What 78 are you spinning right now ?

[JSngry]

Valaida ( Queen of the trumpet). --------- Until the real thing comes along/ High hat ,trumpet and rhythm---------(Parlophone F559) London September 1936

Valaida was apparently a black American trumpeter/ vocalist who came to UK and recorded some quite hot sides with some English jazzmen. Her phrasing is reminiscent of Billie whilst not being in the same emotional league. So , decent singing which swings well. I gather that she moved on to Europe at some point and had a close scrape with the Nazis ( I don't know any details) before returning shaken to the US. Well worth hearing these sides.

Valaida Snow? There's a story there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valaida_Snow It was more than a close scrape...and a little more than shaken...

[jeffcrom]

Another excellent trolling-for-78s experience today. At an antique store north of Atlanta I found stacks of 78s - mostly the usual 1940s big band stuff, but with some unusual stuff mixed in. I walked out with 15 records for 20 dollars. It's an interesting mix of jazz, country, and odd Americana. So far I've played:

Annette Hanshaw - Am I Blue?/Daddy Won't You Please Come Home (Velvet Tone, 1929). The best Annette Hanshaw 78 I've found so far; great vocals, some excellent clarinet and alto by Jimmy Dorsey, and some hot trumpet (Rust thinks it might be Charlie Spivak).

Blue Steele - I Knew I'd Miss You/Beyond the Sunset (Victor, 1929). This was a hot dance band from Memphis whose records are fairly collectible. Side one is a waltz and not very interesting, but side two swings pretty well.

Red Allen - Drink Hearty (But Stay With Your Party)/The Crawl (RCA Victor, 1946). Red made a one-off session for RCA in 1946; J.C. Higginbotham is in the band. I need to look for the other record from this session.

Arthur Fields - The Terrible Mississippi Flood/The End of the Shenandoah (Radiex, 1927). Not jazz or blues or anything like it, but a popular singer performing a couple of interesting disaster songs. Radiex was the even cheaper line of the already cheap Grey Gull label.

Steve Porter - Flanagan's Second Hand Car/Steve Porter and Billy Jones - Hy and Si and the Line Fence (Grey Gull, 1924 or thereabouts). A couple of silly comedy routines. I was amused.

And the real find:

Sam Jones - Turkey in the Straw/Cripple Creek and Sourwood Mountain (Harmony, 1924). I bought this without really knowing what it was. The label states that it's "One Man Band with Singing." As it turns out, Jones was better known as Stovepipe No. 1, and usually recorded under that name. This is kind of amazing - early black hillbilly music played on guitar, harmonica and kazoo.

Edited September 27, 2013 by jeffcrom

[paul secor]

And we have a winner:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-TOMMY-JOHNSON-ALCOHOL-AND-JAKE-BLUES-RIDIN-HORSE-PARAMOUNT-1250-VG-/300969625287?autorefresh=true&pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item46133006c7&nma=true&si=C8p5bob%252B030Ge30iJ26j0r6b0N8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

A friend of mine received a copy of an email in which the person who claims to be the winner of the Tommy Johnson 78 signs off as "John". Speculation is that it's John Telfer of Blues Images and a fanatical collector. As I say, it's speculation and I don't know if that's so.

[jeffcrom]

Another spin this morning of the Sam Jones/Stovepipe No. 1 record pictured above. I love this raw, weird little record. A little reading informs me that the kazoo-like instrument was a length of stovepipe which, along with the stovepipe hat Jones wore, gave him his stage name.

This record also presents a puzzle - the catalog number is Harmony 5100-H. Looking through my reference books and online, I can't find any mention of Harmony having a 5000 series. The early incarnation of the Harmony label lasted from 1925 to 1932; their regular issues ran from 1-H to around 1425-H, with a few records issued in a 6000 series late in the label's life. Could the 5000s be a short-lived "race" or "old-time" series? I wonder if there are any other Harmony 5000s out there.

[rgodridge]

what a great topic!

