The Complete RCA Recordings

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A Fritz Kreisler recording can always be recognized by the violinist's beefy, baritonal sonority, inimitable portamento, and communicative warmth. Most of the repertoire here consists of the short, encore pieces that prevailed in the era of 78rpm records, many penned or arranged by Kreisler, who was always on the lookout for memorable tunes. Familiar classics like the duets with John McCormack, and Schubert, Beethoven, and Grieg sonata collaborations with Rachmaninoff turn up alongside rare alternate takes and Kreisler's lone recording as a piano soloist in Dvořak's Humoresque. One should savor these musical sweetmeats in small portions, rather than wolfing down each disc in chronological gulps. Ward Marston's transfers are beyond praise. -- Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

badly remastered.......2007-06-25

"The Complete Rachmaninoff', at 2-3 times the price is a better deal. This version is re-mastered in a way that reduces surface noise, but, at the same time, removes much of the pianists' tone quality that comes through so well on the original LP release, as well as the more expensive set. Also, this album is lacking the documentation of recording dates that the LP and 'The Complete Rachmaninoff' provide. For the neophyte, the re-mastering reduces the magic of Rachmaninoff's tone. I would expect the connoisseur to be even more disappointed. There are bargains out there, but for this album, you get what you pay for.

Rachmaninov is the master.......2007-05-15

Some people like the recordings and some dont, but as a fan of Rachmaninov it would be a shame not to own these recordings. To hear a master composer from history play his own works is not that common. Just put the cd in your player put your headphones on and watch the black and white images appear in your mind as though you were at a concert in the 1930's looking on at the man sitting at the piano carefully but with feeling pounding each note into the air of time. If you don't like the scratchy recordings then obviously you are a spoiled brat who doesnt appreciate fine art.

A Master of Musical Love.......2007-01-18

There have been other brilliant composers and genius pianists as Rachmaninoff lived and afterwards. Yet, in my opinion, he is the real central figure of his days and, as far as I can feel, what there is of most modern up to now in classical music. I do not think it exaggerated to say that, after all these decades, someone is still to pick up the torch from his hands at that level of inspiration, just as he picked it up from Tchaikovsky. It is true that a few of his compositions seem quirky and cerebral: but more than a few are the masterpieces. His second Concerto is the concert of the century. And where do we find, for instance, a match for his etude tableau 39/5 in one hundred years? Or a simply revolutionary piece as his prelude 32/12 is?

One could go on with a list of marvelous compositions either created or played by him and many reviewers already pointed so much of great in his recordings. So a good thing to do here is what a previous reviewer also did: to say something special about one favorite piece of the box-set. My forerunner pointed to Rach's rendering of Haendel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" and I agree with each word he wrote about it. Now I should like to declare my amazement about his version of "Leise flehen", initially a Swansong written by Schubert and later transcribed by Liszt.

Hopefully Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other singers will not mind my saying this, but Rachmaninoff unveils and exposes such a treasure in this song that now its original lyrics only seem to obstruct the inestimable wealth in piano notes below them at all other known recordings: the piece is infinitely more beautiful when left to the pianist alone. Rach's playing is warm and generous, just like Schubert's creative Geist, and the result is light-years ahead of the usual rough, squared, catacomb mood with which people bring the composition along with singers.

Impossible not to love, but there is more to that. After listening so many times to this piece that never ceases to stun me, I came to conclude that in fact very few people could manage to play the `leise flehen' like this, even among good pianists. As expressed here, its notes speak to their listener in such frank, open, and direct way - like a true friend making an important confession - that only a man with Rachmaninoff's `heart of gold' could manage to convey its meaning.

Ahhh, maybe we're talking about technique... To have a most noble heart, then, is THE decisive technical prerequisite for communicating these notes, otherwise they will simply not come out at all.

Notes: Here are a few opinions about the pieces mentioned above; hopefully they will be helpful for persons who don't know Rachmaninoff's works and stimulating for those who already know them. 1) As far as I am aware, besides Rachmaninoff only Valentina Lisitsa recorded the Leise flehen in a solo version. It can be found in her 2005 DVD with the Swan Songs program. 2) The etude tableaux 39/5 is not in this box set; many performers have played it, but none as Van Cliburn, who simply operates a miracle in the CD "My Favorite Rachmaninoff". His playing and the vertigo sensation it leaves behind are so powerful that I am sometimes afraid to listen to him. 3) Horowitz, the wizard, masters the prelude 32/12 in his CD "Horowitz Plays Scriabin" and in his legendary 1986 Moscow recital; the prelude is also in Rach's box-set. 4) About the second concerto, there are so many recordings, most of which I have not heard; my favorite performer is Benno Moiseiwitsch, a sublime piano poet much admired by Rachmaninoff himself. None of the recordings I've heard of the concerto, including the two available by its own composer, reach the climax of its third movement as Moiseiwitsch does in a 1944 movie called "Battle for Music". It is only a short excerpt from one of his wartime presentations with the LSO, but long enough to show how it sounds when perfectly done. The excerpt is also in the movie "The Art of Piano", in which the entire footage involving Rachmaninoff and Moiseiwitsch is simply a gem (however much historically unprecise).

Classic Historic Rachmaninoff........2006-01-14

If you're a tad bit confused between this boxed set and "The Complete Recordings" boxed set from 1992, fear not. Both this and "The Complete Recordings" are exactly the same. The only difference is in the cover art and packaging. Also, the price of this recent reissue is half as much as the original edition. If you have the original edition, there's no need to buy it again. If you don't own this already, then this present edition is the one to get mainly because of its reduced price tag.
With this out of the way, onto the music itself:
The Rachmaninoff Complete recordings collection includes everything the great Russian composer/pianist recorded between the years 1919 and 1941. Besides recording historic versions of his own classic Piano Concertos, his "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini" as well as conducting his own Third Symphony and Isle of the Dead, Rachmaninoff also recorded arrangements of works by such great composers ranging from Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert to most importantly, Chopin. These recordings are also included in this mammoth set alongside more obscure works by Mussorgsky, Daquin, Henselt and Dohnanyi.
The sound quality varies throughout the set ranging from highly listenable to sounding as if it were transferred by placing a microphone directly into the horn of an old grammophone. Despite the variants of sound quality, one cannot deny that this music as well as these recordings are important and historic.
The CD booklet gives a brief insight to Rachmaninoff's history as a recording artist as well as a breakdown of the tracks themselves. The only major flaw with this present edition is the fact that there are no recording dates listed anywhere in the liner notes. Considering that these are historic recordings dating from the very birth of the recording age, it would've definitely been helpful to be able to identify the year in which each work included here was recorded. Considering that I do not own the original edition of this set, there's a good chance that the first edition included the dates of the recordings. Not so here though. This is the reason why this reviewer docked this set one star.
Apart from this, this present edition or Rachmaninoff's complete recordings is a must for the die-hard Rachmaninoff fan. You get to hear the genius at work not only with his own material but with works by others as well. There are also a few note worthy collaborations such as a full disc of duets with legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler, an appearance by mezzo soprano Naddejda Plevitskaya on the arrangement of the traditional tune "Powder and Paint" and a fabulous four-hand piano rendition of Rachmaninoff's own "Italian Polka" with his daughter Natalie as second pianist (which actually sounds like a homemade wax-cylinder recording).
With this said, if you can get around guessing when these recordings were made, this is some great and historic music from one of the very best composer/musicians of our time - the one and only, the great Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The Complete RCA Victor Recordings: 1937-1949

Average customer rating:

Great innovative jazz an' a piece of history...
Can we have a remaster?
Oop-Bob-Sh-BAM!!
Boppin!
Lots of great early Diz in one spot...unlike the LPs

The Complete RCA Victor Recordings: 1937-1949
Dizzy Gillespie
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Hot Fives & Sevens

ASIN: B000002WRX
Release Date: 1995-01-24

Tracks:

