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 Times and Peg 'o' My Heart) show the smooth and terribly sophisticated side of Jack Teagarden's music, whilst the next track, Swingin' on the teagarden Gate, is entirely different. So full of the jazz ethos that you can almost see the people dancing to it. So Many Times and Peg 'o' My Heart are for slow dancing. Then it's back to the smoother sound with Teagarden's rather melancholy Can't we Talk It Over, a ballad about a young man bemoaning the fact that he and his girlfriend are on the verge of splitting up.
After four great (but different)classics from Teagarden we next hear from a young Louis Armstrong. The first track from Louis is Melancholy Blues. This is a great blues and jazz crossover. Yes, it is jazz, but yes, at the same time it could pass muster for a blues classic, too.
The other Three tracks form Louis Armstrong (West End Blues, Knockin' a Jug and St Louis Blues) are all much in the same wonderful vein, though West End Blues does lean towards being more blues than jazz. Listen out for the slow start to Knockin' the Jug. The rhythm is exceedingly vibrant and "immediate" and it is nearly all jazz, though there's still a thread of the blues hanging on in there. As for St Louis Blues? Has to be one of the best jazz tunes by any musician ever. Blues with a bit of top spin on it, if you see what I mean. Though might there be a hint of Latin American rhythm to it, also? I honestly am not certain. You listen to it and tell me, please! Louis sings on this one. What an amazing voice!
Next up are several tracks by Lester Young. Flat Hat Blues, Tenor King and Swingin' at Milts. Lester Young was a multi-skilled musician, but decided to concentrate on the alto saxophone. I know that Lester young was a great musician, and hat his band was made up of first-rate technically brilliant jazz musicians, but somehow, compared to Jack Teagarden and the early Louis Armstrong stuff on this CD, Lester Young just doesn't do it for me. If their music tells me anything, it tells me: "Hey. We are so hip and cool, that we know it!"
Then we change pace and step over to Artie Shaw and his Orchestra. Aha! Although these guys are just as sophisticated as Lester Young, somehow they're much more up-tempo and vibrant playing does do it for me. The CD has Artie Shaw's Begin the Beguine, Donkey Serenade (cool name, huh?) and Let's Walk. If there's a difference is it because Artie Shaw and his Orchestra played for their audience, whilst Lester Young and his band played for themselves?
The sleeve notes for the CD are not the best that I have seen. Some rather silly errors of the wrong word. For example, he wrote about "purest" fans, when I think he meant to write about "purist" fans. And I am never a fan of over-long sentences. And they disappointingly have absolutely nothing to say about the great musicians on the CD. For example they fail to mention who the vocalists were, or the names of the musicians in the orchestras.
The tracks have all been digitally re-mastered and the audio engineers did a very good job. You'd never tell that the tracks were recorded in the early decades of the previous century.
For current pricing please check with Ciao. To be honest, I can't remember how much I paid for this CD.
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How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Mediocre
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