I was playing some mint condition 50s reissues of 20s stuf today, these are all uk reissues and petty much store stock and i payed about £1 per record! some of them were

beal street washboard band: piggly wiggly/40 and tight

jimmy bertram's washboard wizzards: I'm going hunting/if you want to be my sugar pappa, real stomping stuff

perry bradford's jazz fools: lucy long/i ain't gonna play no second fiddle

johnny dodds washboard band: weary city stomp/buck town stomp

blue washboard stomp/bull fiddle blues

alix hill: stompin em down/tack head blues

man i really, really love this stuff. I'm listening to the johnny dodds chronological classics cds as I write this.

p.s if you want to hear some 78s, there are some, not all jaz though at my blog

listentothegramophone.blogspot.co.uk

[Big Beat Steve]

A friend of mine received a copy of an email in which the person who claims to be the winner of the Tommy Johnson 78 signs off as "John". Speculation is that it's John Telfer of Blues Images and a fanatical collector. As I say, it's speculation and I don't know if that's so.

i.e. John Tefteller?

[paul secor]

A friend of mine received a copy of an email in which the person who claims to be the winner of the Tommy Johnson 78 signs off as "John". Speculation is that it's John Telfer of Blues Images and a fanatical collector. As I say, it's speculation and I don't know if that's so.

i.e. John Tefteller?

My bad - careless misspelling.

Here's a copy of an e-mail a friend of mine received:

Longtime Blues record collector pays record price for rare disc

Tommy Johnson 1930 Blues 78 rpm Record Sells For $37,100.00 on eBay!

Grants Pass, Oregon, Thursday, September 26th 2013:

Longtime Blues record collector and expert John Tefteller was the

winning bidder at $37,100.00 for a super rare Blues 78 rpm record by

Blues legend Tommy Johnson. This is highest price ever paid for a single

78 rpm Blues record and one of the highest prices ever paid for ANY record.

Bidding, on internet auction site eBay, was hot and heavy for the

record, and stood at $16,800.OO until the final seconds when the price

shot up to just over $37,000.00

The record, Tommy Johnson on the Paramount label from 1930, is one of

only two known and verified copies. All other copies of this disc are

presumed lost or destroyed. The two songs on this record "Alcohol And

Jake Blues" and "Ridin' Horse" are considered masterpieces of the genre

and Johnson is one of the Top Five legendary figures in early recorded

Blues music, right along side Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Skip James

and Son House.

Tefteller, who has been collecting rare Blues records for over 40 years,

already owns the only other known copy and has released the songs

previously on one of his Classic Blues Artwork From The 1920's Calendar

series...but this newly verified record is in vastly better condition

than the other one and Tefteller says he "just had to have it." His

original copy will be sold to help offset the cost of this new one and

he says he is "going to remaster and re-release this new copy next year"

for his 2015 Blues Calendar release. The Blues Calendars come complete

with a 20 to 24 track CD that is included free with each Calendar.

Tefteller picked up his eBay win in person in South Carolina on

Thursday. "I am happy to report to the record collecting world and

admirers of great Delta Blues music worldwide that this newly discovered

copy is in Excellent condition and will be able to be remastered to

sound absolutely superb." The seller was a local Columbia, South

Carolina collector who found the record some years back at an estate

sale. Tefteller says "He absolutely did not realize what he had and how

rare it was until he put it on eBay. Within the first few hours of being

listed on the auction site another collector tried to stop the sale by

offering the seller $4,000.00 for the record. Fortunately, he let the

auction proceed and I was able to win it in the final moments."

Tommy Johnson made a total of five records for the legendary Paramount

label back in 1929 and 1930. He was a little known and very under

appreciated singer/guitar player from Crystal Springs, Mississippi at

the time. His legend and stature has grown tremendously over the years

and his records, especially the Paramount's, are "Holy Grails" for Blues

collectors. Johnson also recorded three records for the Victor label,

which are desirable, but enough copies have survived so that they will

"only" sell for $1,000.00 to $5,000.00 each. Johnson died in Mississipi

in 1956.

This was the first public sale of a Tommy Johnson Paramount 78 rpm

record. Tefteller says he was "blown away" when he saw it listed on eBay

and knew that he had to bid "very seriously" in order to acquire it. A

total of 29 bids were placed during the auction with Tefteller's final

bid being the winner.