Manteca
Anthropology
King Porter Stomp
Yours And Mine
Blue Rhythm Fantasy
Hot Mallets
52nd Street Theme - Take 1
52nd Street Theme - Take 2
Night In Tunisia - Take 1
Night In Tunisia - Incomplete Take
Ol' Man Rebop
Anthropology - Take 1
Ow!
Oop-Pop-A-Da
Two Bass Hit
Stay On It
Algo Bueno (Woody 'N You)
Cool Breeze
Cubana Be
Cubana Bop
Ool-Ya-Koo
Minor Walk

Tracks:

Good Bait
Guarachi Guaro
Duff Capers
Lover, Come Back To Me
I'm Be Boppin' Too
Swedish Suite
St. Louis Blues
I Should Care
That Old Black Magic
You Go To My Head
Jump Did-Le Ba
Dizzier And Dizzier
I'm Be Boppin' Too - Take 2
Hey Pete! Le's Eat More Meat
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
If Love Is Trouble
In The Land Of Oo-Bla-Dee
Overtime - Shorter Take
Overtime - Longer Take
Victory Ball - Shorter Take
Victory Ball - Longer Take

Amazon.com

These two Diz discs bookend two-years'-worth of late-'40s Gillespie orchestra recordings with some earlier Teddy Hill Orchestra and Lionel Hampton Orchestra sides. Actually, the '40s Gillespie-helmed recordings of "Manteca" and "Anthropology" begin the first disc, but that's kind of a sequencing quirk. Also included here are later Metronome All-Stars baubles. Here's a generous and savory taste of Gillespie ascending. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Great innovative jazz an' a piece of history..........2007-07-05

This collection may seem a lil' overwhelming if you're a firsttime listener, an' its definitely too broad for a thorough straight through listen, as many'a the takes appear a few times in different incarnations. But if your a fan'a bebop an' of the early years of jazz music, then you'll more than likely eat this up. Dizzy was indisputably one'a the innovators an' had one'a the longest an' most profilic careers of all jazz legends.

With forty-three tracks total, there isn't much sense in tryin'ta list highlights, but I will say that 'A Night in Tunisia' is one'a my favorite jazz recordings ever (though I admit I have an affinity for Parker's version from the Dial Years) and this early interpretation of 'That Old Black Magic' is priceless. All in all, there is nothing not worth a listen on here, an' the different and unfinished takes reinforce the feeling that we're gettin' in on a decade's worth of brilliant, exciting musical evolution. Highly recommended for the already-initiated.

Can we have a remaster?.......2005-12-13

Of course this is a fine collection. Of course Dizzy's big band in the forties made some fantastic music. Of course this is an indispensible part of jazz history. But oh, the sound...

Previous issues of this music on both CD and vinyl far surpass this one in terms of sound quality. The dreaded nineties-era noise reduction technology is all over this music, taking great hunks of sonic elements away from these vital performances. Since Bluebird corrected similar problems by issuing the Blanton/Webster sides by Duke Ellington, should they not do the same for these great records?

Oop-Bob-Sh-BAM!!.......2004-11-23

From the first time I heard Dizzy's big band, on a now-defunct RCA Vintage LP ("The Bebop Era"), I was hooked...then I found out that my father had heard the band for FREE when he worked at the Metropole in NYC on 52nd Street...and HATED it because Dizzy didn't play like Sammy Kaye (his favorite band)!! How I envied and disliked him for that!!

These innovative Gil Fuller arrangements, in which the entire trumpet section swung like five Dizzies, are simply staggering. The music swirls and eddies, jumps and dives like a hyperactive jazz dancer. And all the soloists are fabulous: inventive, original, highly swinging. The jam sessions at the Metronome All-Star sessions are also very historic, with a trumpet section of Dizzy, Miles Davis and Fats Navarro, all trying to sound like Dizzy in their solos (and succeeding!), as well as scintillating piano solos by the brilliant but anti-social Lennie Tristano. All in all, an exciting and important album that no jazz lover should be without.

Boppin!.......2003-12-06

Dizzy Gillespie's style was the nemesis of Miles Davis's. Introspection doesn't seem to have been a word often used in Diz's vocabulary, musical or otherwise. His playing did have a 'dizzying' effect always putting speed, dynamism and drama at the forefront of his performances. On this collection Gillespie's talent as a bandleader and musical arranger also come to the fore. He had of course a great theoretical knowledge of music and wasn't afraid to pass this on to other musicians by way of help and encouragement. With the big bands here he manages to register bebop lines in a larger sound and the over-all enthusiasm shows through.

Throughout this collection Gillespie never loses sight of the desire to swing despite his revolutionary tendacy to subvert traditional chord structure. 'Hot Mallets' swings like hell over great xelophone playing that also features on 'Blue Rhythm Fantasy'. The first version of '52nd Street Theme' is amazingly fluent while the second version goes in for greater improvisation. The bebop standard 'A Night In Tunisia' gets its greatest rendition here in its original form with Diz's no-holds emphatic sound. Gillespie's generosity to other musicians can be heard on 'Ol' Man Rebop' where each soloist takes his turn exercising his own bop interpretations. The most incessantly driving tracks on these CD's are the two versions of 'Anthropology' which rock like crazy. I also loved the rolling end of 'Ow!' and the swinging shout of 'Cool Breeze'. With 'Cubana Be' and 'Cubana Bop', Gillepie moves into even greater experimental territory. Each display a menancing rhythm like the growing stampede of an elephant herd backed up by Gillespie's elephant sounding shrieks on the trumpet.

More brash and emphatic playing on 'Minor Walk' and 'Lover Come Back To Me' proves to be yet another shining example of Dizzy as a great arranger. The backing brass jumps about at its own frenetic pace while Gillespie's trumpet bursts with energy and of course there's also the tight technical arrangement of the 'Overtime' tracks. The footstomping 'I'm Beboppin' Too' could be a manifesto for the whole bebop movement, while tracks like 'Jump Did La Ba' shows an early example of bop scat-singing. In contrast you have tracks that still swing (almost violently in Dizzy's case) like his interpretation of St. Louis Blues.

What always shows through in Dizzy's playing is his total enjoyment and utter euphoria, something that he shares with few other jazz players (the most notable exception being Louis Armstrong). All in all a marvellous collection for Dizzy fans.

Lots of great early Diz in one spot...unlike the LPs.......2003-08-29

All of this stuff is contained on the RCA Victor Vintage Series LPs of Diz, and another RCA LP called "The Best Of Dizzy Gillespie" - but how nice it is to see it all in one spot. The two different takes (one abbreviated) of "Night In Tunisia", "Manteca", "Anthropology", the Afro-Cubano stuff with Chano Pozo, on and on...even the Teddy Hill cuts. Any serious student or fan of Diz must have this. Yes, there are a few 'filler' cuts, but hey - that's historic, too! Now what really would be nice would be to see a Prestige CD of what was contained in the 2LP set "In The Beginning" with stuff like "She's Gone Again" and "He Beeped When He Should'a Bopped", and the like. I'll have to dig further...

Arturo Toscanini: The Complete Philadelphia Orchestra Recordings 1941-42

Average customer rating:

A long time coming, and a revelation
Toscanini + Philadelphia = Must Have
Listenable, but I've heard better versions; judge for yourself
Stunning remastering, just a few glitches

Arturo Toscanini: The Complete Philadelphia Orchestra Recordings 1941-42

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000JCDSGM
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Customer Reviews:

A long time coming, and a revelation.......2007-07-22

for those of us who have grown impatient with the dry, boxy sonics of Studio 8-H and also with the tense, unyielding approach to music that increasingly became the norm for Toscanini after WW II, the recordings he made in Philadelphia have been a hope and a promise. The promise was that the orchestra sounded positively lush compared to the NBC Sym., the hope was that the corroded masters from that wartime era could be somehow salvaged.

Up to now the hope was unfulfilled, but now Sony/BMG has brought these legendary recordings to life. The strings sound sweet, the acoustic is spacious, there is air around the instruments, and the overall balance sounds true to life. One can only express immense gratitude at this accomplishment. It makes amends for RCA's horrible CD transcriptions of its NBC Sym. archive in the early 90s.

