppin!.......2003-12-06

Dizzy Gillespie's style was the nemesis of Miles Davis's. Introspection doesn't seem to have been a word often used in Diz's vocabulary, musical or otherwise. His playing did have a 'dizzying' effect always putting speed, dynamism and drama at the forefront of his performances. On this collection Gillespie's talent as a bandleader and musical arranger also come to the fore. He had of course a great theoretical knowledge of music and wasn't afraid to pass this on to other musicians by way of help and encouragement. With the big bands here he manages to register bebop lines in a larger sound and the over-all enthusiasm shows through.

Throughout this collection Gillespie never loses sight of the desire to swing despite his revolutionary tendacy to subvert traditional chord structure. 'Hot Mallets' swings like hell over great xelophone playing that also features on 'Blue Rhythm Fantasy'. The first version of '52nd Street Theme' is amazingly fluent while the second version goes in for greater improvisation. The bebop standard 'A Night In Tunisia' gets its greatest rendition here in its original form with Diz's no-holds emphatic sound. Gillespie's generosity to other musicians can be heard on 'Ol' Man Rebop' where each soloist takes his turn exercising his own bop interpretations. The most incessantly driving tracks on these CD's are the two versions of 'Anthropology' which rock like crazy. I also loved the rolling end of 'Ow!' and the swinging shout of 'Cool Breeze'. With 'Cubana Be' and 'Cubana Bop', Gillepie moves into even greater experimental territory. Each display a menancing rhythm like the growing stampede of an elephant herd backed up by Gillespie's elephant sounding shrieks on the trumpet.

More brash and emphatic playing on 'Minor Walk' and 'Lover Come Back To Me' proves to be yet another shining example of Dizzy as a great arranger. The backing brass jumps about at its own frenetic pace while Gillespie's trumpet bursts with energy and of course there's also the tight technical arrangement of the 'Overtime' tracks. The footstomping 'I'm Beboppin' Too' could be a manifesto for the whole bebop movement, while tracks like 'Jump Did La Ba' shows an early example of bop scat-singing. In contrast you have tracks that still swing (almost violently in Dizzy's case) like his interpretation of St. Louis Blues.

What always shows through in Dizzy's playing is his total enjoyment and utter euphoria, something that he shares with few other jazz players (the most notable exception being Louis Armstrong). All in all a marvellous collection for Dizzy fans.

4 out of 5 stars Lots of great early Diz in one spot...unlike the LPs.......2003-08-29

All of this stuff is contained on the RCA Victor Vintage Series LPs of Diz, and another RCA LP called "The Best Of Dizzy Gillespie" - but how nice it is to see it all in one spot. The two different takes (one abbreviated) of "Night In Tunisia", "Manteca", "Anthropology", the Afro-Cubano stuff with Chano Pozo, on and on...even the Teddy Hill cuts. Any serious student or fan of Diz must have this. Yes, there are a few 'filler' cuts, but hey - that's historic, too! Now what really would be nice would be to see a Prestige CD of what was contained in the 2LP set "In The Beginning" with stuff like "She's Gone Again" and "He Beeped When He Should'a Bopped", and the like. I'll have to dig further...
The Best of the Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful, Enjoyable, Memorable: Material, Playing, Recording
 The Best of the Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings
Paul Desmond
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cool JazzCool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00004NKA3
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Tracks:

  1. My Funny Valentine
  2. Take Ten
  3. Nancy
  4. Body And Soul
  5. Poor Butterfly
  6. By The River Sainte Marie
  7. Bossa Antigua
  8. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
  9. When Joanna Loved Me
  10. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

Amazon.com

Paul Desmond's supremely lyrical alto saxophone and his gift for odd time signatures nestled for decades in the Dave Brubeck quartet, but there's something very special about the recording dates he made under his own name. This one-CD digest of the five-CD Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings collects tracks recorded between 1961 and 1965, usually with the altoist matched with the superb guitarist Jim Hall, a musician possessed of comparable lyricism, economy, and harmonic gifts. The settings range from woodwinds and strings to subtle Latin rhythms; throughout there are beautifully realized versions of the standard repertoire, with tunes like "My Funny Valentine" heard through the luminous gauze of Desmond's sound. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Enjoyable, Memorable: Material, Playing, Recording.......2007-05-07

This has been one of my "evergreen" favorite CDs for some time. Makes for a captivating listening session. The cut "By The River St. Marie" just shimmers with sensitive, tuneful melody and structure, held aloft by sweet interplaying between Desmond and Hall. Yes, the complete RCA issue is tempting, but consider this a fulfilling standalone collection-within-a-collection.
Louis Armstrong: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • one of the best box sets of satchmo.
 Louis Armstrong: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949
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  3. The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings
  4. Esquire All-American Jazz Concert
  5. The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1935-1939

ASIN: B000003G75
Release Date: 1997-01-28

Tracks:

  1. That's My Home
  2. Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train
  3. I Hate To Leave You Now
  4. You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born
  5. Medley Of Armstrong Hits-Part 1: I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You/When It's Sleepy...
  6. Medley Of Armstrong Hits-Part 2: When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah
  7. I've Got The World On A String
  8. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
  9. Hustlin' And Bustlin' For Baby
  10. Sittin' In The Dark
  11. High Society
  12. He's A Son Of The South
  13. Some Sweet Day
  14. Basin Street Blues
  15. Honey, Do!
  16. Snowball
  17. Mahogany Hall Stomp
  18. Swing, You Cats!

Tracks:

  1. Honey, Dont You Love Me Anymore?
  2. Mississippi Basin
  3. Laughin' Louie
  4. Tomorrow Night
  5. Dusky Stevedore
  6. There's A Cabin In The Pines
  7. Mighty River
  8. Sweet Sue, Just You
  9. I Wonder Who
  10. St. Louis Blues
  11. Don't Play Me Cheap
  12. That's My Home (Alternate)
  13. Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train (Alternate)
  14. I Hate To Leave You Now (Alternate)
  15. You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born (Alternate)
  16. Medley Of Armstrong HIts-Part 2 (Alternate): When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah
  17. Mississippi Basin (Alternate)
  18. Laughin' Louie (Alternate)
  19. Tomorrow Night (Alternate)
  20. Blue Yodel No.9

Tracks:

  1. Long, Long Journey
  2. Snafu
  3. Linger In My Arms A Little Longer
  4. Whatta Ya Gonna Do
  5. No Variety Blues
  6. Joseph 'N' His Brudders
  7. Back O' Town Blues
  8. I Want A Little Girl
  9. Sugar
  10. Blues For Yesterday
  11. Blues In The South
  12. Endie
  13. The Blues Are Brewin'
  14. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?
  15. Where The Blues Were Born In New Orleans
  16. Mahogany Hall Stomp
  17. I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder
  18. I Believe
  19. Why Doubt My Love?

