Reviews (3)

Essential for harp players
This cd is essential for all acoustic harp players, and even for electric harp players. These are the dudes that influenced Sonny Boy Willaimson II, Junior Wells, Little Walter, Big Walter, Kid Thomas, and other great electric blues harp players from the 50's on. This cd concentrates on the 20's and 30's, which is essentially the pre war blues period. Not all the songs are strictly blues there's some hillbilly, and jug style tunes too. However the main stars here are the harp players, and thier amazing solos. Jaybird Coleman might very well be the most well known of the harp players here, but they are all great and so is the sound quality. I am a harp player myself, and I recomend this to all harp players as well as anything by the logn forgotten Harmonica Fats.

Essential for Harmonicists
This is a very good collection of prewar (WW2, that is) harmonica blues. "The Train" was once essential for anyone who was serious about learning the harmonica, and Freeman Stowers gives a classic example of this in "Railroad Blues." Chuck Darling's "Blowing the Blues" is a rather sweet and whimsicla little tune that is no less enjoyable than it would have been back in 1930 when it was first released. Excellent Harp-guitar interplay. Jaybird Coleman, known today only to harcore blues fans, gets a few licks in. But the real treat for harmonicists is the legendary DeFord Bailey, who was probably the first harmonicist who was a bonafide recording star (via his appearances on the Grand Ole Opry). His "Davidson County Blues" (from 1928) shows the standard that was set for the likes of the Sonny Boy Williamsons, Stevie Wonder, Little Walter Jacobs, and all that were to follow. In either case, if you think you're hot stuff with the harmonica, listen to these masters and go back to your room and practice.

Harmonica Blues: the Original Masters
This is a "must-have" CD for those interested in early harmonica technique. It begins with a mind-blowing harmonica "train" by Freeman Stowers. This is unlike anything commonly found on post-war recordings. What follows is a wide-ranging sampling of virtuostic harmonica playing by artists both obscure, Chuck Darling, and famous, De Ford Bailey. This CD highlights harmonica techniques might otherwise have been lost. This would make a fine addition to the collection of any serious blues harmonica player. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Benny Carter was one of the best that ever played..
From the "Chocolate Dandies" sessions in the wee 30s through the Pablo years, this giant of the alto sax towered over many other better known names. His 1946 work in the traditional swing vein ranks among the best swing material ever recorded - "Cadillac Slim", "Out Of My Way"...and even the 1933 tune with his vocal, "Swing It". This CD compilation is a treat, with sweet and graceful stuff with Teddy Wilson and Jo Jones through the stuff with Oscar Peterson. His trumpet playing was also underrated simply because he didn't go to it often. His arrangements are legendary, and his Hollywood scoring work ("M Squad" among others) often brilliant. This CD is a GEM from a true jazz master.

***************STARS!!
This wonderful disc could be the best of anyone's collection: it is excellent jazz, and yet is such fine art that it almost crosses over into art music--"classical."
The trio cuts of 1938 (nos. 1-8) were long hidden until the canny Japanese issued them with immaculate sound--thus showing their cognizance and appreciation of Western aesthetic matters. Just set "June in January" to repeat, and listen to it a few dozen times: Carter's exquisite alto timbre and melodic manipulations ease the electrochemical activity in the brain; Teddy Wilson's meditative piano solos calm the nerves while stimulating the soul; Jo Jones' heartbeat rhythms with brush on smooth snare and bass drums ease all tensions: this is over 4mins of delicious nepenthe.
The remainder of the tracks offer similar delights: some up-beat, some down-, this is Benny Carter at this best. One might call him, "the Coleman Hawkins of the alto." Parker and Stitt are great on alto: they bop hard; but Carter is so gentle and soulful that these lines rival the ambience of classical trio, quartet, and quintet ensembles.
The price $$ is a giveaway-bargain. Please do yourself a favor and get this disc for yourself; or, bless a friend and give it as a gift: they'll love it and think fondly of you!