As for the performances, other reviewers here detect smaller differences form their NBC counterparts than I do -- to my ears, these readings are decidedly more flexible and yielding than any from Studio 8-H or Carnegie Hall. The reason that Toscanini entured to Philly is that he got angry with musicians moonlighting from the NBC band and quit in a huff. He soon returned to his main orhestra, but we are hugely fortunate that he took this detour.

Toscanini + Philadelphia = Must Have.......2007-03-04

Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski briefly switched podiums in 1941. Stokowski's stint with the NBC Symphony Orchestra is largely forgotten, but Toscanini's recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra were the stuff of legend even before they were released in 1963.

The recordings were quite problematic, sonically. The initial 78rpm discs had defects (including off center pressings, which caused the pitch to waver) and were not stored in optimal conditions. It took recording engineers 1,000 hours of work time to make the Schubert C Major Symphony sonically acceptable. Even so, the recordings did not sound good, with screeching strings, unsteady pitch, and an occasional muddy quality.

It's a bit of hyperbole to claim that Toscanini's Philadelphia Orchestra recordings have gone from the worst to the best sounding. Did they ever really sound as bad as the La Scala Orchestra acoustical recordings? Do they sound better than RCA's recent remasterings of his later NBC recordings? No, and no. However, there is no denying that Sony/BMG's new remastering is far superior to the 1990 reissue. Frequency response and clarity are improved, and the strings have gained some tonal allure.

The performances bear the typical Toscanini hallmarks (phrasing, tempo, and unanimity of attack), while still sounding like the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Schubert C Major Symphony and Debussy selections have a slightly more relaxed, flexible quality than his later NBC recordings. Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream selections (including the rarely heard "Ye Spotted Snakes") are charming and transparent, while Resphigi's Feste Romane is orgiastic. The Strauss Death and Transfiguration, while a strong performance, does not have the shattering impact of Toscanini's 1952 NBC recording. Perhaps the highlight of the set is the performance of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony, far more flexible and yearning than either the studio or live NBC versions (the latter in early stereo, but with some slipshod orchestral playing).

Sony/BMG has managed to fit the entire contents onto three mid-priced CDs, as opposed to the four discs of the 1990 issue. Highest recommendation.

Listenable, but I've heard better versions; judge for yourself.......2007-01-18

I've heard a little of this on the Tower Records site (here's a link, I think: [...]), and it sounds filtered at the top (the treble) and the bottom (the bass) too, and so it's a little boxy, but it's by no means thin and muffled, though lacking some presence; I've heard much worse transfers (of other recordings) from this time. (The tracks you hear on the Tower site don't match up to the track list on the screen for this set very well.)

I haven't made up my mind whether to get this set, because I think the LP set (RCA Victor CRM5-1700?) sounded less filtered - brighter and fuller. (And noisier too: if you open the window wider, more dirt comes in! But with good equipment and experienced listening, you can separate the music from the noise, and listen "through" the recording to the performance behind such noise as there is.) Best of all was the later version of the single LP of the Schubert C-Major Symphony on RCA Victor LD-2663.

(By the way, if you think listening over the internet compromises the sound, test it by listening to a couple of recent fine-sounding recordings you know - I did, and they sounded just like they do when I play my own CDs of them.)

And there's an intersting discussion of this set from November 2006 you can read through Google Groups.

Stunning remastering, just a few glitches.......2006-12-06

These recordings, made in 1941-42, have suffered for years from the worst sond imaginable. Though recorded with splendid natural balance at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the original metal masters were somehow accidentally corroded using inferior wartime processing, which resulted in pressings that had ticks, pops, swishes and grinding noises. In 1963 an RCA Victor engineer spent about 1,000 hours de-ticking the Schubert 9th, which was issued on a Soria Series LP, but in 1976 RCA issued the complete set with such terrible sound that the recordings were usually junked. During the big Toscanini CD reissue project circa 1990, these masters were minimally cleaned up by RCA-BMG, so that they still sounded terrible.

But now, they have been remastered anew, and the sound is incredible. Granted, there is still some inherent surface noise, particularly in the first two sides of "Death and Transfiguration" and a few places in the "Midsummer Night's Dream" music, but otherwise the sound is STUNNING - clear, full, natural, with lots of hall ambience and perfectly natural section balances.

The performances herein vary in quality, but my favorites are the "Death and Transfiguration," "La Mer," "Iberia," "Queen Mab Scherzo," "Midsummer Night's Dream" and the Tchaikovsky 6th.

Highly recommended. These have now gone from being the worst-sounding of all Toscanini commercial recordings to the BEST-sounding, virtually overnight.

The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings

Average customer rating:

gorgeous packaging, philistines
A SOLID SUPPORT TO THE GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON MUSICAL LEGACY.
Problems with Noise Reduction
No excuse for the crummy packaging
Unparalleled music - cheap packaging

The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Duke Ellington
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000IIQY
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Tracks:

If You Can't Hold the Man You Love (Don't Cry When He's Gone)
Washington Wabble - Take 1
Washington Wabble - Take 2
Black and Tan Fantasy
Washington Wabble
Creole Love Call
Blues I Love to Sing - Take 1
Blues I Love to Sing - Take 2
Harlem River Quiver - Take 1
Harlem River Quiver - Take 2
Harlem River Quiver - Take 3
East St. Louis Toodle-o
Blue Bubbles - Take 1
Blue Bubbles - Take 2
Black Beauty
Solitude - Take 1
Got Everything But You
Santa Claus, Bring My Man Back to Me
I Done Caught You Blues
The Mooche

Tracks:

I Can't Give You Anything But Love
No Papa No
No Papa No
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Bandanna Babies
Diga Diga Do
I Must Have That Man
St. Louis Blues - Take 1
St. Louis Blues - Take 2
St. Louis Blues - Take 3 (previously unreleased)
Flaming Youth - Take 1
Flaming Youth - Take 2
Saturday Night Function
High Life
Doin' the Voom Voom - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
Doin' the Voom Voom - Take 2
Japanese Dream
Harlemania

Tracks:

The Dicty Glide - Take 1
The Dicty Glide - Take 2
Hot Feet
Sloppy Joe - Take 1
Sloppy Joe - Take 2
Stevedore Stomp
A Night at the Cotton Club, Part 1/Cotton Club Stomp/Misty Mornin'
A Night at the Cotton Club, Part 2/Goin' to Town/Untitled Interlude/Freeze and Melt
Cotton Club Stomp
Misty Mornin'
Arabian Lover
Saratoga Swing
Mississippi
The Duke Steps Out
Haunted Nights
Swanee Shuffle
Breakfast Dance
Jazz Lips
March of the Hoodlums

Tracks:

Double Check Stomp
My Gal Is Good for Nothing But Love
I Was Made to Love You
Sweet Dreams Of Love - Take 1
Sweet Dreams of Love - Take 2
Jungle Nights in Harlem
Sweet Jazz o' Mine - Take 1
Sweet Jazz o' Mine - Take 2
Shout 'Em Aunt Tillie
Ring Dem Bells - Take 2
Ring Dem Bells - Take 3
Old Man Blues - Take 1
Old Man Blues - Take 2
Old Man Blues - Take 3
Three Little Words (previously unreleased)
Three Little Words
Ring Dem Bells
Old Man Blues - Take 4
Old Man Blues - Take 6
Hittin' the Bottle - Take 1
Hittin' the Bottle - Take 2
That Lindy Hop

Tracks:

You're Lucky to Me
Memories of You
Nine Little Miles from Ten-Ten-Tennessee - Take 1
Nine Little Miles from Ten-Ten-Tennessee - Take 2
I'm So in Love with You - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
I'm So in Love with You - Take 2
What Good Am I Without You?
Blue Again
When a Black Man's Blue
Mood Indigo
What Good Am I Without You?
When a Black Man's Blue
The River and Me
Keep a Song in Your Soul
Sam and Delilah
Rockin' in Rhythm - Take 1
Rockin' in Rhythm - Take 2
Creole Rhapsody, Part 1
Creole Rhapsody, Part 2
Creole Rhapsody, Part 2 - Take 2 (previously unreleased)