Tracks:

  1. It Takes Time
  2. You Don't Learn That In School
  3. Ain't Misbehavin'
  4. Rockin' Chair
  5. Back O' Town Blues
  6. Pennies From Heaven
  7. Save It Pretty Mama
  8. St. James Infirmary
  9. Jack-Armstrong Blues
  10. Rockin' Chair
  11. Some Day You'll Be Sorry
  12. Fifty-Fifty Blues
  13. A Song Was Born
  14. Please Stop Playin' Those Blues, Boy
  15. Before Long
  16. Lovely Weather We're Having
  17. Rain, Rain
  18. Never Saw A Better Day

Amazon.com

Louis Armstrong recorded for RCA Victor for two relatively brief periods in his long career, in the early days of his big band (1932 to '33) and in the period when he broke up the orchestra and returned to a New Orleans-style smaller ensemble (1946 to '47). This four-CD set is evenly divided between the two periods. The early big bands--first drummer Chick Webb's and then the trumpeter's own--provide a comfortable setting for Armstrong, who simply reigned supreme among jazz soloists of the period, with peerless invention and a stunning flexibility. He was defining the jazz singer's art as well, his subtle phrasing transforming even casual songs as convincingly as his flamboyant horn. Purists have often mourned Armstrong's shift to large groups, but these are fine bands, driven along by potent drummers like Webb and Big Sid Carlett and manned by distinguished players like saxophonists Louis Jordan and Budd Johnson and pianist Teddy Wilson. The later recordings find Armstrong leading superb groups, with old associates like trombonist Kid Ory, clarinetist Barney Bigard, and drummer Zutty Singleton and classic repertoire like Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair." The Town Hall recordings from 1947, with Armstrong trading vocals and solos with trombonist Jack Teagarden, are among Louis's greatest work. The set also includes meetings with other musical icons. Armstrong provides bluesy trumpet accompaniment to country singer Jimmie Rodgers on a rendition of "Blue Yodel No. 9" and meets Duke Ellington on record for the first time on "Long, Long Journey." --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars one of the best box sets of satchmo........1999-08-06

it is just an all around excellent box set. i recommend it to any jazz fan.
The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Choice Desmond - Choose RCA and/or Mosaic
  • Paul Desmond
  • Ultimate Paul Desmond Set
  • By the way...
  • The Romantic Duo: Paul Desmond and Jim Hall.
 The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Paul Desmond
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cool JazzCool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Box Sets | Stores | Music
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  1. The Paul Desmond Quartet Live

ASIN: B000003G76
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

  1. My Funny Valentine
  2. Desmond Blue
  3. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
  4. I've Got You Under My Skin
  5. Late Lament
  6. I Should Care
  7. Like Someone In Love
  8. Ill Wind
  9. Body And Soul
  10. Advise And Consent
  11. Autumn Leaves
  12. Imagination

Tracks:

  1. Take Ten
  2. El Prince
  3. Alone Together
  4. Embarcadero
  5. The Theme From Black Orpheus
  6. Nancy
  7. Samba De Orpheu
  8. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
  9. Out Of Nowhere
  10. Embarcadero (Alternate Take)
  11. Prince (Alternate Take)

Tracks:

  1. Glad To Be Unhappy
  2. Poor Butterfly
  3. Stranger In Town
  4. A Taste Of Honey
  5. Any Other Time
  6. Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo
  7. Angel Eyes
  8. By The River Sainte Marie
  9. All Across The City
  10. All Through The Night

Tracks:

  1. Bossa Antigua
  2. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
  3. O Gato
  4. Samba Cantina
  5. Curacao Doloroso
  6. Ship Without A Sall
  7. Alianca
  8. The Girl from East 9Th Street
  9. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Alternate Take)
  10. Samba Cepeda
  11. O Gato (Alternate Take)

Tracks:

  1. When Joanna Loves Me
  2. That Old Feeling
  3. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
  4. Here's That Rainy Day
  5. Easy Living
  6. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
  7. Bewitched
  8. Blues For Fun
  9. Rude Old Man
  10. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Alternate Take)
  11. Bewitched (Alternate Take)

Amazon.com

Desmond's supremely lyrical alto saxophone and his gift for odd time signatures nestled for decades in the Dave Brubeck quartet, but there's something very special about the recording dates he made under his own name. This five-CD set collects five LPs and alternate takes recorded between 1961 and 1965, usually with the altoist matched with the superb guitarist Jim Hall, a musician possessed of comparable lyricism, economy, and harmonic gifts. The settings range from woodwinds and strings for the Desmond Blue album to the subtle Latin rhythms of the Bossa Antigua session; throughout there are beautifully realized versions of the standard repertoire, with tunes like "My Funny Valentine" and "Alone Together" heard through the luminous gauze of Desmond's sound. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Choice Desmond - Choose RCA and/or Mosaic.......2004-04-21

I appreciate the previous reviewers here - and while I do not own this RCA set, I do own the almost identical Mosaic label(out-of-print) set which I treasure above ALL of my hundreds of CDs and LPs.
Since the Mosaic set was more pricey and is now a collector's item - you would be well advised to pick up this set if you like Desmond. In fact, I'd recommend you go for everything Desmond recorded in a quartet format with either of two guitarists: Jim Hall and Ed Bickert.
I have dozens of Desmond recording acquired over decades and pure, unadulterated Desmond (without strings or orchestra) is as good as it gets. Get this set for your ears and your soul.

5 out of 5 stars Paul Desmond.......2003-02-20

Having listened to Paul Desmond from the late 50's on this has got to be one of the best collections ever. The synergy between Hall and Desmond is nothing short of a beautiful mystery. No doubt these two set standards that have yet to be surpassed. Lyrical is an understatement for the beautiful sounds Desmond and Hall produce. If you like Jazz then this is a must have collection.

5 out of 5 stars Ultimate Paul Desmond Set.......2001-11-25

This whole box set is a fabulous jazz collection. It's the best of Paul Desmond. I recommend this to any jazz collector.

5 out of 5 stars By the way..........2001-08-23

When I reviewed this set before I should have mentioned that it's not EXACTLY like the corresponding Mosaic box. A Warner Brothers album that was included on the Mosaic set is replaced here by an RCA album with strings (Desmond Blue)----the arrangements are not terrible but to these ears simply unnecessary. This was music with a compelling inner logic that required no sweetening. Adding strings to the interplay between Jim Hall and Desmond is kind of like adding extra syllables to a haiku, at least to my mind. But though I'd have to put the Mosaic set half a notch higher, it HAS been out of print for some years, so unless you want to tape it from a friend or library (or God forbid, get it off eBay) this 5-CD box is almost as good a deal. And hey, no surface noise.

