Listening to the Buddy Rich band on Four Rich Brothers took me back to a much quieter Buddy Rich playing only brushes on Tatum Group Masterpieces Vol. 3. It’s Tatum, Hampton and Rich, and it’s simply astonishing.
I knew the gifted Danny Hurd, who arranged for Hal McIntyre's big band. I played a couple of gigs with him in the 1980s; he was a pianist and a nice man. I had the pleasure of showing him Gunther Schuller's comprehensive book "The Swing Era," in which Schuller discussed Danny's contributions to the McIntyre band. One of those, "Rockin' and Ridin," can be heard in Marc's article above.
I'm about a third of the way through my first listening, and I strongly agree with your assessment. I started with Basie, which includes several tracks with Prez, then Woody, Krupa, and Rich. Tonight I started with the CD that includes the Dorseys, Glen Gray, and Yank Lawson. I hadn't started kindergarten when the first of these sessions were recorded, so while I dug deep into the jazz bands, I missed the rest. The well-documented personnel of these bands are mostly unfamiliar names, but every band includes some who became stalwarts of the major bands we still listen to today. Buddy's band is as full of fire as those he led much later in life, but there only one or two names I recognize.
Another thing I appreciate about this set is that there are some tracks where the bands get to stretch out beyond the 3-minute limit of 10-in 78's. Also some early work by some who are among my favorite arrangers, Ralph Burns, Neil Hefti, Johnny Mandel, Al Cohn, and Tadd Dameron.
As a Fellow of the AES and retired sound engineer who only did live jazz, another thing I like about this set is that the restoration and mastering engineers seem to have avoided the trap of pressing "Record" and considering the job done. Recording engineers in those days had none of the today's tools for compensating for the limitations of microphones accurately capturing what happened in the studio. In addition, labels, studios, and even individual engineers has their own "equalization curves" that varied the sound balance that was put on discs to minimize record scratch. The speakers of that era far less accurately reproduced what was on the disc, which further colored the judgement of the recording engineers.
The real mandate of "restoration" and "mastering" of ALL historic material MUST include using modern tools that correct for these variables so that the finished product sounds like what was happening in the studio that day, NOT necessarily what was pressed on the disc. The goal of real restoration must be to restore the sound of the band, not the processed version that the recording engineers put on the disc. The people doing this work need both the technical skills and a familiarity with how instruments sound. Earlier Mosaic sets were done by this sort of engineers, but I've been recent boxes, and have passed on several after listening to the samples. This set seems to have been done more in line with that objective, helping to convey the excitement.
This set is a delightful window into the excitement created by the big bands that made the swing era! My first playing of the disc with Yang, Gray, and the Dorseys was while doing other things, and it was very nice groove.
As someone who had been a big band enthusiast since a teenager, this collection has been long anticipated. It is indeed a treasure trove of A and B list bands. I had only heard of these recordings in drips and drabs, but didn’t know how extensive they were. The V-Disc program was like the postal service or national parks system. A great American idea and ideal. Save up your money and order a copy.
Great analogy, Peter. Imagine, a government agency working feverishly to promote swing to those fighting to defend Western Civilization. It’s no wonder swing lasted into the late 1960s and early 70s with the Billy May boxes. Swing stuck with the Greatest Generation for life. Fortunately we caught the enthusiasts on the radio for old timers and were hipped to how great the bands were.
Listening to the Buddy Rich band on Four Rich Brothers took me back to a much quieter Buddy Rich playing only brushes on Tatum Group Masterpieces Vol. 3. It’s Tatum, Hampton and Rich, and it’s simply astonishing.
Malcolm Kronby
I knew the gifted Danny Hurd, who arranged for Hal McIntyre's big band. I played a couple of gigs with him in the 1980s; he was a pianist and a nice man. I had the pleasure of showing him Gunther Schuller's comprehensive book "The Swing Era," in which Schuller discussed Danny's contributions to the McIntyre band. One of those, "Rockin' and Ridin," can be heard in Marc's article above.
I'm about a third of the way through my first listening, and I strongly agree with your assessment. I started with Basie, which includes several tracks with Prez, then Woody, Krupa, and Rich. Tonight I started with the CD that includes the Dorseys, Glen Gray, and Yank Lawson. I hadn't started kindergarten when the first of these sessions were recorded, so while I dug deep into the jazz bands, I missed the rest. The well-documented personnel of these bands are mostly unfamiliar names, but every band includes some who became stalwarts of the major bands we still listen to today. Buddy's band is as full of fire as those he led much later in life, but there only one or two names I recognize.
Another thing I appreciate about this set is that there are some tracks where the bands get to stretch out beyond the 3-minute limit of 10-in 78's. Also some early work by some who are among my favorite arrangers, Ralph Burns, Neil Hefti, Johnny Mandel, Al Cohn, and Tadd Dameron.
As a Fellow of the AES and retired sound engineer who only did live jazz, another thing I like about this set is that the restoration and mastering engineers seem to have avoided the trap of pressing "Record" and considering the job done. Recording engineers in those days had none of the today's tools for compensating for the limitations of microphones accurately capturing what happened in the studio. In addition, labels, studios, and even individual engineers has their own "equalization curves" that varied the sound balance that was put on discs to minimize record scratch. The speakers of that era far less accurately reproduced what was on the disc, which further colored the judgement of the recording engineers.
The real mandate of "restoration" and "mastering" of ALL historic material MUST include using modern tools that correct for these variables so that the finished product sounds like what was happening in the studio that day, NOT necessarily what was pressed on the disc. The goal of real restoration must be to restore the sound of the band, not the processed version that the recording engineers put on the disc. The people doing this work need both the technical skills and a familiarity with how instruments sound. Earlier Mosaic sets were done by this sort of engineers, but I've been recent boxes, and have passed on several after listening to the samples. This set seems to have been done more in line with that objective, helping to convey the excitement.
This set is a delightful window into the excitement created by the big bands that made the swing era! My first playing of the disc with Yang, Gray, and the Dorseys was while doing other things, and it was very nice groove.
As someone who had been a big band enthusiast since a teenager, this collection has been long anticipated. It is indeed a treasure trove of A and B list bands. I had only heard of these recordings in drips and drabs, but didn’t know how extensive they were. The V-Disc program was like the postal service or national parks system. A great American idea and ideal. Save up your money and order a copy.
Great analogy, Peter. Imagine, a government agency working feverishly to promote swing to those fighting to defend Western Civilization. It’s no wonder swing lasted into the late 1960s and early 70s with the Billy May boxes. Swing stuck with the Greatest Generation for life. Fortunately we caught the enthusiasts on the radio for old timers and were hipped to how great the bands were.