Tracks:

Limehouse Blues
Echoes of the Jungle
It's Glory
The Mystery Song
The Mystery Song
Mood Indigo/Hot and Bothered/Creole Love Call
Mood Indigo/Hot and Bothered/Creole Love Call (Stereo Version)
East St. Louis Toodle-O/Lots O' Fingers/Black and Tan Fantasy
Dinah
Bugle Call Rag
Maori
Rude Interlude - Take 1
Rude Interlude - Take 2
Dallas Doings - Take 1
Dallas Doings - Take 2

Tracks:

Dear Old Southland - Take 1
Dear Old Southland - Take 2
Daybreak Express - Take 1
Daybreak Express - Take 2
Delta Serenade - Take 1
Delta Serenade - Take 2
Stompy Jones
Solitude
Blue Feeling
Ebony Rhapsody
Cocktails for Two - Take 1
Cocktails for Two - Take 2
Live and Love Tonight
I Met My Waterloo
Troubled Waters - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
Troubled Waters - Take 2
My Old Flame

Tracks:

You, You Darlin'
Jack the Bear
Ko-Ko - Take 1
Ko-Ko - Take 2
Morning Glory
So Far, So Good
Conga Brava
Concerto for Cootie
Me and You
Bojangles
Cotton Tail
Never No Lament
Blue Goose
Dusk - Take 1
Dusk - Take 2
Bojangles
A Portrait of Bert Williams
Blue Goose
Harlem Air-Shaft
At a Dixie Roadside Diner
All Too Soon
Rumpus in Richmond
My Greatest Mistake

Tracks:

Sepia Panorama - Take 1
Sepia Panorama - Take 2
There Shall Be No Night
In a Mellotone
Five O'Clock Whistle
Warm Valley
Pitter Panther Patter - Take 1
Pitter Panther Patter - Take 2
Body and Soul - Take 1
Body and Soul - Take 2
Body and Soul - Take 3
Sophisticated Lady
Sophisticated Lady
Mr. J. B. Blues - Take 1
Mr. J. B. Blues - Take 2
The Flaming Sword - Take 1
The Flaming Sword - Take 2
The Flaming Sword - Take 3
Warm Valley - Take 2
Warm Valley - Take 3
Across the Track Blues
Across the Track Blues
Chloe (Song of the Swamp)

Tracks:

I Never Felt This Way Before - Take 1
I Never Felt This Way Before - Take 2
Day Dream
Good Queen Bess
Good Queen Bess
That's the Blues, Old Man
Junior Hop - Take 1
Junior Hop - Take 2
Without a Song - Take 1
Without a Song - Take 2
My Sunday Gal
Mobile Bay - Take 1
Mobile Bay - Take 2
Linger Awhile - Take 1
Linger Awhile - Take 2
Charlie the Chulo - Take 2
Charlie the Chulo
Charlie the Chulo - Take 1
Lament for Javanette
Lament for Javanette - Take 1a
A Lull at Dawn
A Lull at Dawn
A Lull at Dawn - Take 1a
Ready Eddy - Take 1

Tracks:

Ready Eddy
Ready Eddy
Ready Eddy - Take 2
The Sidewalks of New York
Flamingo
The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You - Take 1
The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You - Take 2
Take the "A" Train
Jumpin' Punkins - Take 1
Jumpin' Punkins - Take 2
John Hardy's Wife
Blue Serge
After All
Dear Old Southland - Take 1
Dear Old Southland - Take 2
Solitude - Take 1
Solitude - Take 2
Bakiff
Are You Sticking? - Take 1
Are You Sticking? - Take 2
Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'
The Giddybug Gallop
Chocolate Shake

Tracks:

I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Take 1
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Take 2
Clementine
The Brown-skin Gal (in the Calico Gown)
Jump for Joy - Take 1
Jump for Joy - Take 2
Moon Over Cuba
Some Saturday
Subtle Slough
Menelik - The Lion of Judah - Take 1
Menelik - The Lion of Judah - Take 2 (previously unreleased)
Poor Bubber
Squaty Roo
Passion Flower
Things Ain't What They Used to Be
Goin' Out the Back Way
Five O'Clock Drag
Rocks in My Bed
Bli-Blip
Chelsea Bridge
Brown Suede
Noir Bleu
"C" Blues
June

Tracks:

Raincheck
What Good Would It Do?
I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got - Take 1
I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got - Take 2 (previously unreleased)
Chelsea Bridge
Perdido - Take 1
Perdido - Take 2
The "C" Jam Blues
Moon Mist - Take 1
Moon Mist - Take 2
What Am I Here For?
I Don't Mind - Take 1 (previously unreleased)
I Don't Mind - Take 2
Someone
My Little Brown Book
Main Stem
Johnny Come Lately
Hayfoot, Strawfoot - Take 1
Hayfoot, Strawfoot - Take 2
Sentimental Lady - Take 1
Sentimental Lady - Take 2
A Slip of the Lip
Sherman Shuffle

Tracks:

I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues
I'm Beginning to See the Light - Take 1
I'm Beginning to See the Light - Take 2
Don't You Know I Care - Take 1
Don't You Know I Care - Take 2
I Didn't Know About You
Work Song
Come Sunday
The Blues
Three Dances
Carnegie Blues
Blue Cellophane
Mood to Be Wooed
(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings
Kissing Bug
Everything But You
(Otto Make That) Riff Staccato
Prelude to a Kiss
Caravan
Black and Tan Fantasy
Mood Indigo
In a Sentimental Mood

Tracks:

It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing)
Sophisticated Lady
Tonight I Shall Sleep (With a Smile on My Face)
The Minor Goes Muggin'
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Take 1
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Take 2
Solitude
Frankie and Johnny
Jumpin' Room Only
Black Beauty
Every Hour on the Hour
Balcony Serenade
Strange Feeling
Dancers in Love
Coloratura - Take 2
Coloratura - Take 1
Things Ain't What They Used to Be
Tell Ya What I'm Gonna Do
Come to Baby, Do!
I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So
Long, Strong and Consecutive
The Wonder of You
Tonk
Drawing Room Blues

Tracks:

Rockabye River
Suddenly It Jumped
Transblucency
Just Squeeze Me
Gathering in a Clearing
You Don't Love Me No More
Pretty Woman
Hey, Baby
(Back Home Again in) Indiana
Blue Is the Night
Lover Man - Take 1
Lover Man - Take 2
Just You, Just Me
Beale Street Blues
Memphis Blues
St. Louis Blues
My Honey's Lovin' Arms
(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (with You)
Swamp Fire
Royal Garden Blues
Esquire Swank
Midriff

Tracks:

Long, Long Journey
The One That Got Away
Gone with the Wind
Metronome All-Out
Skin Deep
How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me? (Sultry Serenade)
Sophisticated Lady
Perdido
Caravan
Harlem Suite
The Hawk Talks
Ellington Medley: Don't Get Around Much Any More/In a Sentimental Mood/Mood Indigo/I'mBeginning to See the Light/Prelude to a Kiss/It Don't Mean a Thing (IfIt Ain't Got that Swing)/Solitude/I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
Jam with Sam

Tracks:

In the Beginning God
Tell Me It's the Truth
Come Sunday
The Lord's Prayer
Come Sunday
Will You Be There?/Ain't But the One
New World A-Comin'
David Danced (Before the Lord with All His Might)
Ninety Nine Percent (previously unreleased)
My Mother, My Father and Love (previously unreleased)
New World A-Comin' (previously unreleased)
A Christmas Surprise (previously unreleased)
A Christmas Surprise (previously unreleased)

Tracks:

