VA - Membran Music's Jazz Ballads Series Vol. 16-20 (10 CD, 2004) [FLAC + 320]

 

A CD sets with the most beautiful ballads in the history of jazz.

Lyrical, imaginative, sensuous and melodic jewels from the art of music.

Precisely for those people who have maintained their taste for lasting musical values.

Jazz in its most gentle form.

Irrestible...

Jazz Ballads 16: Charlie Parker

Jazz Ballads 17: Tenor Giants

Jazz Ballads 18: Art Tatum

Jazz Ballads 19: Louis Armstrong & Jack Teagarden

Jazz Ballads 20: All Stars Jam Sessions

The Complete OKeh And Brunswick Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Trumbauer And Jack Teagarden Sessions (1924-36) (7 CD, 2001/FLAC)

 

This seven-CD limited-edition box set from Mosaic can be evaluated two different ways. Usually Mosaic concentrates on reissuing timeless music that is rare, but that really is not true with the great majority of these 165 selections, which are readily available elsewhere. The Bix Beiderbecke selections are on Sunbeam CDs, the Frankie Trumbauer sessions have been put out by Old Masters, and Jack Teagarden's dates have been reissued by Classics. There are a few scarce alternate takes (only one not out before), two numbers from 1924 by Lanin's Arkansaw Travelers (included because of Trumbauer's solos), and a couple sessions nominally under the leadership of altoist Gil Rodin (notable for Teagarden's playing), but otherwise the music is easy to acquire elsewhere. However, that reservation aside, there are so many classics included in this deluxe set that this box deserves the highest rating anyway. Other than the Lanin numbers, the box really begins in 1927 with the Trumbauer session that resulted in "Singin' the Blues," which has the most famous recorded solos by Bix and Tram. Beiderbecke was at the peak of his powers in 1927. His cornet playing was simply beautiful and he had a very original tone, full of inner heat and thoughtful beauty. His playing on the Trumbauer dates of 1927-1928 and his own Dixieland-ish sets (Bix & His Gang) were among the top moments of 1920s jazz. These include such classics as "Clarinet Marmalade," "I'm Coming Virginia," his piano solo "In a Mist," and "Royal Garden Blues." Even his decline in 1929 (which includes occasional clams) is worth hearing. While Beiderbecke disappears completely near the beginning of the fourth disc (replaced by Andy Secrest), Trumbauer is heard on most of the selections, leading dates through 1936. A master of the soon-to-be-extinct C-melody sax, Trumbauer was one of jazz's first great saxophone soloists and an influence on both Benny Carter and Lester Young. His sessions gradually evolve from classic jazz to swing, and even with a few novelty numbers, the post-Beiderbecke dates are mostly of strong interest. Teagarden, whose arrival in New York in 1928 found him immediately being recognized as jazz's top trombone soloist in addition to being considered a fine blues-oriented vocalist, is heard with Rodin and leading dates of his own during 1930-1934, before he became a sideman in Trumbauer's later sessions (during a period when they were both regularly employed with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra). In addition to the principals, along the way such major performers as clarinetist Jimmy Dorsey, guitarist Eddie Lang, violinist Joe Venuti, bass saxophonist Adrian Rollini, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, Bing Crosby (on his most jazz-oriented sides), Johnny Mercer, tenors Eddie Miller and Bud Freeman, pianist Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, and trumpeter Charlie Teagarden (Jack's younger brother) make significant contributions to the music. Listeners who do not already own this music and want a large slice of late-'20s/early-'30s jazz history should acquire this valuable box while they can. 

 

Jack Teagarden - The Complete Roulette Sessions (4 CD, 2003/FLAC)

 

Jack Teagarden's output for Roulette between 1959-1961 had been out of print for decades until reissued in a lavishly packaged comprehensive box set by Mosaic in early 2003, half of which comes from a single night at the Roundtable. With trumpeter Don Goldie, pianist Don Ewell, clarinetist Henry Cuesta, bassist Stan Puls, and Ronnie Greb or Barrett Deems on drums, the trombonist leads his working sextet, with the added bonus of 25 previously unreleased tracks. Teagarden is in top form throughout every session. His matchless trombone seems effortless in chestnuts such as "That's a Plenty," "Basin Street Blues," and "St. James Infirmary"; he also plays euphonium on a record for the only time in his career during "Ol' Man River." His lyrical solos are matched by his vocals, especially the warm "One Hundred Years from Today" and the spirited "St. Louis Blues." Ewell, who plays consistently at the leader's level and also wrote the arrangements, is featured without the front line in swinging treatments of "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Atlanta Blues." Goldie is frequently an excellent soloist and ensemble player, though he falters by adding distracting codas to his ballad features. Puls and Greb are showcased in an unusual take of "Big Noise from Winnetka," where both musicians whistle in unison, as well as play their instruments, in this mostly visual crowd-pleasing favorite. Only two selections are duds; both the re-creation of Teagarden's classic duet with Louis Armstrong of "Rockin' Chair" and an overdone take of "When the Saints Go Marching In" are marred by Goldie's mimicry of Satchmo's gravelly vocals, which quickly gets tedious. But the beautifully remastered sound of these mostly exceptional performances, the detailed liner notes, and the rare photos make this limited-edition set an essential purchase.

 

 

Jack Teagarden - Chronogical Classics 1930-1947 (6 CD)

 

Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964), known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was a jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone".

Teagarden's trombone style was largely self-taught, and he developed many unusual alternative positions and novel special effects on the instrument. He is usually considered the most innovative jazz trombone stylist of the pre-bebop era, and did much to expand the role of the instrument beyond the old tailgate style role of the early New Orleans brass bands. Chief among his contributions to the language of jazz trombonists was his ability to interject the blues or merely a "blue feeling" into virtually any piece of music.