[Dixielandjazz] Hot 5 and 7 sets

[R. or V. Thompson]

Hi, Bill,

I guess my memory did play some tricks on me, but your reply sets me straight--and I'm fairly sure your initial response to BR was what I had read back when.  Anyway, now I have it straight, and I want to thank you for riding to the rescue as you so often do.  Don't ever die!

Best,

Bert

-----Original Message-----
>From: Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
>Sent: Sep 26, 2006 8:56 PM
>To: R & V Thompson <rvthompson at earthlink.net>, dixieland jazz mail list <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>Subject: Re: Hot 5 and 7 sets
>
>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.
>
>
>


rvthompson at earthlink.net
Reality is for people who lack imagination.