Rest In peace Benny Carter
We lost a giant this week and this CD is all the proof you need. A fine collection of Benny Carter playing in trio, quartet and quintet settings accompanied by some of the finest swing and jazz artists. Carter's playing is always melodic and swinging while understated and subtle. On the trio tracks that kick this off Teddy Wilson's piano playing compliments Carter's alto perfectly and this section is my favorite. The entire set is priceless and really is a great repesentation of BC's talent and range. The tune selection is also wonderful. Highly recommended.

Excellent music, great value
Lord knows, Verve perpetrated a lot of string-laden pseudo-jazz over the years, but you have to hand it to Granz----he also released stuff like THIS. Here's two albums worth of relaxed, finely-wrought material on one superb CD; real value for your money. These well-produced small-group sessions prove (as if it needed proving!) what a great instrumentalist Benny Carter was and is. (He's also a great arranger and composer as well, but that's beside the point.) This is an album that sinks deep into your brain and bones, and you're better for it. Carter goes back well into the swing era, yet the feel here is quite boppish. As of this writing, he's still around, still swinging. Long may he continue to.

More Small Group Swing from the Verve Vaults
Once again, Norman Granz 50's Verve label serves up a gathering of swing-era champions lead by the multi-faceted Benny Carter. This tasteful and swinging selection of standards features Carter on sax in a trio, quartet and quintet format. The tunes selected provide ample room for great solos backed by swinging rhythm sections in all formats. Carter was known for a lot of things - composing, arranging etc. - but these studio sessions remind us why he's one of the Jazz Giants to quote the title of one of his other releases. You'll play this one over and over without tiring of it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A budget-priced box set, Broke, Black & Blue delivers multiple surprises within its 100 songs of prewar blues. Arranged chronologically by Joop Visser, the set admirably covers the first 22 years of recorded blues, 1924 to 1946, from vaudeville and Delta to boogie-woogie and jump blues. It's a swell gift for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of blues. But old-timers will be pleased, too, as special attention has been paid to culling rare and idiosyncratic tracks by the well-known and the obscure. The first three discs present single tracks by artists as diverse as the Memphis Jug Band, De Ford Bailey, Tommy Johnson, Son House, Skip James, Peetie Wheatstraw, Lonnie Johnson, and Bukka White, alongside unknowns such as Isaiah "The Mississippi Moaner" Nelson, Barbecue Bob and Laughing Charley, Ed Andrews, Chicken Wilson, and Bumble Bee Slim. On the fourth disc, this convention is jettisoned to luxuriate in a series of very rare sides of lovely, oddly subdued boogie-woogie and jump blues by Jimmie Gordon, Johnny Temple, and Lee Brown. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What A Treasure
This Box set is a treasure.Great collection of early recorded blues.Fantastic! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Fine Disc of Really Cool Jazz...
This is a great set from 1962 featuring three of the finest jazz soloists of all time: Webster (tenor), Carter (alto), and Bigard (clarinet). The tracks are bluesy: especially fine is the 12min line of "You Can't Tell the Difference [after dark]." Jazz aficianados can't go wrong with this CD; plus, it's a good introduction to cool jazz for novices. Highly recommended.

Wow
Wow. This album is terrific. Two of the greatest saxophonists of all time, Benny Carter and Ben Webster, jam with clarinet great Barney Bigard in one of the best swing jazz albums ever made, with a magnificent rhythm section comprising Jimmy Rowles on piano, Dave Barbour on guitar, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. (Trumpeter Shorty Sherock joins in on a couple of tracks.) Amazingly tight and lyrical playing from everybody. The soloists' rich tones and elegant phrasings complement one another beautifully. All the tunes are composed either by Carter or by Leonard Feather, and they all kick ass. If you like the swing jazz of Ellington, Goodman, and Basie, then you'll definitely want to add this album to your collection. ... Read more