"I can't wait to have it properly re-mastered and share it with the

world" say Tefteller, who resides in Grants Pass, Oregon and deals in

rare Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues 45's and 78's while maintaining

what has been called by those who have seen it as "the world's best

collection of Blues records and memorabilia" and "The British Museum Of

The Blues." Tefteller specializes in collecting the Paramount label, run

out of a furniture factory in Port Washington, Wisconsin from the early

1920's to the early 1930's. Historians recognize Paramount as the most

innovative and creative independent record label from that time and

anything on the label is coveted by record collectors worldwide.

"The original masters for these recordings were all destroyed by World

War Two. The only way we can hear them now is rescue the few remaining

commercial copies which are in private homes," explains Tefteller. "We

have to seek out the best or only copies that exist today and remaster

from those." There are a number of legendary records by master Blues

musicians of the time that have yet to be found. "Find me the missing

Willie Brown or J.D. Short on Paramount label and you will see me

writing REALLY big checks." Tefteller said.

Tefteller can be reached by email: john@tefteller.com or by phone at

541-659-7175. His website, Blues Images, can be seen at www.bluesimages.com

[jeffcrom]

I've really been on a 78 spree lately; here are some recent jazz finds. All of these except the last one are in really wonderful condition.

Howard McGhee - Mad Hype/Rummage Bounce (Modern, 1945). With Teddy Edwards and Roy Porter.

Barney Bigard Trio - Steps Steps Up/Steps Steps Down (Signature, 1944)

Dave Brubeck Trio - Body and Soul/Let's Fall in Love (Fantasy, 1950)

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Me and My Shadow/Mam'selle (Fantasy, 1951)

Helmut Zacharias Jazz-Ensemble - Embraceable You/What Is This Thing Called Love (German Brunswick). With Rolf Kuhn.

Billy Root - Our Love is Here To Stay/Easy Living (Roost). His only recording as leader until a late-in-life CD. I can't find any info about this one. Root has a good rhythm section; excellent piano solos on both sides. Anybody have any info about this?

Chu Berry and Charlie Ventura - Dream Girl, parts 1 & 2 (Sittin' In With). What the hell is this? It's the first issue on this label, apparently, and sources say it's either from Philadelphia, October, 1941 or New York, September, 1941. It's actually a brutally-edited improvisation on "All of Me" chords, with a solo by each tenor player. The rhythm section is unidentified. Again, anybody know anything about this?

[Chuck Nessa]

I've really been on a 78 spree lately; here are some recent jazz finds. All of these except the last one are in really wonderful condition.

Howard McGhee - Mad Hype/Rummage Bounce (Modern, 1945). With Teddy Edwards and Roy Porter.

Barney Bigard Trio - Steps Steps Up/Steps Steps Down (Signature, 1944)

Dave Brubeck Trio - Body and Soul/Let's Fall in Love (Fantasy, 1950)

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Me and My Shadow/Mam'selle (Fantasy, 1951)

Helmut Zacharias Jazz-Ensemble - Embraceable You/What Is This Thing Called Love (German Brunswick). With Rolf Kuhn.

Billy Root - Our Love is Here To Stay/Easy Living (Roost). His only recording as leader until a late-in-life CD. I can't find any info about this one. Root has a good rhythm section; excellent piano solos on both sides. Anybody have any info about this?

Chu Berry and Charlie Ventura - Dream Girl, parts 1 & 2 (Sittin' In With). What the hell is this? It's the first issue on this label, apparently, and sources say it's either from Philadelphia, October, 1941 or New York, September, 1941. It's actually a brutally-edited improvisation on "All of Me" chords, with a solo by each tenor player. The rhythm section is unidentified. Again, anybody know anything about this?

The Berry/Ventura tracks are listed as 1941 without further info on the Chu Berry Classics disc. Sittin' In With 502 is Get Lost parts 1 & 2, also on the Classics cd.

[rgodridge]

played a lot of 78s today, starting off with some i got off ebay.

For me these were expencive records, averaging at about £7 or so each but what wonderful records. All in beautiful condition too! these were some of the highlights.

johnny dunn's original jazz hounds, 4 o'clock blues/hawiian blues, i'm sure i've spelled that wrong

I absolutely love 4 o'clock blues, i think it's those chimes that do it. One of those records i can play over and over.

johnny dunn's original jazz band, dixie blues/sugar blues. Can't get enough of that 20s sound and will go hunting for my johnny dunn lp later i think, havn't got round to buying the frog cd yet though.

the georgians, mama goes where papa goes/somebody's wrong. Great hot stuff from an off shoot of the paul specht orchestra.

the georgians again, this time with vocals, you'd better keep babying baby/i've got a coss eyed papa.

