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.
Mosaic Records has been with me for half my life. Just looked at my LP shelf: My first Mosaic box is from the Nat King Cole Trio "The Complete Capitol Recordings". And I have them on vinyl! Since then I bought many boxes from Mosaic. But this new box will be a highlight for me which I have on my list since the end of last year. So I will not wait too long to buy it. As I understand, if a Mosaic box is sold out that means REALLY sold out!
Thanks Marc, for mentioning George Simon's book.
Every serious Big Band fan should have his "The Big Bands" book.
Another great book from George T. Simon is "Simon Says - The Sights And Sounds Of The Swing Era 1935 - 1955" from 1971. I bought this big book (nearly 500 pages) in 1988 in a second-hand record store in London as a 20 year old beginning jazz fan.
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.
If you love the big bands, these are virtually all jumping tracks, as you can hear from the audio clips included. A ton of Basie, James, Miller and all the others. Wish they'd come back and do a Super Bowl Half-Time Show.
Just received this boxed set, and loving what I’m hearing! Thanks for the mention of Simon’s book - just ordered a used copy. Yet another valuable nugget I’ve gotten from your amazing blog where I’ve been turned on to so many inspiring artists and their music! Thanks for all of the work you put into it - I greatly appreciate it!
You're most kind, Bill. So glad you find the box exciting and that your curiosity has been sparked. The box is like someone opening the door to a cage of tigers. The syncopation is relentless.
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
Thank the Good Lord for Mosaic. Been onto them since their beginning, a pile now waist high.
Hefti’s “Jones Beachhead” is aka “Half-Past Jumping Time”
Mosaic Records has been with me for half my life. Just looked at my LP shelf: My first Mosaic box is from the Nat King Cole Trio "The Complete Capitol Recordings". And I have them on vinyl! Since then I bought many boxes from Mosaic. But this new box will be a highlight for me which I have on my list since the end of last year. So I will not wait too long to buy it. As I understand, if a Mosaic box is sold out that means REALLY sold out!
Thanks Marc, for mentioning George Simon's book.
Every serious Big Band fan should have his "The Big Bands" book.
Another great book from George T. Simon is "Simon Says - The Sights And Sounds Of The Swing Era 1935 - 1955" from 1971. I bought this big book (nearly 500 pages) in 1988 in a second-hand record store in London as a 20 year old beginning jazz fan.
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’ve been on the fence about this one but I guess it’s time to order.
If you love the big bands, these are virtually all jumping tracks, as you can hear from the audio clips included. A ton of Basie, James, Miller and all the others. Wish they'd come back and do a Super Bowl Half-Time Show.
Just received this boxed set, and loving what I’m hearing! Thanks for the mention of Simon’s book - just ordered a used copy. Yet another valuable nugget I’ve gotten from your amazing blog where I’ve been turned on to so many inspiring artists and their music! Thanks for all of the work you put into it - I greatly appreciate it!
You're most kind, Bill. So glad you find the box exciting and that your curiosity has been sparked. The box is like someone opening the door to a cage of tigers. The syncopation is relentless.
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.