Classic V-Disc Small Group Jazz #279 – 11 CDs

[Hardbopjazz]

This new Mosaic coming out looks interesting. 

 

Classic V-Disc Small Group Jazz Sessions
Limited Edition Box Set
(#279 – 11 CDs)

Preorder Sale Price – $159

Regular Price $179.

Reserve Your Limited Edition Set Today!
Release  Date: October 15

 

This set collects some of the finest small-group jazz of the artistically turbulent Forties in collaborations that would not have happened otherwise. The V-Disc program did not record every important jazz artist active in those years, but they captured a great deal. These sessions are a fascinating cross-section of small-group jazz, with stars and some musicians never found in jazz history books.

By focusing on small groups and great solos, Mosaic has put together a collection that is more focused and pure than some varied and almost-random V-Disc sets that have appeared over the years, as well as more expansive than the one-or-two CD collections that concentrated on a more narrow set of artists.

These are the artists who would have been appearing on 52nd Street or clubs in LA, as well as superstars who would have beamed into soldiers’ living room radios if they had been home. There couldn’t be a more comprehensive collection of music from these years, much of which would have been lost without these musical documents.

 

[Bob_Bobson]

I've been looking forward to this one since it was posted earlier. Definitely will pre-order. Samples sound great btw.

[J.A.W.]

[ghost of miles]

Fantastic news! Looking forward to the larger-ensemble set as well.

[Dan Gould]

Very intrigued and agree that sound seems excellent.

unfortunately cash is tight and I don't know when I will be able to pull the trigger.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

Yay!

[Big Beat Steve]

Just had a look at the Mosaic website and am wondering (and puzzled ...) as I did not see a complete artist and track listing so far:

Certainly the list of artists is impressive so you cannot actually talk about "the usual suspects", but still I am wondering:
There were many, many artists who were fairly well-known back then and part of the Swing scene of the 40s (and contributed to the V-Disc catalog) but fell by the wayside in the way jazz history of that period is covered by scribes (particularly by latter-day ones).
So ... Will this set include a representative sampling of the offerings of small groups led by the likes of Loumell Morgan, Mary Greene, Page Cavanaugh, Vivian Garry, Les Paul etc.?
That would contribute to filling long-glaring gaps in the history the Swing Era of those years.

After all (and not least of all) some of the big "name" artists on V-Disc have already been round the block in various guises on the reissue market anyway.

Not hedging my bets nor hoping for anything but I just felt this question deserved to be asked ...

 

Edited September 25 by Big Beat Steve

[colinmce]

29 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Just had a look at the Mosaic website and am wondering (and puzzled ...) as I did not see a complete artist and track listing so far:

Certainly the list of artists is impressive so you cannot actually talk about "the usual suspects", but still I am wondering:
There were many, many artists who were fairly well-known back then and part of the Swing scene of the 40s (and contributed to the V-Disc catalog) but fell by the wayside in the way jazz history of that period is covered by scribes (particularly by latter-day ones).
So ... Will this set include a representative sampling of the offerings of small groups led by the likes of Loumell Morgan, Mary Greene, Page Cavanaugh, Vivian Garry, Les Paul etc.?
That would contribute to filling long-glaring gaps in the history the Swing Era of those years.

After all (and not least of all) some of the big "name" artists on V-Disc have already been round the block in various guises on the reissue market anyway.

Not hedging my bets nor hoping for anything but I just felt this question deserved to be asked ...

 

Scroll down under the blurb where it says Description & Audio Clips. Next to that is a toggle for Discography that lists the full contents.

And per your query, yes, there are a number of more obscure artists represented with this caveat at the end:

Quote

Due to space limitations we had to eliminate many sessions that were initially chosen for this set since they have very little or no jazz content. Others were eliminated because they are basically arranged performances with no or very little improvisation (like the Joe Marsala date from August 1947). We are hoping to release a set of big band V-Discs in addition to one of Benny Goodman’s V-Discs, so those were eliminated from this set as well.

We apologize for the omission of any of your favorite artists listed below.

Hoagy Carmichael
Pat Flowers
Harry “The Hipster” Gibson and Friends
Marie Greene and her V-Disc Merry Men
Edgar Hayes and his Stardusters
Calvin Jackson
Herb Jeffries with Eddie Beal and his Group
Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Evelyn Knight accompanied by Herman Chittison Trio
Monica Lewis and her V-Disc Friends
Joe Marsala
Joe Mooney Quartet
Les Paul Trio
Kay Penton with Tad Dameron and Group
Plink, Plank and Plunk (Tiger Haynes, Wilson Myers and Cliff Jackson)
Tommy Todd and his Trio
Buddy Weed and his Trio
Chris Griffin

 

Edited September 25 by colinmce

[Ken Dryden]

Ordered the moment that I saw the email.

