Help w/ Bechet

[colinmce]

Of all the pre-LP era artists, for some reason (no distinct periods/affiliations a la Louis, Duke, Basie, et al? No clear-cut box sets?), it's most difficult for me to get a sense of what I should get to have a more or less comprehensive Sidney Bechet collection. I have the Proper box set and plan on getting the Mosaic select. So else what might you recommend that's in print and affordable?

Edited November 2, 2009 by colinmce

[Harold_Z]

In print? A quick look at a few record sites shows that a lot of Bechet's important stuff is oop - at least in an organized fashion. The things I would consider necessities would be the RCA recordings, The Blue Notes and the HRS session with Muggsy Spanier. They've all been issued a bunch of times so they shouldn't be too hard to find with a little searching. I'm not sure what's on that Proper set you refer to, so you may already have some of this.

One that IS in print is the Blue Note Runnin' Wild with Wild Bill Davison. Excellent.

[John L]

Basically, you are pretty safe picking up anything by Bechet from the 30s and 40s. As Harold says, the RCAs and Blue Note studio sessions are a corner stone. There were box sets of those recordings, although they might be hard to find now. There are always the Chronological Classics releases, which have been showing up lately as cheap downloads from Amazon and other places.

[jazzbo]

And there's the King Jazz recordings which I find essential Bechet. These are actually in print from Jazzology on two two cd sets.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks folks - I'll try to remember this thread when I begin to get more than the 2 Blue Note LPs I have of his

MG

[AllenLowe]

anything with Tommy Ladnier - kinda like a N.O. reunion. If you're an LP guy pick up some of the French Black and Whites. Lotsa good stuff with Mezz, Hines, et al.

Edited November 2, 2009 by AllenLowe

[John L]

And there's the King Jazz recordings which I find essential Bechet. These are actually in print from Jazzology on two two cd sets.

Agreed. Bechet's playing on the King recordings is a complete study in the blues. Incredible.

Edited November 2, 2009 by John L

[jostber]

These two are fine collections of great Bechet too:

Shake 'em Up

Up a Lazy River

[Harold_Z]

I just checked disconforme's website. They have a complete Bluenote set and a complete RCA set still in print and available through them. Why RCA and Bluenote don't have them in print themselves is a travesty.

[gmonahan]

I just checked disconforme's website. They have a complete Bluenote set and a complete RCA set still in print and available through them. Why RCA and Bluenote don't have them in print themselves is a travesty.

Yes, well, I'm pretty sure the blue note set ripped off the now oop Mosaic set, and RCA has put out some Bechet in the past, but that is one place to get it.

Lon, is that King Jazz material the stuff he did with Mezzrow? I'm at work rather than home and can't check!

gregmo

[Harold_Z]

I just checked disconforme's website. They have a complete Bluenote set and a complete RCA set still in print and available through them. Why RCA and Bluenote don't have them in print themselves is a travesty.

Yes, well, I'm pretty sure the blue note set ripped off the now oop Mosaic set, and RCA has put out some Bechet in the past, but that is one place to get it.

Lon, is that King Jazz material the stuff he did with Mezzrow? I'm at work rather than home and can't check!

gregmo

For the record - I have the Bechet Mosaic and I have the RCA Bechet cd reissues. I also have the blue note vinyl and RCA vinyl - ALL of which I purchased new. BUT... if I came along at this stage of the game with no Bechet and wanted to hear that material Disconforme would be the easiest place to get it from. Even if I was inclined to hunt down the "legit" issues none of my payment would be seen by either Mosaic or RCA or Bluenote. If Bluenote and RCA leave it to the default ...then the default gets it.

Edit to add: BTW ...the 60s Bluenote vinyl kicks the shit out of any subsequent issues that I've heard.

Edited November 4, 2009 by Harold_Z

[jazzbo]

Greg, yes that's the stuff with Mezzrow. And Ladnier. And many other greats.

[John L]

I believe that the Bechet King recordings were all made after Ladnier's death in 1939.

There are those first all-star sessions on King from July, 1945 with Hot Lips Page on trumpet and a rhythm section of Sammy Price, Danny Barker, Pops Foster, and Sidney Catlett. VERY SATISFYING!

Edited November 4, 2009 by John L

[brownie]

EMI France released last month this 3CD set

Best of Sidney Bechet

Click on larger image for a tracks listing!

[jazzbo]

I believe that the Bechet King recordings were all made after Ladnier's death in 1939.

There are those first all-star sessions on King from July, 1945 with Hot Lips Page on trumpet and a rhythm section of Sammy Price, Danny Barker, Pops Foster, and Sidney Catlett. VERY SATISFYING!