Praise God
Supreme Being
Heaven
Something 'Bout Believing
Almighty God
The Shepherd
It's Freedom
Meditation
The Biggest and Busiest Intersection
T. G. T. T.
Don't Get Down on Your Knees to Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone

Tracks:

Father Forgive
Praise God and Dance
Introduction by Sir Colin Crowe
Introduction by Duke Ellington
The Lord's Prayer/My Love
Is God a Three-Letter Word for Love? (Part I)
Is God a Three-Letter Word for Love? (Part II)
The Brotherhood
Hallelujah
Every Man Prays in His Own Language
Ain't Nobody Nowhere Nothin' Without God
The Majesty of God

Tracks:

Tourist Point of View - Take 7
Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) - Take 12
Isfahan - Take 1
Depk
Mount Harissa
Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues)
Agra
Amad - Take 3
Ad Lib on Nippon
Tourist Point of View - Take 5
Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) - Take 8
Isfahan - Take 2
Amad - Take 5

Tracks:

Take the "A" Train
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
Perdido
Mood Indigo
Black and Tan Fantasy
The Twitch
Solitude
Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
The Mooche
Sophisticated Lady
Creole Love Call
Caravan (previously unreleased)
Wings & Things (previously unreleased)
Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me (previously unreleased)
House of Lords
The Second Portrait of the Lion
Take the "A" Train
Caravan
Mood Indigo
Love Scene (previously unreleased)

Tracks:

The Mooche
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
I'm Beginning to See the Light
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Sophisticated Lady
Timon of Athens March
Solitude
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
Satin Doll
Single Petal of a Rose (previously unreleased)
Snibor
Boo-Dah
Blood Count
U. M. M. G.
Charpoy
After All
The Intimacy of the Blues
Raincheck - Take 6
Raincheck - Take 4 (previously unreleased)
Day Dream
Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note

Tracks:

All Day Long
Lotus Blossom - Take 1
Lotus Blossom
Smada - Take 3 (previously unreleased)
Smada - Take 4
Midriff
My Little Brown Book
Acht O'Clock Rock
The Piano Player
Creole Love Call
Don't You Know I Care
I Can't Get Started with You
New York, New York
Pitter Panther Patter
How High the Moon
Basin Street Blues
Tiger Rag
Soso
Meditation
Mecuria, the Lion (previously unreleased)

Amazon.com

Close your eyes, dip your hand into this treasure chest, and play any of the 462 tracks contained within: you are guaranteed to hear something magnificent. It may be a stunning composition, an innovative arrangement, or an astonishing improvisational passage, but the brilliance is there.

It is only fitting that the greatest figure in 20th-century popular music is the subject of this most wondrous box set. Across 24 discs, the majesty and unparalleled genius of Duke Ellington is on vivid display. Listening to the box from start to finish in chronological order, you discover a composer, bandleader, and pianist who consistently and daringly pushed his music ever forward. As fascinating as it is to hear his artistic progression as it unfolds, it is even more remarkable to digest these CDs out of order. During the course of 50 years, Ellington's creative wellspring gushed an amazing variety of music delivered in a multitude of different styles and settings; yet somehow, someway, it all sounds like Ellington. Whereas some artists find the blues idiom constricting, Duke saw it as a highly malleable and versatile foundation.

The first seven CDs chronicle the maestro's Cotton Club days and his theatrical, visceral "jungle music," which was created as part of the club's African-themed stage shows and "tribal" dances. Even at this early stage, Ellington showed a tremendous ability to create expressive moods and keen imagery through his compositions as well as an uncanny understanding of his players' strengths. Six discs are dedicated to the early 1940s, when tenor sax player Ben Webster and bassist Jimmy Blanton elevated the band to new heights. The next three CDs cover the mid-1940s, when the Duke began experimenting with longer pieces. Another combines mid-1940s all-star jams with a full 1952 Seattle concert. All three of Ellington's Sacred Concerts follow, a bold, pioneering fusion of jazz and church, complete with choir and dance, that used the language of music to eloquently sermonize on the subjects of personal freedom, spirituality, and communication with God. The collection wraps up with four discs' worth of late-period magic, including the exotic and dramatic Far East Suite and an homage to recently departed Billy Strayhorn.

This stunning package also serves as a tribute to all of the superior musicians that found a home in the Ellington Orchestra. Special mention must be made of altoist Johnny Hodges, who first recorded with Ellington in 1928 and stayed with him (except for a brief respite in the 1950s) until his death in 1970. Throughout, his sublime tone and fertile imagination epitomize the beauty, inventiveness, and dignity that is the essence of jazz. Also of note are the many superb compositions and arrangements from Strayhorn, who managed to carve a vital niche for himself while remaining true to the sound of Ellingtonia.

The accompanying 128-page full-color book overflows with wonderful photos and insightful essays that explore Ellington from every possible angle. The discographical information is delivered with excruciating detail and the package as a whole exudes love, devotion, and respect.

Somewhere deep inside the book, producer Orrin Keepnews writes, "When dealing with the music of Edward Kennedy Ellington, there is no excuse for stopping anywhere short of perfection." Mission accomplished. --Marc Greilsamer

(Casual listeners might prefer the single-CD sampler.)

Customer Reviews:

gorgeous packaging, philistines.......2003-03-26

the packaging of the cds is great. i love the sleeves. the idea is they feel like record sleeves. the 4-box pictures are bonus. the ribbons work if you use them carefully, but i agree, they should have been sewn in. there is absolutely no excuse for the bargain-basement book binding -- smythe-sewn at the least, but I would have expected hardcover. Oh well. Of course the music is great. If you don't like the sleeves, get a small 24-sleeve CD carrying case (like from Case Logic and the like).

A SOLID SUPPORT TO THE GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON MUSICAL LEGACY........2002-01-02

We love the Great Scholar Master Duke Ellington musical legacy, and undoubtely, have decided to buy this extraordinary and uncommon box set.

We have experimented a wide range of emotions! For example, the inclusion of the "Three Sacred Concerts", we believe, was a great idea with the addition of the Second one, thanks to "Fantasy Records" permission.

Also, we are impressed by the early 1930's "stereo sound". It is really amazing to hear this special effect from that time. Surely, Duke Ellington would be feeling happy to listen to this, as he loved -and this is a fundamental fact about his musical legacy- the recording technology, and used it to record and record again, having the concept of the Great Music, and the wonderful Art of Improvisation, being recorded for the posterity, and for the new generations of young people who really love music.

Here, we believe that it is important to remember that a genuine "Jazz Performance" is only one, and it never will be the same the next opportunity.

Also, we like the box set book for its sober, satin finish pages, the magnificent photos, general design, and, of course, the invaluable and complete information.

Undoubtely, this box set is the result of a very hard, extensive and extraordinary research, writing, audio restoration, remastering, printing and special manufacturing work, and we, with deep admiration, congratulate the Duke Ellington's legacy lovers, Steven Lasker and Orrin Keepnews, among other persons at RCA-BMG, for this Giant Homage to Duke.

If you really love music, and the musical legacy from Edward Kennedy Ellington, this box set is a must! Imagine: ALL the Duke Ellington's RCA recordings stored on the box set's 24 compact discs, and with that magnificent restored sound...!

This BMG-RCA Duke Ellington's Centennial Edition, 24 Compact Discs Box Set, is an authentic HISTORIC TREASURE.

Finally, as this box set is a limited edition product, we would like to receive an "online" serial number, from one of a certain quantity of items that were manufactured by BMG-RCA.

Problems with Noise Reduction.......2001-11-10

I have to agree with music fan from Texas. The problem, though, is not too little noise reduction, but too much. The high-pitched whistling he cites is, I think, an artifact of hiss reduction. It ruins the whole set, in my opinion. An awful shame, considering the importance of this music, and the fact that the remastering was otherwise most meticulously done. BMG, why did you allow this to happen?
***LATER***The late John R. T. Davies, who was during his lifetime the world's foremost restorer of 78 r.p.m. recordings, confirmed in correspondence with me that the whistling noise I refer to is an artifact of the master recording and is not caused by electronic noise reduction. Specifically, it is caused by the cooling of the wax master during recording. There are ways of minimizing it during transfer and remastering, and I wish BMG had taken advantage of these.

