Customer Reviews

Off The Record: The Complete 1923 Jazz Band Recordings

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As anyone with more than a passing interest in jazz knows, these are among the most important records in the history of the genre. King Oliver was one of the legendary New Orleans jazz trumpeters of the 1910s who made the move to Chicago with his protégé, Louis Armstrong, in the early '20s. The recordings on this disc indicate clearly why Joe Oliver was "King." His band has an irresistible ensemble sound and a certain indescribable "drive" that no band since has captured in quite the same way. I've yet to hear any of the so-called trad jazz revival bands play with collective improvisation this tight. Just listen to "Froggie Moore" on this CD and you'll hear what I mean! This was exciting stuff when it was recorded in 1923, and it's still plenty exciting now! Undoubtedly, many people will be turned off by the relatively thin sound of these 85-year-old acoustic recordings, and that's a shame. These recordings are classics that every true jazz fan should own. The music here has been reissued many times in the past several decades, but *this* is the set to get. While the audio is a far cry from CD-quality, this 2-CD set presents the best-sounding transfers I have ever heard! I already had these tracks on releases from Olympic, Milestone, Joker, and Classics, and the hype is true: the sound on this new Archeophone/Off The Record set simply blows all previous reissues away. There's just a freshness and crispness on these transfers that has never been there before. These records have *presence* now. Listening to these on a decent set of headphones or on quality loudspeakers, the piano finally sounds like a piano again--not just some muddy percussive tinkling. Oliver's and Armstrong's cornets come shining through with full force. Even thought these are all acoustic recordings, there's a certain electricity in the air when listening to them. I had never fully appreciated King Oliver's band before, but now that I can better hear what's going on, I finally "get it." All of my collector friends who have purchased this set and compared it with previous reissues (those I mentioned plus the famous Retrieval set) agree--the sound on this issue is far superior. The beautifully-illustrated booklet (with scans of *all* the included records) contains lengthy detailed notes and discographical information and is worth the price alone. I simply can't say enough good things about this set. Get it!

I have several of King Oliver's jazz recordings, both LP, and CD, and this one is by far the best to date. I agree with the previous viewer: as far as the sound is concerned, our technology is limited, and this may be about as far as they can go with these recordings. But, hey, they still sound terrific. I have never listened to the original recordings [an original album] of King Oliver, however, this recording is outstanding and it sure puts the other recordings I have of King Oliver to shame. With the technology going about as far as it is going to go [at least for now] a remarkable job has been done in at least restoring the sound to some degree on this particular CD.

Irregardless, I like hearing King Oliver's sound. It's just great to listen to. I would also highly recommend this particular King Oliver CD, to other reviewers who are not sure just which copy to purchase. I remember hearing a lot of great talk about the Milestone issue [which I have] and this one definetly puts it to shame. I really did not realize how different the sound quality was on the Milestone issue, but after listening to this CD, WOW, what a difference! This is the one to purchase [for now anyway].

Some of the sounds on this particular recording are to name just a few: JUST GONE, CANAL STREET BLUES, MANDY LEE BLUES, CHIMES BLUES, WEATHER BIRD RAG, DIPPER MOUTH BLUES, FROGGIE MOORE, SNAKE RAG [a great one] SWEET LOVIN' MAN, HIGH SOCIETY RAG, SOBBIN' BLUES, WHERE DID YOU STAY LAST NIGHT, DIPPER MOUTH BLUES, JAZZIN' BABIES BLUES, ALLIGATOR HOP, and a lot of other great, great sounds. There are 37 tracks in all, and once again, I believe that these are the BEST King Oliver sounds that I have ever heard on CD. I highly recommend this particular CD to those who like the jazz sounds of the 1920s. My favorite era of jazz runs from about 1923, to the early 1930s. Not that the later periods are not good, I just like the sound of jazz during this particular era.

I've waited a long time for this to happen... at last I can hear what's going on! These are acoustic recordings (made without electricity), and for decades I have had to settle for the reissues that were either filtered until all the presence was gone, or EQ-twiddled into funky-sounding embalmed recordings. I've been a previous fan of Archeophone products, so I sprung for this one with cautious anticipation.

My heavens! I was absoutely floored the first time I heard these transfers. The CJB finally sounds like a BAND instead of a SHOE BOX. I'm hearing a lot of Armstrong's parts for the first time, and the banjo is finally in the rhythm section where it belongs, instead of out front where it doesn't. The stunning new (quiet!) transfer of Zulu's Ball is worth the whole price of the CD all by itself.

I could go on and on about the sound, but I don't want to ignore the excellent booklet -- a nice thick one with lots of pictures I've never seen before, and tons of interesting information to read. The set is endorsed by some of the most respected names in Jazz-- particularly Avakian and Morgenstern. I will probably be carrying this one on my person for a long time!

A masterpiece.

