Masters Of Jazz label

[russell]

Prompted by the Jimmie Lunceford discussions - I picked up a few of his CDs on this label while in Paris.
Unfortunately the original label is now defunct.
It had a similar aim to CC - to provide complete sets but only achieved it for Charlie Christian.
Well put together with great liner notes (in both French and Engish). The CDs are "lightly" remastered. Still some noise on them. John T Davies involved in some of the transfers.
For list of CDs

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/moj.htm

For further information:

http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/archive/ ... -1153.html

Recommend picking them up if you see them. Some of them on amazon e.g.

http://www.amazon.com/1935-1936-Vol-3-J ... F8&s=music

[anton]

Prompted by the Jimmie Lunceford discussions - I picked up a few of his CDs on this label while in Paris.

The CDs are "lightly" remastered. Still some noise on them. John T Davies involved in some of the transfers.

They are very nice! I have vol. 6 of the Jimmie Lunceford series, which makes it possible to A-B-C compare the following discs:

Jimmie Lunceford: 1939 (Classics, 1990)
Jimmie Lunceford: Volume 6 - 1939 (Masters of Jazz, 1996)
Jimmie Lunceford: Lunceford Special - 1939-1940 (Columbia Legacy, 2001)

First, the Masters of Jazz disc is superior to the Classics disc in every respect. It is complete, i.e., it includes the alternative takes. And the sound is SO MUCH BETTER!

Between the Masters of Jazz and the Legacy discs it is a close call. The Legacy disc has less surface noise (not necessarily a good thing) but also a more distinct sound with more "punch". It varies a bit between the tracks. "The Lonesome Road" actually has less noise on Masters of Jazz. "Ain't She Sweet", being very soft and quiet in the first part, IMO sounds much better on Legacy and would be my choice for DJing.

I guess I have to put a bunch of those Masters of Jazz CDs on my "must have" list. At least the used Lunceford CDs are not that expensive yet... (they are available on amazon.fr).

[anton]

Does anyone have these Ella discs?

137/38 Fitzgerald Ella Complete 1940 Broadcasts CD Masters Of Jazz MJCD-137/138
169 Fitzgerald Ella On The Air – Vol.3 1944-1947 CD Masters Of Jazz MJCD-169

Definite Records seems to have "cloned" the 1940 Ella broadcasts in a recent release. Do they have the same quality? (Side conjecture: the Definitive early Basie sets are clones of the Masters of Jazz Basie discs. And they sound great.)