No excuse for the crummy packaging.......2001-08-06

I agree with the person who complained about the cheap packaging. Yes the music is great. But cardboard sleeves? In addition to the problems that person cited, sliding discs in and out of the sleeve is going to scratch them.

Next, the little ribbons used for lifting the CDs out of their wells in the plastic box insert are glued in place. Guess what? They come unglued! Unless you reglue them, you have to turn the box upside down and shake out all the CDs to get the one you want.

Finally, the lovely book that comes with the set is cheaply bound. I haven't even read it once and there are pages coming loose.

Come on, RCA! This is meant to be your highest tribute to America's greatest composer, and you aren't exactly giving it away. You could have used better binding and real jewel cases, sold it at the same price, and still profited handsomely. Shame on you!

Unparalleled music - cheap packaging.......2000-02-16

You can't go wrong with the man who was truly 'Beyond Category' - the greatest musician in American history, and, very likely, the greatest artist in American history -period - the great Duke Ellington.

RCA got a lot right with this set: the music - all 24 cds worth - is amazing, the remastering of the recordings from the 30s and40s is astonishing, and the lavishly illustrated booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the Duke's career.

The one thing that RCA got wrong, however, was the packaging of the individual cds. Each disc is enclosed in a cheap, flimsy, cardboard sleeve instead of in a jewel box. You can't get a disc out of its cardboard prison without reaching in and getting your fingerprints all over it . You can't store your new Ellington cds with the rest of your collection, because the sleeves won't fit in your cd shelf, nor will they stand up straight like a jewel box will. Even if you do stack them at the end of your row of normal cds, you still have to sort through them to find the disc you want, because you can't read the spine like you can on a normal jewel box. If you are spending this kind of money to buy a box set, I suspect that your interest in the Duke will last for a lifetime. I guarantee that the cheap cardboard sleeves in this set won't. If you are spending this kind of money to buy a box set, you shouldn't have to buy 24 empty jewel boxes to preserve your investment. That's what I plan to do, however. I suspect that many others will do the same.

Complete Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings
Average customer rating:

John Kirby

a gem from an underrated band

Complete Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings
John Kirby Sextet
Manufacturer: Definitive Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Orchestral Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Biggest Little Band in the Land

Night Whispers: 1938-1946

The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949

The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1935-1939

Time and Again

ASIN: B00004Z55U
Release Date: 2004-04-05

Tracks:

It Feels So Good
Effervescent Blues
Turf
Dawn on the Desert
Anitra's Dance
Sweet Georgia Brown
Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
Minute Waltz
Front and Center
Royal Garden Blues
Opus 5
Fantasy Impromptu
Blue Skies
Rose Room
I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)
Little Brown Jug
Nocturne
One Alone
Humoresque
Serenade
Jumpin' in the Pump Room
Milumbu
You Go Your Way
20th Century Closet
Temptation
Blues Petite

Tracks:

On a Little Street in Singapore
Chloe
Andiology
Can't We Be Friends?
Then I'll Be Happy (I Wanna Go Where You Go/Do What You Do)
I Love You Truly
Frasquita Serenade
Sextet from Lucia
Coquette
Zooming at the Zombie
Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Beethoven Riffs On
Double Talk (A Fugue)
Cutting the Campus
Close Shave
Bugler's Dilemma
It's Only a Paper Moon
Fifi's Rhapsody
Night Whispers
Tweed Me Down
Move Over
Wondering Where
Keep Smilin'
Comin' Back
No Blues at All
St. Louis Blues

Album Description

The complete recordings made by the legendary Only master takes. For the first time in one set. 2 CD set

Customer Reviews:

John Kirby.......2007-04-10

This was one of the best bands, little or big, of the swing era. It contained a great trumpet player in Charlie Shavers. I saw him with Tommy Dorsey at the Aragon ballroom in Chicago -1945. And again with JATP.
The other personal are all fine in their own right!
These CD's cover the years from 1938 through 1942 and most of all the recordings he made in that era.
Fifty-two selections, a great example of his work and the best of his work!
I was so glad to get these on CD. I had very little of his music till now.
Highly recommended!

Rod

a gem from an underrated band.......2005-08-02

why the john kirby sextet is not better known is a complete mystery to me. they had all the style, talent and heart of any big band out there. and even though i grew up with a grandfather who taught me to love big band jazz, it took listening to don byron's "bug music" to finally find john kirby. as he says, they were brave, sophisticated and made up of some of the finest african-american jazz players of the period. give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Complete RCA Victor Recordings 1938-1941

Average customer rating:

This recording is the best.
Tone, Trills and Rubato
Passion and individualism unbridled!
Auer's great "forgotten" Pupil

Complete RCA Victor Recordings 1938-1941
Toscha Seidel
Manufacturer: Biddulph Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000IAIG
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

Gavotte in G - Toscha Seidel/Eugene Kusmiak
Minuet in D - Toscha Seidel/Eugene Kusmiak
Albumblatt - Toscha Seidel/Max Rabinovitch
Hungarian Dance No.1 in g - Toscha Seidel/Eugene Kusmiak
Brahnsiana - Toscha Seidel/Max Rabinovitch
Intermezzo - Toscha Seidel/Eugene Kusmiak
Much Ado About Nothing, Ste: Bridal Morning - Toscha Seidel/Wolfgang Korngold
Much Ado About Nothing, Ste: Dogberry And Verges (March Of The Watch) - Toscha Seidel/Wolfgang Korngold
Much Ado About Nothing, Ste: Intermezzo (Garden Scene) - Toscha Seidel/Wolfgang Korngold
Much Ado About Nothing, Ste: Masquerade (Hornpipe) - Toscha Seidel/Wolfgang Korngold
One Day When We Were Young - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann
There'll Come A Time - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann
Tales From The Vienna Woods - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann
Vn Son in A: I. Allegretto Ben Moderato - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann
Vn Son in A: II. Allegro - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann
Vn Son in A: III. Recitativo-Fant: Ben Moderato - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann
Vn Son in A: IV. Allegretto Pocco Mosso - Toscha Seidel/Harry Kaufmann

Customer Reviews:

This recording is the best........2005-10-30

This recording is one of the best recordings I ever listened to in my entire life. It deserves the highest rating. Five star out of five. This recording should be placed as a classic in the classical music world. The music is undescribably beautiful. The soprano Miliza Korjus is beautiful and Tascha Seidel's violin is full of emotions and heart breaking. I love his violin better than Heifeitz. Unfortunately, this recording is out of stock. I really hope some record company can republish this recording. So we, the music fans, can enjoy these beautiful songs again and again. I make a plead here: Recording companies, please republish this recording. It's in great demand.!!!! A lot of people will buy it!!! It is a music treasure.

Tone, Trills and Rubato.......2005-10-02

I LOVE the man's performance. While the modern player may take issue with Seidel's rhythmic liberties, his rubato just bowls me over. The romance of his playing is incredible. Seidel's tone was legendary, and this recording just goes a little farther in driving that point home. But listen to the man's TRILLS. They are astounding! The recording's downfall is indeed the accompaniment. "Businesslike" was a good description. But I guess when you accompany a violinist who may wander off the rhythmic path at a moment's notice once in a while "businesslike" may be the safest way for the accompanist to go. A little disappointing, but understandable. All in all a very good recording. A great example of the Russian School.

