Off The Record: The Complete 1923 Jazz Band Recordings

King Oliver (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Off The Record (distributed by Archeophone Records)
• ASIN: B000K2VK8Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,562 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #13 in Music > Jazz > New Orleans Jazz

Track Listings

1. Just Gone - King Oliver

2. Canal Street Blues - King Oliver

3. Mandy Lee Blues - King Oliver

4. I'm Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind - King Oliver

5. Chimes Blues - King Oliver

6. Weather Bird Rag - King Oliver

7. Dipper Mouth Blues - King Oliver

8. Froggie Moore - King Oliver

9. Snake Rag - King Oliver

10. Snake Rag - King Oliver

11. Sweet Lovin' Man - King Oliver

12. High Society Rag - King Oliver

13. Sobbin' Blues - King Oliver

14. Where Did You Stay Last Night - King Oliver

15. Dipper Mouth Blues - King Oliver

16. Jazzin' Babies Blues - King Oliver

17. Alligator Hop

18. Zulu's Ball

19. Workingman Blues

20. Krooked Blues

See all 37 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Review

To hear these astonishing transfers is, in a very real sense, to truly hear this music for the first time. --Dan Morgenstern, Director, Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies

Here at last is what I believe to be the closest anyone has gotten to reproducing what Oliver laid down in those glorious few months before Louis split. --George Avakian, Recipient, 2000 Down Beat Lifetime Achievement Award

Maybe you can hear the Oliver band's music in far greater detail than if you'd been lucky enough to be in the Lincoln Gardens in 1923 with jostling and shoving and feet stepping on yours. --Lawrence Gushee, author, Pioneers of Jazz: The Story of the Creole Band

Product Description

Off the Record offers an amazingly fresh and simple alternative--one that proves to be a definitive step in presenting these truly classic sides. By special arrangement with Archeophone Records, Off the Record is proud to present all 37 issued titles by the Oliver band, newly transferred from the best available original sources, issued on two compact discs. Engineer and master sound recording restoration specialist Doug Benson--known for his definitive work on "The Complete Hit of the Week" on Archeophone Records--and David Sager--jazz historian and trombonist--have searched far and wide to gain access to the cleanest copies of all the Oliver discs, including the unique copy of "Zulus Ball" and "Working Man Blues." Using a meticulous musical ear, a wide variety of styli and the subtlest application of digital technology, Benson, perhaps for the first time, has revealed the natural ambience of these discs. Unprecedented Detail and Clarity: The Oliver ensemble has never been heard to better advantage. Passages long accepted as muddy and indistinct pour forth with unprecedented clarity. Even the introduction of the ultra-rare "Zulus Ball," often lamented for its poor condition, shines through crystal clear! Straight off the discs with as little processing as possible: There is no better way to bring these old discs to life than with the right stylus, a sensitive ear, and careful application of non-invasive processing. Whereas many reissues are marred by over-processing, resulting in muffled sound and/or digital artifacts, Off the Record has judiciously applied just enough non-invasive technique in order to remove ticks, pops, harsh resonances and other unwelcome noise--leaving the music to speak for itself. Expertly Speed Corrected: Just because we call them "78s" doesn't mean that they really are. Sound recordings from the early days of sound recording rarely spin at exactly 78 rpm. Back in those days there was no standardization regarding speed; often discs ran a

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE set to get January 18, 2007

By "Gimpy" Peach Johnson

Format:Audio CD

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! Read more ›

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Transfer: Best So Far! December 23, 2006

By Ernest Jagger VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

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. Read more ›

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning! November 20, 2006

By Ted Ison

Format:Audio CD

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An obviously biased review... April 10, 2008

By J. Douglas Benson

Format:Audio CD

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.