5 out of 5 stars The Romantic Duo: Paul Desmond and Jim Hall........2001-07-09

Some of the most beautiful and innovative solos , both saxophone and guitar, can be heard on these recordings. Although the general feel is mellow for most tracks, the thoughtfulness and the elegance of Desmond's solos stimulates the brain of the careful listener no less than a genetics course. I can go on and on trying to describe the magic that happens everytime the man blows into his alto sax, but words are ambiguous. Listen to some sample tracks to know what I am feeling , what I am thinking everytime Desmond blows a note.
Complete Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • John Kirby
  • a gem from an underrated band
 Complete Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings
John Kirby Sextet
Manufacturer: Definitive Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Orchestral JazzOrchestral Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00004Z55U
Release Date: 2004-04-05

Tracks:

  1. It Feels So Good
  2. Effervescent Blues
  3. Turf
  4. Dawn on the Desert
  5. Anitra's Dance
  6. Sweet Georgia Brown
  7. Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
  8. Minute Waltz
  9. Front and Center
  10. Royal Garden Blues
  11. Opus 5
  12. Fantasy Impromptu
  13. Blue Skies
  14. Rose Room
  15. I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)
  16. Little Brown Jug
  17. Nocturne
  18. One Alone
  19. Humoresque
  20. Serenade
  21. Jumpin' in the Pump Room
  22. Milumbu
  23. You Go Your Way
  24. 20th Century Closet
  25. Temptation
  26. Blues Petite

Tracks:

  1. On a Little Street in Singapore
  2. Chloe
  3. Andiology
  4. Can't We Be Friends?
  5. Then I'll Be Happy (I Wanna Go Where You Go/Do What You Do)
  6. I Love You Truly
  7. Frasquita Serenade
  8. Sextet from Lucia
  9. Coquette
  10. Zooming at the Zombie
  11. Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy
  12. Beethoven Riffs On
  13. Double Talk (A Fugue)
  14. Cutting the Campus
  15. Close Shave
  16. Bugler's Dilemma
  17. It's Only a Paper Moon
  18. Fifi's Rhapsody
  19. Night Whispers
  20. Tweed Me Down
  21. Move Over
  22. Wondering Where
  23. Keep Smilin'
  24. Comin' Back
  25. No Blues at All
  26. St. Louis Blues

Album Description

The complete recordings made by the legendary Only master takes. For the first time in one set. 2 CD set

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars John Kirby.......2007-04-10

This was one of the best bands, little or big, of the swing era. It contained a great trumpet player in Charlie Shavers. I saw him with Tommy Dorsey at the Aragon ballroom in Chicago -1945. And again with JATP.
The other personal are all fine in their own right!
These CD's cover the years from 1938 through 1942 and most of all the recordings he made in that era.
Fifty-two selections, a great example of his work and the best of his work!
I was so glad to get these on CD. I had very little of his music till now.
Highly recommended!

Rod

5 out of 5 stars a gem from an underrated band.......2005-08-02

why the john kirby sextet is not better known is a complete mystery to me. they had all the style, talent and heart of any big band out there. and even though i grew up with a grandfather who taught me to love big band jazz, it took listening to don byron's "bug music" to finally find john kirby. as he says, they were brave, sophisticated and made up of some of the finest african-american jazz players of the period. give it a try - you won't be disappointed.
The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • gorgeous packaging, philistines
  • A SOLID SUPPORT TO THE GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON MUSICAL LEGACY.
  • Problems with Noise Reduction
  • No excuse for the crummy packaging
  • Unparalleled music - cheap packaging
 The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Duke Ellington
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000IIQY
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Tracks:

  1. If You Can't Hold the Man You Love (Don't Cry When He's Gone)
  2. Washington Wabble - Take 1
  3. Washington Wabble - Take 2
  4. Black and Tan Fantasy
  5. Washington Wabble
  6. Creole Love Call
  7. Blues I Love to Sing - Take 1
  8. Blues I Love to Sing - Take 2
  9. Harlem River Quiver - Take 1
  10. Harlem River Quiver - Take 2
  11. Harlem River Quiver - Take 3
  12. East St. Louis Toodle-o
  13. Blue Bubbles - Take 1
  14. Blue Bubbles - Take 2
  15. Black Beauty
  16. Solitude - Take 1
  17. Got Everything But You
  18. Santa Claus, Bring My Man Back to Me
  19. I Done Caught You Blues
  20. The Mooche

Tracks:

  1. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
  2. No Papa No
  3. No Papa No
  4. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
  5. Bandanna Babies
  6. Diga Diga Do
  7. I Must Have That Man
  8. St. Louis Blues - Take 1
  9. St. Louis Blues - Take 2
  10. St. Louis Blues - Take 3 (previously unreleased)
  11. Flaming Youth - Take 1
  12. Flaming Youth - Take 2
  13. Saturday Night Function
  14. High Life
  15. Doin' the Voom Voom - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
  16. Doin' the Voom Voom - Take 2
  17. Japanese Dream
  18. Harlemania

Tracks:

  1. The Dicty Glide - Take 1
  2. The Dicty Glide - Take 2
  3. Hot Feet
  4. Sloppy Joe - Take 1
  5. Sloppy Joe - Take 2
  6. Stevedore Stomp
  7. A Night at the Cotton Club, Part 1/Cotton Club Stomp/Misty Mornin'
  8. A Night at the Cotton Club, Part 2/Goin' to Town/Untitled Interlude/Freeze and Melt
  9. Cotton Club Stomp
  10. Misty Mornin'
  11. Arabian Lover
  12. Saratoga Swing
  13. Mississippi
  14. The Duke Steps Out
  15. Haunted Nights
  16. Swanee Shuffle
  17. Breakfast Dance
  18. Jazz Lips
  19. March of the Hoodlums

Tracks:

  1. Double Check Stomp
  2. My Gal Is Good for Nothing But Love
  3. I Was Made to Love You
  4. Sweet Dreams Of Love - Take 1
  5. Sweet Dreams of Love - Take 2
  6. Jungle Nights in Harlem
  7. Sweet Jazz o' Mine - Take 1
  8. Sweet Jazz o' Mine - Take 2
  9. Shout 'Em Aunt Tillie
  10. Ring Dem Bells - Take 2
  11. Ring Dem Bells - Take 3
  12. Old Man Blues - Take 1
  13. Old Man Blues - Take 2
  14. Old Man Blues - Take 3
  15. Three Little Words (previously unreleased)
  16. Three Little Words
  17. Ring Dem Bells
  18. Old Man Blues - Take 4
  19. Old Man Blues - Take 6
  20. Hittin' the Bottle - Take 1
  21. Hittin' the Bottle - Take 2
  22. That Lindy Hop