Passion and individualism unbridled!.......1999-12-09

Toscha Seidel was one of the supremely romantic, free-wheeling violin virtuso who studied with Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg. Tonally, he possesed a tone practically second to none (only Kreisler and Heifetz really match him in this respect), and technically he was in Heifetz's class. What his playing lacked was certain musical intellectuality and discipline, and this CD shows both his positive and negative sides. In lush, romantic pieces such as "Brahmsiana", "Hungarian Dance No.1", Korngold's Suite and Provost's "Intermezzo" (from the Ingrid Bergman movie), he is superb. At the same time, his Mozart selection sounds overly gushing and lacking in classical purity. His Franck sonata is somewhat disappointing. He does not quite let the music speak for itself and overpowers the music with extremely freewheeling rubatos (sometimes his rhythm is downright unstable). His is not helped by dry, businesslike pianist. But I think this disk is worth getting because one rarely hears this kind of violinist today. If one loves an unbridled, passinate playing from the bygone era, grab it!

Auer's great "forgotten" Pupil.......1999-05-15

Toscha Seidel was one of the finest, but forgotten pupil of Leopold Auer. He possessed a gloriously rich, vibrant tone and dashing temperament. Unfortunately he was overshadowed by Heifetz and never received a reputation he should have deserved. This disc is a reminder of his enormous talent. Every pieces are played with unbelievably lush and vibrant tone and when the approach fits the music, the result is astonishing. My personal favorites are Brahms' Hungarian Dance No.1, Provost's Intermezzo and a piece called "Brahmsiana." Those are incredible. The Strauss numbers brings one back to the old 1930s Hollywood movie atmosphere. Korngold Suite is a welcoming discovery, although the third piece is played so slowly that the musical flow is threatened to halt. Franck sonata is another interesting discovery, although it is rhythmically too freewheeling for my taste. I recommend this CD to anyone who likes big-scaled "old-Russian" approach of violin playing.

Moby Dick: The Legend Lives - The Complete Show In All It's Glory (Original London Cast)

Average customer rating:

Impossible to classify: a real musical extravaganza
Best Comedy Musical Ever!!
A Happy Theatrical Momento
Moby Dick -a whale of a show
Spit take in progress . . .

Moby Dick: The Legend Lives - The Complete Show In All It's Glory (Original London Cast)
Hereward Kaye , and Robert Longden
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003FHL
Release Date: 1993-05-11

Tracks:

Hymn [Live]
Parents' Day [Live]
Forbidden Seas [Live]
In Old Nantucket [Live]
Man Happens [Live]
Ahab's Curse [Live]
Gypsy Dancer [Live]
Love Will Always [Live]
Primitive [Live]
Punsih Us [Live] - London Philharmonic Orchestra
People Build Walls [Live]
Pequod [Live]
At Sea One Day [Live]
Building America [Live]

Tracks:

Living Shadows [Live]
Mr. Starbuck [Live]
Heave Away [Live]
Deck Dance [Live]
Can't Keep Out the Night [Live]
Ahab's Insomnia [Live]
Whale of a Tale [Live]
Daily Massacre [Live]
Ship Ahoy [Live]
Shadow of the Deep [Live]
Storm [Live]
Heave Away [Ahab's Reprise][Live]
Whale's Revenge [Live]
Save the Whale [Live]

Customer Reviews:

Impossible to classify: a real musical extravaganza.......2007-05-21

After listening to this incredible utterly impossible-to-classify musical, one wonders what it is that makes such mediocre scores like "Wicked" a complete success and what makes a brilliant hilarious musical experience different from anything you've heard before in the genre a failure. It seems that this work is getting known little by little ironically for having been a complete flop after a short life on stage. In a recent interview Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar stated that children from a very early age usually dream of becoming astronauts, doctors, football players or writers but that if any child would tell his parents: "I'd like to become a critic in the future", the urgent thing to do would be to take this child to the psychiatrist. My personal piece of advice is never trust critics when their negative reviews are so extremely harsh as they were with this musical. And who knows, maybe one day it will be back on stage for the pleasure of the audience and the bewilderment of the vocational critics.

Best Comedy Musical Ever!!.......2004-06-29

One of the worst travesties in London theatrical history occurred when this show closed after its short run at the Piccadilly Theatre Savaged by the critics (well most of them) but loved by the audiences this enthralling musical lampoon of Melvilles epic as staged by a "St Trinians" school clone never fails to please. From the opening "Parents Day" which explains the staging of the musical through the wonderful "Forbidden Seas", "Gypsy Dancer" and the fantastically vocal "Man Happens" the lyrics at times bring tears to you eyes for all the right reasons. The only regret is that all the visual gags and mock amateur staging that accompany the songs has been lost. Men playing schoolgirls playing sailors.... hmmm I can see why the snooty critics saw it as a soft target but 12 years on the legend endures. Hopefully Mr Mackintosh will have enough faith in his creation to restage it at some point in the future and until then we at least have a fitting memorial in this recording.

A Happy Theatrical Momento.......2004-05-20

The only problem with this recording is that the listener can't see the energy and wonderful enthusiasm of the cast along with the incredibly imaginative staging. I had the pleasure of seeing this production three times in its far too short life at the Piccadilly Theatre, and I was enthralled each time. Yes, this is a live recording, and some of the production values aren't as good as they were in the five song CD "single" released early in the run, but it's a wonderful tribute to a show that was extremely unfairly savaged by the stuffy London critics who couldn't stand Melville's dirge being lampooned. I particularly love "Elija's Prophecy" in which he states that the Pequod will sink done as a horn pipe. The show was done with tongue firmly implanted in cheek, and there was plenty of cheek there. It's also a shame that listeners can't see the opening of the second act which was a 3-D extravaganza. What joy! The cast is young, except for Tony Monoply as the head mistress, and vibrant. The music is excellent and wonderfully well performed.

Moby Dick -a whale of a show.......2001-11-28

This CD brings back great memories, i saw the show twice and was there on the night of the recording.One reviewer called the show "Carry on St Trinians the Musical" and that just about sums it up, a saucy, joyous, funny show with an infectious score and a young attractive and very talented cast. It is a shame you don't get to hear all of Sylvia's wickedly accurate impressions (Bette Davis,Katherine Hepburn,to name but two)but the sheer vibrancy of the evening can be gauged by the enthusiastic cast and response of the audience.This show outstrips, Les Miz, Cats , Phantom - the lot, 10 years on I still wish i could book a ticket and see the whole thing live, until then i shall keep playing the CD.

Spit take in progress . . ........2001-08-31

This album is just too funny. I can't help laughing at lines such
as "OBSESSION ISN'T JUST A PERFUME!" and "I know you were SO looking forward to raising a family, but my LEG! EVERYthing!" It's a great album. I love it. And to those four brave critics who stuck with this show as well as Les Miz, way to go and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Average customer rating:

An inestimable reissue : a landmark in 20th century's music

Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1935-1939
The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949
Great Chicago Concert 1956
The Hot Fives & Sevens
The Complete RCA Victor Recordings: 1937-1949

ASIN: B00005O6KK
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

That's My Home
Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train
I Hate To Leave You Now
You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born
Medley Of Armstrong Hits - Part 1: I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You/When It's Sleepy...
Medley Of Armstrong Hits - Part 2: When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah
I've Got The World On A String
I Got A Right To Sing The Blues
Hustlin' And Bustlin' For Baby
Sittin' In The Dark
High Society
He's A Son Of The South
Some Sweet Day
Basin Street Blues
Honey, Do
Snowball
Mahogany Hall Stomp
Swing, You Cats

Tracks:

Honey, Don't You Love Me Anymore?
Mississippi Basin
Laughin' Louie
Tomorrow Night
Dusky Stevedore
There's A Cabinn In The Pines
Mighty River
Sweet Sue, Just You
I Wonder Who
St. Louis Blues
Don't Play Me Cheap
That's My Home
Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train
I Hate To Leave You Now
You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born
Medley Of Armstrong Hits - Part 2 (Alternate): When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah
Mississippi Basin
Laughin' Louie
Tomorrow Night
Blue Yodel No.9

Tracks:

