Customer Reviews

Red Nichols On Edison 1924-1927

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Thomas Edison, on whose label these sides first appeared, was not a big music fan, probably because of his near-deafness. Jazz in particular held little appeal for him. It's amazing that these very hot recordings (as well as other Edison sides) were made at all.

The first four sides are from 1924-25 and are okay, but with the fifth side we are into 1926, and it and the tracks that follow are amazing. The best thing about Edison recordings is that the recording technique he used allowed for track lengths of 4-5 minutes, much longer than the 3 minutes on other labels. It's wonderful having the alternate takes, too, not that they vary that much; it's just that the music is so great, having more of it is a treat. Nichols is joined by Miff Mole on trombone and Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and alto - and the extraordinary drummer Vic Berton is also present. (Berton was the Shelly Manne of the 1920's.)

Some of these tunes (HURRICANE, STAMPEDE, ALABAMA STOMP) were also recorded for other labels at the time, which are now available on CD; it's wonderful listening to them all and comparing versions. This is a terrific CD - a must-have if you enjoy hot jazz from the 1920's.

"Red Nichols on Edison" is a wonderful disc that's sure to please every lover of the 1920's sound. Edison recordings were typically somewhat longer than other labels, frequently 3.5 to 4.5 minutes, which allowed bands to really jam out, and Nichols never fails to please.

I would venture to guess that this is one of the best, if not THE best album of the Jazz Oracle releases. It is my favorite of their releases that I have. The tunes are great, full of energy and foot taping spirit and the sound quality is so very good. One reason for this is that these are from the Edison records that were played with diamond tipped needles and the other reason is because Jazz Oracle does an excellent job transferinga and restoring these classic records. I wish all the jazz records of the 20s sounded like these classic sides. If you like early jazz there is no way you won't love this album. I highly recommend it!