[Dixielandjazz] Hot 5 and 7 sets

[Bill Haesler]

Regarding: >Both JSP and Columbia issued 4-CD sets of the Hot 5's and Hot
7's recordings.  
I seem to recall reading somewhere that both were incomplete, each having
some tracks the other lacked.  Does anyone have this information to hand?
Bill Haesler?  TIA.
Bert<

Dear Bert,
Bob Ringwald asked a similar question back in December 2004 when he said "I
have asked Santa to bring me the full collection of the Louis Armstrong
Hot 5 & Hot 7 recordings.  Unfortunately Santa does not know which set might
be the best."
This was my long reply.
(I can't recall whether  Bob gave us the result.)
I hope that it satisfactorily answers your question
Kind regards,
Bill. 

Dear Bob,
Currently, the best restored set of the Louis Hot 5 & 7s is the JSP box.
This has been confirmed by most of the DJML respondents, so far. Remastered
by my dear friend, the late John RT Davies.
The Sony set , which I have heard, but do not own seems (like the recent
Goodman 'Carnegie Hall Concert reissue) to have a slight 'brittleness' on
some sides. Perhaps because Sony may have reused the earlier Louis' Columbia
CD master tapes as a basis.
As some DJMLers will know, the original Okeh 78rpm Hot 5 & 7 metal masters
were scrapped long ago and none exist. Therefore all restoration work has to
start with the cleanest 78 pressings available. Nor are there any alternate
masters of any of these recordings.
The first two JSP Hot 5 & 7 CDs start with "My Heart", run through to "Savoy
Blues" and include the big band "Chicago Breakdown" and "He Likes It Slow"
by Butterbeans and Susie.
The 4CD set of Louis on JSP has some Louis' big band stuff, including the
two Caroll Dickerson sides, and runs from "Fireworks" to the 1930 "Dear Old
Southland" with alternates of some big band sides.
Jerry Gordon mentioned that there are 93 tracks on the Sony set compared to
89 on the JSPs. I will take Jerry's word for this. However, it is useless
trying to compare CDs 3 and 4 of the JSP with the Sony CDs 3 and 4.
One reason is that the Sony set stops at the 1929 "Knockin' A Jug" but have
included the magnificent "Drop That Sack (2 takes)/Georgia Bo Bo" by Lil's
Hot Shots plus some Johnny Dodd's Black Bottom Stompers sides and blues
items by Hociel Thomas and Lil Delk Christian, not on the JSPs
At the 'steal' price definitely ask Santa for the 4 JSP CDs.
If Santa is generous he might even leave both sets! Notwithstanding the big
overlap. 
If you want the Lil's Hot Shots stuff, all the Johnny Dodds Black Bottom
Stompers sides and the wonderful Louis with Erskine Tate's Vendome Orch,
then you should get the Frog DGF39. All superbly remastered by John RT
Davies. 
Incidentally, John RT has maintained since the early LP days that as
recording restoration technology improves, the Classic Jazz gems (Oliver
Creole Jazz Band, early Louis Hot 5s & 7s and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot
Peppers) should be remastered and reissued every 10 years.
John has consistently done the best there is - to date. The Louis and
Morton's are on JSP and the Oliver's are on Retrieval. John has also done a
superb job with the complete Bessie Smiths (including rare alternates) on an
8-CD Frog set which leaves the old Columbia CD set in the shade.
I am sure that listmate Jazz Jerry can do a great deal on any of the above.
He may even throw in a bonus copy of Louis' WWW.   8>)
Kind regards,
Bill.