V-Disc Recordings, The - Jack Teagarden

Advantages: Fantastic range of great tunes and songs
Disadvantages: None

...My late Father would have approved of this CD. For this, he would have said, was real Jazz. "Not like this modern rubbish!" My father's idea of real Jazz was music by the greats of the 1920 and 1930s. Jack Teagarden, for example. Mezz Mezzrow, was another of his heroes. And perhaps some of the early Louis Armstrong. Well, two out of three ain't bad. There's no Mezz Mezzrow on this CD, but there is plenty of Jack Teagarden and some early Louis Armstrong, too. There's also Lester Young and Artie Shaw, too. I have to agree with my dad. This rocks. Well, perhaps not rocks, but I think you know what I mean! Jack Teagarden's jazz is the ultimate in smoooooth jazz. Until he really wanted to become lively, then it was as if you were listening to an entirely different orchestra. The first two Jack Teagarden and his Orchestra tracks (So Many... Read review

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Advantages: Great jazz tunes from the Golden Age
Disadvantages: None

...This is real jazz, from the real Golden Age of Jazz. It's got the pace, the rhythm, the fluid trumpet playing, the relentlessly enthusiastic, rolling piano playing and the clear diction of some excellent singing of vocalists who could not only hold a tune, but who could capture your heart and soul, too… There's musicians with such great names as Muggsy Spanier, Meade Lux Lewis, King Oliver and Sidney Bechet. You do not get musicians called Muggsy nowadays. I wonder why? As well as straight out jazz such as the Dippermouth blues, there's also the dreamy and melodic April in Paris from Charlie Parker. Some jazz aficionados reckon that Charlie Parker eventually sold out. Well, perhaps he did. But some of his earlier work still stands the test of time. Jack Teagarden is on this CD, with So Many Times, a rather nice, well... Read review

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Advantages: 104 quality songs, informative and well written booklet
Disadvantages: None unless you don't like 40's-style jazz

...facts and anecdotes, a couple of photographs, and a complete discography of the collection. The writing style is very good, with just the right mix of factual information, recounting of life experiences, and just a little humour to stop it from becoming too dry. Intriguing stuff for anyone interested in Cole / the King Cole Trio / the history of jazz music in general. But enough of that, of course you want this collection for the songs. There are plenty of them, too - a grand total of 104 songs spanning approximately a decade. The songs are presented in chronological order, starting with "Sweet Lorraine" on Disc 1 and finishing on Disc 4 with "Orange Coloured Sky". The sound quality is very good, though obviously the age of some of the recordings means they're not perfect. The unique style of Cole's singing makes it very difficult... Read review

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