Tracks:

  1. You're Lucky to Me
  2. Memories of You
  3. Nine Little Miles from Ten-Ten-Tennessee - Take 1
  4. Nine Little Miles from Ten-Ten-Tennessee - Take 2
  5. I'm So in Love with You - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
  6. I'm So in Love with You - Take 2
  7. What Good Am I Without You?
  8. Blue Again
  9. When a Black Man's Blue
  10. Mood Indigo
  11. What Good Am I Without You?
  12. When a Black Man's Blue
  13. The River and Me
  14. Keep a Song in Your Soul
  15. Sam and Delilah
  16. Rockin' in Rhythm - Take 1
  17. Rockin' in Rhythm - Take 2
  18. Creole Rhapsody, Part 1
  19. Creole Rhapsody, Part 2
  20. Creole Rhapsody, Part 2 - Take 2 (previously unreleased)

Tracks:

  1. Limehouse Blues
  2. Echoes of the Jungle
  3. It's Glory
  4. The Mystery Song
  5. The Mystery Song
  6. Mood Indigo/Hot and Bothered/Creole Love Call
  7. Mood Indigo/Hot and Bothered/Creole Love Call (Stereo Version)
  8. East St. Louis Toodle-O/Lots O' Fingers/Black and Tan Fantasy
  9. Dinah
  10. Bugle Call Rag
  11. Maori
  12. Rude Interlude - Take 1
  13. Rude Interlude - Take 2
  14. Dallas Doings - Take 1
  15. Dallas Doings - Take 2

Tracks:

  1. Dear Old Southland - Take 1
  2. Dear Old Southland - Take 2
  3. Daybreak Express - Take 1
  4. Daybreak Express - Take 2
  5. Delta Serenade - Take 1
  6. Delta Serenade - Take 2
  7. Stompy Jones
  8. Solitude
  9. Blue Feeling
  10. Ebony Rhapsody
  11. Cocktails for Two - Take 1
  12. Cocktails for Two - Take 2
  13. Live and Love Tonight
  14. I Met My Waterloo
  15. Troubled Waters - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
  16. Troubled Waters - Take 2
  17. My Old Flame

Tracks:

  1. You, You Darlin'
  2. Jack the Bear
  3. Ko-Ko - Take 1
  4. Ko-Ko - Take 2
  5. Morning Glory
  6. So Far, So Good
  7. Conga Brava
  8. Concerto for Cootie
  9. Me and You
  10. Bojangles
  11. Cotton Tail
  12. Never No Lament
  13. Blue Goose
  14. Dusk - Take 1
  15. Dusk - Take 2
  16. Bojangles
  17. A Portrait of Bert Williams
  18. Blue Goose
  19. Harlem Air-Shaft
  20. At a Dixie Roadside Diner
  21. All Too Soon
  22. Rumpus in Richmond
  23. My Greatest Mistake

Tracks:

  1. Sepia Panorama - Take 1
  2. Sepia Panorama - Take 2
  3. There Shall Be No Night
  4. In a Mellotone
  5. Five O'Clock Whistle
  6. Warm Valley
  7. Pitter Panther Patter - Take 1
  8. Pitter Panther Patter - Take 2
  9. Body and Soul - Take 1
  10. Body and Soul - Take 2
  11. Body and Soul - Take 3
  12. Sophisticated Lady
  13. Sophisticated Lady
  14. Mr. J. B. Blues - Take 1
  15. Mr. J. B. Blues - Take 2
  16. The Flaming Sword - Take 1
  17. The Flaming Sword - Take 2
  18. The Flaming Sword - Take 3
  19. Warm Valley - Take 2
  20. Warm Valley - Take 3
  21. Across the Track Blues
  22. Across the Track Blues
  23. Chloe (Song of the Swamp)

Tracks:

  1. I Never Felt This Way Before - Take 1
  2. I Never Felt This Way Before - Take 2
  3. Day Dream
  4. Good Queen Bess
  5. Good Queen Bess
  6. That's the Blues, Old Man
  7. Junior Hop - Take 1
  8. Junior Hop - Take 2
  9. Without a Song - Take 1
  10. Without a Song - Take 2
  11. My Sunday Gal
  12. Mobile Bay - Take 1
  13. Mobile Bay - Take 2
  14. Linger Awhile - Take 1
  15. Linger Awhile - Take 2
  16. Charlie the Chulo - Take 2
  17. Charlie the Chulo
  18. Charlie the Chulo - Take 1
  19. Lament for Javanette
  20. Lament for Javanette - Take 1a
  21. A Lull at Dawn
  22. A Lull at Dawn
  23. A Lull at Dawn - Take 1a
  24. Ready Eddy - Take 1

Tracks:

  1. Ready Eddy
  2. Ready Eddy
  3. Ready Eddy - Take 2
  4. The Sidewalks of New York
  5. Flamingo
  6. The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You - Take 1
  7. The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You - Take 2
  8. Take the "A" Train
  9. Jumpin' Punkins - Take 1
  10. Jumpin' Punkins - Take 2
  11. John Hardy's Wife
  12. Blue Serge
  13. After All
  14. Dear Old Southland - Take 1
  15. Dear Old Southland - Take 2
  16. Solitude - Take 1
  17. Solitude - Take 2
  18. Bakiff
  19. Are You Sticking? - Take 1
  20. Are You Sticking? - Take 2
  21. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'
  22. The Giddybug Gallop
  23. Chocolate Shake

Tracks:

  1. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Take 1
  2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Take 2
  3. Clementine
  4. The Brown-skin Gal (in the Calico Gown)
  5. Jump for Joy - Take 1
  6. Jump for Joy - Take 2
  7. Moon Over Cuba
  8. Some Saturday
  9. Subtle Slough
  10. Menelik - The Lion of Judah - Take 1
  11. Menelik - The Lion of Judah - Take 2 (previously unreleased)
  12. Poor Bubber
  13. Squaty Roo
  14. Passion Flower
  15. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
  16. Goin' Out the Back Way
  17. Five O'Clock Drag
  18. Rocks in My Bed
  19. Bli-Blip
  20. Chelsea Bridge
  21. Brown Suede
  22. Noir Bleu
  23. "C" Blues
  24. June

Tracks:

