SwingDJs

GemZombie wrote:

KevinSchaper wrote: anyway, regarding the topic - I think a lot of stuff has been reissued at some point, somewhere - like International Sweethearts of Rhythm, it's a bitch to find their music, but you can find LP reissues, you don't hafta go all the way back to the 78.

There's a couple tunes on this collection:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... ojaa#TRACK

I love this one cuz it has some great Mary Lou Williams tunes.

Another CD that is out of print

Didn't realize it was out of print. That sucks.

There are only two ISOR songs on their anyway, but the MLW stuff is awesome

It's just a CD to look for in the used bins though.

I actually have the ISoR LP. Good stuff.

Lawrence wrote:

yedancer wrote:I don't think I've ever heard Ron play a song recorded before 1940.

Why pick on Ron? (Of course, local animosity always seems to be the most ardent). As I pointed out elsewhere, that doesn't mean he hasn't done it....

It's no secret that Ron doesn't like that stuff. On his website he says: "I prefer Hi-Fidelity recordings over those lower-fi recordings of the '30s and '40s. " I don't think it's animosity to point out an obvious fact. And how is it picking on someone to say that they don't play a certain kind of music, if they themselves openly agree?

Besides, Ron and I both know that I'm the better DJ.

Swifty wrote:I know that some might prefer later swing music, but I've yet to come across a DJ that won't touch original era jazz.

I live to see the day you let one of these comments go unsaid.

it's said but it is true. the most common excuse for not playin 1930's music is because it was not recorded in good enough quality, thats the excuse anyways.

Matthew wrote:
How much of the older music has been digitized? Is there anything in particular that you'd like to see made available on CDs?

Tons of stuff was transferred at one point from the original recorded 78 plates to LP during the 50's,60's etc...so when looking for rare stuff it's best to search for the LP which would be alot cleaner to transfer.

for some interesting reason , every now and then you'll find a track on a LP that was never put out on CD, why one or two tracks never made the cut I'll never know.

Chronological Classic has done a great job in putting out Jazz/swing era music, using the best sources possible unfortunatly there realses are not always the absolute cleanest. Most commonly the reason is that it was simply not recorded very good in the first place, very little money was put into recording black musicians unless they had a very popular band, even then compared to the white bands the equipment was below par. Other times they cannot find or the original plates have been destroyed.

I feel strongly about playing and promoting these great bands who where forgotten in history.....

Jeremy, I'm not sure exactly what your point was, anyway. While I may not play much before 1940, I regularly play songs recorded in the 40's, as my reviews and playlists show. This thread was talking about music available on 78's that hasn't made it to CD, and that could include such music, so I might be interested, too. But indeed, I'm pretty picky about sound quality.

I took your comment as a shot, but a poorly aimed one.

Ron wrote:Jeremy, I'm not sure exactly what your point was, anyway. While I may not play much before 1940, I regularly play songs recorded in the 40's, as my reviews and playlists show. This thread was talking about music available on 78's that hasn't made it to CD, and that could include such music, so I might be interested, too. But indeed, I'm pretty picky about sound quality.

I took your comment as a shot, but a poorly aimed one.

There was no shot intended. Reuben said that some DJs won't touch original recordings, and Ryan said that he didn't know of any DJs like that. I was merely pointing out that you are a DJ who rarely if ever plays pre-40's recordings. How is that a shot at you?

yedancer wrote:There was no shot intended.

It sounded like one when placed in the context of other threads. If it's not, then I don't mean to create a spark/feud where there is none.

Just because someone mentions a preference (even a strong one) for hi-fidelity, that does not mean they are oblivious to lo-fi, uninterested in lo-fi or that they refuse to play it. I clearly say the same thing on my website that you say Ron wrote on his website.

Lawrence wrote:

yedancer wrote:There was no shot intended.

It sounded like one when placed in the context of other threads. If it's not, then I don't mean to create a spark/feud where there is none.

Just because someone mentions a preference (even a strong one) for hi-fidelity, that does not mean they are oblivious to lo-fi, uninterested in lo-fi or that they refuse to play it. I clearly say the same thing on my website that you say Ron wrote on his website.