Long, Long Journey - Louis Armstrong
Snafu - Louis Armstrong
Linger In My Arms A Little Longer - Louis Armstrong
Whatta Ya Gonna Do - Louis Armstrong
No Variety Blues - Louis Armstrong
Joseph 'N' His Brudders - Louis Armstrong
Back O' Town Blues - Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven
I Want A Little Girl - Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven
Sugar - Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven
Blues For Yesterday - Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven
Blues In The South - Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven
Endie - Louis Armstrong
The Blues Are Brewin' - Louis Armstrong And His Dixieland Seven
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? - Louis Armstrong And His Dixieland Seven
Where The Blues Were Born In New Orleans - Louis Armstrong And His Dixieland Seven
Mahogany Hall Stomp - Louis Armstrong And His Dixieland Seven
I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder - Louis Armstrong
I Believe - Louis Armstrong
Why Doubt My Love? - Louis Armstrong

Tracks:

It Takes Time - Louis Armstrong
You Don't Learn That In School - Louis Armstrong
Ain't Misbehavin' - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Rockin' Chair - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Back O' Town Blues - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Pennies From Heaven - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Save It Pretty Mama - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
St. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Jack-Armstrong Blues - Louis Armstrong
Rockin' Chair - Louis Armstrong
Some Day You'll Be Sorry - Louis Armstrong
Fifty-Fifty Blues - Louis Armstrong
A Song Was Born - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Please Stop Playin' Those Blues, Boy - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Before Long - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Lovely Weather We're Having - Louis Armstrong And His All Stars
Rain, Rain - Louis Armstrong
Never Saw A Better Day - Louis Armstrong

Amazon.com

Louis Armstrong recorded for RCA Victor for two relatively brief periods in his long career, in the early days of his big band (1932 to '33) and in the period when he broke up the orchestra and returned to a New Orleans-style smaller ensemble (1946 to '47). This four-CD set is evenly divided between the two periods. The early big bands--first drummer Chick Webb's and then the trumpeter's own--provide a comfortable setting for Armstrong, who simply reigned supreme among jazz soloists of the period, with peerless invention and a stunning flexibility. He was defining the jazz singer's art as well, his subtle phrasing transforming even casual songs as convincingly as his flamboyant horn. Purists have often mourned Armstrong's shift to large groups, but these are fine bands, driven along by potent drummers like Webb and Big Sid Carlett and manned by distinguished players like saxophonists Louis Jordan and Budd Johnson and pianist Teddy Wilson. The later recordings find Armstrong leading superb groups, with old associates like trombonist Kid Ory, clarinetist Barney Bigard, and drummer Zutty Singleton and classic repertoire like Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair." The Town Hall recordings from 1947, with Armstrong trading vocals and solos with trombonist Jack Teagarden, are among Louis's greatest work. The set also includes meetings with other musical icons. Armstrong provides bluesy trumpet accompaniment to country singer Jimmie Rodgers on a rendition of "Blue Yodel No. 9" and meets Duke Ellington on record for the first time on "Long, Long Journey." --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

An inestimable reissue : a landmark in 20th century's music.......2002-01-07

This extraordinary 4 cd set contains every track Louis recorded for the venerable RCA Victor Company between July 16,1930 and August 1,1956.First,just a glance at the musicians you'll meet through these 75 tracks: Chick Webb,Charlie Gaines,Edgar Sampson,Louis Jordan,Budd Johnson,Teddy Wilson,Sidney Catlett,Charlie Shavers,Jimmy Hamilton,Johnny Hodges,Billy Strayhorn,Don Byas,Lucky Thompson,Remo Palmieri,Sonny Greer,Chubby Jackson,Arvell Shaw,Barney Bigard,Jack Teagarden,Vic Dickenson,Zutty Singleton,Kid Ory,Red Callender,Al Casey,Cozy Cole,Johnny Guarnieri,and even Duke Ellington and...Jimmie Rodgers !
CD 1 and 2 includes 38 tracks recorded between 1930 and 1933.They are full of masterpieces,and Louis plays and sings at his highest level."That's my home","I hate to leave you now","you'll wish you'd never been born"(based on the chords of "you rascal you",an Armstrong hit),the two parts of the medley (you rascal you/when it's sleepytime/nobody's sweetheart/when you're smiling/St James infirmary/Dinah),"I've got the world on a string","sittin' in the dark","Mississippi basin","dusky stevedore","there's a cabin in the pines" and others are some of the greatest pieces ever played by Louis.The underrated Zilner Randolph (1899-1994) can sometimes be heard on trumpet.
CD 3 an 4 includes 1946-1956 material.CD 3 starts with the "Esquire All-American 1946 Award Winners",a band including Louis,Duke,Byas,Hodges,among others.Then,some pieces with a big band (tracks 3-7).Then,magnificent septet pieces (tracks 8-11 and 14-16).
CD 4,mostly devoted to the All Stars,is terrific: Louis and his old friend Teagarden play masterpiece after masterpiece ("Jack-Armstrong blues","please stop playin' those blues","back o'town blues","rocking chair","St James infirmary"...)."A song was born" is the theme from the movie;too bad,the two other versions recorded in Hollywood,August 1947,with Lionel Hampton,Benny Goodman,Tommy Dorsey don't appear here !
This complete edition of Louis' works for RCA Victor is a real must to have.You can complete it with the great 1947 Town Hall Concert,another RCA Victor gem.Hope you'll treasure this indispensable work of art,which proposes you some of the greatest music of all times.

The Best of the Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings

Average customer rating:

Wonderful, Enjoyable, Memorable: Material, Playing, Recording

The Best of the Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings
Paul Desmond
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00004NKA3
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Tracks:

My Funny Valentine
Take Ten
Nancy
Body And Soul
Poor Butterfly
By The River Sainte Marie
Bossa Antigua
The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
When Joanna Loved Me
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

Amazon.com

Paul Desmond's supremely lyrical alto saxophone and his gift for odd time signatures nestled for decades in the Dave Brubeck quartet, but there's something very special about the recording dates he made under his own name. This one-CD digest of the five-CD Complete Paul Desmond RCA Victor Recordings collects tracks recorded between 1961 and 1965, usually with the altoist matched with the superb guitarist Jim Hall, a musician possessed of comparable lyricism, economy, and harmonic gifts. The settings range from woodwinds and strings to subtle Latin rhythms; throughout there are beautifully realized versions of the standard repertoire, with tunes like "My Funny Valentine" heard through the luminous gauze of Desmond's sound. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, Enjoyable, Memorable: Material, Playing, Recording.......2007-05-07

This has been one of my "evergreen" favorite CDs for some time. Makes for a captivating listening session. The cut "By The River St. Marie" just shimmers with sensitive, tuneful melody and structure, held aloft by sweet interplaying between Desmond and Hall. Yes, the complete RCA issue is tempting, but consider this a fulfilling standalone collection-within-a-collection.

Louis Armstrong: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings

Average customer rating:

one of the best box sets of satchmo.

Louis Armstrong: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949
The Hot Fives & Sevens
The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings
Esquire All-American Jazz Concert
The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1935-1939

ASIN: B000003G75
Release Date: 1997-01-28

Tracks:

That's My Home
Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train
I Hate To Leave You Now
You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born
Medley Of Armstrong Hits-Part 1: I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You/When It's Sleepy...
Medley Of Armstrong Hits-Part 2: When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah
I've Got The World On A String
I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
Hustlin' And Bustlin' For Baby
Sittin' In The Dark
High Society
He's A Son Of The South
Some Sweet Day
Basin Street Blues
Honey, Do!
Snowball
Mahogany Hall Stomp
Swing, You Cats!

Tracks:

Honey, Dont You Love Me Anymore?
Mississippi Basin
Laughin' Louie
Tomorrow Night
Dusky Stevedore
There's A Cabin In The Pines
Mighty River
Sweet Sue, Just You
I Wonder Who
St. Louis Blues
Don't Play Me Cheap
That's My Home (Alternate)
Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train (Alternate)
I Hate To Leave You Now (Alternate)
You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born (Alternate)
Medley Of Armstrong HIts-Part 2 (Alternate): When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah
Mississippi Basin (Alternate)
Laughin' Louie (Alternate)
Tomorrow Night (Alternate)
Blue Yodel No.9