[mjzee]

I'm impressed that they were able to locate a number of alternate takes.

[jazzbo]

1 hour ago, Ken Dryden said:

Ordered the moment that I saw the email.

Me too.

[ghost of miles]

2 hours ago, colinmce said:

Scroll down under the blurb where it says Description & Audio Clips. Next to that is a toggle for Discography that lists the full contents.

And per your query, yes, there are a number of more obscure artists represented with this caveat at the end:

 

A set of Goodman V-Discs as well?!  Maybe the apparent PD status of these recordings is going to enable Mosaic to bypass the notoriously obstinate Goodman estate?

[tranemonk]

5 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Fantastic news! Looking forward to the larger-ensemble set as well.

Where's the info on that?

[colinmce]

5 minutes ago, tranemonk said:

Where's the info on that?

 

[Jim Duckworth]

Oh, I pre-ordered.

[JSngry]

We welcome and value your opinions and are especially grateful to the Mosaic customer who suggested we donate a portion of the revenue from this set to a worthy veterans’ group. To honor our service men and women, and to echo the spirit of the V-Disc effort that sought to bring far away troops a taste of home, Mosaic will donate 10% of all gross sales  from this set (excluding shipping) to Home for Our Troops, an incredible group that creates custom-built homes for those severely injured in defense of our country, enabling them to rebuild their lives. For more on this group, visit Home for Our Troops.

Hey.

[medjuck]

7 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

A set of Goodman V-Discs as well?!  Maybe the apparent PD status of these recordings is going to enable Mosaic to bypass the notoriously obstinate Goodman estate?

Would that time period include anything with Charlie Christian?

[ghost of miles]

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

Would that time period include anything with Charlie Christian?

Unlikely—didn’t Christian pass away in 1942? Is he with Benny at all after 1941? In any case, I’m pretty sure he was off the scene before the V-Disc program got underway.

The unreleased Goodman recordings in the Savory collection may be an altogether different affair when it comes to Mr. Christian! Don’t know if they extend past his joining date in 1939 or not. But that set seems all but permanently stymied.

 

[JSngry]

9 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

A set of Goodman V-Discs as well?!  Maybe the apparent PD status of these recordings is going to enable Mosaic to bypass the notoriously obstinate Goodman estate?

So who is getting paid out of this? Publishers?

[gmonahan]

Pretty sure the artists involved did the work with the understanding they wouldn't get paid?? But regardless, I've definitely preordered this one!

 

[medjuck]

3 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Unlikely—didn’t Christian pass away in 1942? Is he with Benny at all after 1941? In any case, I’m pretty sure he was off the scene before the V-Disc program got underway.

The unreleased Goodman recordings in the Savory collection may be an altogether different affair when it comes to Mr. Christian! Don’t know if they extend past his joining date in 1939 or not. But that set seems all but permanently stymied.

The Savory Collection does contain performances with Christian though  not for any numbers not available elsewhere-- but I'd sure like to hear his unissued solos. 

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

So who is getting paid out of this? Publishers?

Not for anything published before 1930. An awful lot of music, books and films are going pd in the next ten years. Unfortunately not many recordings. 

[Big Beat Steve]

15 hours ago, colinmce said:

Scroll down under the blurb where it says Description & Audio Clips. Next to that is a toggle for Discography that lists the full contents.

And per your query, yes, there are a number of more obscure artists represented with this caveat at the end:

 

Thanks Colin. I had not seen all this when I visited the website.

Pity for the list of deliberate omissions. To me, some of the names sound intriguing or even tempting. From the point of view of making long-unavailable sides available, actually more so than (I have to use the term now 😄) some of the "usual 'name' suspects" who have been available in other packagings before.
But as they say - one man's meat ...

So - no Louis Jordan at all either? Not that this would worry me unduly (these performances HAVE been around as well), but did Mosaic actually find their jazz content to be insufficient too? To me, this somehow would sound like a somewhat narrowed-down definition of what they prefer to see in 40s jazz.
Or is it a matter of them preferring to attract a maximum of buyers by rounding up a roster of as-big-as-possible names because rarities and obscurities are too much of a niche interest within what is already a niche market?

[John L]

This is the kind of set that I just can't resist buying even if I don't know how often I will listen to it.  

[tranemonk]

16 minutes ago, John L said:

This is the kind of set that I just can't resist buying even if I don't know how often I will listen to it.  

I'm in the same boat. Well said.

[Fred]

Can't wait to order from Jazz Messengers of other european dealers. I can't afford any esose customs fees anymore.