Rare concerts coming to DVD this Fall

[Chalupa]

http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_di...t_id=1002841081

July 18, 2006, 2:15 PM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Rare concerts from jazz legends Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Art Blakey, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich and Louis Armstrong will be released for the first time on DVD Sept. 26 via Reeling in the Years Productions and TDK Recording Media Europe S.A.

The shows were filmed in Europe between 1957-1978 both in TV studios and traditional concert venues, and in many cases, have never been broadcast, even in excerpts. They are being issued under the heading "Jazz Icons," with distribution by Naxos of America.

Among the highlights of the first batch of titles are a 1958 show with Blakey and a lineup of his Jazz Messengers that only played together for six months, Fitzgerald concerts from 1957 in Belgium and 1963 in Sweden, Monk shows in Norway and Denmark from 1966 and two Jones concerts from 1960, featuring an 18-piece band.

Baker is featured in a 1964 performance for Belgian television and a 1979 performance in Norway, while the 1959 Armstrong show is one of his only known complete filmed performances from this era.

"From an educational standpoint this series is a gift to our culture," Jones says. "I'm honored to be a featured part of it, but I'm more thrilled just to sit down and watch it with my grandkids."

[Man with the Golden Arm]

nice ... thanks

LINK

[Rooster_Ties]

Among the highlights of the first batch of titles are a 1958 show with Blakey and a lineup of his Jazz Messengers that only played together for six months

The first time I read this above, I thought it said Blakey in 1968, and that along with the "only played together six months" thing made me think for about 10 seconds that it was gonna be the unrecorded Blakey band with Woody Shaw and Tyrone Washington. Then I looked again, saw 1958, and my hopes were dashed.

Oh well, easy come, easy go.

Edited July 19, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[kh1958]

Looks like six (out of nine) must-buys for me.

[Dan Gould]

I presume this would be the Golson-Morgan-Timmons-Merritt Messengers, right? Mike Fitzgerald's Blakey chronology isn't entirely clear.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

the "LINK" sez it is and even shows a nice little quicktime in what looks to be finely restored glorious black and white. the Monk is even nicer "film-wise", but these are compressed and reduced so who knows about the graininess of the final product.

[Dan Gould]

the "LINK" sez it is and even shows a nice little quicktime in what looks to be finely restored glorious black and white. the Monk is even nicer "film-wise", but these are compressed and reduced so who knows about the graininess of the final product.

Thanks. I presumed the link was to the article. Didn't realize it was to the website, which has now been properly bookmarked. Hope these come out early in September, I'd love to get a few for my b-day.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

i think it is Sep 26th ... so you'll just have to surprise that dog for his namesake's belated birthday.

[bertrand]

Don Sickler told me about these and I even saw a snippet of the Blakey in April. Lee is on fire.

It's the Moanin' band in Belgium. This footage was though to be lost.

They were originally scheduled for August.

Bertrand.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

wiat wait so its gonna be a dvd of L.M + Benny Golson- thats AWESOME.

you know what i had my friend tell B.G backstage at the hOllywood bowl @ playboy jazz fest this in june???

a few days before i had him SWEAR he would tell benny: "my friend said i sholud tell u that this year for the playboy jazz fest, this year the playboy jazz festival should just be three days of Benny". and he told him and B.G. said: haha

[king ubu]

Wow, great news! 1958 Messengers is perfect for me, I love that band with Golson in his prime!

The Basie looks great, though I assume if it was from 1959 or 1960 it would be even better... by 1962 the band was just about to end their prime years, with key members leaving etc.

There are other Armstrong 1959 items around (from Italy and Germany, in the two cases where I know). There would be tons of great things around, if the TV stations over here would open up their vaults - for instance J.E. Behrend's "Jazz gehört & gesehen" (Jazz heard and seen) show that ran for years (or decades) on German TV. That show was prob. comparable to Gleason's show, pairing some tunes with short interviews in between, or at least some spoken introductions by JEB. Rarely ever is one of those being re-broadcasted, it seems - and last time some pieces were used (in that "Greatest Jazz Film ever" or what was its stupid title, up on arte and discussed here back then) it was only short fragments and they went all b-s about it, instead of trying to regularly broadcasting some of these shows - I'm sure it wouldn't bother anyone if they had some of these on in the middle of the night...

[Soul Stream]

The BAker, Blakey and Dizzy W/Stitt are the ones that I'm looking forward to most. Thanks for letting us know!

[Tjazz]

A free DVD sample (15 minutes) was passed out at the Mark Cantor film showing. (just before the Playboy jazz festival) in Los Angeles.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

was it followed by a short 15min. set of George Benson + the CTI Allstars

[Claude Schlouch]

Hi folks,

Are you sure that the Art Blakey live in Belgium 1958 DVD and the others will be on sale on next september 26?.

It is said on their site:

Note: Reelin' In The Years does not supply our material to fans, collectors or other private entities. We will only send material out for projects to clients in the entertainment industry.

Thanks in advance!

[Chalupa]

Hi folks,

Are you sure that the Art Blakey live in Belgium 1958 DVD and the others will be on sale on next september 26?.

It is said on their site:

Note: Reelin' In The Years does not supply our material to fans, collectors or other private entities. We will only send material out for projects to clients in the entertainment industry.

Thanks in advance!

I'm pretty sure they will be available to general public. The other two DVD's produced by them - "Marvin Gaye - The Real Years" and "Muddy Waters - Classic Concerts" - are available through Tower, CDUniverse, etc....

I think that quote might be referring to their raw material - stuff not used in DVD's.

[Claude Schlouch]

Hi folks,

Are you sure that the Art Blakey live in Belgium 1958 DVD and the others will be on sale on next september 26?.

It is said on their site:

Note: Reelin' In The Years does not supply our material to fans, collectors or other private entities. We will only send material out for projects to clients in the entertainment industry.

Thanks in advance!

I'm pretty sure they will be available to general public. The other two DVD's produced by them - "Marvin Gaye - The Real Years" and "Muddy Waters - Classic Concerts" - are available through Tower, CDUniverse, etc....

I think that quote might be referring to their raw material - stuff not used in DVD's.

Thanks Chalupa. Have a nice week-end!

Claude

[reg]

any more news on these? can't see them on amazon and the like yet.

[brownie]

Here is a link to the Jazz Icons videos...

Jazz Icons

[king ubu]

Let's hope they got the spelling of Chet's sidemen correctly in the DVDs themselves!

[david weiss]

I was given the sample DVD of these and they look and sound great and I'm told there are more to come after this batch including one with Freddie Hubbard (with Art Blakey, Nathan Davis, Jaki Byard and Reggie Workman!)

[Dan Gould]

any more news on these? can't see them on amazon and the like yet.

Here is a link to the Jazz Icons videos...

Jazz Icons

that Jazz Icons link has "purchase DVD" links via Amazon, so they are pre-ordering.

September 26 is the release date. Too late for my birthday and anniversary but these will head my Christmas list for sure.