Search - Various Artists :: Paramount Hot Dance Obscurities 1927-28

A joy to listen to

M. Herek | Saginaw, Mi USA | 02/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have a growing collection of CDs with jazz culled from original 78 rpm discs, and this one has quickly risen to the top of my list. The music is finger-snapping good. The artists include Zackie Moore's IIIi-Noisy Seven, Bill Haid's Cubs, Midnight Serenaders, The Black Pirates and Harold Menning and His Orchestra. I don't know who I can compare these artists to, but I think that in general, if you like the hot dance of the Coon-Sanders Orchestra and Fletcher Henderson, you'll like what this CD has to offer. I give the restorers credit for not trying to eliminate the high-end hiss inherent in transfers from old records. They maintained fidelity and only eliminated any clicks. Anyone who understands the limitations of old records and truly enjoys good music will have found a real keeper for their collection. The disc includes extensive liner notes. The company that puts out the disc, Jazz Oracle, is a good company to buy from. It has many other similar offerings. The tracks include: Blue River, Slue Foot, I'm Walking Between The Rain Drops, Lonely Little Bluebird, Blue Grass, Hold Everything Here Comes My Girl, Picking Cotton, When Sweet Susie Goes Stepping By, Tin Roof Blues, Crazy Rhythm, Blue Shadows, Good Girl, Some Of These Days, Taint So Honey Taint So, A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Shake It Down, Weary Weasel, Chili Blues, Tennessee Lazy, High Up On A Hill-top, You Took Advantage Of Me, My Old Girl's My New Girl Now, Roll Up The Carpets, Me And My Man In The Mood, Where The Shy Little Violets Grow, and My Suppressed Desire."

A treasure trove of 1920s music

"Gimpy" Peach Johnson | 11/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm with the reviewer below. This is an excellent disc, and one I frequently find myself pulling out. I bought this disc over a year ago, and it still receives heavy rotation in my CD player. You may not have heard of the bands on this disc, but I assure you, it's worth checking out. Many of the titles are by Bill Haid's Cubs (under various pseudonyms), and if they sound reminiscent of Coon-Sanders, don't be too surprised: Bill Haid was a long-time banjoist with Coon-Sanders' Original Nightwawks.



This CD contains a nice variety of 1920s standards, but also mixes in some unusual and seldom-heard pieces. My favorite on the disc is "Weary Weasel" -- just check out the trumpet-tuba call and response near the end. Those guys sure had a sense of humor!



John R. T. Davies did the restoration for this CD, and the sound is top-notch, considering the source. These records were originally recorded by or for Paramount in the late 1920s, and Paramount was notorious for its poor-quality recordings and even worse quality pressings. Paramount used soft, inferior quality shellac to make their 78s; as a result, the records wore out quickly on old wind-up phonographs and when they do turn up, they're usually in dismal condition. The records used for this CD all sound like nice, clean, excellent copies, but be aware, there still is a little surface noise audible, probably more than on reissues of vintage jazz and dance bands originally recorded by the major companies like Victor or Columbia. Still, I don't find the noise distracting at all. Like the reviewer below, I'm glad JRTD didn't try to remove it all, doing so would have dulled the sound. Instead, there's a little surface noise, but the recordings sound as bright and clear as possible; I don't think you'll ever hear these recordings in better quality than on this disc.



Original copies of the 78s on this CD are quite scarce. I've only seen a few come up for auction in the past couple years, and those have typically sold for well over $100 each. If you want all of these tracks on original 78s, forget it. Buy this CD instead. These are priceless gems of a bygone era. You just couldn't make recordings like these today. The rhythms are infectious and the melodies catchy: these things really cook! Highly recommended."