SwingDJs

djstarr wrote:

Jerry_Jelinek wrote:First of all I'm brand new to this discussion board. I work with a community run radio station in Cleveland (FM 91.5). We play 24/7 big band, swing and lighter jazz. I'm usually on Friday evenings from 9-11pm.

Hi Jerry! I'm excited you've joined us. I've been flirting with the idea of volunteering at some local radio stations that play jazz; I also have been meeting some of the DJs since they play in a hot jazz band we've been going out to hear.

So I think it will be very interesting to get your perspective -- you probably get the chance to play a lot more selections since you don't have to worry as much about how danceable a song is.

djstarr, you are awesome!

Anybody have either of the JSP Cab Calloway boxed sets? If so, what do you think of them?

Live & Rare - Ellington. Three CDs, seems like a mixed bag, but from the clips I've heard online, there's some great stuff. Anybody have this or know if the good stuff is available on other CDs?

Matthew wrote:Anybody have either of the JSP Cab Calloway boxed sets? If so, what do you think of them?

I have all four discs of the Early Years 1930-1934 volume that I downloaded from E-music back when E-music didn't suck so bad.

Sound quality is pretty poor on the first disc, but I think that's because the originals were pretty old. Quite a bit of record hiss. This doesn't distract me from it, however, i'm just pointing it out. The later discs get better on quality of course, and are fine for playing.

Content is pretty cool. Lots of stuff I've never found on any other sets, primarily because Calloway discs usually contain the same old cheezy tunes that eveyone has groan to loath and hate.

As long as they aren't charging too much, I'd recommend it. I dig his version of Bugle Call Rag. And lots of stuff you can play at dances, in my opinion. Has a bit of pre-swing feel, so if you can handle that trad jazz feel (stacato rather than smoothed swing), you'll love it.

I recommend the Vol. 2 JSP Cab box set , great price, label, Ted Kendall the audio restorationist learned under John R.T. Davies so it sounds great...You may also be surprised on how many instrumentals are on the box set as well...My faves off of it are Manhattan Jam, Queen Isabelle, A Minor Breakdown (Rustle Of Swing)...