Album Description

The Best of Blind Willie McTell highlights the blues icon on 12-string guitar but also captures some of his a six–string guitar work from some of his earliest recordings. Each song on this 23-track CD was culled from rare and precious 78s and has been newly remastered to produce the best possible sound quality. The Best of Blind Willie McTell is a must-have for any blues or early music enthusiast. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman wants to enlighten people about the great blues of America's musical past. Drawing on his stash of 1,300 albums, the two-CD set Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey makes a strong case for the lasting eloquence of the African American blues music recorded in the oppressive South during the Depression and on till 1951. (Wyman has also co-authored a history of the American blues called Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey: A Journey to Music's Heart & Soul.) Blues novitiates and devotees alike will be served well by Wyman's knowing selection of songs, 46 in all, covering an array of styles. Among his heroes are the famous (Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson) and semi-famous (Lonnie Johnson and Memphis Slim, to name two), as well as the unjustly forgotten (several pianists and cross-dressing singer Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon). --Frank-John Hadley ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good In Small Doses
This compilation of Bill Wyman's favorite blues songs gives a decent history of blues music. While listening to this music, it is quite interesting to note the influence it had on many rock n roll bands.

However, the versions presented here are a stark in arrangement. Although they are performed well, usually its just a guitar and a vocal or a piano and a vocal. A few instrumentals thrown in for good measure. Unfortuantely after a while it all sounds pretty similar in spite of some good performances.

Truthfully, I would prefer a smaller compilation of blues standards as opposed to this extensive batch. Nonetheless, big time fans of blues music might want to at least preview this collection.

Bill Wyman is giving Ken Burns a run for the money here
For all of you who enjoyed Ken Burns' epic Jazz series, former Stones bassist Bill Wyman follows it up here with his own study and insight on the musical genre that he obviously loves, the Blues. Besides the handsome coffee table book, this 2 CD set contains most of the legends of the American blues spread over 46 tracks, from Papa Charlie Jackson's 1925 recording of "All I Want is a Spoonful" to 1951 blues tracks from Elmore James and B.B. King. No, "The Thrill is Gone" isn't covered here nor are the newer blues artists like Robert Cray or Stevie Ray Vaughan, just the old masters.

One thing I was reminded of was that the blues did not begin with Robert Johnson who emerged in the mid-'30s. Of course! Just like rock and roll didn't begin with Elvis. Get this collection and check out Wyman's commentary on each of the artists. It's very informative and easy to get a grasp on what for many is an arcane musical genre.

And yes, as Wyman states, "the Blues are perfect however you feel."

A Noteworthy Compilation
I'm rarely in someone's Amen Corner, but I can't disagree with anything the previous reviewer wrote. Rather, let me expand on it. The Rolling Stones, particularly in their salad days, were heavily influenced by black American blues as were many of their British contemporaries. Here the listener has the chance to hear 46 of the songs which influenced that generation of musicians and which touched Wyman in particular.
Bill Wyman has put together a fine group of old blues that feature a wide range of musicians, both famous and obscure, playing a wide range of blues styles. Rock fans who have never listened to traditional blues will recognize a number of these songs which have been covered by artists ranging from Van Morrison to John Mayall.
The 2-CD set includes an informative booklet containing short biographical sketches of each featured artist. It also contains many rare photos obtained from various sources.
Hats off to Bill Wyman! Blues Odyssey is a noteworthy compilation, very well remastered, that is worth every penny of its price. If you love the blues, buy this one today.

Leave it to a Rolling Stone...
Leave it to a Rolling Stone to assemble the most generous, distinctive collection of classic blues issued this year. I purchased this set on impulse because I love early blues recordings and heard that Bill Wyman, of the Rolling Stones, had just produced a broadcast series based on the lives and works of early blues musicians. To be honest, there aren't many early blues recordings on CD that have been as carefully researched or as beautifully remastered. There are two disks and 46 cuts on this bargain-priced collection, only about a third of which are performed by die-hard favorites like Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Big Maceo, Lonnie Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Minnie and Blind Lemon Jefferson. The balance of the collection includes performances by musicians you may not have ever heard, or at least listened too very often, from Mamie Smith and Bo Carter to Casey Bill Weldon and Georgia White. But there isn't a bad cut in the bunch. As with most of Wyman's recorded projects, there is a distinctive, laid-back feel to the compilation. The music is intensely personal, and very listenable. Originally remastered in the UK by Denis Blackham, the warmth and presence of the collection is startling. Add to all of this a booklet that is handsome and informative, and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend 20 bucks. PS. You don't have to love the blues to enjoy most of these performances. Anyone who loves vintage jazz or roots music can dive right in. Very strongly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Decades after its conception, Harry Belafonte's enormously ambitious project has come to a rewarding fruition with the release of this lovingly produced and beautifully packaged collection. Between 1961 and 1971, Belafonte sought to create a comprehensive document of what he calls "African-matrixed music": "African rooted, Africa as origin, evolved from an original African form." The rough timeframe Belafonte follows begins with the arrival of blacks in America in the early 17th century and ends at the dawn of the recording age. Yet this five-disc set (with a bonus "making of" DVD) amounts to so much more than a musical history; it is, instead, a detailed sociopolitical history of the people who created this music and a journey following the evolution of black culture from the time that the diaspora left Africa for the New World.

