Customer Reviews

The Columbia House Bands: Ben Selvin, Vol. 1

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These songs by Mr. Selvin are probably the greatest examples that jazz music has given the world an in-depth listening perspective at in years!! Ben Selvin, not only being a well-respected prolific recording artist of all time, but had many numerous musicians in his bands that went on to famed success on their own ventures in the music world. Such greats include Benny Goodman, Manny Klein, and Jack Teagarden. I love the famed music cuts Selvin did especially between 1927 & 1931. They're GREAT!!!!!

Ben Selvin is essential to any twenties/thirties collection and the Old Masters (Thanks, OM!) has released wonderfully remastered cds (both vol. 1 and 2 are excellent). I started collecting twenties music in order to get a few songs I was familiar with. The more I was exposed to, the more I realized what a fantastic period of music it was. Now that rock is pretty much on life support, check out another era when the focus was on great musicianship and a strong beat - a time when you needed talent not software and a beat machine to make it in the business.

Selvin had such as superb dance orchestra in the late 1910's and 1920's. This CD gives a great jazz overview of legendary musicians including Benny Goodman, Joe Venuti, Manny Klein (my favorite), and Gene Krupa. He should have more CD's issued of his music, of the 1920's; including some songs sung by his favorite vocalists around 1925-1928 Irving Kaufman. Mr. Kaufman had one great hit I think Ben Selvin fans really like, recorded around May, 1926, being the song "Miss Annabelle Lee." I hope in the near future, that music historians should release more of his songs, either on CD labels such as Rhino Classics, BMG, RCA/Victor, or even a Volume III issue following these two wonderful collections of Ben Selvin -- the most prolific bandleader-recording artist of all time.

Although some of the arrangements sound dated by today's standards, this is good music for the late 20s early 30s. Benny Goodman was a sideman on some of these recordings and you can hear a rare bass clarinet solo by him on Lucille, as well as some of his alto saxophone solos on other tracks. Good stuff, especially for some of the rarer jazz solo spots.

This is a most delightful compilation taken from the literally thousands of recordings that bandleader Ben Selvin cut between 1919 and 1934. The opening number "Last Dollar", on which trumpeter Jack Purvis lets go with a bang, is typical for the Selvin band we hear on the remaining 20 cuts of this disc, a delicious foray into largely overgrown tracts of the musical world of the early thirties. Although there is many a hot solo to be enjoyed (by Purvis, Benny Goodman, Mannie Klein, Joe Venuti, the Dorseys etc.) it is mostly well arranged and rhythmically played dance music we hear, not unlike the things an Ambrose was famous for on the other side of the pond. There are precious few standards in this collection and quite a number of completely unfamiliar titles which might lead one to suspect that the material is substandard in quality. But, as the saying goes, it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it. And Selvin and his boys certainly make the most of it. Sugary sweet vocalists like Orlando Roberson may not be everybody's cup of tea, but Dick Robertson, who takes six vocals (and who has a cd all to himself on the Timeless label which is well worth your attention) and Helen Rowland are quite enjoyable (Robertson is very funny on "Last Dollar").
The liner notes by Rob Bamberger are very informative (although unfortunately no personel listing) and remastering is very good indeed, with no unnecessary noise reduction. A very worth while discovery!

Ben Selvin was a prolific recording director, whose entry in Rust's American Dance Band Discography occupies getting on for 50 pages. During the Depression years he was working for Columbia, and his house band provided work for some of New York's finest musicians. This first volume spans the period from mid-1931 to early 1932, plus the archetypal cheer-up song "Happy Days are Here Again" from March 1930. Sound is clear and bright, and the arrangements bristle with "pep".

There's a definite Selvin sound, out of which soloists like Benny Goodman, Mannie Klein, Jack Purvis, Joe Venuti, and the Dorsey brothers, emerge with a hot chorus to enliven the proceeedings even more. But apart from his musical nous, I suspect Selvin had an understanding of how to position his musicians and mike them them, because the balance is superb. If you buy this you'll be looking out for Volume 2 to go with it.