Billie Holiday Columbia

[Chuck Nessa]

I received a similar email but mine said November 7.

[Ron S]

Any reason you folks are avoiding Amazon UK? They're in stock (Amazon US now says shipping in 1-2 months), and as cheap or cheaper than any price Amazon US (not including Marketplace sellers) has had. Shipping from Amazon UK to the East Coast has consistently run 5-10 business days for me, so you're almost guaranteed to have it sooner than you would with the Amazon US orders.

[AllenLowe]

I got mine from the UK, was here real quick.

those damn Brits...

[J.A.W.]

Any reason you folks are avoiding Amazon UK?

Maybe the expected postal strike in the U.K.?

[Ron S]

Any reason you folks are avoiding Amazon UK?

Maybe the expected postal strike in the U.K.?

Then ORDER NOW, so it gets out of the UK before the strike!

[Chuck Nessa]

Any reason you folks are avoiding Amazon UK? They're in stock (Amazon US now says shipping in 1-2 months), and as cheap or cheaper than any price Amazon US (not including Marketplace sellers) has had. Shipping from Amazon UK to the East Coast has consistently run 5-10 business days for me, so you're almost guaranteed to have it sooner than you would with the Amazon US orders.

I already have the big Columbia box and ordered a couple to use as gifts. No rush.

[king ubu]

Btw, there's a mistake on the big Columbia box (one title is duplicated at the end, instead of there being the actual alternate take). Don't have the info at hand, but mmilovan (where are you, buddy?) knew the details...

I guess that would be the same on the new version, or would they invest time to fix such a goof for a cheapo version?

Let me search my mails...

Holy crap, Opera Mail is amazing, already found it:

"I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (session with Jonah Jones and Ben Webster) - instead of the alternate take, at the end of the set where the collected alternates are located, the master take is sequenced again.

[doneth]

I didn't buy the Grammy-winning Columbia Holiday set several years ago because I couldn't afford it, I already had almost all those tracks, and I hated the packaging. Now I received my ten-CD set from Amazon.co.uk today. It cost $33.41 including postage. The booklet is complete. The transfers are a little harsh, but at least I can hear everything. One of my favorite tracks was always 'I'll Never Be The Same', and sometimes I'd be listening to it and I'd think 'Geez, maybe it's too slow', but now that I can hear Jo Jones's brushes clearly, of course it's perfect.

Now if only they'd do something similar with the big RCA Ellington box...

[jazzbo]

I did get the big box years ago and really enjoy it. Listening to disc 3 right now. I finished the Monk biography and I had to have some music to lift me out of the sadness reading of the final years brought to me. These Billie sides, as always, do that. "Sunflowers" right now. Just some of the best music ever recorded.

[Patrick]

I received a similar email but mine said November 7.

Chuck, does it look like Amazon actually shipped as advertised? I still have a few more days to Nov 14.

[Chuck Nessa]

I received a similar email but mine said November 7.

Chuck, does it look like Amazon actually shipped as advertised? I still have a few more days to Nov 14.

No, they bumped my ship date back to the 20th.

[Ron S]

In any event, I just ordered one from Amazon UK for roughly the same delivered price as offered by Amazon US, and the UK site has them IN STOCK.

EDIT: About 40 minutes later, and the Amazon UK order is already designated as "shipping soon."

And 14 1/2 hours later, notification that it has "dispatched."

Go for it, folks (organissimo referral-fee link):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lady-Day-Complete-...4013&sr=8-2

Remember, if all else fails, same Amazon, different accent.

[AllenLowe]

Ron, whatever happened to "buy American" ?

you disloyal or something? Next you'll be telling us to make purchases from Bin Laden's Big House of Music.

Or Amazon Al Queda.

Edited November 11, 2009 by AllenLowe

[jazzbo]

I ordered this from an amazon marketplace seller for a gift, and received it a few days after Ron did.

