5 comments about Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

1. The version I have is the small box and was listening to it the whole day today.The sound is not bad at all. Actually, It is quite good.
   The music is great capturing Armstrong in a period that was so instrumental in defining Jazz and the roots of New Orleans Music.
   The selections are a good sampler for further in depth listening of releases that are available.It all adds up to a totally enjoyable experience.
   There are various surprises and probably hard to find cuts.
   For those interested in further cd's I heartily recommend The Complete Hot 5's(both JSP and Columbia are fine to my ears.The JSP may sound better with some post live selections not on Columbia's box, while the Columbia book is great and has a few alternate sides if I am not mistaken and is a lavish affair),King Oliver's Complete sessions(The Dutch 2 cd set on Challenge),Louis Big Band recordings(JSP)that completes the 30's, and the 7 selections from the Red Onion Babies found on Milestone/Jazz Heritage King Oliver and Lois Armstrong cd that duplicates most of King Oliver's complete set mentioned above except the Red Onion Baby selections. Also Breaking Out Of New Orleans(JSP) is top ranking as far as sound and selection and overall quality of this genre offering quality from many bands from 1922-1929(It also has 4 selections from the Red Onion Babies found on Louis Armstrong/King Oliver cd).
   The book inside this CD is wonderful as well.



2. I have to disagree completely with the previous reviewer. The JSP set sounds way better than these sets (I own both). Also, you cant compare this set with the JSP set in terms of content. The JSP set only includes recordings with the hot five and sevens. On this set, only 2 of the 4 CD's include that material. The rest is stuff recorded earlier as a sideman or later with RCA. Everything in this set is gold of the highest order. But the remastering is no longer the best it could be.



3. Louis Armstrong is the greatest artist of the 20th century. Don't die without hearing "West End Blues". In fact, don't live one more day without this CD. I know what you're thinking. I looked at the years this box set covers and I thought, "Oh no. 4 CD's of 78s." The truth is the sound is tinny. And the truth is it doesn't matter.



4. "Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artitst as a Young Man"

   This is the set of recordings that announced that jazz had matured to the level of an art form. The Hot Fives and Sevens, featuring the always brutally underrated Earl Hines (not to mention Johnny Dodds), is the fiery core of Planet Jazz. Louis' trumpet was never better, and with this small group in Chicago, Prince Armstrong took King Oliver's crown.

   From the first to the last of this four disc set, there is a level of invention and innovation that can only be compared to the bebop revolution of the early 1940s. These superlative remarks aside, the music is a lot of fun to listen to, from the classics like "Potato Head Blues", "Struttin' with Some Barbeque", "Chimes Blues", "Weather Bird", "Sugar Foot Stomp", both takes of "Stardust", "Cornet Chop Suey", "Tight Like This" and the greatest of them all, "West End Blues."

   King Armstrong he would have been called had he stayed in New Orleans. And who knows if he'd have been any more famous than Freddie Keppard today.

   Instead, he's a beloved legend by both jazz hardcores and most if not all Americans (plus millions worldwide). He stands only alongside Bach and Beethoven in the pantheon.




5. The most complete collection of the most important work by the most dominant American musician of the first half of the 20th century.

   Too much hype?

   Trust me, this is a great collection, worthy of that hype. These are the recordings that cemented Armstrong's reputation as the most important instrumentalist of the age.

4 comments about Cocktail Hour: Mildred Bailey.

1. I'm sort of ambivalent about this 2-disc set. Don't get me wrong. The music is great and it certainly provides a broad perspective on the talents of this renowned jazz vocalist. Born on February 27, 1907 Mildred, one of THE most admired within the industry, sang in front of a multitude of big bands, including her own, after getting her start with the Paul Whiteman orchestra in 1929, thanks to the efforts of her brother, Al Rinker. These included Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Benny Goodman and, of course, her husband, Red Norvo, among many others.
   
   It's just that, in the days before the LP, a hit single was the goal of any vocalist (and, of course, their label) and in Mildred's case she registered 22 as a "solo" artist from 1932 to 1947, in addition to many more as a featured big band vocalist. And here, in a 28-track set, less than half (9 to be exact) were hits, these being Rocking Chair (# 13 in 1937 with Matty Malneck's orchestra), I'll Never Be The Same and We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye (# 14 and # 3 in 1932 - both with Paul Whiteman's orchestra), Honeysuckle Rose, Says My Heart, and I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (# 9 in 1935, # 4 in 1938, and # 11 in 1937 - all with Red Norvo), Darn That Dream (# 1 in 1940 with Benny Goodman), and My Reverie and Small Fry (# 10 and # 9 in 1938 with her own band).
   
   Left out from among her many hits were major entries such as Lazy Bones (a # 9 in 1933 with The Dorsey Brothers),Trust In Me (# 4 in 1937), Where Are You? (# 5 in 1937), and Never In A Million Years (# 8 in 1937) - all fronting her own band. Another major omission was 1938's So Help Me, which reached # 2.
   
