[Dixielandjazz] Two "astonishingly clear" Armstrong tracks

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

Ah, ha - the matter of the German /Odeon Swing Music/ series has 
come-up. Actually it's not a new story and the "astonishingly clear 
recordings" have been known to collectors of reissue material since the 
1970s. What is remarkable is WHEN this 78 rpm series was produced in 
Germany - 1937, yes 1937. It shows that the Nazi regime was less than 
consistent when it came to jazz - it may have been "degenerate" but it 
was readily available in Germany up until the start of WW2 under the 
name "swing", and even after that in the "occupied " territories (eg 
France). The series used both American OKeh and British Parlophone 
recordings from the period 1927 to 1935 inclusive.

 From the original material German EMI Electrola issued a set of 13 LPs 
in 1977. The sound quality of the LPs is first class and, at only 6 
tracks per side, has a dynamic range better than most (all?) other 
reissues. Of particular interest are the transfers of the Bix 
Beiderbecke and His Gang sides. I'd say that these transfers are the 
best I've heard of these classic recordings and, yes, I'm aware of the 
supposed "definitive" issues on CD. The "bite" of Beiderbecke's playing 
comes across superbly.

If there are any DJMLers who still collect LPs of classic jazz I'd 
suggest keeping an eye (and an ear) out for the Electrola LP set. The 
catalogue numbers are 1C 054-06 307 to 1C 054-06 319 inclusive.

All the best,
Anton
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