I got more from the same auction but didn't play them today, instead i went over to the phonograph to listen to my favorite of the 50 or so cylinders i hae so far, which is the waltz dream, played by the british concert orchestra. Very period music but there's something very nice about it, and those announcements always make me smile.

[rgodridge]

and here are some more i've listened to today.

the capitol jazz men: some day sweetheart/that old feeling, 1944 sides, sweetheart is a real swinger and that old feeling has a peggy lee vocal with some really nice what sounds like celleste playing.
i always get confused as to who is on these capitol jazz men sessions, anyone know where i can find out who is on which sessions?
coleman hawkins and leonard feather's esquire all stars mop mop/my ideal, vey noisey american 78 but the music comes though loud and clear.
Cootie Williams (tp); Coleman Hawkins (ts); Edmond Hall (cl); Art Tatum (p); Al Casey (g);
Oscar Pettiford (b); "Big Sid" Catlett (d)
New York, December 4, 1943

then something a bit older
Bix Beiderbecke: old man river/miff mole, wild oat joe. This is a 40s uk parlophone but makes up for that by being in extremely nice condition. I love the sound of bix playing the melody straight, you just know it's bix no matter how straight he plays.
sidney bechet with claud luter: frances blues/bill bailey, this is on a later commodore 78 that feels like one of those supposedly non-breakable amerian 50s discs, plays vvey nicely though and great music, what else did bechet ever make?
bechet's new orleans feetwarmers: lay your racket/i want you tonight. Lay your racket is one fantastic loud, joyful recording.
and then..
annette hanshaw: love me tonight/we just couldn't say good bye. I have two copies of this on uk panachord, one has a crack in it and the other is just warn out, this was the cracked one. Such a lovely record, how can you help but love her voice?
gertrude lawrence: my sweet/some day I'll find you. These are original cast recordings from noel coward's private lives, on a uk decca 78 from 1932, i think. I wrote about this one on my listen to the gramophone blog and you can hear this exact record there, it floors me every time. Nothing to do with jazz, but ah well.

[paul secor]

rgodridge - I don't do 78s, but I enjoy reading about what you, Jeff, Clunky, and any other 78 posters are listening to. I hope you'll keep posting.

[jeffcrom]

i always get confused as to who is on these capitol jazz men sessions, anyone know where i can find out who is on which sessions?

From the Lord discography:

Billy May (tp) Jack Teagarden (tb,vcl) Jimmie Noone (cl) Dave Matthews (ts) Joe Sullivan (p) Dave Barbour (g) Artie Shapiro (b) Zutty Singleton (d)

Los Angeles, November 16, 1943

Clambake in B flat

Casanova's lament

Solitude

I'm sorry I made you cry

Shorty Sherock (tp) Barney Bigard (cl) Les Robinson (as) Eddie Miller (ts) Pete Johnson (p) Stan Wrightsman (p-1,celeste-2) replaces Johnson, Nappy Lamare (g) Hank Wayland (b) Nick Fatool (d) Peggy Lee (vcl)

Los Angeles, January 7, 1944

Sugar

Ain't goin' no place

Someday sweetheart (1)

That old feeling (2)

There was a Jack Teagarden session on the same day as the first Capitol Jazzmen session, with a different clarinetist:

Billy May (tp) Jack Teagarden (tb,vcl) Heinie Beau (cl) Dave Matthews (ts) Joe Sullivan (p) Dave Barbour (g) Artie Shapiro (b) Zutty Singleton (d)

Hollywood, CA, November 16, 1943

Mighty lak' a rose

Stars fell on Alabama

'Deed I do

[jeffcrom]

I got more from the same auction but didn't play them today, instead i went over to the phonograph to listen to my favorite of the 50 or so cylinders i hae so far, which is the waltz dream, played by the british concert orchestra. Very period music but there's something very nice about it, and those announcements always make me smile.

I was coveting a beautiful Edison cylinder player in an antique store the other day, but my wife would just go ahead and kill me if I came home with such a machine.