   And, as with the others in this Cocktail Hour series (e.g., Cab Calloway, Louis Prima, Al Jolson, Vaughn Monroe, Jimmy Durante, and The Mills Brothers - to name a few), there are no liner notes to provide background information on the artist or the selections included. Something that just doesn't sit well with many music fans these days, many of us spoiled by the likes of Ace Records of London in that regard.
   
   Not a bad compilation - but then, not great either. My recommendation would be to check out some of the other Mildred Bailey offerings.
   
   Finally, to answer that last reviewer's question, yes that's Mildred on Junk Man. The problem was, in the sample audio provided by Amazon all you hear is about 20 seconds of an 85-second orchestral introduction by Benny Goodman's band before Mildred kicks in, something that was fairly common with all big-band records of the era.



2. For starters, I don't get my colleague's comments about the absence of Mildred on 'Junk Man' - my copy of the Cocktail Hour certainly has a vocal on that track that sounds like Bailey (if it isn't her, maybe someone could clarify this for us? (--: ).. anyway: this is a double CD of swing standards plus nifty straight-ahead blues: 'Washboard Blues', 'Me and The Blues', 'Downhearted Blues', etc. Her work with Red Norvo, whom she later married, is superb ('Says My Heart', 'The Gypsy in My Soul'). 'My Reverie' with her own Orchestra is a really sweet ballad. Mildred swings, but also she has a certain edgy sassiness that was missing with the popular 'sweet' female vocalists of the BigBand era. As always, Cocktail Hour delivers quality and great value.



3. I don't know toomuch about Mildred Bailey, although apparently she was very popular back in the 30's but is largely forgotten now. I have two of her CD's, some of her stuff is okay, but some of the other songs she songs are great. On this CD, the song "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is worth the price of the CD by itself. Mildred Bailey may not have had the greatest range of any singer, but she knew how to swing, and how to carry a song. I read somewhere that she was an influence on Billie Holiday, and on some of the songs you could imagine Lady Day singing these songs herself.



4. the musical sample for junk man,a benny goodman recording in 1933, does not include mildred baileys vocal.Presumably shes the reason for the sample.

1 comments about Billie Holiday From the Original Decca Masters.

1. This is a little gem of a Billie Holiday collection! All 15 tracks are clear and even, and are picked from her more nicely orchestrated studio recordings. My favorite track: SOLITUDE, and this track is her most played version of this song. Also here is one of her later recordings of her own song, GOD BLESS THE CHILD, in a slow, mournful tempo. All the original recordings were made from 1946-1950 while she was contracted to Decca Records. This MCA remastering is quite good - almost too good for such an inexpensive CD.

5 comments about What a Diff'rence a Day Makes.

1. I was first introduced to this Artist in the late 70's via a very kind
   man donated many of his 'old' jazz records to me (lucky me,heh?)...it was
   hot then, and it's still hot...it has timeless cool all over it...from
   the musical arrangement, the great writing context, and most of all the
   dynamic and strong vocal delivery of Ms.Esther Phillips!...I was totally
   psyched to have found it again remastered and available on disc...I'll be
   watching the mail in great anticipation...Peace-Out****



2. A Classic Release from Ester Phillips. What'd she do with that snake after the picture was taken? Hmmmm...wink! wink!



3. Don't get me wrong here, I loved Disco--and I worshipped Creed Taylor and his engineer Rudy Van Gelder. These guys are jazz Gods, and have produced some of the greatest jazz records ever.
   
   Esther Phillips is a jazz and standars legend, at the downhill slope of a great career in 1975 at the height of Disco craze.
   
   So Creed Taylor delegates the music arrangements to guitarist Joe Beck who produces a Disco Standards Jazz album, in an effort to bolster her failing career. Regretably, Creed Taylor didn't succeed, and neither does this CD.
   
   This is an awful marriage of musical styles which doesn't fit and doesn't translate very well to the year 2006. It sounds dated, because it is; It sounds forced, because I'm sure Ms. Phillips abhored Disco; and I just can't get into a Disco album by Creed Taylor.
   
   If you can hold your nose and ears long enough to sift through some of the musical breaks, the solos are terrific, with Joe Beck wailing on guitar, backed up by the Brecker Brothers and David Sanborn. The standard, What a Difference a Day Makes have never sounded better in the musical breaks, but the tempo is unfamiliar and will puzzle jazz purists.
   
   If you like Esther Phillips, pick another CD.
   
   If you like Disco, try the Bee Gees.
   
   If you want funky up tempo musicianship by these same musicians, try any one of the Brecker Brother Albums, or better yet "Beck" with David Sanborn and Joe Beck, a terrific CD.
   
   But I would pass on this Disco Jazz Standard experiment.



4. Esther Phillips shines on this record as a unique, capable, and brilliant lead singer. The mix is handled in an equally deft manner, allowing dynamics to flow through the music, the result being a record that begs to be turned up.
   The upbeat songs stand out on the record, demonstrating a smoky, loungey character thats supplies some much needed texture to disco backing.
   An all around classic for lovers of unique, funk, soul and R&B records.



