Columbia's "Montreux Summit" LP's

[DMP]

Has this material surfaced anywhere in the CD era? It was (if I recall correctly) 2 double album sets of groups from the then-current "Columbia" roster, playing in sometimes what seemed like unlikely combinations (Woody Shaw and Maynard Ferguson, for example). Might be fun to listen to it again.

[Free For All]

I remember getting these in the 70s- an eclectic combination of players to be sure, but a fun recording. It was my first exposure to Woody Shaw (he actually trades with Maynard on one tune) and my preferences began to shift. Getz plays a nice version of Infant Eyes IIRC.

[jazzbo]

I've never seen these on cd.

[BFrank]

I have Vol. 1 (on vinyl). Haven't listened to it in many years. I remember that Dexter's "Fried Bananas" was one of the highlights of the set.

[tjluke68]

I'm actually listening to a CD copy I made from the Volume 1 LPs (listening to Fried Bananas right now). I enjoy it and give it a spin from time to time. One of these days I'll burn Vol 2 to CD...

[marcoliv]

when i was in Paris last october there was at Paris Jazz Corner a double french columbia CD with Vols.1&2. why i didn't get it? i still don't know why.....

MCO

[DMP]

George Duke might have been the pianist on "Fried Bananas" - that's the kind of session it was.

[BFrank]

George Duke might have been the pianist on "Fried Bananas" - that's the kind of session it was.

Yes he was. But George still had some chops back then. He wasn't that far removed from playing with FZ and had put out a series of mostly interesting albums for MPS/BASF. He had probably just signed with Epic at this point, which is why he's in these sessions.

Players: Dexter, Slide Hampton, Woody Shaw, Billy Brooks, Gordon Johnson, George Duke

[JSngry]

George Duke could play. Probably still can, if so inclined.

Wait unit Cannonball's The Black Messiah gets reissued someday...

[DMP]

And Duke sounds good on that last Gerald Wilson Pacific Jazz album. (And, since you bring up

"Black Messiah," I have to get in my yearly plug to release it along with the left-overs that made up "Music Y'All.")

[CJ Shearn]

Bringing this up b/c "Montreux Summit" vol 1&2 have just been reissued by Wounded Bird. Since 3 cuts, probably the best of them are on Dexter's Columbia box, is there any need for me to pick up these albums or not really?

[JETman]

Bringing this up b/c "Montreux Summit" vol 1&2 have just been reissued by Wounded Bird. Since 3 cuts, probably the best of them are on Dexter's Columbia box, is there any need for me to pick up these albums or not really?

Some of the cuts are probably on the Getz and Woody boxes as well. That being said, there are a few cuts without any of the three. It's up to you if you can live without them. I bought the cd's just to have everything in its correct context.

[CJ Shearn]

I'm thinking of doing the same Jetman. How's is the sound? The last Wounded Bird reissues I bought were the Woody Shaw and Griffith Park Elektra Musician titles and they sounded fine to my ears. I've heard about the Joe Farrell CTI titles on Wounded Bird being compressed and less than good sounding. To me it seems like the Montreux Summit, Blue Montreux, and Casino Lights titles were all like cousins of the CTI All Star concerts, but with less consistent music. Rick Braun and Boney James marred the individual tracks sans the group jams on "Casino Lights '99" (a title I bought for Kenny Garrett) a very weak stand in for the Hubbard/Turrentine combo they seemed to try to emulate. It seems what I've heard of the Montreux Summit on the Dexter box is pretty successful with the unusual combinations. Though with Wounded Bird, I should grab those titles and Freddie's "Gleam" b/c their reissues go OOP rather quick.

Edited December 5, 2012 by CJ Shearn

[Gheorghe]

Bringing this up b/c "Montreux Summit" vol 1&2 have just been reissued by Wounded Bird. Since 3 cuts, probably the best of them are on Dexter's Columbia box, is there any need for me to pick up these albums or not really?

Great, I must get that. Didn´t know about "Wounded Bird" until I purchased Dexter´s Great Encounters as CD re-issue. The lable was Wounded Bird.