jive rhapsodist | NYC, NY United States | 12/17/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you're gonna get one of these volumes, this is the one. Why? One word:Teagarden. His playing on My Kinda Love (and the presence of the alternate take) makes this essential. I miss John RT Davies already - all the work he did in remastering the music of this era - all the work he had left to do. Every Jazz Oracle CD is a masterpiece of care and professionalism. The Pollack band gives us a window into the White Jazz scene of the late 20's - how much it had assimilated "Jazz values" and...well...what remained to be done. I'll say that I love this music with reservations, or rather, the music lover/sociologist in me loves this music more than the pure music lover does. But given the corniness (which, if you read interviews with the musicians, they felt even then), there's some stuff happening...and then, there's Teagarden."