  1. Raincheck
  2. What Good Would It Do?
  3. I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got - Take 1
  4. I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got - Take 2 (previously unreleased)
  5. Chelsea Bridge
  6. Perdido - Take 1
  7. Perdido - Take 2
  8. The "C" Jam Blues
  9. Moon Mist - Take 1
  10. Moon Mist - Take 2
  11. What Am I Here For?
  12. I Don't Mind - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
  13. I Don't Mind - Take 2
  14. Someone
  15. My Little Brown Book
  16. Main Stem
  17. Johnny Come Lately
  18. Hayfoot, Strawfoot - Take 1
  19. Hayfoot, Strawfoot - Take 2
  20. Sentimental Lady - Take 1
  21. Sentimental Lady - Take 2
  22. A Slip of the Lip
  23. Sherman Shuffle

Tracks:

  1. I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues
  2. I'm Beginning to See the Light - Take 1
  3. I'm Beginning to See the Light - Take 2
  4. Don't You Know I Care - Take 1
  5. Don't You Know I Care - Take 2
  6. I Didn't Know About You
  7. Work Song
  8. Come Sunday
  9. The Blues
  10. Three Dances
  11. Carnegie Blues
  12. Blue Cellophane
  13. Mood to Be Wooed
  14. (All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings
  15. Kissing Bug
  16. Everything But You
  17. (Otto Make That) Riff Staccato
  18. Prelude to a Kiss
  19. Caravan
  20. Black and Tan Fantasy
  21. Mood Indigo
  22. In a Sentimental Mood

Tracks:

  1. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing)
  2. Sophisticated Lady
  3. Tonight I Shall Sleep (With a Smile on My Face)
  4. The Minor Goes Muggin'
  5. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Take 1
  6. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Take 2
  7. Solitude
  8. Frankie and Johnny
  9. Jumpin' Room Only
  10. Black Beauty
  11. Every Hour on the Hour
  12. Balcony Serenade
  13. Strange Feeling
  14. Dancers in Love
  15. Coloratura - Take 2
  16. Coloratura - Take 1
  17. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
  18. Tell Ya What I'm Gonna Do
  19. Come to Baby, Do!
  20. I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So
  21. Long, Strong and Consecutive
  22. The Wonder of You
  23. Tonk
  24. Drawing Room Blues

Tracks:

  1. Rockabye River
  2. Suddenly It Jumped
  3. Transblucency
  4. Just Squeeze Me
  5. Gathering in a Clearing
  6. You Don't Love Me No More
  7. Pretty Woman
  8. Hey, Baby
  9. (Back Home Again in) Indiana
  10. Blue Is the Night
  11. Lover Man - Take 1
  12. Lover Man - Take 2
  13. Just You, Just Me
  14. Beale Street Blues
  15. Memphis Blues
  16. St. Louis Blues
  17. My Honey's Lovin' Arms
  18. (I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (with You)
  19. Swamp Fire
  20. Royal Garden Blues
  21. Esquire Swank
  22. Midriff

Tracks:

  1. Long, Long Journey
  2. The One That Got Away
  3. Gone with the Wind
  4. Metronome All-Out
  5. Skin Deep
  6. How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me? (Sultry Serenade)
  7. Sophisticated Lady
  8. Perdido
  9. Caravan
  10. Harlem Suite
  11. The Hawk Talks
  12. Ellington Medley: Don't Get Around Much Any More/In a Sentimental Mood/Mood Indigo/I'mBeginning to See the Light/Prelude to a Kiss/It Don't Mean a Thing (IfIt Ain't Got that Swing)/Solitude/I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
  13. Jam with Sam

Tracks:

  1. In the Beginning God
  2. Tell Me It's the Truth
  3. Come Sunday
  4. The Lord's Prayer
  5. Come Sunday
  6. Will You Be There?/Ain't But the One
  7. New World A-Comin'
  8. David Danced (Before the Lord with All His Might)
  9. Ninety Nine Percent (previously unreleased)
  10. My Mother, My Father and Love (previously unreleased)
  11. New World A-Comin' (previously unreleased)
  12. A Christmas Surprise (previously unreleased)
  13. A Christmas Surprise (previously unreleased)

Tracks:

  1. Praise God
  2. Supreme Being
  3. Heaven
  4. Something 'Bout Believing
  5. Almighty God
  6. The Shepherd
  7. It's Freedom
  8. Meditation
  9. The Biggest and Busiest Intersection
  10. T. G. T. T.
  11. Don't Get Down on Your Knees to Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone

Tracks:

  1. Father Forgive
  2. Praise God and Dance
  3. Introduction by Sir Colin Crowe
  4. Introduction by Duke Ellington
  5. The Lord's Prayer/My Love
  6. Is God a Three-Letter Word for Love? (Part I)
  7. Is God a Three-Letter Word for Love? (Part II)
  8. The Brotherhood
  9. Hallelujah
  10. Every Man Prays in His Own Language
  11. Ain't Nobody Nowhere Nothin' Without God
  12. The Majesty of God

Tracks:

  1. Tourist Point of View - Take 7
  2. Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) - Take 12
  3. Isfahan - Take 1
  4. Depk
  5. Mount Harissa
  6. Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues)
  7. Agra
  8. Amad - Take 3
  9. Ad Lib on Nippon
  10. Tourist Point of View - Take 5
  11. Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) - Take 8
  12. Isfahan - Take 2
  13. Amad - Take 5

Tracks:

  1. Take the "A" Train
  2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
  3. Perdido
  4. Mood Indigo
  5. Black and Tan Fantasy
  6. The Twitch
  7. Solitude
  8. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
  9. The Mooche
  10. Sophisticated Lady
  11. Creole Love Call
  12. Caravan (previously unreleased)
  13. Wings & Things (previously unreleased)
  14. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me (previously unreleased)
  15. House of Lords
  16. The Second Portrait of the Lion
  17. Take the "A" Train
  18. Caravan
  19. Mood Indigo
  20. Love Scene (previously unreleased)

Tracks:

  1. The Mooche
  2. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
  3. I'm Beginning to See the Light
  4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
  5. Sophisticated Lady
  6. Timon of Athens March
  7. Solitude
  8. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
  9. Satin Doll
  10. Single Petal of a Rose (previously unreleased)
  11. Snibor
  12. Boo-Dah
  13. Blood Count
  14. U. M. M. G.
  15. Charpoy
  16. After All
  17. The Intimacy of the Blues
  18. Raincheck - Take 6
  19. Raincheck - Take 4 (previously unreleased)
  20. Day Dream
  21. Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note

Tracks:

  1. All Day Long
  2. Lotus Blossom - Take 1
  3. Lotus Blossom
  4. Smada - Take 3 (previously unreleased)
  5. Smada - Take 4
  6. Midriff
  7. My Little Brown Book
  8. Acht O'Clock Rock
  9. The Piano Player
  10. Creole Love Call
  11. Don't You Know I Care
  12. I Can't Get Started with You
  13. New York, New York
  14. Pitter Panther Patter
  15. How High the Moon
  16. Basin Street Blues
  17. Tiger Rag
  18. Soso
  19. Meditation
  20. Mecuria, the Lion (previously unreleased)

Amazon.com

Close your eyes, dip your hand into this treasure chest, and play any of the 462 tracks contained within: you are guaranteed to hear something magnificent. It may be a stunning composition, an innovative arrangement, or an astonishing improvisational passage, but the brilliance is there.