[rgodridge]

so i know this is a bit off topic, but i have just attempted to record the above mentioned cylinder, just by shoving a mic in front of the massive horn, and here are the results.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17525699/british%20concert%20orchestra%20-%20waltz%20dream%20%28cylinder%29.mp3

jeff,

you're luky to have even seen one. I bought mine of ebay and it cost a reasonable amount of cash, i soon descovered why though as when i went to pick it up it was in stunning condition, it is however missing it's lid but i am very pleased with it.

I've only had it for a while and was actiely looking for one for a number of years, I am ascinated by the content of cylinders, and the cylinder digitisation project is probably my most visited web page.

[jeffcrom]

Enjoyed that, rgodridge!

Today it was gospel time among the 78s. Some of these were first spins of records I had found a couple of months ago, but which kept getting put aside in favor of others finds. I started out with some very cool stuff from the 1920s, than moved up to the 1950s:

Bessemer Sunset Four - Rollin' Down to Jordan/Heaven is My View (Vocalion, 1928)

Rev. A.W. NIx and His Congregation - Black Diamond Express to Hell, parts 1 & 2 (Vocalion, 1927). This is an amazing record.

Rev. J.M. Gates - Adam and Eve in the Garden/Samson and the Woman (Montgomery Ward, 1926/27). My homeboy, recorded for Victor.

The Kelly Brothers - Prayer for Tomorrow/God Said He Was Coming (Vee-Jay, 1956). "Prayer for Tomorrow" is pretty great.

Bells of Joy - He's My Friend/Stop Right Now, It's Praying Time (Peacock, 1952)

Bells of Joy - Let's Talk About Jesus/I'll Work, Lord (Peacock, 1951)

Roberta Martin Singers - - Ride On, King Jesus/Grace (Savoy, 1958). One of my latest-issued 78s.

Now excuse me, I have a train to catch.

[Chuck Nessa]

I spent the weekend listening to my stack of Tommy Johnson Paramounts. Disc 3 jammed in the automatic changer and cracked. No biggie.

Edited October 1, 2013 by Chuck Nessa

[Clunky]

I came across a cracked Ida Cox Paramount this weekend past . Pity, I passed knowing full well it would split in two as soon as I put it on the shelf at home.

Instead went for a bunch of Bessie Smith's. More on those later

[rgodridge]

that black diamond express to hell is one of the most awsome records ever, will play my 50s reissue rite now.

have you ever heard a record of rev gates (I think it's him) called

women spend too much money

Somebody showed me it years ago and it is one of the most hilarious things i've ever heard!

[jeffcrom]

I was happily listening to CDs in my living room, but my cat requested my presence in my music room, where she wanted to share the comfy blue chair. So now I'm back there, spinning 12" 78s:

Cliff Jackson and His Village Cats - You've Got Me Walkin' and Talkin' to Myself/Quiet Please (Black and White)

Cliff Jackson and His Village Cats - Cliff's Boogie Blues/Jeepers Creepers (Black and White). These aren't particularly well recorded, but they are nice quiet vinyl pressings. Sidney Bechet and the DeParis brothers are among the Village Cats.

Jam Session at Commodore No. 6 - At Sundown/When Day is Done (Commodore). The usual suspects - Eddie Condon, Bobby Hackett, Pee Wee Russell, etc.

Art Hodes - Sugar Foot Stomp/Sweet Georgia Brown (Blue Note). With Vic Dickenson and Edmond Hall, among others.

Art Tatum Trio - Body and Soul/I Know That You Know (Comet)

Art Tatum Trio - On the Sunny Side of the Street/Flying Home (Comet)

Art Tatum Trio - Boogie/If I Had You (Asch)

Paul Whiteman and His Concert Orchestra - Ol' Man River/Selections from "Show Boat" (Victor). I know I've mentioned this great record before in this thread. It's not really jazz, except for twelve transcendent measures by Bix in the "Show Boat" medley. But it's excellent pop/show music of the time, with the great Paul Robeson doing the vocal on "Ol' Man River."

Rgodridge, I have half a dozen of Rev. Gates' 78s (and a CD), but I haven't heard "Women Spend Too Much Money." He's got some strange ones....

Okay, sorry, kitty, but it's back to the living room and the CD player now.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

that black diamond express to hell is one of the most awsome records ever, will play my 50s reissue rite now.

have you ever heard a record of rev gates (I think it's him) called

women spend too much money

Somebody showed me it years ago and it is one of the most hilarious things i've ever heard!

Yeah - it's on the Gates complete vol 6 on Document. There's a lot of funny stuff there. On the same volume there's 'Pay your furniture man'. Vol 9 features 'Men and women talk too much'.

MG

[rgodridge]

I must find those gates cds, somebody lent me them and i'm not sure quite where they are rite now.

at the moment i am listening to

bill dogget honky tonk pts 1/2, r an b classic! it doesn't matter how many times i hear this i still think it's great, this is a uk parlophone copy, those guys pressed some good records and a few real surprises, like this one.

georgia white moonshine blues/was i drunk, never been a huge fan of hers but it felt rite at the moment.

johnny smith quintet and stan getz, moonlight in vermont, nice cool stuff

johnny smith quartet: where or when/a ghost of a chance

gerry mulligan: swing house/i may be wrong, i really like this early mulligan stuff, wish the rest of his records i had were in mint condition like this one is.

lee konitz: indian summer/odjenar, not sure i spelled that correctly..

louis armstrong memories of you/the three boswell sisters gee, but i like to make you happy. Found this one a year or so ago with a load of otherwise awful 78s at a car boot sale, i'll never forget that.

joe venuti's blue four little girl/red mckenzie i can't believe you're in love with me, the venuti side is really fantastic.

then a few operatic records, mostly later tita ruffo records, don't remember the details but i do enjoy those.

[jeffcrom]

Blues Rockers - Calling All Cows/Johnny Mae (Excello, 1955). I had been looking for a copy of this - I have the A side on a CD complition - and found a decent copy for four dollars in an antique store south of Atlanta on Saturday. It's bizarrely wonderful - crude urban downhome blues, if that makes any sense. Jo Jo Williams and Lazy Bill Lucas are among the Blues Rockers. "Calling All Cows" defies description, but "Johnny Mae" is a straight blues, sung by Lucas. Apparently the young lady had a taste for other bluesmen: "I saw you talking to Wolf; I saw you talking to Floyd; last night I even saw you talking to Eddie Boyd."

[jeffcrom]

All my Sara Martin Okeh 78s, including a new find (Don't You Quit Me/Jug Band Blues). Condition ranges from very good to pretty worn.

Martin had a harder voice than the really great female blues singers of the 1920s, like Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. She was very good, though, and there are some very interesting accompaniments here.

Sugar Blues/Achin' Hearted Blues (1922). Clarence Williams, piano.

You Got Ev'ry Thing A Sweet Mama Needs But Me/'Tain't Nobody's Business (1922). T. Waller, piano.

Last Go Round Blues/Mama's Got the Blues (1922). Thomas Waller, piano. These two discs with Fats on piano are a breath of fresh air after Clarence Williams' playing.

Michigan Water Blues/Keeps on A-Rainin' (1923). Clarence Williams, piano.

Blue Gum Blues/Slow Down Sweet Papa Mama's Catching Up With You (1923). The label just says "Piano Accomp.," but it's probably Porter Grainger. It's definitely someone better than Williams.

Roamin' Blues/I've Got to Go and Leave My Daddy Behind (1923). Sylvester Weaver, guitar.

Goodbye Blues/Longing for Daddy Blues (1923). Sylvester Weaver, guitar. With Weaver backing her, Martin's voice is gentler and softer-edged; it's a nice contrast to the more aggressive style she adopts with pianists or bands.

Don't You Quit Me Daddy/Jug Band Blues (1924). With "Sara Martin's Jug Band" - actually Clifford Hayes' Louisville Jug Band. The most worn of these, but a very cool record.

A very enjoyable 45 minutes of music.

[Clunky]

Art Tatum -------s/t---------( Metro Hollywood) A-1 -----4 disc album

Eight solos from 1945, originally on ARA, I don't know what connection there was between these two labels. I can't find much about either label but the suggestions seem to point to something shady. Cover of the album has come off entirely but otherwise all discs are in very nice condition. I don't have this session in any other form so I'm quite happy as the discs sound unusually good for a Tatum recording -