Nice set for the money. I compared it to the big box and sonicwise it's the same or so close that it doesn't matter.

I listnened to all the discs in the big box over the course of a few days and yes, there are artifacts from noise reduction but I can compensate for it and it's a great listening experience. Great music. This is a real steal, this "budget" version.

[J.A.W.]

I listnened to all the discs in the big box over the course of a few days and yes, there are artifacts from noise reduction but I can compensate for it and it's a great listening experience.

Not to start a discussion or even a fight about it, but how can you compensate for something that isn't there anymore? Simply put, one of the problems with noise reduction is that it removes higher frequencies information and what isn't there anymore can't be retrieved. I'm not saying ít's what you're doing (that's why I'm asking ), but just bumping the higher frequencies doesn't do the trick, the musical info that is lost cannot be regained.

Just curious.

Edited November 11, 2009 by J.A.W.

[AllenLowe]

it depends - I would be interested in what he is interpreting as as an artifact - which can be introduced with processes that are not necessarily reducing high end.

Also, we may hear something which we think was an artifact but which was actually a noise that was already there, but was previously masked by a noise which has now been removed.

Edited November 11, 2009 by AllenLowe

[jazzbo]

I'm not introducing anything, I'm just actually moving my speakers a bit to put the "sweet spot" further in front of me and then the sort of hollowed out sound (that I hear mainly in the reproduction of her voice at the end of phrases) just isn't so forward and doesn't bother me. I also ran a tube on my preamp input that was "fuzzier" --less detailed, warmer.

So perhaps compensating wasn't the right word, I just made changes that make these recordings more listenable. I can do that fairly easily with my system by changing tubes in my cd player output, preamp or amplifier, by changing the output level of the ribbon tweeters on my speakers, isolation component changes and speaker placement. Really helps with digital recordings, and I've spent some fun years figuring out what works in my room(s) and with different recordings.

[Chuck Nessa]

Simply put, one of the problems with noise reduction is that it removes higher frequencies information and what isn't there anymore can't be retrieved.

Just curious.

Noise reduction does not remove "higher frequencies information" unless that's where you use it. Current software is far more sophisticated than that.

[J.A.W.]

Simply put, one of the problems with noise reduction is that it removes higher frequencies information and what isn't there anymore can't be retrieved.

Just curious.

Noise reduction does not remove "higher frequencies information" unless that's where you use it. Current software is far more sophisticated than that.

I know, but to my ears the Holiday box (the big one) sounds as if it was used there (followed by a frequency bump that made her voice and some instruments sound harsh), that's why I put it like that - perhaps too simplified.

Edited November 12, 2009 by J.A.W.

[Dave James]

I just saw a new 3 CD release that encompasses Billie's work for Commodore and Decca. I used to have the Decca set but it was a casuality of a rather unpleasant divorce, so I haven't had it in my collection for the past 12 years. I'm not familiar with the Commodore material, although I'm sure, given who's singing, that is has to be pretty good.

Up over and out.

[Chuck Nessa]

I prefer the Commodores to the Deccas in most cases.

[J.A.W.]

I prefer the Commodores to the Deccas in most cases.

So do I.

[Harold_Z]

The Commodores were really my intro to Billie and they remain my favorite Billie.

[Alexander]

To me, both the Commodore and Decca Billie sides are essential. I have a hard time choosing one over the other. The Decca stuff is more pop, while the Commodore is more jazz...but both were produced by Milt Gabler...

[MartyJazz]

To me, both the Commodore and Decca Billie sides are essential. I have a hard time choosing one over the other. The Decca stuff is more pop, while the Commodore is more jazz...but both were produced by Milt Gabler...

True, both are essential IMO. While the Commodores are "purer", how can one not love the versions of "Good Morning, Heartache", "Crazy, He Calls Me", etc. from the Decca period? But I do draw the line when it comes to listening to the background choir on the Decca version of "God Bless the Child", yuk!