Dixieland Music

I usually hate xmas compilations, but this one has a coupla gems. Louis Prima's "What Will Santa Claus Say (when he finds everybody swingin')" is so jivin'. AND he wrote it! Also, Duke Ellington's take on that hardened chestnust, "Jingle Bells" is impressive. And the jovial call-and-response vocals of "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is worth the price of admission alone.

These are just some of the reasons to get this disc:
* Duke Ellington & His Orchestra doing "Jingle Bells is just about the best of the hundreds of versions of that song.
* Louis Prima's "What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin'?)" is sone vintage Christmas swing.
* Big Tiny Little's (I just love that name) ragtime piano intrumental "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" will make you want to sing along.
* Charles Brown does the original "Merry Christmas, Baby". If you don't already own it on another compilation, you can get it here.

Most of the songs here are good representations of Christmas in New Orleans. Still, I have to wonder why the producers of this disc chose to include Fats Domino's "When The Saints Go Marching In", since he has recorded some great Christmas songs. And how did the Boston Pops end up on a New Orleans compilation? Also, Victoria Spivey's "Christmas Morning Blues" has kind of grating 1920's blues sound that would appeal mostly to music historians.
This is probably about a 3 1/2 star set, but the generous Christmas spirit bumps it up to 4.

This is a classic. Armstrong's voice is its own blend of sandpaper and silk and it is satisfying to listen to him.

There are tunes in here like "Zat you Santa Claus" that are a hoot: "What's that I spy there, is that an eye there? Zat you Santa Claus?" Now, once you hear it, you'll have a hard time getting it out of your head.

The playing is solid and the tunes are all well executed. This is jazz played the way "it used to be," and it is a throroughly satisfying experience. I bought this on vinyl originally and am glad it has made the trip to CD.

So few people today have heard Satchmo (Armstrong) that when you put this one on and people start to hum along and pick up the words, they get quiet and listen. It's a blast from the past!

Se você está interessado em conhecer o bebop, esta é uma boa oportunidade. A coleção traz um apanhado geral do estilo e no mínimo vale como curiosidade para quem quer se iniciar no tema.

The reviews above just about sum it up: great collection, nice selection of songs, and I hear the booklet is great. I bought my box set from another seller and it came without the book. Anyone wishing to sell one or know of a place to get it, please contact me!

As a long time jazz fan, you'd expect that I would have most of the material on a box like this. And I do. But there are quite a few gems I've found nowhere else and, in any case, it's wonderful having all of this amazing music in one place. "Bebop Spoken Here" is indeed a perfect introduction to this challenging subgenre of jazz, but it is also a wonderful set for the connoisseur of jazz. All the greats are here, both the famous and the obscure. If you haven't picked this up yet, do so!

This huge compilation casts a wide net, capturing the classic recordings of the giants of bebop: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Bud Powell, the early recordings of future stars like Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz, the popularizers who made it accessible to a larger audience: Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet and Charlie Ventura and the rarities by now-obscure musicians: Freddie Webster, Sonny Berman, Tom Archia, Tony Fruscella and many others.

Why buy this set? You won't hear this music anywhere else as radio these days won't play anything made before the LP era.
You will discover that although this music was far-out, Dizzy Gillespie was popular enough to have his own big band and a
major-label record contract. Charlie Parker could play any style,
his first record with Tiny Grimes is pure swing and Parker plays superbly. You'll hear Trummy Young, Louis Armstrong's trombone player, play superbly on "Good Bait" with Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon. You will hear so much rare and excellent music, otherwise completely unobtainable, by musicians, like Tadd Dameron, so influential and yet now forgotten. You will hear the
greatness of those who died far too soon like Wardell Gray and Fats Navarro.

If you want to experience and understand this music, this is essential listening. Reasonably priced, excellently documented too!

Like eating really good filet mignon for the first time, and feeling slightly sorry that you deprived yourself up that point. But otherwise, just smiling, swaying to the beat and scatting along.

A good friend of mine who is a semi-professional musician attempted to teach me about modes, how jazz is often constructed. I'm just an appreciative music fan, but clearly the artists on this collection were high adepts, skillful in weaving together some of the most complex yet unpretentious music ever heard. Too many fabulous artists to single out; they're all good. I hope jazz fans back in the day enjoyed this music as much as I do.

BUY THIS COLLECTION AT ONCE!!!

If this set actually contained the advertised songs I would have given it five stars. However, when you receive it, the songs are all different! If you are looking for a general Christmas jazz set, this one is OK ... But if you are looking for those specific songs I would look elsewhere.

Christmas hasn't been the same since I discovered this fabulous box set. Jazz has been forevermore infused into Jingle Bells and Bing Crosby. (Although Bing joins in on "Gone Fishin'.")

What a collection! Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Lena Horne...every disk is a powerhouse of music. I am no Jazz expert, but I know how to enjoy good music. "What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin'?)" is my favorite. It is as swinging a song as the title suggests. Mildred Bailey does good service to "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" "The Night Before Christmas" as read by Louis Armstrong is really fun.

I can't imagine a better box set. Each of the three disks is worth the price on its own.

There is an astonishing breadth and depth to this collection. All the styles of jazz guitar, US and European, with complete liner notes and personnel. A wonderful job of production. For the person who wants to listen to good music, this is an excellent purchase. For the person who wants to learn about jazz history and the role of the guitar, it's a must. If you have never heard Al Casey with Fats Waller on Buck Jumpin', do yourself a favor. It alone is worth the bargain price on this CD set.

To take on putting the greats of jazz guitar onto only 4 CDs is a daunting, if not ridiculous task. How can anyone choose what to put in and what not to? Thankfully, that didn't stop Proper Box from putting this little gem together. It is a small, very selective but comprehensive collection, bringing you from the start (Lonnie Johnson & Eddie Lang) in 1927 up through the 1940's. I have to say, though, that I am a little disappointed in the remastering because I have several of the earlier stuff on other CDs with a much better sound and speed. Not sure why they decided to go with this level of quality, espcially since their other collections don't have this problem. On the other hand, it is definitely acceptable. The music is still great and the musicians ... from Eddie Lang to Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Freddie Green, Barney Kessel etc. are incomparable. At this price, you really can't do better! And, if you play, it's an invaluable reference.