Customer Reviews

Jazz Singers 1919-94

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4 star:		(1)
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This is an excellent collection of jazz singers, ranging chronologically from Bessie Smith and Eva Taylor to Cassandra Wilson and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Stylistically, it presents classic jazz singers like Holiday, Vaughan, and Fitzgerald, Armstrong, and Billy Eckstine to pop/jazz artists like Sinatra (but no Tony Bennett), blues- and gospel-influenced singers (Bessie Smith; Mahalia Jackson) and a variety of singers very loosely associated with jazz: Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green!.

Of the latter singers, I suppose the producers can co-opt R&B and soul if they want, but to me it's a stretch. On the other hand, these are some of my favorite singers, so I don't mind the producers blurring jazz boundaries a little too much. Robert G. O'Meally, the extremely knowledgeable author of the superb 127 book that accompanies the five CDs, makes a defense: He states that both Gaye and Franklin made at least one straight jazz record (not sure which those would be), and that these songs are included "to indicate that jazz is a rollicking and rowdy river that flows into and out of other styles." Well, ok, but the potential buyer should review all the singers presented here so that he/she knows the breadth of that river.

Sound quality on the older songs is mostly good, though there is no evidence of remastering (listeners of some of the technologies aimed at "cleaning" the sound of older recordings will attest that remastering can either enhance or obscure a recording's musical value). As stated above, the booklet is tremendous, and really makes this collection a great value. EACH song and singer is fully discussed, often in relation to other songs in the collection. O'Meally writes clearly and with interesting details, he has a great understanding of singing and its relationship to music. For example, on Lorez Alexander's "D. B. Blues," a tribute to Lester Young, O'Meally writes that she evokes his "sinewy, sometimes airy tone, his angular phrasing, his artful uses of silences..."

Lorez Alexandria is a good example of the breadth of singers in this collection. She is not nearly as well known as some of her contemporaries, and this compilation of the under appreciated along with the famous surprises as well as delights.

My main complaint with this compilation is with the "Novelties and Take-offs" section of Disc 5. While it may be, as the true, as O'Meally suggests, that jazz has a tradition based partly on "low comedy, hokum, and fun," these are not essential recordings by any means. Actually, a few of these songs are a little painful to listen to. This collection would have been much better by deleting most of these, and including more numbers by the greats mentioned above.

Overall, however, this is an excellent introduction to the luminaries of jazz singing (as well as the sometimes overlooked). I think it's a good starting point for those exploring the diverse sounds of the idiom, and who want a wide sampling from which to pick their favorites. There's so much music (as well as the superb commentary by O'Meally) that almost everyone will find much to enjoy here. (NOTE: This appears to be same collection as that released by Sony for the Smithsonian Collection in 1998.)

This box set contains every essential hit from every essential jazz artist. Armstrong, Holliday, Fitzgerald, Cole, and a little Simone, they're all here! This has to be the greatest compilation of jazz greats I have seen in my few years of living.

What a pleasure to listen to this album. Five CD's take some time go through but it is worth every minute. The way this album is assembled is pure genuis by Prof. O'Meally. This album should be enjoyed by young adults as well and up to senior's. If one doesn't enjoy this album, one must be brain dead.

Way back when this slice of history was still in print , and at a reasonable price.....The Jazz Singers 1919*1994 contains track after track of vital jazz vocal pieces. Considering the age of some of these tracks , the sound is just remarkable. Can we look forward to a set from 1995 and beyond ? Probably not. Assemble your own , and store it in paper sleeves inside this masterpiece. When I want to relax and drift away , this is the set that spins in my changer.

This is an absolutly amazing box set of Jazz Vocals. It seems to include just about everyone that you can think of. I especally love that the early recordings were NOT digitally cleaned-up. I really enjoy listing to them exactly how they sounded when they were first released on 78's back in the 1920' & 30's. This box set is a Must-Have for all fans of 20th Century Jazz & Blues.

I was almost in tears listening to this box set. It is everything you could possibly hope for in a compilation and so much more- there isn't one track that you don't want to hear again and again. I wish there were a few more like this around