5. For her fifth album for Creed Taylor's CTI label the label boss gave production duties to Joe Beck. The result was to be like nothing else that she had recorded before, both in the scope of the material and in the luminary band and orchestra that was assembled for the sessions.The album was the result of three sessions stretched over late April/Early May 1971, and the quality of the cuts and the choice of material has stood up well in the intervening years. The hit, "What a difference a day makes" appears in two forms and two tempos, the released track clocks in at 4.30 and the bonus cut at 3.10. My favourite tracks are the great version of Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff's "One night affair" (she had lived that one!), an excellent reading of "I can stand a little rain" and a belting version of Lu Emerson's "Hurtin' House". Less successful, and slightly dated is the reading of "Oh Papa". Special mention for Michael Brecker on Tenor sax, and the four piece trumpet section, as well as Joe Beck's guitar. It's still a fine, varied album that produced the hit, and put her career back on track. A great shame that neither of the follow up albums consolidated the situation, but this is a great reminder of what she could do.It's also a great counterpoint to the Rhino compilation "The best of Esther Phillips"

No comments about Female Blues Singers, Vol. 5: 1921-28.

1 comments about Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1921-1923).

1. Alberta Hunter was more of a sophistocated caberet singer then a blues shouter, she is suave while singing the blues(where other artists shout) Hunter talks her way through a blues piece. One of the most sophistocated blues singers from the 20's and one of the finest jazz singers of the 30's. This is a wonderful documentation of a great blues/caberet/jazz singer.

3 comments about A Fine Romance: Jerome Kern Songbook.

1. This is one of my all-time favorite CDs. I originally bought this as a cassette but recently purchased the CD. I have listened to this for nearly 10 years and it's such a great mix of songs and singers that I have yet to grow bored of it. From what I've read, though, if you are a big Jerome Kern fan, you may not enjoy these renditions of his songs. I would suggest listening to the demos first before buying. My favorites are "All the Things You Are", "Yesterdays", "Bill", "They Didn't Believe Me", "I'm Old Fashioned", "Why Do I Love You?"... oh, who am I kidding.. all of them are my favorites!



2. Charming songs, sung by a variety of talented performers. The audio quality is excellent, just as it is for every Verve CD that I own. This is a nice compilation, suitable both as an introduction to Kern and the various singers and as a compilation to play at a party.



3. In his lifetime,Kern despised jazz versions of his songs. Many of the versions on this disc and on the two companion discs in this series are just that. Verve has reached for, it would seem, the lowest common denominator for its selections. In fact, some of the tracks have no vocals at all, which is strange considering this is a "songbook"! It is better than no Kern at all, but you will find more authenticity in KIRI SINGS KERN on EMI that anywhere on this or the other two discs. Sorry, but pass this one up if you are a purist.

3 comments about The Great Sophie Tucker.

1. Sophie Tucker was always a headliner at the old Blue Room in New Orleans and seeing her was a treat and experience. My parents had autographed albums from her that they lost in Katrina when their house was washed into the Bay, my sister and I could not replace the things they lost but this was one we could and they truly enjoy hearing her and recalling memories of a bygone time.



2. There will never be another Sophie Tucker but there IS a great entertainer named SHARON McNIGHT who does a one woman show in which she practically CHANNELS Sophie to us, the audience.
   Catch her when you can.



3. Who remembers Sophie Tucker anymore?
   One of the first of the type of the high- power entertainer and truly independent women , . She had a sense of humor about herself, and especially about her weight, that was a major part of her act. But she also could truly sing.
   A legend of her time and age, who like so many others great in their own time seems to have faded from public consciousness with the years.

No comments about Female Blues Singers, Vol. 8: 1923-28.

2 comments about After Hours with Miss D.

1. It was easy to overlook and underrate Dinah Washington when, at least in the jazz world, Billie, Ella, Sarah, Carmen and Nancy were getting the plaudits. But hers is a sound as "natural" as Lady Day's, except more extroverted. She was small of stature but tall on talent and strong in body and soul, a determined performer who could be equally effective on ballads and up-tempo swingers. My suspicion is that the numerous "pop" recordings contrasting her essentially raw vocal quality with a surplus of smarmy strings will continue to languish while a session like this--Dinah mixing it up with equally authentic, immediately identifiable voices like Lockjaw Davis and Clark Terry--will continue to serve her memory and reputation best. This is an album likely to please even those jazz fans (and I do know a few) who otherwise stay away from vocals altogether. And if you're among the latter, it should come as no surprise if Dinah's revitalization of these standards doesn't provoke a revaluation about singers. Dinah doesn't have to scat to convince you she's performing on the same level as the "boys in the band." Finally, if there's a vocal performance of Cole Porter's "Love For Sale" that even begins to approach Dinah's reading, I have yet to hear it. Just as Porter's song was banned from radio in the 1920s (a far more permissive time than 1935-1960), I have no doubt that Dinah's sizzling performance of the tune would make it unsuitable for air play in many present-day venues.



2. A truly fantastic CD. I don't think I'll never get sick of listening to it.