Oh don't worry, Ron and I already have a great feud going.

Seriously though, it's not like this is my opinion of Ron's DJing. He doesn't make it a secret that he extremely dislikes lo-fi recordings, especially pre-1940 recordings. I might not agree with that viewpoint, but it's not like I was calling him names or something. I was just making a very valid observation. And I didn't just say Ron said that on his web site, I went there and copied and pasted it directly.

I know from personal experience that Ron hardly ever plays old recordings. That's his preference and that's fine. It's not like I said something like, "Ron is a stupid old fart who is a complete idiot because he doesn't play old recordings," or "Ron doesn't play lo-fi recordings, so he's the suckiest DJ in the world." Now those would have been shots.

It's kinda depressing that "swing DJ's" would ignore some of the greatest musicians that ever lived because of "recording quality". especially because the reason tended to be because of race.


Not sharing or exposing these artist to the swing community as a swing DJ continues to live by the same standards as record companies did during the 30's.

Many contest during the 30's were held using 78's especially smaller ones. Most the time Dancers were required to bring their own music!
If it was good for them it's certainly good for us, right?

and here we are worried about recording quality.LOL

In 20 more years will some DJ's only use sorround sound?

It's like saying you won't look at "The Last Supper" fresco because it's peeling and getting old and discolored.

SirScratchAlot wrote:It's kinda depressing that "swing DJ's" would ignore some of the greatest musicians that ever lived because of "recording quality". especially because the reason tended to be because of race.


Not sharing or exposing these artist to the swing community as a swing DJ continues to live by the same standards as record companies did during the 30's.

Many contest during the 30's were held using 78's especially smaller ones. Most the time Dancers were required to bring their own music!
If it was good for them it's certainly good for us, right?

and here we are worried about recording quality.LOL

In 20 more years will some DJ's only use sorround sound?

that's pretty shoddy debate tactics invoking the race card against djs who don't agree with your tastes. and there is a big difference between ignoring artists and saying that recording quality is an issue. it's true though that if someone is excluding all 40's and earlier music because of sound quality then they are doing themselves and their audience a disservice. both because there is so much great music from that era and because some of the recordings are decent.

SirScratchAlot wrote:It's kinda depressing that "swing DJ's" would ignore some of the greatest musicians that ever lived because of "recording quality". especially because the reason tended to be because of race.

In 20 more years will some DJ's only use sorround sound?

It definitely has nothing to do with race. And, yes, in 20 years most DJs probably will DJ in surround sound, as they should.

Music is an audible experience, so it should come as no surprise that the quality of a recording affects the enjoyment and appreciation of it.

Most people born after 1950 are so accustomed to hi-fi that they don't respond to lo-fi as well as they do to hi-fi.

Hi-fi also made rhythmic and musical subtlties possible that were not noticable in the lo-fi era.

Musicians who recorded in hi-fi were not oblivious of the innovations, inspirations, and talent of lo-fi musicians, and were able to expand upon them.

Also, although not all hi-fi is good, many of the bad hi-fi recordings are bad because hi-fi reveals defects in the musicianship that lo-fi concealed.

Insisting on playing entirely "original era" musicians is like insisting that a modern hip-hop/rap DJ play MC Hammer, Young-MC, or other "original rappas" when they spin music.

Finally, although you are correct that it is unfortunate that some of the best musicians are overlooked because of the historical accident of when they recorded their music, it is similarly disheartening how some other people ignore some of the best music out there because of a tunnel-vision focus on only a decade's worth of recordings.

Also, although not all hi-fi is good, many of the bad hi-fi recordings are bad because hi-fi reveals defects in the musicianship that lo-fi concealed.

In the genre of stuff that was recorded just for the sake of having a hi-fi take on an earlier recording, it's usually just that it's lifeless that's the problem..

Nobody's really playin a lot of that stuff anymore though, thankfully.

(at least, not 'round here)

So, to take this in a different directions, what're some of your favorite recordings for straight up sound quality?

I love listening to the Ellington & Ray Brown disc real loud.. and I dig that Mora records using a binaural mic..