Disc 1 offers tribal chants, shouts, and spirituals while the second disc explores the slavery era through the Civil War. Disc 3 looks at postwar sounds both urban and rural while the fourth disc crosses into the next century as the street cries and mountain hollers morph into folk ballads, gritty blues, and minstrel shows--the roots of popular music as we know it today. The final disc includes songs of work and songs of worship, the practical tools of survival for African Americans in troubled times. The sounds found across these discs are faithful re-creations featuring a large cast that includes the likes of Belafonte, Bessie Jones, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Joe Williams. The lovely 140-page hardbound book includes extensive notes and provocative essays, as well as stunning photos plus artwork by Charles White. To be sure, this is not easy listening and those looking for your basic "roots music" collection will be disappointed. Rather, this is really a fascinating exploration of the roots of roots music. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Wonderful job of recovering history while being historical
Job well done. The scope of this music is as comprehensive as anything out there. One of the great things about this collection is that it is broad in scope yet surprisingly accessible. These CD's are great teaching tools, and are also surprisingly ENTERTAINING at the same time. In that regard alone they are a wonderful testament of and to the Black experience. But they are far more than just this. The engineers working on this record also did a terrific job; the sound quality is exceptional... You will be challenged, educated, excited, entertained, enriched, and uplifted by these amazing and stirring songs.

No, these are not the Lomax field recordings. If you read the book accompanying the five CD's you'll find out why these recordings weren't done in the field. I'm glad they made the decision that they did; for the most part they brought the field into the (now historic) studio.

These songs will make Black people immensely proud of their heritage, and will give others a fine appreciation of the Black experience in America and elsewhere...

A gift to us all
What a gift this is to all of us! Researched and recorded between 1961 and 1971, this collection traces the
history of black music from the late 1600's to the 20th Century. It covers the roots of African music,
chants, shouts and early spirituals, Louisiana Creole music and a re-creation of a slave Christmas, songs
from the Underground Railroad and Civil War era, rural and urban roots music, game and children's
songs, work songs, minstrel songs...you name it, it's here.

As one who has spent innumerable hours straining to decipher old recordings, I must say that
Belafonte and crew have done a fantastic job of bringing the music to life, creating a sound that is both
satisfying to the modern ear, yet authentic and respectful to the original material. (The music has NOT, for
example, been modernized stylistically. Hurrah for that!) Belafonte simply captured in a modern era what
might have been captured in, say, 1866 had modern recording equipment been available.

Bigger than just a "black thing"
There are lots of reviews or word of mouth on this CD box set that, quite frankly, focuses on all the wrong things. To pigeonhole this box set a "must for black families" vastly understates the raw power and broad appeal of this collection. This box set is bigger than that; it's much more than just a quaint time capsule for blacks to listen to. It's fun, entertaining, and can go toe-to-toe with any of the best new music releases out there right now.

This music is basically the foundation of ALL popular music celebrated in the Western world today. Rock, Top 40 Pop, Salsa, Gospel, Blues, R&B, Hip-hop, Country, Bluegrass, they ALL owe an immeasurable debt to the music and culture brought over to the Western hemisphere by African slaves.

The collection starts with African chants and tribal music, and some of the instrumental and vocal arrangements could easily be from modern pop music. As it moves from the African black music experience over to the early Black American music experience, it's easy to hear how African music evolved in America to become the modern American pop, rock, hip-hop and R&B music we know today. People always mention how African music is the roots of pop, rock, soul and Afro-latin music, but this collection really drives the point home when you listen to old tribal music and hear beats and vocals that sound uncannily like those heard in today's modern music genres. There is no modern popular genre that doesn't owe a great debt to African-based musical sensibilities, and although we hear it said all the time, this box set actually illustrates the point better than a million articles and academic speeches ever could.

