Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra Volume 1 [Import]

Bennie Moten | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 30, 1999)
• Original Release Date: December 7, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Frog UK
• ASIN: B00003IE40
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,502 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SEMINAL BIG BAND SIDES FROM KANSAS CITY, January 5, 2009

By 

Barry McCanna (Normandy, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra Volume 1 (Audio CD)

Between September 1923 and May 1925 Bennie Moten recorded just fourteen sides for the Okeh label, initially with a six-piece band that increased to nine over the period. His career received a major boost when Ralph Peer, who'd arranged those sessions, moved to Victor and in December 1926 began to record the band for that label. This first volume covers the first four sessions plus the first title from the 2-day September 1928 session.

This was a stomping big band, playing advanced arrangements with an underlying four-beat pulse, which came to define the Kansas City sound. The compilation includes rare alternate takes, five of which have not been reissued previously. The liner note draws attention to clarinettist Woody Walder, whose playing may occasionally sound bizarre, and it may take a while to adapt to the presence of a brass bass and a banjo.

The remastering is absolutely first-rate, and has produced a warm and sonorous transfer which is a testament to the quality of Victor's recordings.