The Complete RCA Victor Recordings [Box set]

Paul Desmond | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 1997)
• Original Release Date: October 14, 1997
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003G76
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,238 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By the way..., August 22, 2001

By 

bruce horner - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)

When I reviewed this set before I should have mentioned that it's not EXACTLY like the corresponding Mosaic box. A Warner Brothers album that was included on the Mosaic set is replaced here by an RCA album with strings (Desmond Blue)----the arrangements are not terrible but to these ears simply unnecessary. This was music with a compelling inner logic that required no sweetening. Adding strings to the interplay between Jim Hall and Desmond is kind of like adding extra syllables to a haiku, at least to my mind. But though I'd have to put the Mosaic set half a notch higher, it HAS been out of print for some years, so unless you want to tape it from a friend or library (or God forbid, get it off eBay) this 5-CD box is almost as good a deal. And hey, no surface noise.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Misidentified Masterpiece, August 25, 2010

By 

Lawrence Bausch "Fr. L Bausch" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete Recordings (Audio CD)

This box set of the Complete Recordings of the Paul Desmond Jim Hall Quartet has been mistaken for the Complete RCA Recordings of the Quartet by Amazon, and every review under this title is for that different set. This selection also differs from the Moziac box set. What we have in this selection is the music from every lp the Quartet released, including the non-RCA first album, "East of the Sun", which was also on the Moziac set. Also like the Moziac set, it is missing one tune from "Bossa Antigua". It includes the 7 missing tracks from the lps which were also in the Mozaic set, but here is where the similarity ends. This set does not include the 6 alternate takes of tunes properly released on the lps. However, it makes up for this omission by including the Paul Desmond release with Strings (originally called "Desmond Blue",which also features Jim Hall on several cuts), also with its 3 additional tracks omitted from the lp.

So, this set differs from the "RCA" set with which it has been confused in the reviews, in the following ways: This set omits 7 tunes, one from "Bossa Antigua" and 6 alternate takes, and replaces them with the 7 tunes on "East of the Sun" and one track which surfaced on its cd reissue.

Considered by the musical contents, of the 3 box sets I think this one is to be preferred, as it is only missing one original tune and 6 versions, whereas the Moziac set it missing 13 tunes, and the RCA set is missing 8 tunes.

The booklet from this set is rather brief, but does include significant excerpts from Desmond's original liner notes to "Take Ten" and "Bossa Antigua", which are quite clever. I understand, however, that the written materials in the Mozaic set are superior. Given that this set is so modestly priced, I think it represents an ideal choice for most listeners, and an inexpensive way to purchase for oneself or others some exquisite music.

Comparisons aside, this music in any set is essential to anyone who likes Jazz of this important era, and probably to many others who simply enjoy well-performed, melodic music with a depth of feeling. The unusual pairing of sax and guitar, bouyed by bass and drums, make for an almost chamber-like listening experience.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desmond: A Unique Jazz Stylist In A Perfect Setting, July 24, 2000

By 

bruce horner - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)

Desmond still doesn't get his due. After playing with the Brubeck band for so many years, his considerable individual talents were overlooked or dismissed. Now he's almost as forgotten as Buddy DeFranco. The fact is, he was as original and commanding a player as Stan Getz or Lee Konitz, and just as deserving of attention. Outside of the Brubeck band he seemed to prefer playing with guitarists instead of pianists (is it any wonder?) and these sessions with the redoubtable Jim Hall show Desmond at his best. Both Desmond and Hall particularly shine on disc one, among the best tracks Desmond ever recorded. I originally bought most of this stuff as a Mosaic vinyl boxed set, but I'm very tempted to get this reissue just to have a copy free of any possible surface noise.