This collection is more than a history lesson or a source of pride for blacks. That almost makes it sound cold and academic. This collection has WARMTH and personality; it's great entertainment and just plain incredible music. Listen to it regardless of your race, political orientation, or ideology. Buy it and enjoy it because you love good music and want to hear the roots of it straight from the source, not just as a source of racial pride or as an acedmic study in music history.

A Must For Every Black Family
The Long Road to Freedom depicts a history of America's Africans in a masterful collection of music.

Beyond Measure
Anyone who listens to this collection of CD's will be truly blessed. For it is a testament to the heartache, heartbreak and the wrong done to people of African descent. However the music is redeeming as it strives to touch your soul with it's rhythmic chants, songs and testimonies. It is a true example of the strength, courage, faith and hope that all people, especially those of African descent, hold in their hearts. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful performers!
The only reason I gave this four stars is because I've heard them perform live and there is simply no comparison. They are magnetic. I have never heard better harp playing than Wiggins' playing live. He seems muted on the album. This is my first purchase of their music, but there will be more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Mixed Bag
It was only with the advent of radio that people all over the nation were able to listen to the same versions of the same music by the same artists and as the record companies produced them, and with this the pop song was born.

The aptly titled History of Pop Radio traces popular music from 1920-1951 and does a good job of introducing a diverse mix of both well-known and forgotten melodies.

The sound quality is generally good and this box set includes the 15 CDs, each with around 20 songs and approximately an hour long. It also contains an 80-page booklet in lieu of liner notes, but the information contained in it isn't particularly noteworthy.

The real problem with this collection is the quality of the music. when I listened to these CDs I discovered that I don't really like the hits of yesterday any better than currently popular music. Of course there are a good number of gems by the likes of Arthur Cruddup, Louis Jordan, and Glen Miller, but these songs are greatly outnumbered by syrupy crooners like Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore.

Listening to the 15 CDs was interesting and so I recommend it as a learning experience, but there's only about 2-3 CDs worth of good music here. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Piedmont Blues
According to the liner, John Cephas claims Rev. Gary Davis and Sister Rosetta Tharpe as major influences - you can scarcely make a claim better than that. Phil Wiggins learned with a street singer Flora Molton who is unknown to me. The result of the pairing of Cephas and Wiggins is a sound similar to Terry and McGhee - obviously in the instrumentation but also in the aesthetic sense of their blues.

This CD sounds like early work by a great duo - early work in the sense that it is well executed with feeling but lacks the depth of the blues that is in their major influence. Yet the sound is so good that I have no doubt that later albums will grow in subtlety.

It is difficult to choose a favorite track - The Richmond Blues which reminds me of Willie McTell is excellent, the harmonica in West Carey Street Blues is fine, Black Rat Swing is a catchy number. This is a duo with which anyone interested in traditional blues should be familiar. ... Read more

Album Description

By popular demand! Featuring a second helping of all-time blues greats: Lead Belly, Son House, Lightnin’ Hopkins, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Also includes other voices of the blues: Roscoe Holcomb, Lucinda Williams, and many more, highlighting the diversity of the blues tradition! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What started it all...the great grandparents of modern music
If you've seen the great PBS/Martin Scorsese Blues series, or read any of the books about the great bluesmen (Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, etc) then this disc gives you the opportunity to hear the old songs that started the blues music revolution recorded by the musicians who were at the start of the movement.

Son House, Big Bill Broonzy, Lightnin' Hopkins were all part of the original movement -- the folks that brought the blues to light.