I don't understand the person above who gave this set one star! I'd give it ten stars if I could. The Creole Jazz Band recordings are possibly the most important early jazz documents we have, and as far as I know, there have been two other attempts to release them in complete sets. There was a French reissue in the '80s and the Retrieval version in the '90s. Both of them had, in my opinion. "pretty good" sound. This set blows everything else out of the water. I've been listening to these for over 30 years, and now, for the first time, I'm hearing piano parts I never knew were there, Louis' subtle 2nd cornet parts that had previously been obscured by boxy sound, Johnny Dodds' clarinet lines sounding so clear they seem almost electric! The natural ambience of the recording room is often evident as well. And the Paramounts--- previously always the worst sounding of the bunch, now full, clear and satisfying. The biggest surprise of all is Zulu's Ball; with only one known copy of the record in existence, and in very bad condition, "Off The Record" has presented it cleanly, clearly and honestly. I almost cried when I finally heard the elusive intro clearly for the first time.

What is so different about this sound? They explain in their notes that the records have been adjusted for (what they call) "true flat response" so that the presentation is consistent. I don't completely understand that explanation, but the proof is certainly in the pudding. The sound is natural, not messed-with. I feel like someone sent me a box containing every one of these records in brand new condition. There is a little record noise left over, but it doesn't get in the way.

I would recommend this to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

We can HOPE this will sound better 10+ years down the road (on a future re-issue), but this 2006 set is definitely a big improvement over all previous versions. I had purchased the late John R. T. Davies' 1996 Retrieval set (previously considered "state-of-the-art") only a few months ago and had listened to it several times. This new one wins hands-down for overall clarity and resonance. This is fun, rollicking music--classic New Orleans style--which has never really been surpassed within the genre. Don't expect modern sounding discs, but do treat yourself to this 1923 treasure. Excellent, informative liner notes are included.

I'm revelling in this new 2-CD set of King Oliver's complete 1923 recordings. In the excellent accompanying 32-page booklet, Dick Spottswood is quoted as saying that the Oliver Creole Jazz Band should be reissued every ten years as technology improves. I first heard some on the old Riverside LP release and, despite all the imperfections, knew that this was the real McCoy. Having progressed via the World Record Club LP and the Milestone double LP to the Robert Parker CDs, I think that this magnificent new set will suffice (that is, if I don't wear it out).

If you're coming new to Oliver, don't be misled into thinking that these recordings are raucous examples of a primitive music form. As the perceptive liner notes state (and these octogenerian recordings underline) "Oliver's band was first and foremost a dance band, as were most jazz bands of the day".

If you're already committed, you'll find the effect of hearing these recordings anew is analogous to that of viewing an Old Master after the accumulated dirt of the centuries (which we took for granted as part of the picture) has been removed and the original colours stand revealed in all their glory.

Maybe this is a bit unorthodox, but I'm putting it out there anyway. I am the remastering engineer for this CD, so of course, I give it 5 stars! But before you scoff at my self-serving review, understand that I'm not talking about my work on the project, or even that of my co-producer David Sager, who received a grammy nomination for his excellent notes. Rather, my kudos is to the music itself, and to the effort of these musicians who obviously played together a LOT, and were quite well-rehearsed for these recordings. Having played in Dixieland-style groups before, I understand how difficult it can be to play good stuff and still not step on the toes of the musicians around you. Listening to the October Gennett session which includes two cornets, trombone, clarinet, c-melody sax, bass sax, piano, banjo and drums, I can only stand agog at the these musicians' mastery of improvised ensemble playing. That's a BIG ensemble for a group such as this! King Oliver seems to be rather underrated these days. I believe he was one of the true masters of jazz presentation.

I have a few original 78's of King Oliver's Creole Jazz band, and many reissues on 78, vinyl, and CD.

This set tops a them ALL sonically. The first two cuts amazed me. Some cuts suffer a bit, but I would assume that is due to the condition of available source material. After hearing so many so so and dreadful transfers in thew past, these are an ear opener. In places, Oliver & Armstrong's cornets fairly jump right out out of the speakers.

The accompanying booklet is extensive, with some extremely rare photos.

A must-have if you are serious about knowing jazz history.

The material, you are probably aware of. The sound is the difference here - a pleasure to listen to. Until you hear this, you're not going to understand how important this remastering is; great care was taken for A must have for any Armstong/Oliver or jazz musicologist.

I've been collecting jazz reissues since the mid-1970s and have many previous releases of this material in LP and CD on a variety of labels (not to mention an original Gennett 78 of "Dippermouth Blues"). While I love this music (especially "Chimes Blues"), the thin quality of the sound in previous releases has made it a little difficult to fully appreciate. Not so with this release. The sound quality is glorious. I listened to the entire double-CD package all the way through for the sheer pleasure of it, something I don't do that often with acoustical records (i.e., those made before the advent of electrical/microphone recording in mid-1925). It's such a pleasure to hear remastering done correctly, with no hint of the artifacts from "noise-reduction" software, which usually creates a noise far more irritating than the one it seeks to remove. The booklet, too, is spectacular. If you love traditional jazz, this release will be a cornerstone of your CD collection. Heartily recommended, even if you have several prior packages of this material as I do.