It is only fitting that the greatest figure in 20th-century popular music is the subject of this most wondrous box set. Across 24 discs, the majesty and unparalleled genius of Duke Ellington is on vivid display. Listening to the box from start to finish in chronological order, you discover a composer, bandleader, and pianist who consistently and daringly pushed his music ever forward. As fascinating as it is to hear his artistic progression as it unfolds, it is even more remarkable to digest these CDs out of order. During the course of 50 years, Ellington's creative wellspring gushed an amazing variety of music delivered in a multitude of different styles and settings; yet somehow, someway, it all sounds like Ellington. Whereas some artists find the blues idiom constricting, Duke saw it as a highly malleable and versatile foundation.

The first seven CDs chronicle the maestro's Cotton Club days and his theatrical, visceral "jungle music," which was created as part of the club's African-themed stage shows and "tribal" dances. Even at this early stage, Ellington showed a tremendous ability to create expressive moods and keen imagery through his compositions as well as an uncanny understanding of his players' strengths. Six discs are dedicated to the early 1940s, when tenor sax player Ben Webster and bassist Jimmy Blanton elevated the band to new heights. The next three CDs cover the mid-1940s, when the Duke began experimenting with longer pieces. Another combines mid-1940s all-star jams with a full 1952 Seattle concert. All three of Ellington's Sacred Concerts follow, a bold, pioneering fusion of jazz and church, complete with choir and dance, that used the language of music to eloquently sermonize on the subjects of personal freedom, spirituality, and communication with God. The collection wraps up with four discs' worth of late-period magic, including the exotic and dramatic Far East Suite and an homage to recently departed Billy Strayhorn.

This stunning package also serves as a tribute to all of the superior musicians that found a home in the Ellington Orchestra. Special mention must be made of altoist Johnny Hodges, who first recorded with Ellington in 1928 and stayed with him (except for a brief respite in the 1950s) until his death in 1970. Throughout, his sublime tone and fertile imagination epitomize the beauty, inventiveness, and dignity that is the essence of jazz. Also of note are the many superb compositions and arrangements from Strayhorn, who managed to carve a vital niche for himself while remaining true to the sound of Ellingtonia.

The accompanying 128-page full-color book overflows with wonderful photos and insightful essays that explore Ellington from every possible angle. The discographical information is delivered with excruciating detail and the package as a whole exudes love, devotion, and respect.

Somewhere deep inside the book, producer Orrin Keepnews writes, "When dealing with the music of Edward Kennedy Ellington, there is no excuse for stopping anywhere short of perfection." Mission accomplished. --Marc Greilsamer

(Casual listeners might prefer the single-CD sampler.)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars gorgeous packaging, philistines.......2003-03-26

the packaging of the cds is great. i love the sleeves. the idea is they feel like record sleeves. the 4-box pictures are bonus. the ribbons work if you use them carefully, but i agree, they should have been sewn in. there is absolutely no excuse for the bargain-basement book binding -- smythe-sewn at the least, but I would have expected hardcover. Oh well. Of course the music is great. If you don't like the sleeves, get a small 24-sleeve CD carrying case (like from Case Logic and the like).

5 out of 5 stars A SOLID SUPPORT TO THE GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON MUSICAL LEGACY........2002-01-02

We love the Great Scholar Master Duke Ellington musical legacy, and undoubtely, have decided to buy this extraordinary and uncommon box set.

We have experimented a wide range of emotions! For example, the inclusion of the "Three Sacred Concerts", we believe, was a great idea with the addition of the Second one, thanks to "Fantasy Records" permission.

Also, we are impressed by the early 1930's "stereo sound". It is really amazing to hear this special effect from that time. Surely, Duke Ellington would be feeling happy to listen to this, as he loved -and this is a fundamental fact about his musical legacy- the recording technology, and used it to record and record again, having the concept of the Great Music, and the wonderful Art of Improvisation, being recorded for the posterity, and for the new generations of young people who really love music.

Here, we believe that it is important to remember that a genuine "Jazz Performance" is only one, and it never will be the same the next opportunity.

Also, we like the box set book for its sober, satin finish pages, the magnificent photos, general design, and, of course, the invaluable and complete information.

Undoubtely, this box set is the result of a very hard, extensive and extraordinary research, writing, audio restoration, remastering, printing and special manufacturing work, and we, with deep admiration, congratulate the Duke Ellington's legacy lovers, Steven Lasker and Orrin Keepnews, among other persons at RCA-BMG, for this Giant Homage to Duke.

If you really love music, and the musical legacy from Edward Kennedy Ellington, this box set is a must! Imagine: ALL the Duke Ellington's RCA recordings stored on the box set's 24 compact discs, and with that magnificent restored sound...!

This BMG-RCA Duke Ellington's Centennial Edition, 24 Compact Discs Box Set, is an authentic HISTORIC TREASURE.

Finally, as this box set is a limited edition product, we would like to receive an "online" serial number, from one of a certain quantity of items that were manufactured by BMG-RCA.

4 out of 5 stars Problems with Noise Reduction.......2001-11-10

I have to agree with music fan from Texas. The problem, though, is not too little noise reduction, but too much. The high-pitched whistling he cites is, I think, an artifact of hiss reduction. It ruins the whole set, in my opinion. An awful shame, considering the importance of this music, and the fact that the remastering was otherwise most meticulously done. BMG, why did you allow this to happen?
***LATER***The late John R. T. Davies, who was during his lifetime the world's foremost restorer of 78 r.p.m. recordings, confirmed in correspondence with me that the whistling noise I refer to is an artifact of the master recording and is not caused by electronic noise reduction. Specifically, it is caused by the cooling of the wax master during recording. There are ways of minimizing it during transfer and remastering, and I wish BMG had taken advantage of these.