Granted there's a number of modern cuts on this disc (I don't think Lucinda Williams was playing the blues in Chicago or the Mississippi Delta in the 1940's) but that doesn't detract from experience of hearing the old songs sung by the originals. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There's just something about slide guitar when it's done right, and it's definitely done right here. Streamline Special is something of a history lesson, as well; everyone from Robert Johnson ("Preachin' Blues") and Blind Boy Fuller ("Homesick & Lonesome Blues") to Muddy Waters ("I Feel Like Going Home") to Taj Mahal, whose "Country Blues" rendition is one of the highlights of this collection. There's the deceptively down-tempo "Two Timin' Woman" from Casey Bill Weldon, and Bukka White's "Special Streamline," where he does a train sound with his guitar that puts Aerosmith's "Train Kept a-Rollin'" to shame. Allen Shaw really does moan on "Moanin' the Blues," and Tampa Red and Georgia Tom's "No Matter How She Done It" is a smart, sassy, and frequently hilarious song. This isn't a definitive collection by a long shot, but it's an excellent introduction to the expressiveness and versatility of slide guitar. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is a marvellous CD
I am afraid that any words used to express my fondness for this CD would be inadequate. Anyone who appreciates blues should pick this one up without question. And if ya don't love blues, pick this one up. You will certainly not regret it. All of the artists are shining examples of the best black blues, indeed the only blues. Simpley because there is no such thing as a worthy white blues man. ... Read more

Album Description

A living and dynamic tradition, blues is forged in hard times but powerful enough to bring on the good times.Legends such as Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotton, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee, among others, formed the "blues backbone" of Folkways Records.This compilation from the Smithsonian Folkways collection spans a half century and features Delta, St. Louis, Southwest, and Chicago styles performed by some of the best-known figures in the blues history.From boogies to ballads, full of innuendo and irony, this classic collection is a jukebox in a jewel case.Extensive notes, 73 minutes. ... Read more

Album Description

Budget-priced box featuring 40(!) digitally remastered CDs packed with all the best from the top names of the Big Band era during the Great Depression and World War II. Each disc contains music by just one artist, though most of the stars have two hits-packed CDs and Duke Ellington has three! Otherfeatured acts include Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Cab Calloway, Gene Krupa, Stan Kenton and many others. Packedwith a walloping 792 tracks, this collection is guaranteedto keep all swingin' guys and dolls' toes tappin' and hands clappin'! An affordable & unique Christmas present that Grandma & Grandpa will love since they grew up listening to these cats, Mom & Dad can now appreciate and the smart kids who know better than to accept lame modern day imposters like Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy when they can have the real deal! Housed in a sealed, full color 5' x 6' ... Read more

Reviews (3)

When popular music was good, and good music popular
As a youngster some 25 years ago I was fortunate enough to have a neighbor who had records of big band music that he shared.
Long evenings spent listening in my attic room as the old tube amplified record player would reproduce big band music faithfully through a big, old Wurlitzer jukebox speaker. Miller, Goodman, Dorsey, Herman, Armstrong, and others educated me in the art of the big band. For hours on end I would listen to the music pouring forth from the big speaker, and on warm evenings when my window was open the neighbors would also. If I recall correctly I even got requests.
In both repertoire and sonics the "Big Band Box" easily holds its own against the compilations from Time Life, Longines Symphonette Society, Readers Digest, and various others.
The artists picked are some of the most influential of the Swing Era- Benny Goodman, who is credited with starting the big band era circa 1935. Duke Ellington, who is truly an artist "Beyond category." Chick Webb- the harlem dynamo who gave Ella Fitzgerald her start with a Big Band. Fletcher Henderson- a genius whose arrangements often had multiple layers some on top, but others not revealing themselves until multiple listenings. Gene Krupa- the giant of percussion who is still one of the most revered drummers today.
Harry James- The child prodigy from a circus family whose best work was electrifying, but descended into alcoholism and gambling, but stayed true to his craft up until the end. His last recordings revealed a purity of tone and melody that denied he only had weeks to live...
The music selections are also excellant, and reveal a real sensitivty of the big bands real flavorings. A mixture of old chestnuts and seldom heard tunes provide a glimpse of what the music may have sounded like during a club date or radio program. This is a refreshing contrast to the usual "Best of" albums which are often reissued today, which often descend almost to parody, indicating that a band only had perhaps ten songs they played. In reality, the musicians and performers of the big band era were incredibly versatile and productive. This collection allows the neophyte a chance to hear what it was like during those incredible years, and even allows this old amateur disc jockey a few surprise numbers.
The sound quality is really quite good, with the almost total elimination of surface noise. Almost all the Big band recordings were made directly to disc, this was before the adoption of analog tape as a recording medium. The equalization is also very good and sounds very natural and musical. The quality of these old monaural recordings has rarely sounded as good as this.
Liner notes have a summary of each of the covered artists lives as well as their careers. Also the session dates as well as the arrangers and performers are also listed.
May I suggest for future releases that the company include some information on the audio restoration process used. To my untrained ear the restoration is very similar to the "Cedar" process, it would be nice to know what process was used. On the next issuing perhaps they could include some live performances, as like the bands of today, big bands come most alive when they interact with their audiences.
Nit picking aside, if one has even a modicum of interest in Swing music then this set is an absolute bargain, and a must have. We all know that in movies the sequel is seldom the equal of the original. It is often so in music as well. That which was done well originally is difficult to equal, let alone surpass. The time in which this music was created is long gone, as are most of the people who created it. Yet their legacy lives on and has seldom shone greater in recent years than on this "Big Band Box."
Also I recommend the "Cradle of Jazz" set as does reviewer jka1215- ASIN: B00004S7HQ.

