Record Reviews

LOUIS ARMSTRONG ~ THE OKEH, COLUMBIA & RCA VICTOR RECORDINGS 1925-1933 SONY 886979456525 (Barcode: 886979456525) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1925 - 1933 Released: 2012 This Box Set includes all the recordings made by the Godfather of Jazz, trumpeter / vocalist / composer Louis ArmstrongFind albums by this artist, which define the genre as we know it. The historic importance of these recordings is simply beyond imagination and without them Jazz might have never been created, at least not following the path it actually took. A careful listener will notice that everything that defines Jazz, and most importantly the idiom of "swing" is simply epitomized by these recordings. The early recordings in this set are by the Hot FivesFind albums by this artist and Hot SevensFind albums by this artist, which were Armstrong´s quintet and septet respectively and included such legendary players like trombonist Kid OryFind albums by this artist, clarinetist Johnny DoddsFind albums by this artist, pianists Earl HinesFind albums by this artist and Lil ArmstrongFind albums by this artist and many, many others. Later recordings are by much larger ensembles / orchestras, which also included the most famous musicians active at the time. Stylistically these recordings span several Jazz sub-genres, like Dixieland, New Orleans and Swing, but Armstrong always was cross-genre way before that expression was invented. There is no way the importance of this music can be explained within the limits of a brief review, therefore rather than trying the impossible I simply state the obvious: this is an essential piece of Jazz history, and in fact also an essential piece of Human Culture of such significance, that every person on Earth should listen to this music at least once during his lifetime. For people, who love Jazz and are nor familiar with this music, hearing it might prove to be enlightening to the highest degree and certainly explain the "missing link" between Jazz and other music genres, like Blues and Rock, which have common roots. This is iconic, essential and an absolute must!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 10 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

DR. JOHN ~ SKE-DAT-DE-DAT: THE SPIRIT OF SATCH (LIMITED EDITION) LAST MUSIC 5052442013648 (Barcode: 5052442013648) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2013 Released: 2020 This is the 32nd studio album by iconic American singer / keyboardist / songwriter / bandleader Dr. JohnFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mac RebennackFind albums by this artist), and the last album released during his lifetime and his penultimate album in total. This limited edition was released on the first anniversary of Dr. John’s passing. The album was recorded with a huge number of guest musicians, mostly from the Jazz scene, including trumpeters Terence BlanchardFind albums by this artist and Nicholas PaytonFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, it is a tribute to the iconic American musician Louis ArmstrongFind albums by this artist and the thirteen tracks on this album are all associated with Armstrong’s repertoire. The album presents brilliant up to date arrangements of Armstrong’s classic songs, amalgamating all possible American musical styles, including the New Orleans musical roots and traditions, and spans many genres, including Gospel, Blues, Voodoo, Funk, Hip Hop and of course Jazz and it is one of the most elaborate and diverse albums Dr. John ever recorded, proving again that he was one of America’s most talented musicians of all time. His idiosyncratic vocals, piano playing, sense of humor and general approach to music remain as one of the most recognizable symbols of American music. Overall, this is another gem of American music, which deserves to be remembered and a lot can be learned from it about how to combine cross-genre musical sources to create a perfect amalgam, which is simply everlasting. Blues, Soul and vocal Jazz enthusiasts should love this album to bits, as I obviously do as well.

