Sidney Bechet recommendations

[Christiern]

I agree with everything good said about "Texas Moaner Blues", "Cake Walking Babies," and the Bechet-Spanier Big Four (I had them all on 12" 78s). Fantastic stuff, but it is hard to recommend Bechet material, because it is so difficult to go wrong with anything. One of the first records I bought, back in the 1940s, was a brown-label English Columbia 78 by Bechet with Bob Wilber's Wildcats: "Polka Dot Stomp" and "Kansas City Man". I have been hooked ever since. He is definitely among my absolute favorite musicianeers.

Edited November 14, 2008 by Christiern

[B. Goren.]

Two more recommendations:

Edited November 14, 2008 by B. Goren.

[B. Goren.]

The Recordings of Sidney Bechet.

[jazzbo]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

[B. Goren.]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

They released also his BN recordings:

[jazzbo]

Yeah. Great stuff. I have all this material. . .I'd say the RCA, Blue Note, Fat Man, and King Jazz material are what I play the most.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

They released also his BN recordings:

Thanks Lon.

I already have the BN "Jazz classics" vols 1 & 2 on LP. Have I already got the best part of the BN material or is there much more sensational music to explore in the set?

MG

[Chuck Nessa]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

IIRC, the Bluebird/RCA set substituted a number of alternates despite claiming otherwise. I seem to recall Steve Lacy complaining about this.

[AllenLowe]

for sound, if you can find the domestic RCA Bechet LP reissue, snatch it up - the best of all sources-

[bluesbro]

I was listening yesterday to his version of 'Love for Sale', and that is some of the greatest music I've ever heard.

[paul secor]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

"mimics" is a nice way to put it.

[B. Goren.]

I was listening yesterday to his version of 'Love for Sale', and that is some of the greatest music I've ever heard.

This is what I think about his version of "Strange Fruit".

[kh1958]

I was listening yesterday to his version of 'Love for Sale', and that is some of the greatest music I've ever heard.

That's my reaction to China Boy on the HRS Mosaic.

[jazzbo]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

They released also his BN recordings:

Thanks Lon.

I already have the BN "Jazz classics" vols 1 & 2 on LP. Have I already got the best part of the BN material or is there much more sensational music to explore in the set?

MG

MG,

I'm not too familiar with the exact contents of those two lps. . . but yes, there's about five lps wotrth of Bech on Blue Note, so more goodies to experience. . . .(Not all of the datese he was on he LED, but he's of coures great on those).

[Harold_Z]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

They released also his BN recordings:

Thanks Lon.

I already have the BN "Jazz classics" vols 1 & 2 on LP. Have I already got the best part of the BN material or is there much more sensational music to explore in the set?

MG

MG, There is at least two lps worth of Bechet with Wild Bill Davison. Wild Bill is at his best on these dates. Another lps worth of a session with Jonah Jones and Jimmy Archey. Also pretty potent. I have it all on 5 blue note lps and then the mosaic set which adds quite a few more tracks that weren't on the original lps. In any event - the sessions with Wild Bill are indispensable.

[Harold_Z]

MG,

This Definitive release mimics the US RCA three cd set of the Bechet masters. . . .

They released also his BN recordings:

Thanks Lon.

I already have the BN "Jazz classics" vols 1 & 2 on LP. Have I already got the best part of the BN material or is there much more sensational music to explore in the set?

MG

MG, There is at least two lps worth of Bechet with Wild Bill Davison. Wild Bill is at his best on these dates. Another lps worth of a session with Jonah Jones and Jimmy Archey. Also pretty potent. I have it all on 5 blue note lps and then the mosaic set which adds quite a few more tracks that weren't on the original lps. In any event - the sessions with Wild Bill are indispensable.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks folks.

MG

[John L]

In my opinion, the best session with Sidney Bechet and Wild Bill Davison is the one from 1945 under Art Hodes leadership. That session is not included on the Bechet/Davison Runnin' Wild CD.

Edited November 15, 2008 by John L

[jazzbo]

That IS a great session. (Those Hodes sessions are almost all brilliant!)

[AllenLowe]

Superb Sidney, as someone has mentioned, is superb.

also don't know if the Solal sessions were mentioned; I may, however, be in the extreme minority, as I always though they were not very good and lacked edge.

[Harold_Z]

In my opinion, the best session with Sidney Bechet and Wild Bill Davison is the one from 1945 under Art Hodes leadership. That session is not included on the Bechet/Davison Runnin' Wild CD.

Yeah, but is it in the Definitive set?

iirc it was in both the Bechet and Hodes Mosaics.

The Runnin' Wild cd contains almost the two lps that were issues on BN. Again iirc and if I had time to go check my holdings, Runnin' Wild substituted a couple of alternates, maybe because the original takes were on another then available BN cd.

BTW - for my two cents - the BN lps I have of this stuff (issues from the late 50s or early 60s) sound better to me than any of the subsequent issues I've heard.

[AllenLowe]

gotta say again, get the RCA sessions with Ladnier - the height of psot- N.O. development -

[Brownian Motion]

Sidney recorded with Sammy Price in Paris in 1955, and IMO these are the very best of his later sessions. Emmett Berry shines on trumpet and woefully under-recorded clarinetist Herb Hall provides a perfect contrast to Sidney. Unfortunately these sessions are difficult to find; I have them spread over two Vogue CDs as "Sidney Bechet and His American Friends".

[John L]

In my opinion, the best session with Sidney Bechet and Wild Bill Davison is the one from 1945 under Art Hodes leadership. That session is not included on the Bechet/Davison Runnin' Wild CD.

Yeah, but is it in the Definitive set?

iirc it was in both the Bechet and Hodes Mosaics.

Yes, the track listing for the Definitive set on allmusic.com does contain this session. (We all know that Definitive gets it set lists and remastered music from Mosaic whenever it can.)

[bluesbro]

I am listening to this puppy right now:

This is what I needed and then some! Amazing music, thanks for the recommendation. I was afraid that this was going to be no-noised to death, like the similar Blanton-Webster edition Bluebird put out. But fortunately not, this one sounds really good. Love it!