4 out of 5 stars No excuse for the crummy packaging.......2001-08-06

I agree with the person who complained about the cheap packaging. Yes the music is great. But cardboard sleeves? In addition to the problems that person cited, sliding discs in and out of the sleeve is going to scratch them.

Next, the little ribbons used for lifting the CDs out of their wells in the plastic box insert are glued in place. Guess what? They come unglued! Unless you reglue them, you have to turn the box upside down and shake out all the CDs to get the one you want.

Finally, the lovely book that comes with the set is cheaply bound. I haven't even read it once and there are pages coming loose.

Come on, RCA! This is meant to be your highest tribute to America's greatest composer, and you aren't exactly giving it away. You could have used better binding and real jewel cases, sold it at the same price, and still profited handsomely. Shame on you!

4 out of 5 stars Unparalleled music - cheap packaging.......2000-02-16

You can't go wrong with the man who was truly 'Beyond Category' - the greatest musician in American history, and, very likely, the greatest artist in American history -period - the great Duke Ellington.

RCA got a lot right with this set: the music - all 24 cds worth - is amazing, the remastering of the recordings from the 30s and40s is astonishing, and the lavishly illustrated booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the Duke's career.

The one thing that RCA got wrong, however, was the packaging of the individual cds. Each disc is enclosed in a cheap, flimsy, cardboard sleeve instead of in a jewel box. You can't get a disc out of its cardboard prison without reaching in and getting your fingerprints all over it . You can't store your new Ellington cds with the rest of your collection, because the sleeves won't fit in your cd shelf, nor will they stand up straight like a jewel box will. Even if you do stack them at the end of your row of normal cds, you still have to sort through them to find the disc you want, because you can't read the spine like you can on a normal jewel box. If you are spending this kind of money to buy a box set, I suspect that your interest in the Duke will last for a lifetime. I guarantee that the cheap cardboard sleeves in this set won't. If you are spending this kind of money to buy a box set, you shouldn't have to buy 24 empty jewel boxes to preserve your investment. That's what I plan to do, however. I suspect that many others will do the same.
The Complete Recordings of Maud Powell, Vol. 1
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • At last! Maud Powell's musicianship available again
 The Complete Recordings of Maud Powell, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. The Complete Recordings of Maud Powell, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00005NUP4
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

  1. Partita No.1 in b, BWV 1002: Tempo Di Borea
  2. Minuetto
  3. Orphee Et Eurydice: Melodie
  4. Vn Con No.7 in G, Op.76: Allegro Maestoso
  5. Vn Con No.7 in G, Op.76: Andante Tranquillo
  6. Vn Con No.7 in G, Op.76: Allegro Moderato
  7. Kol Nidrei
  8. Zigeunerweisen
  9. Mignon: Gavotte
  10. Spanish Dance, Op.26 No.8
  11. Salut D'amour
  12. Four American Folk Songs: My Old Kentucky Home/Old Black Joe/Shine On/Kingdom Comin'
  13. Caprice On Dixie
  14. Silver Threads Among The Gold
  15. Petite Valse
  16. Farfalla, Op.40, No.3 (Will-O'-The-Wisp)
  17. Polonaise, Op.38
  18. Guitarrero
  19. Souvenir
  20. Molly On The Shore
  21. The Bee
  22. Minute Waltz
  23. Thais: Meditation

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars At last! Maud Powell's musicianship available again.......2002-01-03

This is a reissue of "The Art of Maud Powell, a 'Victor Immortal' - complete recordings 1904-1917" prepared by the Maud Powell Foundation (Arlington, VA) in 1989. The guiding spirit behind that foundation, and project director of this collection, is Powell's biographer Karen A. Shaffer.

These three CDs were available only from the Maud Powell Foundation. I managed to get volume 3 several years ago after hearing all three discs from a library, but volume 2 has not been available. So, I've waited for volumes 1 and 2 hoping they'd come back "someday." Well, here they are, and Naxos has also released volume 3 according to their January 2 2002 newsletter.

Maud Powell (1867-1920) was in 1904 the first solo instrumentalist to record for Victor's new celebrity artist series on their Red Seal label. Their promotional materials told us to "Listen to Maud Powell's violin...if you want to find out how much can be got out of a fiddle, go--listen to--Maud Powell." They were right.

Powell's performances are the type of playing that may bring tears to your eyes, going straight to the heart and soul of the music and resonating with whatever you find inside yourself. She starts with a remarkably intense tone and naturally easy phrasing, then adds a tastefully varied vibrato and portamento (as vocally-inspired ornaments to heighten the expressivity). She varies her intonation according to the keys and the directions of the phrases, as her younger contemporary Pablo Casals did on the cello. It is extraordinary, like the best singer one can imagine but going beyond words. It is the kind of performance where it doesn't even matter what music she's playing...classical bon-bons, excerpts, folk songs, whatever. The music becomes a living thing in performances this good: breathing and moving and dancing right in front of you, and commanding your attention. It will get to you and you will feel it. What more needs to be said?

Bravo to Naxos for making these recordings available. The sound is pretty good, too, considering that the recordings were made before the availability of electric microphones. I hardly notice the background noise of the record since the performances are so directly engaging. These discs would be a "must-have" even at three or four times the price that Naxos is asking for them....
Volume 4: Complete Vocalion and Okeh Recordings Plus Unissued Victor Tests
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Volume 4: Complete Vocalion and Okeh Recordings Plus Unissued Victor Tests

    Manufacturer: Frog UK
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Blues | Styles | Music
    Memphis BluesMemphis Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
    Traditional BluesTraditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
    Acoustic BluesAcoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
    Traditional Jazz GeneralTraditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000KRN0H8
    Release Date: 2007-02-20

    Tracks:

    1. I Packed My Suitcase, Started to the Train #1
    2. Bob Lee Junior Blues #1
    3. Beale Street Mess Around #2
    4. I'll See You in the Spring, When the Birds Begin to Sing #2
    5. Evergreen Money Blues #1
    6. Coal Oil Blues
    7. Papa Long Blues #1
    8. Peaches in the Springtime #1
    9. Stealin' Stealin' #1
    10. Mary Anna Cut Off
    11. My Love Is Cold
    12. Jazzbo Stomp
    13. Gator Wobble
    14. Tear It Down, Bed Slats and All
    15. Boodie Bum Bum
    16. Take Your Fingers Off It
    17. Little Green Slippers
    18. Fishin' in the Dark
    19. Bottle It Up and Go
    20. Insane Crazy Blues
    21. She Done Sold It Out
    22. Memphis Shakedown
    23. Rukus Juice and Chittlin'
    24. My Business Ain't Right
    25. Jug Band Quartette
    Give Me The Roses While I Live: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1932-1933
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • The Gospel of Country, Pt. 6
    		 Give Me The Roses While I Live: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1932-1933
    The Carter Family
    Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
    Old-Time CountryOld-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
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    1. Gold Watch And Chain: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1933-1934

