What 78 are you spinning right now ?

[Clunky]

Last weekend picked up seven Esquire 78s of Prestige, Cupol and Dial sessions by Fats & Miles, Chubby and Charlie respectively also around 10 Vocalion/ Brunswick/ Parlophone UK, Duke Ellington 78s all in lovely condition.

How's the sound on the Esquire bop records? Can you you hear the cymbals? I remember reading years ago that European drummers had a harder time picking up the early bebop style than other instrumentalists because they couldn't really tell what was going on from the records - the cymbals were in the same range as the surface hiss. That might be BS, but I guess it made an impression on me - I remember that 35 years later.

The Esquires sound very good, generally giving more presence and dynamic punch to the horns especially , no difficulty hearing anything. I was more than a little surprised how good the Esquire Dials in particular sounded. The Esquire Prestiges sounded so much better than any CD transfers I've heard ( largely Proper boxsets -- which is perhaps hardly surprising). The copies I got had been very well cared for. Bought new by the first owner , to dealer to me. So that helps too

[jeffcrom]

The copies I got had been very well cared for. Bought new by the first owner , to dealer to me.

That's the key to good-sounding 78s. I've got some in really nice condition, but others (particularly some of my blues and country) were obviously enjoyed over and over again by owners who maybe couldn't afford to change needles very often.

[jeffcrom]

Spent an enjoyable hour among the shellac this evening. The highlights:

Tiny Grimes - Profoundly Blue/That Old Black Magic (Atlantic) w/ John Hardee

Ed Hall - Blues in Room 920/Sweet Georgia Brown (Delta)

Teddy Wilson Octet - I Want to Be Happy/Don't Worry 'Bout Me (Musicraft) w/Buck Clayton, Don Byas, Sarah Vaughan

Boyce Brown - On A Blues Kick/I Surrender Dear (Collector's Item)

Ben Pollack - Louise/Wait 'til You See "Ma Cherie" (Victor) some nice Goodman and Teagarden on side one.

I also listened to a Jean Goldkette from 1924 for the first time; it has the Dorsey brothers and Joe Venuti, but it ain't such a much.

Allen, if you read this, I feel kind of bad about the Boyce Brown transfer I sent you. I've figured out some better methods of physically cleaning the discs, and the Boyce Brown sounds better now than when I recorded it for you.

[paul secor]

Some good music on the box at Jeff's tonight!

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

jeffcrom, so what do u do? set aside 78 time and spend that time w/ 78s?/

mine are 99% of the time just collecting dust just like they did in the basements i found em in, etc////

maybe ill try and block off 78 time too so i can enjoy some

most of the 78s i listen to are classical, i have many masterworks and rca sets

i have a slew of amos milburn alladins that can GET THE PARTY STARTED

the last rock 78 i played was a 1959 pressing of TEQUILA by the CHAMPS on challenge

PS:

BN 1626 Art Blakey - Message From Kenya c/w Art Blakey/Sabu - Nothing But The Soul

Art Blakey (d) "Sabu" Martinez (bgo, cga -1) WOR Studios, NYC, November 23, 1953

-----WANTED BY CHEWY-----1. BN533-0 tk.1 Message From Kenya 2. BN536-0 tk.11

[Jim R]

It's weird, but I have a nostalgic feeling about 78's as a result of collecting and listening to them in the 1980's. I probably unloaded them some time in the early '90's. I used to pick up interesting jazz, blues, and r&b titles while I was out looking for LP's. I've forgotten most of what I had, but I remember having a nice cross-section of labels from the 40's and 50's (Dial, Blue Note, Prestige, New Jazz, Clef, Savoy, Roost, Swingtime, King, RPM, Modern, Imperial, Black & White, Chess, Vee Jay, Okeh, Asch...). Artists I recall... Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum Trio, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Russell Jacquet, James Moody, Barney Kessel, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, The Three Blazers, Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic... I think my favorite of all was Roy Brown's "Let The Four Winds Blow" / "Diddy-I, Diddy-O".

I played them on a Zenith Cobra-matic... which I also sold.

[Big Beat Steve]

Jim R, items like that are not supposed to be "unloaded", they are supposed to be treasured and enjoyed!

[jeffcrom]

jeffcrom, so what do u do? set aside 78 time and spend that time w/ 78s?/

Well, my main stereo rig is in my living room, but I have a 78 rig set up in my little music room where I practice and where my records and CDs are stored. It's a nice little setup for 78s - mid-60s Miracord turntable with a cartridge designed for 78s, an old Pioneer receiver, and Bose bookshelf speakers. Sometimes I'll hang out there for an hour and just play 78s, but I also tend to let my LPs and CDs pile up after playing them, so I'll play 78s while I'm reshelving my music.

I'm glad I rediscovered them. I stopped at a flea market on the way home from work a couple of days ago - among the usual 78 junk was "Kansas City Shuffle"/"Yazoo Blues" by Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra from 1926. Kind of worn, but it still sounds good.

And yeah, early rock and R & B sound great on shellac. Johnny Ace on Duke doing "No Money...." Damn!

[AllenLowe]

you guys keep playing those 78s. Mine are a little slow, so I play 'em at 79.

[Jim R]

Jim R, items like that are not supposed to be "unloaded", they are supposed to be treasured and enjoyed!

Yeah, I know... I guess I thought I had too much stuff (I think I was right). I dislike clutter, and I don't think I would have played them more than once a year or so. Someone else (hopefully) is treasuring them now, and that's fine with me.

[jeffcrom]

Played a bunch of world music/ethnic 78s while reshelving records and CDs this afternoon. My favorite was a Turkish Decca - Besiktash Kemal Senman on one side and Hamiyet on the other. My wife (of Norwegian ancestry) got into Blakulla Schottis/Kvasar Valsen by Eddie Jarl's Quartet on the Scandinavia label.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

no but seriously if a copy of the art blakey drum solo blue note 78 exists, id like to know about it.......

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i dare collectors to prove to me that the Blakey/Sabu 78 and the Funk in Deep Freeze 45 arent rarer than the cleanest sealed butcher cover

[Clunky]

Bought today and played this evening

Daybreak blues- Frankie Newton Quintet 501 Bluenote

G U M P EY - Lem Davis Sextette- Savoy 607

Should I - Don Byas All stars - Jamboree 900

Jamboree Jump - Don Byas- Jamboree 901

Blue and Sentimental - Don Byas- Jamboree 905

Super Session - Don Byas -Super Disc

The Atomic Era- Bud Freeman- Majestic 1031 - excellent drum/tenor duet

Romance without finance- Tiny Grimes- Savoy - Bird ( at least a little bit)

Whats the matter now- Clyde Hart- Continental - More Bird but give Rubber Legs some sedation ....owww...classic

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Bought today and played this evening

Daybreak blues- Frankie Newton Quintet 501 Bluenote

G U M P EY - Lem Davis Sextette- Savoy 607

Should I - Don Byas All stars - Jamboree 900

Jamboree Jump - Don Byas- Jamboree 901

Blue and Sentimental - Don Byas- Jamboree 905

Super Session - Don Byas -Super Disc

The Atomic Era- Bud Freeman- Majestic 1031 - excellent drum/tenor duet

Romance without finance- Tiny Grimes- Savoy - Bird ( at least a little bit)

Whats the matter now- Clyde Hart- Continental - More Bird but give Rubber Legs some sedation ....owww...classic

How in the name of Hell do you get stuff like this in Scotland? E-bay?

MG

[Clunky]

Bought today and played this evening

Daybreak blues- Frankie Newton Quintet 501 Bluenote

G U M P EY - Lem Davis Sextette- Savoy 607

Should I - Don Byas All stars - Jamboree 900

Jamboree Jump - Don Byas- Jamboree 901

Blue and Sentimental - Don Byas- Jamboree 905

Super Session - Don Byas -Super Disc

The Atomic Era- Bud Freeman- Majestic 1031 - excellent drum/tenor duet

Romance without finance- Tiny Grimes- Savoy - Bird ( at least a little bit)

Whats the matter now- Clyde Hart- Continental - More Bird but give Rubber Legs some sedation ....owww...classic

How in the name of Hell do you get stuff like this in Scotland? E-bay?

MG

Never bought any 78s on ebay. These were from my local record store . Really,,,,,,,, here in Edinburgh. The Gramophone Emporium in Stockbridge. Open Wed afternoons and Saturday. No phone, No mail order, no credit cards but lots of 78s, I mean lots.... Jazz Review did a little feature on the place several years ago.

Edited October 17, 2009 by Clunky

[Chuck Nessa]

I have a couple of those - the Newton and Freeman discs. Dandy way to hear music - it makes you concentrate.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Bought today and played this evening

Daybreak blues- Frankie Newton Quintet 501 Bluenote

G U M P EY - Lem Davis Sextette- Savoy 607

Should I - Don Byas All stars - Jamboree 900

Jamboree Jump - Don Byas- Jamboree 901

Blue and Sentimental - Don Byas- Jamboree 905

Super Session - Don Byas -Super Disc

The Atomic Era- Bud Freeman- Majestic 1031 - excellent drum/tenor duet

Romance without finance- Tiny Grimes- Savoy - Bird ( at least a little bit)

Whats the matter now- Clyde Hart- Continental - More Bird but give Rubber Legs some sedation ....owww...classic

How in the name of Hell do you get stuff like this in Scotland? E-bay?

MG

Never bought any 78s on ebay. These were from my local record store . Really,,,,,,,, here in Edinburgh. The Gramophone Emporium in Stockbridge. Open Wed afternoons and Saturday. No phone, No mail order, no credit cards but lots of 78s, I mean lots.... Jazz Review did a little feature on the place several years ago.

Struth!

MG

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

themes from MAN w/ GOLDEN ARM as done by Richard Malaby & his orch.--- VIK records....

its pretty amazing!!! very modern release on 78 format...

[jeffcrom]

Spun some early (pre-1920, for the most part), non-jazz saxophone playing this evening: Rudy Wiedoeft, Wiedoeft's Saxophone Sextette, Columbia Saxophone Sextette, Six Brown Brothers - on Victor, Vocalion, Brunswick, and Columbia. Maybe it's the antiquarian in me, but I enjoy this stuff.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

yea whats up w/ the columbia saxophone quartet- i have a 78 of theirs on columbia blue tinted one sided acetate- its weird

[jeffcrom]

yea whats up w/ the columbia saxophone quartet- i have a 78 of theirs on columbia blue tinted one sided acetate- its weird

My Columbia Saxophone Sextette is a regular black shellac issue. I haven't looked up when it was recorded, but it's got the standard pre-1920 blue Columbia label they used for pop music.

[jeffcrom]

Started out a 78 listening session with some early Fletcher Henderson on Banner, Regal, and Domino. Nothing to get excited about - Fletcher's sides weren't much better than the studio dance bands on the flip side of each.

Moved on to four sides (Columbia and Emerson) by an interesting pre-1920 group - the Louisiana Five, with New Orleans clarinetist Alcide Nunez as the lead voice (no trumpet). It's not not a great group, but it is an interesting one, and I can't hear too much New Orleans clarinet.

Finished off with two Peacock gospel records I picked up a while back, but just got around to cleaning and playing - Reverend Cleophus Robinson and the Sensational Nightingales. Both are smokin'!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Started out a 78 listening session with some early Fletcher Henderson on Banner, Regal, and Domino. Nothing to get excited about - Fletcher's sides weren't much better than the studio dance bands on the flip side of each.

Moved on to four sides (Columbia and Emerson) by an interesting pre-1920 group - the Louisiana Five, with New Orleans clarinetist Alcide Nunez as the lead voice (no trumpet). It's not not a great group, but it is an interesting one, and I can't hear too much New Orleans clarinet.

Finished off with two Peacock gospel records I picked up a while back, but just got around to cleaning and playing - Reverend Cleophus Robinson and the Sensational Nightingales. Both are smokin'!

The Sensational Nightingales is one group I never got around to, for no reason I can remember; just never bought any when I had the opportunity. Never even heard anything of theirs.

This one is cheap on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sensational-N...9510&sr=1-1

What's it like, Jeff? I see it's Peacock material. There was also a lot of stuff on Nashboro and later on Malaco. How does that stuff compare?

MG

[jeffcrom]

Started out a 78 listening session with some early Fletcher Henderson on Banner, Regal, and Domino. Nothing to get excited about - Fletcher's sides weren't much better than the studio dance bands on the flip side of each.

Moved on to four sides (Columbia and Emerson) by an interesting pre-1920 group - the Louisiana Five, with New Orleans clarinetist Alcide Nunez as the lead voice (no trumpet). It's not not a great group, but it is an interesting one, and I can't hear too much New Orleans clarinet.

Finished off with two Peacock gospel records I picked up a while back, but just got around to cleaning and playing - Reverend Cleophus Robinson and the Sensational Nightingales. Both are smokin'!

The Sensational Nightingales is one group I never got around to, for no reason I can remember; just never bought any when I had the opportunity. Never even heard anything of theirs.

This one is cheap on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sensational-N...9510&sr=1-1

What's it like, Jeff? I see it's Peacock material. There was also a lot of stuff on Nashboro and later on Malaco. How does that stuff compare?

MG

This 78 is the only thing I have by the Nightingales - Peacock 1765: Burying Ground/In My Mind. I see that the first side is on the "Best of" collection. All I can say is that this is a really nice six minutes of music - strong shuffle beat; strong lead voice with group responses, including a falsetto tenor; bass voice doubling the bass line. It's more like the Blind Boys of Alabama than any other group I can think of right now.