Atlantic New Orleans Jazz Sessions

[Sundog]

I've been thinking about listening to this set all week. Probably will get to it later tonight.

[Ron S]

I wish I had it to listen to.

[Christiern]

Well, there's always the aforementioned Riverside series, New Orleans: The Living Legends, sessions that represent two memorable weeks of my life.

JIM ROBINSON PLAYS SPIRITUALS AND BLUES

New Orleans: The Living Legends

JIM ROBINSON'S NEW ORLEANS BAND

New Orleans: The Living Legends

KID THOMAS AND HIS ALGIERS STOMPERS

featuring Emile Barnes

New Orleans: The Living Legends

OJCCD-1845-2 (Riverside 386)

BILLIE AND DEDE PIERCE

New Orleans: The Living Legends

Blues and Tonks from the Delta

OJCCD-1847-2 (Riverside 9394)

BILLIE AND DEDE PIERCE

New Orleans: The Living Legends

OBCCD-534-2 (Riverside 370)

PERCY HUMPHREY'S CRESCENT CITY JOYMAKERS

New Orleans: The Living Legends

OJCCD-1834-2 (Riverside 9378

THE LOUIS COTTRELL TRIO

Bourbon Street New Orleans: The Living Legends

OJCCD-1836-2 (Riverside 9385)

PETER BOCAGE with HIS CREOLE SERENADERS

AND THE LOVE-JILES RAGTIME ORCHESTRA

New Orleans: The Living Legends

OJCCD-1835-2 (Riverside 9379)

Edited September 5, 2005 by Christiern

[jazzbo]

Chris I have all these and they're fantastic!

Great work. Great music. Great people.

Even more valuable as days go by. . . sadly, so sadly.

[Christiern]

Thanks, Lon. Here are a couple of pictures I took while working on the albums. One shows the entrance to Les Jeune Amis Hall, which I rented for the project, the other is an interior shot of instruments.

Edited September 5, 2005 by Christiern

[Harold_Z]

Chris, I have all of those also. I've had them since they came out. I was in high school when Riverside released those and I used to cut school and take the bus (the same one I take now !) into town and a store on 5th Ave called "The Record Hunter" had all of them. I picked them up over a few visits.

I think that "The Living Legends" series is not only totaly enjoyable, but it's great music and really essential listening for jazz lovers. It's the one of the first examples I know of where you can hear those guys and that type of music in good sound. You can't go wrong getting "the Living Legends".

[Christiern]

Thanks, Harold -- it's always good to hear that one's work is appreciated--this, however, was more fun than work. Great people who left me with many fond memories.

[jazzbo]

I can almost hear that hihat!

[Ron S]

Thanks for posting the list, Chris. I definitely have to pick these up. Althought I'm sure it's been suggested before, Concord/Fantasy should put all of these out together as a box set, including a booklet with photos and notes by you.

[LAL]

I wish I had it to listen to.

←

A partial set (discs 1,3&4) is still available from Mosaic...and you get a booklet numbered XXXX.

[BFrank]

Interesting stuff, Chris. Do you have a favorite??

eMusic seems to have most (if not all) of these, too.

[Christiern]

Interesting stuff, Chris. Do you have a favorite??

eMusic seems to have most (if not all) of these, too.

←

No favorite, but I rather like the Louis Cottrell sessions, which is why I did two albums. All in all, I was very satisfied with this recording trip, which is more than I can say for my subsequent trek to Chicago for a continuation of the Living Legends series.

In fairness to the Chicago artists, I have to add that bungling amateur "recording engineers" were the hair in that soup.

[StormP]

Hi Christiern

Since you recorded Kid Thomas here's a little tidbit:

Kid Thomas recorded a lot of stuff in Denmark for Knudsen.

When he went to Aarhus, he proudly proclaimed that he was going to play in another country. (Just a little humor, no disrespect to the man, he was a wonderful trumpet man).

My avatar is the upturned Ymaha grand from the hurricane that Rotterdam encountered about a year ago. Made a real mess of it. I was on the Rotterdam this year in January. They had to Yamaha grands, a blue one and a kind of red one. I played both, they were absolutely horrible. I didn't know Yamaha made such awful stuff. Maybe the wood is different because of all the moisture on the ship. (I should have asked but didn't)

Skaal!

[montg]

Some interesting pictures on the lps in this series...this picture on the Louis Cottrell lp depicts the front porch of Mrs. Joe Oliver. Sad

[Christiern]

I'm glad you like the cover photos. After seeing some of his stunning photographs, we hired Ralston Crawford to take pictures for the covers. He was an interesting man who had been an artist at the Walt Disney studios, was primarily a painter, but took up photography in the late 1930s. He had been photographing the French Quarter for about ten years when did the cover shots, and we used some of his earlier ones--including, as I recall, the steps to Oliver's house.

Ralston was also present at every session, shooting inside the hall, although we had hired Florence Mars (from Philadelphia, Mississippi) for the interiors. I wish we had used Ralston's--it was amazing to see how two photographers could cover the same event with such different results. Florence was a good photographer who snapped indiscriminately and constantly made one aware of her presence, Ralston moved around discreetly and framed each shot with an artist's eye before pressing the shutter release. I think the choice was determined by the budget--it had not been an inexpensive project and no one expected vintage-style New Orleans music to sell many albums. Bill Grauer's decision to send me down there was dictated by his strong love of the music.

[Ron S]

Damn, Chris--this really does cry out for Mosaic-like box-set treatment with a phenomenal booklet. Fantasy seems to have been successful doing it with the Tatum sessions--Concord should have them do it now with these, with your involvement.

[Christiern]

I had never thought of that, Ron, but it makes a lot of sense to me--of all the sessions I have done, these have a special place in my heart. Perhaps I should take your idea to the Concord people.

[montg]

I would certainly second that motion. One advantage of a Concord box would be a sonic upgrade as the remasterings date from the early to mid 90s.

This series is more poignant now than ever and it deserves top notch treatment.

[ghost of miles]

I would third it and buy it.

[Ron S]

Hell, I'm ready to preorder it NOW. And I'm sure many others on this Board--and elsewhere--would do the same. And if Norman Lear wanted to do one of his socially-responsible feel-good things, he could donate part of the proceeds from sales of the set to some sort of Katrina relief focused on the jazz commnunity.

[Christiern]

Ron S, I forwarded your suggestion--with a link to this thread--to Terri Hinte at Concord/Fantasy. She is passing it on to the people who handle reissues. Thanks, again, for the idea.

Terri sent me the following link--I had not seen this before:

A review of the N. O. Living Legends series

[Kalo]

Ron S, I forwarded your suggestion--with a link to this thread--to Terri Hinte at Concord/Fantasy. She is passing it on to the people who handle reissues. Thanks, again, for the idea.

←

Just catching up with this thread. I'd love to see this box become a reality!

[Ron S]

Thanks, Chris! Please keep us posted if you hear anything.

I just hope that nobody at Concord--and especially Norman Lear--takes my "socially-responsible feel-good" comment the wrong way. I actually have a great deal of respect for Mr. Lear and his many artistic, societal, and philanthropic contributions.