Sorry John, you're right, I was confused as I have Ladnier on other King Jazz (Italian) cds.

[Harold_Z]

EMI France released last month this 3CD set

Best of Sidney Bechet

Click on larger image for a tracks listing!

It's the Bluenote stuff!

Edited November 4, 2009 by Harold_Z

[gmonahan]

I just checked disconforme's website. They have a complete Bluenote set and a complete RCA set still in print and available through them. Why RCA and Bluenote don't have them in print themselves is a travesty.

Yes, well, I'm pretty sure the blue note set ripped off the now oop Mosaic set, and RCA has put out some Bechet in the past, but that is one place to get it.

Lon, is that King Jazz material the stuff he did with Mezzrow? I'm at work rather than home and can't check!

gregmo

For the record - I have the Bechet Mosaic and I have the RCA Bechet cd reissues. I also have the blue note vinyl and RCA vinyl - ALL of which I purchased new. BUT... if I came along at this stage of the game with no Bechet and wanted to hear that material Disconforme would be the easiest place to get it from. Even if I was inclined to hunt down the "legit" issues none of my payment would be seen by either Mosaic or RCA or Bluenote. If Bluenote and RCA leave it to the default ...then the default gets it.

Edit to add: BTW ...the 60s Bluenote vinyl kicks the shit out of any subsequent issues that I've heard.

No criticism intended. I have my share of Spanish pirate releases, including the Bechet RCA on Definitive. Those picked up on cd material I had on two RCA Vintage LPs. Gee, that doesn't date me, does it?!

Thanks Lon. I thought those were the issues. Good stuff. But then I like everything Bechet did, including several of the French Vogues in the 50s.

gregmo

[JSngry]

I got the RCA stuff on a dandy 2LP Bluebird set. Probably some still out there.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i can get one of those old blue note sidney reissues from the 60s sealed but its electronically rechanneled for stereo: isnt that unusal for blue note to do that?

i know prestige did it a little bit i have a yusef lateef album like that im pretty sure

Edited November 5, 2009 by chewy

[brownie]

chewy, forget about those electronically rechanneled BNs. A number of pre-stereo BN albums were reissued that way when the label was owned by Liberty.

Get the CDs instead if you cannot lay hands on the original 12inch BN releases (they're much cheaper too!)

[Harold_Z]

I just checked disconforme's website. They have a complete Bluenote set and a complete RCA set still in print and available through them. Why RCA and Bluenote don't have them in print themselves is a travesty.

Yes, well, I'm pretty sure the blue note set ripped off the now oop Mosaic set, and RCA has put out some Bechet in the past, but that is one place to get it.

Lon, is that King Jazz material the stuff he did with Mezzrow? I'm at work rather than home and can't check!

gregmo

For the record - I have the Bechet Mosaic and I have the RCA Bechet cd reissues. I also have the blue note vinyl and RCA vinyl - ALL of which I purchased new. BUT... if I came along at this stage of the game with no Bechet and wanted to hear that material Disconforme would be the easiest place to get it from. Even if I was inclined to hunt down the "legit" issues none of my payment would be seen by either Mosaic or RCA or Bluenote. If Bluenote and RCA leave it to the default ...then the default gets it.

Edit to add: BTW ...the 60s Bluenote vinyl kicks the shit out of any subsequent issues that I've heard.

No criticism intended. I have my share of Spanish pirate releases, including the Bechet RCA on Definitive. Those picked up on cd material I had on two RCA Vintage LPs. Gee, that doesn't date me, does it?!

Thanks Lon. I thought those were the issues. Good stuff. But then I like everything Bechet did, including several of the French Vogues in the 50s.

gregmo

I have those RCA Vintage lps. They probably date both of us. : ) Good sound. I didn't get the RCAs in any chronological form until I came across a bunch of King Jazz lp issues sometime in the late 70s and early 80s. The King Jazz lps sounded fine.

[Hoppy T. Frog]

I like the Mosaic Select, but that was probably not a "definitive" collection, more like odds and ends.

[CJ Shearn]

is that EMI release all of Bechet's BN material?

[Harold_Z]

is that EMI release all of Bechet's BN material?

I didn't do a track by track but just looking at it, it seems to be all the master takes. The Disconforme was also 3 cds and was complete. The Mosaic had the masters and alternates.

[Harold_Z]

I got home and had a chance to compare. The EMI isn't complete. At this stage of the game Disconforme is the only complete set of Bluenotes I know of. Same with the RCA material.