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