DELIGHTFUL MIX OF JAZZ & POPULAR MUSIC OF THE 20s & 30s
Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 07/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In view of Amazon's somewhat selective tracklist here it is in full:
Ja-Da (Arthur Fields); `Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do (Chas A. Matson); Jig Walk (Ipana Troubadours); Rhythm Step (Fred Elizalde); Thou Swell (Johnny Johnson); Ready For The River (Emerson Gill); Angel (Johnny Marvin); As Long As We Are In Love (Fred Rich); Something To Live For (Nat Shilkret); Have A Little Faith In Me (Seger Ellis); The Talk Of The Town (Benny Meroff); The One I Love Just Can't Be Bothered With Me (Annette Hanshaw); Happy Feet (The Mariners Trio); A Bench In The Park (Harry Hudson); You Try Somebody Else (Kate Smith); Crosby, Columbo And Vallée (Dick Robertson); Please (Rudy Vallée); Here Lies Love (Roy Fox); California, Here I Come (Claude Hopkins); Heebie Jeebies (The Three Keys); Get Hot Foot (Hans Bund); What A Difference A Day Made (Freddy Martin); Mystery (Joe Venuti); Sweet Sue - Just You (Don Redman); Look Who's Here (Ben Bernie)
Purchasers of previous volumes will know that this is an excellent series, and this latest follows in the same tradition of presenting jazz and popular music of the 1920s and 1930s (although the first track dates from late 1918). The result is a delightfully diverse mix, which variety contributes greatly to listening pleasure. An added attraction is that for most of the selection this is the first reissue on CD. The clarity of sound which has been achieved is quite amazing, given the age and rarity of these records.
The Edison recording of Chas. A. Matson's Creole Serenaders displays an extraordinary degree of arrangement, given that it dates from 1923, and the muted cornet in the finale shows an awareness of King Oliver's playing. Fred Elizalde's "Rhythm Step" is the piano solo version of that tune, with a somewhat frenetic finale, while another piano solo is contributed by sadly-forgotten crooner Seger Ellis. There's a delightful Annette Hanshaw vocal, the accompaniment to the Mariners Trio includes Eddie Lang, and Al Bowlly gets a look in on Harry Hudson's recording of "A Bench In The Park". The original Telefunken label for Hans Bund's "Got Hot Foot" translates the title as "Tanzfieber" and the tune lives up to its billing, whichever way you read it. That brief and necessarily selective trawl through the delights on offer, which are thoroughly annotated and illustrated in the accompanying 16-page liner booklet, should persuade you that this is an indispensable purchase."
Another superb Conaty-Rivermont effort!
A. W. Senior | Utica, New York United States | 06/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just received and was able to listen to this disc. This is a fun, extremely enjoyable compilation, teeming with rare delights from WFUV's Big Broadcaster, Rich Conaty. The tracks proceed chronologically, but are arranged in the manner of a good radio playlist. There's a satisfying dramatic arc and a pleasing variety to this sequence of numbers. As with the previous Big Broadcast compilations, I can't recommend this highly enough.
The individual selections are gems. It's great to have Johnny Johnson's "Thou Swell" on disc, as well as seldom heard selections by Annette Hanshaw, The Three Keys, and Joe Venuti. Then there are such elusive items as Hans Bund's "Get Hot Foot"--a true joy of incredible rarity. Congratulations for this excellent disc go to Rich Conaty, Adrian Cosentini for his flawless transfers, and Bryan Wright for reissuing these classic recordings on his gold-standard Rivermont label."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1