    ASIN: B0000002S8
    Release Date: 1997-02-11

    Tracks:

    1. Sweet As The Flowers In Maytime
    2. Will The Roses Bloom In Heaven
    3. My Little Home In Tennessee
    4. The Sun Of The Soul
    5. If One Won't Another Will
    6. The Broken Hearted Lover
    7. Two Sweethearts
    8. The Winding Stream
    9. I Wouldn't Mind Dying
    10. The Spirit Of Love Watches Over Me
    11. The Church In The Wildwood
    12. Give Me Roses While I Live
    13. I Never Will Marry
    14. On The Sea Of Galilee
    15. Home By The Sea

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars The Gospel of Country, Pt. 6.......2000-04-01

    Mainly lesser known gospel work, though several Carter classics were recorded at these sessions, including "I Never Will Marry" (beautifully redone by Linda Ronstadt in the early '70s with Dolly Parton on harmony), the lovely "On The Sea Of Galilee", a superb version of "I Wouldn't Mind Dying" and, of course, "Church In The Wildwood" ( Many years ago, my non-church going, though music-loving father, would, from time to time, without explanation, close his eyes and unleash a low, rumbling, horrifyingly off-key "Oh, come, come, come, come..."- much to the amazed consternation of his young hippie son. I know now where those strange noises derived from. Thanks a lot, A.P.). By this point in their recording career, A.P. was delving more and more into old Negro gospel and blues, which would also place him as one of the pioneers of ... rock and roll? A version of "Broken-Hearted Lover" was immaculately covered by the Cox Family a few years ago, more proof that Rounder should keep this material in print indefinately.
    Longing For Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1934
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Blow Away Those East Virginia Blues
    • The Gospel of Country, Pt. 8
    		 Longing For Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1934
    The Carter Family
    Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
    Old-Time CountryOld-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
    AppalachianAppalachian | North America | International | Styles | Music
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    1. Last Sessions: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1934-1941
    2. Gold Watch And Chain: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1933-1934
    3. When The Roses Bloom In Dixieland: Their Complete Victor Recordings - 1929-1930

    ASIN: B000005YVN
    Release Date: 1998-04-07

    Tracks:

    1. Darling Daisies
    2. East Virgina Blues
    3. Lover's Return
    4. It'll Aggravate Your Soul
    5. Hello Central, Give Me Heaven
    6. I'm Working On A Building
    7. On A Hill Lone And Gray
    8. You've Been Fooling Me Baby
    9. Longing For Old Virginia
    10. March Winds Gonna Blow My Blues All Away
    11. There'll Be Joy, Joy, Joy
    12. Home In Tennessee
    13. Are You Tired Of Me My Darling?
    14. I Cannot Be Your Sweetheart
    15. My Heart's Tonight In Texas
    16. There's No Hiding Place Down There
    17. The Cowboy's Wild Song To His Herd
    18. The Evening Bells Are Ringing

    Amazon.com

    The original Carter Family recordings are one of America's greatest musical treasures. Featuring the voices of A.P. Carter, his then-wife, Sara, and Maybelle Carter, this trio helped shape the face of modern country music. Originally released on RCA Victor's budget subsidiary, Bluebird Records, these sessions reflect the Carter Family at their peak. Using folk songs from the hills of Tennessee and Virginia that date back to the late 1800s, the Carters sing classics like "East Tennessee Blues" and "Are You Tired of Me My Darling?" The trio's harmonies on this recording must be acknowledged as influential to future generations of country singers. Incorporating bluegrass, gospel, and even vaudeville songs into their repertoire, the Carter Family evoke the spirit of the heartland in no uncertain terms. --Mitch Myers

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Blow Away Those East Virginia Blues.......2000-07-06

    This album draws its material from the Carters' two 1934 sessions - May 8 and December 11. Both sessions were held in the accoustically fine converted church that was Victor's Camden, New Jersey, studio. So the original sound quality is good, and has been further enhanced by modern remastering techniques. The trio used more original material than at previous sessions, with less reliance on traditional and Victorian sources. Though such items are still there. Max Witt's 'My Heart's Tonight in Texas' and Cook and Roland's 'Are You Tired of Me, My Darling?' are fine examples of the polished professionalism that the trio had achieved in the seven years that had elapsed since the start of their recording career. Religious numbers are also well represented. Noteworthy is 'Hello Central, Give Me Heaven', written around 1901 by Charles K Harris, who is best known for 'After The Ball'. Among the A.P. originals are the title track, and the well known 'March Winds Gonna Blow My Blues All Away'. There is some dispute as to whether A.P. or Maybelle was responsible for 'Cowboy's Wild Song to his Herd'. But no matter. The result is another typically fine Carter recording. Incidentally, Skip Gorman turned in a first rate version of this number, which provided the title track of his 1999 Rounder album. For me, the stand out track is 'East Virginia Blues', put together by A.P. from various mountain verses. It's a track that has influenced countless musicians over the years, not least of whom was Woody Guthrie. But this is not surprising when one listens to the strong harmonies and fine musicianship. Also well worth a listen is another A.P. original, 'It'll Aggravate Your Soul'. The wryly humorous lyric is given additional charm by A.P.'s tremulous solo. Overall, an excellent album from an innovative and groundbreaking group.

    5 out of 5 stars The Gospel of Country, Pt. 8.......2000-02-24

    Another fine collection in this series. Aside from a couple of sharp contemporary numbers (particularly the wonderful "Are You Tired Of Me, My Darling?") the best songs here are the gospel work (the terrific "There's No Hiding Place Down There" stands out), all a little different and thought-provoking. A note: this stuff is crying out for modern interpretations. I spent a period of time a couple of years back happily cherry-picking through this nine-volume series for my own cassettes (along with the other Carter volumes available; apparently A.P.Carter had an inexhaustable supply of fresh material, he did'nt often repeat}. I came up with 3 CD's worth with good material left over. Some enterprising and reasonably talented musician with a little diligence and patience could make a landmark album with these songs that would win lots of awards and make lots of money. Think about it.

    Jazz Music:

    1. Conjunction
    2. Consecration: The Final Recordings Part 2 [Box set]
    3. Conversations
    4. Cool Cats, Hot Chicks
    5. Coxa
    6. Daktari [Original recording remastered] [Import]
    7. Dance Band Years [Import]
    8. De Clichy a Broadway
    9. Deconstruction Zone (Standards)
    10. Duo Personality

    Jazz Music

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