An education in big band music
With well over 40 hours of music from around forty artists I feel enlighted from this collection.

I'm a new comer to the jazz scene and although listening to one collection won't put me shoulder to shoulder with the experts, it's a pretty good start.

Thanks to this collection, I am familiar with the styles of very famous big band names such as Benny Goodman and Cab Calloway, but also with artists I had never heard of such as Woody Herman and Stan Kenton.

Some of the music on these CDs is great, but some is pretty forgettable, while some is downright irritating. But due to the scope of the project this almost goes without saying.

The sound quality is generally acceptable and since the cost is only around a buck and a half per CD, even if you only like a tenth of the songs, you've gotten your money's worth.

Speaking for myself, I feel like I have taken a crash course in American pops from when my grandma was a young person and from this perspective, I'm really glad I bought it.

Great Deal
Nearly 40 hours of digitally remastered original 78s and 45s for less than $1 each. No, you aren't getting the 1000 greatest hits of the 30s & 40s, but this is a great collection, but at 10% of the price, you get a lot of standards.

Also see the similarly priced "Cradle of Jazz" and "Great Vocalists of Jazz and Entertainment" collections by the German "History" label. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Shining Addition to Any Collection
The consolidation of record companies is generally bad, but this 3-CD box set was only possible because MCA acquired the rights to some outstanding early "race" record labels (Vocalion, Decca) and classy early R&B (e.g. Chess). The result is an intelligent, sequenced collection that is much more than a jarring, random assortment of songs by blues masters. Starting with the Delta blues, the mix seems subtly slanted in favor of bawdy, roadhouse-style blues performances--why it's the devil's music and you can't stay away from it. Whether it's Peetie Wheatstraw, Louis Jordan, John Lee Hooker or Etta James, these performances will seduce you. Good quality sound throughout (even the old stuff), with a handsome booklet.

An excellent blues collection
I own tons of blues CD's and records but I find myself going back to this collection over and over again. The songs represent some of the strongest recordings by the masters of the blues. Whether your interest is delta blues, piano blues, jump blues, Chicago blues or smooth urban blues; you'll find plenty to peak your ear. If you're lucky as I was, you'll find some unfamiliar and great artists to lead you down new musical roads. Some of my personal favorites are: That's No Way to Get Along - Robert Wilkins, What's the Matter with the Mill? - Kansas Joe McCoy, Floating Bridge - Sleepy John Estes, Mother Earth - Memphis Slim, It Serves You Right to Suffer - John Lee Hooker- just to name a few. Since I've got a 1,000 word limit in this review it prevents me from listing every great track on the collection and all the reasons you should purchase it. Suffice to say, buy it now and you won't be sorry!

Best Collection of Classic Blues!
I have purchased a lot of Blues recordings recently, but for a single purchase, this collection would be the best. It has the one or two most recognized songs from the most prominent Blues artists from 1927 to 1969, without the "scratches" of the old '78's!!! ... Read more