SwingDJs

I just noticed that a label called Charly Records has made available on iTunes pretty much every rare classic jazz track I have been trying to acquire from out-of-print Chrolological classics discs. There's now Mills Blue Rhythm Band, early Earl Hines, Horace Henderson, Harlan Leonard, Lil Hardin' etc, etc. Does anyone know anything about this label? I'm assuming they are somewhat dodgy, but it's nice to have access to so much!

I'm using the Australian iTunes Store, so I'm not sure if its the same elsewhere.

I noticed that too, and I've bought some of the Mills Blue Rhythm Band tracks. If I could find a way of searching iTunes for all artists under a particular label, I would listen to them all. I've noticed that more jazz like this is appearing on iTunes, and it's not clear if it's possible to buy the equivalent CD.

It's a British company, and here's their website - it doesn't really answer your question -

http://charly.uklive.eonic.co.uk/About+Charly

I don't think they are particularly 'dodgy', as I don't think Apple would get involved if they were.

I think i have some of their cds. I don't really remember anything about them. I'll have to go through their catalog to see which i have.

before all the yanks start looking: not on the u.s. itunes store, sadly.

lipi wrote:before all the yanks start looking: not on the u.s. itunes store, sadly.

Great! Now you tell me. I spent the whole afternoon yesterday looking through iTunes for this stuff. Just the same, I don't like the drm gorp that apple puts on its iTunes music. I probably won't have bought anything.

lipi wrote:before all the yanks start looking: not on the u.s. itunes store, sadly.

You could email Charly Records and ask about availability of this material in the USA ...

Contact details at Snapper Music (the Charly label company) -

http://www.snappermusic.com/About+Us/Contact+us

I just took a further look, and it's quite extensive - I'd estimate that 80% of the Chronological Classics catalogue is on there. (note that it's not issued by CC, but it's a good way to descibe the scope of this material)

I have mixed feelings about this. I'm excited because it means I can have pretty much any pre-1950 jazz track that I want immediately, I just have to find the good stuff. Of course, what you get is not as good as having a CD in your hands complete with session notes and background info, and it somewhat destroys the joy of collecting. The emphasis changes from CD hunting to testing tracks and deciding yes or no.

Then again, DJs having better access to good music can surely only benefit the swing scenes.

i emailed snapper music and asked about distribution in the u.s. no reply yet. i'll post here when i hear anything.

any of blightey's citizens or their antipodes wanna check whether the three peppers album is on there? "that's some holy grail shit right there."

any of blightey's citizens or their antipodes wanna check whether the three peppers album is on there? "that's some holy grail shit right there."

That was one of the first things I checked for and unfortunately they're not there. They have Spirits of Rhythm though.

I have several of the Charly CDs, and they unfortunately are total crap production-wise. I bought many of them on the street in New York, and got the impression they are illegal in the US.

Hopefully the ITunes stuff is better, but Charly and Madacy are the two cheap-o labels that I completely stay away from.

Lawrence wrote:I have several of the Charly CDs, and they unfortunately are total crap production-wise. I bought many of them on the street in New York, and got the impression they are illegal in the US.

Which artists? A lot of the Charly jazz CDs On iTunes say they were released in June 2006 - a lot of Charlie Christian ones for example. I get the impression this is correct - they've only appeared recently. So I'm not sure if the ones you bought in New York are the same as the recently-released ones on iTunes.

Haydn wrote: Which artists? A lot of the Charly jazz CDs On iTunes say they were released in June 2006 * * * * I'm not sure if the ones you bought in New York are the same as the recently-released ones on iTunes.

Possibly. No Charlie Christian or anything of the sort. Mostly pop-swing stars like Basie, Cab Calloway, Ellington, Benny Goodman, Louis Prima, and Louis Jordan.

I also bought them over six or seven years ago, and they were likely mastered and pressed a few years before that, so the label might have "cleaned up" their act, so to speak. (Laserlight is the perfect example of a cheap-o label that has some awful-quality junk out there, but also has some amazing gems with great sound quality that are otherwise unavailable.) But the ones I bought were awful quality. It was enough to make me rather leery about Charley as a label prospectively.

they got back to me:

Over the next year a number of titles will
be available through Navarre in US.

Otherwise, you can buy on line at www.snappermusic.co.uk

not tremendously useful, and the website does not the stuff people are drooling over at the itunes store (no mills blue rhythm, for example). boo.