Updated: 30/05/2024Posted: 30/05/2024

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend

LAMBERT, HENDRICKS & ROSS ~ SEVEN CLASSIC ALBUMS REAL GONE JAZZ 415 (Barcode: 5036408153128) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1957 - 1962 Released: 2013 This is a reissue of all the recordings by the legendary American vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & RossFind albums by this artist, which consisted of Dave LambertFind albums by this artist, Jon HendricksFind albums by this artist and the British born Annie RossFind albums by this artist. This set collects recordings made between 1957 and 1962, which present the trio shaping the future of Jazz vocals for generations to come. The seven albums included here are: "Sing A Song Of BasieFind albums with this title" from 1957, "Sing Along With BasieFind albums with this title", from 1958, "The SwingersFind albums with this title" from 1958, "Lambert, Hendricks & RossFind albums with this title" from 1960, "Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sing EllingtonFind albums with this title" from 1960, "The Real AmbassadorsFind albums with this title", a soundtrack of a Jazz musical which also features Dave BrubeckFind albums by this artist and Louis ArmstrongFind albums by this artist, from 1962 and the final album they recorded "High Flying With Lambert, Hendricks & RossFind albums with this title" from 1962. The trio´s usage of vocalese (i.e. wordless singing) advanced the idiom of Jazz vocals considerably, contributing to the voice being recognized as having instrumental abilities equal to those of traditional instruments used in Jazz. Although they were undoubtedly pioneers, they were almost immediately overshadowed by the French vocal group Les Double SixFind albums by this artist, which pushed the innovative vocal concepts to the next level and beyond, later followed by The Swingle SingersFind albums by this artist and many other vocal ensembles. Overall this is a fascinating collection of great vocal Jazz music performed by the best vocalists at the time, and which has additionally also an enormous historical value. I can’t imagine any true vocal Jazz fan missing this set! Side Note The Real Gone JazzFind albums on this label label releases hundreds of album collections, which include usually between three to eight original albums in a two to four CDs sets. Most of these albums were recorded and released in the 1950s and early 1960s. These collections provide the track lists and lineups of the original albums, but no recording information, liner notes and any background information whatsoever. The label takes advantage of the copyright law in UK, which limited the length of the copyright protection of recorded works to 50 years, after which recorded works become public domain. In 2013 UK implemented a correction of the copyright law extending the protection of recorded works to 70 years (like the rest of Europe), but the correction does not apply retroactively, which means that recordings which entered the 50 years rule prior to January 1, 2013 (i.e. recorded before January 1, 1963) remain public domain. There are two great advantages to these releases: they are really inexpensive and they bring back to life many albums not reissued previously on CD, which means it would cost a collector an arm and a leg to get a copy of them. Many of these albums are absolute gems and essential pieces of Jazz history. The disadvantages are: the lack of proper information, original cover art, combining tracks of several original albums on one CD and the sound quality, which depends on where the label gets the source material. From my experience most of the releases have quite excellent sound quality but I have not listened to all of them and some people have complained about it.

Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 29/09/2016

CD 4 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

WYNTON MARSALIS ~ WYNTON MARSALIS WOUNDED BIRD 7574 (Barcode: 664140757424) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1981 Released: 2007 American trumpeter / composer / arranger / bandleader Wynton MarsalisFind albums by this artist is probably the most identifiable Jazz personality worldwide in the last three decades – Mr. Jazz himself! With Miles DavisFind albums by this artist and lately also Freddie HubbardFind albums by this artist no longer with us, Marsalis is also the greatest trumpet player still standing. Sometimes it seems that the responsibility that comes with these honorable positions appear to be just too much for Marsalis to handle, as he has been in the epicenter of a huge controversy concerning his personality, his public statements and even his musical achievements. It was all Guns (of appraisal) and Roses (of admiration) at first – everything just clicked for Marsalis: a prestigious recording contract with ColumbiaFind albums on this label Records, a massive PR campaign for his albums, Grammy nominations and awards and every other conceivable musical award in US and abroad (including the first ever Pulitzer Prize for music) and finally the appointment as Artistic Director of the "Jazz at Lincoln Center", a cushy and extremely well paid job, all these and more turned out to be just too much for his enemies (and he has many of those) to swallow. To say the truth, Marsalis has a mouth, which does not fall much behind his mouth´s extension, the trumpet. The man just loves to voice his opinions, and some of these are quite provocative and extremely controversial, all this on top his always highly stylish wardrobe and often snobbish behavior. All the above make Marsalis an easy target for hatred and criticism, mostly by bigots, short-sighted critics and most of all envious competitors. To tell the truth, I don´t dive a damn. For me, Marsalis was always, from day one, an example of a total musician. He not only has a tremendous gift, but he both feels and understands music, a rare combination with only a handful of musicians around the globe truly possess. His ability to perform and compose Jazz and Classical music only emphasizes his musical versatility and profound effort to study, learn and apply the acquired throughout his entire life. His love of early Jazz, from the Blues, the New Orleans Masters, Louis ArmstrongFind albums by this artist and up to Beboppers like Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist, and in parallel his disrespect towards Fusion and Free Jazz are fine by me. Not everybody has to love every kind of music and even not all kinds of Jazz… as long as they do whatever they do in such magnificent fashion as he does with his music, time after time. So here comes this album, his debut solo recording. As already mentioned, Marsalis is a perpetual student, and this was just his first step, so obviously he was relaying heavily on what he knew then, which for a trumpet player means one thing: Miles Davis. In many respects this album is a direct bridge between the classic Davis recording with the second quintet, almost two decades earlier. Although his quintet does not perform any of Miles Davis compositions or even tunes from the Master´s regular repertoire, the sound and stylistic approach is quite obvious. Emphasized by the fact that about a half of the album´s tracks feature that very same quintet´s rhythm section – Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist on piano, Ron CarterFind albums by this artist on bass and Tony WilliamsFind albums by this artist on drums, and Wynton´s brother Branford MarsalisFind albums by this artist sounds remarkably like Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist on his saxophones, the associations just keep flowing. Is it imitation? Hell no! Not even in the slightest, although Marsalis would be called a Davis imitator from now no, even when he completely changed his modus operandi on the trumpet as he went along. Again, who gives a damn? This is a magnificent album, full of superb performances and uplifting music, masterly played from start to finish. Period! And when one remembers that Marsalis was just 20 years old when this album was recorded… give me a break… this is a revelation. But Marsalis was a fast learner and his subsequent recordings will surpass this album, as good as it is, by far. Maturity has this effect on people; they just get better with what they do in time, provided of course that they are as talented as Wynton Marsalis. Side Note: The fact that Columbia dropped from its catalogue almost the entire recorded output by Wynton Marsalis is a sad and tragic testimony of our times. Columbia made a lot of money from his albums for decades, but considering the state of the music industry, there are no sentiments left. This reissue is released on the Wounded BirdFind albums on this label label; kudos to the label owner for keeping great music alive!

Updated: 01/06/2018Posted:

CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend

BESSIE SMITH ~ THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA RECORDINGS SONY 887254031024 (Barcode: 887254031024) ~ USA ~ Blues Recorded: 1923 - 1933 Released: 2012 This is a monumental collection of the material recorded by American vocalist Bessie SmithFind albums by this artist for the ColumbiaFind albums on this label Records, spanning over ten years and presenting her at the peak of her career, accompanied by the best instrumentalist available at the time. Although popularly known as the Empress of the Blues, she sang material which bordered between the Blues and the rapidly developing Jazz and cooperated with early Jazz titans like pianists Fletcher HendersonFind albums by this artist and Clarence WilliamsFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Louis ArmstrongFind albums by this artist and many others. There is no Jazz vocalist in the world today, who can claim not being influenced by Bessie Smith´s recordings and her revolutionary contribution to the art of singing, regardless of the genre. She was the pioneer and the model that all Jazz vocalists tried to follow, even when not admitting it openly. Hearing these recordings clearly shows how she progressed over time, taking bold steps into improvised vocal parts in addition to covering the basic melody, which no other vocalist tried before her. Her unique power of expression and the theatrical timbre of her voice were simply completely inimitable. She also wrote many of the songs that she performs here, which makes her the first female singer / songwriter, who managed to achieve a legendary status during her lifetime. Her life and career was cut tragically short by a car accident and the latest recordings included in this Box Set are her last. Remastered and mini-sleeved, this Box Set is an excellent tribute to a great Afro-American legend, who should not be forgotten and who still has so much to offer today. This is an essential addition to any serious music collection.

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 10 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend