ghost of miles Posted July 6, 2003 Report Posted July 6, 2003 I've been going on a 30's/40's kick lately (again--seems to strike me every year or so), and I thank the re-issue deities for Scotland's Hep label. Recently picked up Bunny Berigan's GANGBUSTERS and have a lot more in my sights. Over the years I've bought the random stray title from Hep (like their collection of Teddy Wilson's 1939-40 big band sides), but I think it was deciding to opt for their Benny Goodman titles that really made me realize what a wonderful catalogue they're offering. I mean, they even put out compilations of people like Teddy Powell... bandleaders whom I can't imagine turning up on re-issues anywhere else, at least anytime soon: Hep Quote
jazzbo Posted July 6, 2003 Report Posted July 6, 2003 As you know, I'm a fan of the Hep label. They have great cds out there, reissuing in excellent sound material that is not available readily elsewhere. Their Slim Gaillard series is excellent---I have one more to find. And I bought the Benny Goodman "Plays" series of cds based on arrangers and play these often; I think it is a great way to present this material, and they sound great. Their Teddy Wilson series is excellent as well, reissuing the material without Holiday that doesn't see the laserlight in America for the most part. And there are many more. I just realized there are a few more of the Thornhill series I need to get when I have some more cash. . . . Quote
ghost of miles Posted July 7, 2003 Author Report Posted July 7, 2003 Their Teddy Wilson series is excellent as well, reissuing the material without Holiday that doesn't see the laserlight in America for the most part. And there are many more. I just realized there are a few more of the Thornhill series I need to get when I have some more cash. . . . Yeah, I'm still on the fence about the Wilson CDs... I'd love to have the non-Holiday stuff, but there's so much overlap with the Holiday Columbia set--except for V. 7, which I already have, and V. 2, which I probably will order as well. I have both Jazz Factory Thornhills (purchased before I saw the light) and will probably ditch 'em for all of the Heps. I'm getting really addicted to this series! Quote
DrJ Posted July 7, 2003 Report Posted July 7, 2003 I'd suggest NOT passing up those Hep Wilsons if you find them. I have the lot, and they are outstanding. There is some overlap but it's great to have the other tunes, in GOOD sound - and that's where I find Hep outstrips a lot of the other labels putting out material from this era, including the French Classics series, which is really inexcusably uneven in the sound quality category in my opinion. Quote
Guest mary mcgoon Posted July 8, 2003 Report Posted July 8, 2003 (edited) I have all the Hep Red Norvos and have to agree. The sound is excellent- I think John R.T. Davies did them, which is usually a sign of quality. There is a lot of overlap with the Mosaic Mildred Bailey box, but that's always the way... Edited July 8, 2003 by mary mcgoon Quote
Clunky Posted July 8, 2003 Report Posted July 8, 2003 Hep's "Band Box Shuffle" by Bennie Moten (2CD ) is in excellent sound. They also do some good new recordings by people such as Herb Geller and Jessica Williams Quote
White Lightning Posted July 8, 2003 Report Posted July 8, 2003 2 Heps I keep returning to are from the Metronome series: "They All Had Rhythm-45-46" - w/Benny Carter, Jimmy Mundy & Gerald Wilson Bands and "Groovin' High in L.A. 46" - w/ Benny Carter. Wilbert Baranco, Gerald Wilson & Jimmy Mundy Bands Quote
sidewinder Posted July 8, 2003 Report Posted July 8, 2003 (edited) Not to forget the Hep vinyl either. The Howard McGhee 'Cookin' Time' is really excellent. Stellar big band recording from the mid-60s, from a time when McGhee was just coming back into prominence and somehow managing to rehearse a big band which included some of the best NYC musicians of this era. Fine solo work included not only from Howard (whio is really on form) but also from Clifford Jordan, in particular featured on his own arrangement of 'Highest Mountain'. Recommended ! :rsmile: Edited July 8, 2003 by sidewinder Quote
ghost of miles Posted July 8, 2003 Author Report Posted July 8, 2003 2 Heps I keep returning to are from the Metronome series: "They All Had Rhythm-45-46" - w/Benny Carter, Jimmy Mundy & Gerald Wilson Bands and "Groovin' High in L.A. 46" - w/ Benny Carter. Wilbert Baranco, Gerald Wilson & Jimmy Mundy Bands These are on my Hep want list, WL (which totals 25+ so far). Are they all live performances? I'm wondering if there's any overlap with the '45 Carter band sides that appear on the Capitol Sessions Mosaic set. I picked up the Moten set used a year ago and love it. Man, I'm just so into this label right now! Quote
White Lightning Posted July 9, 2003 Report Posted July 9, 2003 These are on my Hep want list, WL (which totals 25+ so far). Are they all live performances? I'm wondering if there's any overlap with the '45 Carter band sides that appear on the Capitol Sessions Mosaic set. GoM, All the performances are AFRS "Jubilee" recordings. I don't believe that there is an overlap with the Capitol sides. Quote
clandy44 Posted July 10, 2003 Report Posted July 10, 2003 Another Hep fan here. Especially like Michael Hasim's Put a Song in Your Heart and Jay Clayton's The Jazz Alley Tapes. Plus, from the Jubilee series, don't miss Count Basie's Jubilee Alternatives 1943-44. Quote
ghost of miles Posted July 13, 2003 Author Report Posted July 13, 2003 Bit on a couple of used Artie Shaw Heps that I found online--EVENSONG (the early-40's band w/strings) and 1944-45, a 3-CD that collects just about all of that edition's studio recordings. There's some slight overlap with SELF-PORTRAIT, esp. on EVENSONG, but I love nearly all of Shaw's bands and am eager to hear the extra material that's not on the BMG set. BENNY GOODMAN PLAYS FLETCHER HENDERSON and Roy Eldridge's HECKLER'S HOP are on the way, too, so I'm hoping for a Hep a day in the mail this week. Quote
jazzbo Posted October 23, 2003 Report Posted October 23, 2003 Listened to the HEP Slims I have again recently (and the Proper box of Slim's for a review at AAJ) and I'm just bowled over again by Slim and his artistry, and the great label that is HEP. Quote
EKE BBB Posted October 24, 2003 Report Posted October 24, 2003 I discovered this wonderful label (and Frog, and Oracle, and Timeless and...) thanks to Lon and other AAJ posters... they´ll be damned till the end of times... once you start with one, you can never stop picking more and more! Quote
jazzbo Posted October 24, 2003 Report Posted October 24, 2003 Damned? So now I have you to thank for those evil spirits whispering in my ear! Quote
clandy44 Posted October 24, 2003 Report Posted October 24, 2003 (edited) Despite looking hither and yon, I could not turn up a copy of Benny Carter's Groovin' High in LA. That led me to Hep itself, where I had an enjoyable correspondence with Alastair Robertson. He tells me that that cd is OOP, but he might consider a limited pressing if there was enough interest. If anyone else is interested in this cd, drop him an email-maybe it wouldn't take that many of us to get the pressing done. His email is alarob@hepjazz.co.uk. Edited October 24, 2003 by clandy44 Quote
Brad Posted October 24, 2003 Report Posted October 24, 2003 Thanks to this thread, I just ordered a couple of things from Hep. Unfortunately, I didn't see the last post until after I ordered. I just assume they haven't removed this cd from their site. Anyway, I did email Mr. Robertson and I'll get one of the Red Norvos instead. Quote
BERIGAN Posted October 25, 2003 Report Posted October 25, 2003 (edited) Man, I just see this thread now??? They sure have put out some great cds! Some not mentioned, but worth getting someday IMO, are the 2 Dorsey brothers cds, with some of the hottest playing by the bros, plus a fair bit of Berigan, Ethel Waters, Boswell sisters, Lee Wiley, Crosby, etc (Mood Hollywood, and Harlem Lullaby) The Red Nichols "big" band of 1939/40 Wail of the Winds, is interesting....Teddy Grace , Turn on that Red Hot Heat , makes you really wish she hadn't loss the use of her vocal cords during WWll. The Harry James cd, Record Session '39-'42 has Harry at his least smaltzy, and very few vocals, really good stuff. I have meant to start a topic on the Casa Loma Orchestra, but never have. I have several of their cds from Hep, early stuff, and much hotter than one would expect from a White band in the early 30's. From The Metronome series, Buddy Rich "The Legendary '47 -48 Orchestra vol. 1 even has Buddy singing(not that well) with Ella! He actually was a good singer, something I only learned fairly recently! Looking at the list of Metronome series list, lots of good stuff I don't have yet! Edit...forgot about Rhythm Spasm , by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band! Edit, edit...now looking at B&N, and see I forgot this very interesting cd, and like Ghost said about Teddy Powell, who else is going to release a cd of Bob Zurke's? Honky Tonk Train Blues . Edited October 25, 2003 by BERIGAN Quote
ghost of miles Posted October 26, 2003 Author Report Posted October 26, 2003 The three 1940-42 Thornhills are at the top of my birthday/Christmas list this year. There are about 15 others I've still got in my sights as well. Anybody have that SOUNDS OF HARLEM disc? Quote
EKE BBB Posted October 27, 2003 Report Posted October 27, 2003 Damned? So now I have you to thank for those evil spirits whispering in my ear! Quote
ghost of miles Posted February 1, 2004 Author Report Posted February 1, 2004 Collectors' Choice is having a sale on Heps this month--$12.95 apiece, $35 for 3. I just ordered 6--the Don Redman, the Earl Hines, both Joe Mooneys, the 1936-37 Artie Shaw, and Benny Carter's RHYTHM IS ALL THAT I HAVE. I couldn't get 'em to drop the shipping and handling ($5.95), but if you order $100 or more you can probably talk them into it. Even w/shipping and handling it all came to $75, which is about $11.99 per disc + the equivalent of sales tax--not bad for Heps, which usually retail for $16. Quote
ghost of miles Posted February 1, 2004 Author Report Posted February 1, 2004 There's also a new Woody Herman 2-CD Hep out--ROAD BAND 1948 V. 1 AND 2, which includes a number of 1948 broadcasts and a Nov. 1949 Carnegie Hall concert. I'm holding off, though, because I think I may already have a bunch of the 1948 material. Quote
BruceH Posted February 1, 2004 Report Posted February 1, 2004 I've seen a few Hep titles here and there...don't know if I own any though. Never thought of ordering from them direct. Wow, another thing to go broke on! Quote
FrancoisD Posted February 3, 2004 Report Posted February 3, 2004 (edited) I have been a faithful follower of Hep since its inception in the 1970s. This label offers a rare combination of intelligent programming and topnotch remastering (usually done by John R.T. Davies or Ted Kendall, two of the greatest wizards of sound restoration). Though I am also a follower of the Classics label (being an inveterate completist), I have acquired all of Hep's issues over the years. My favourites are the two Chick Webbs (1023 and 1063), the Teddy Wilson big band album (1064), the two volumes of Claude Hopkins, the Earl Hines and Don Redman CDs, and the wonderful Artie Shaw and Thornhill material (The Thornhill series is actually a complete collection of the Columbia master takes from 1940-47, with one volume still to come). There is also an extraordinary four-volume retrospective of Ted Heath's first studio sessions (plus some airchecks), from 1944-51 in the Metronome Series. The SOUNDS OF HARLEM CD includes six wonderful dates : -The Benny Morton session from 1934 with Henry Allen, Edward Inge, Jerry Blake, Don Kirkpatrick and Manzie Johnson -The rare Buster Bailey and His Chocolate Dandies date from 1934 with Allen, Higginbotham, Benny Carter and Walter Johnson -Taft Jordan and His Mob (1935) with Teddy Wilson and John Kirby. -Freddy Jenkins and His Harlem Seven (1935) : a really fine date with Albert Nicholas, Joe Turner (piano) and Adrian Rollini (drums). -The Delta Four session from 1935 with Roy Eldridge and Joe Marsala. -The very rare date (the only one by that band to my knowledge) by Ace Harris and His Sunset Royals (1937). All of this is highly recommended. Edited February 3, 2004 by FrancoisD Quote
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