Essential Collections

[SirScratchAlot]

just because there are some dancers that do not have the abiltity , does not mean it's not danceble.
.

You presume to know what I mean by danceable????? How do you know that I am helping to restrict my scene?? How do you know what I consider danceable? How do you know the bredth of my interests in jazz? Etc......

All I really know is what you posted, and that was a recomendation that included everyone ("ourselves") to whatever your limit or "restriction" is....

I know a few of us don't know Limit's, only challenges...

sorry if it came off bad, but being from a Large scene We see Dj's that are lame all the time...in that they only play what "they" see as danceble, and they either don't dance, or they are not striving to be good(or better).

It bores the hell out of the good dancers, and those wanting to be good....

[SirScratchAlot]

I've been using Reuben's as a useful list for things to start collecting: http://www.jivejunction.com/djservices/

.

I couldn;t think of a better place to start.

if you really into particular styles of music or specific bands I'd start with Chronological classic's CD's. "some" of their CD's are not the best quality , especially big name bands like Duke, which have been remastered on Bigger named labels, however most of it ok. More importantly, you'll have everything that artist ever recorded in the chorological order in which they recorded them. including sometimes alternates or unreleased cuts...a must for the overly fanatical.

[djstarr]

It always tough to respond to threads like this. Inevitably, your fellow DJs decide to pull out their swords.

It is one thing to say that you like a certain track/album track. Most of the time, you can get away with that, if it phrased properly. However, whenever you start ranking or saying that one track/album/artist is above most others, it ends up getting real argumentative around here.

yeah, that's understandable. I figure I can keep posting and milking the "rookie DJ" bit, so if no one likes what I post they can just think "oh she's still new at this"

I used the Harlem battle thread as a shopping list - the first go around gave me two great albums that have at least 75% danceable content:
Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - The Great Summit - The Master Takes ---- The Duke backing up Louis --- really nice album -
Billie Holiday - Lady Day Swings

[Shanabanana]

See, Rayned, I told you so!

Rayne: should we make the essential albums a swingdj thread?
Shana: it would be interesting
Shana: but I'm not touching it with a 10 ft pole
Rayned: no?
Shana: not until I see that it's not going to be a ripfest


Shana: oh! I know! We should ask the board to come to a consensus!
Shana: THAT would be entertaining!
Rayned: hahaha... i left that out

[CafeSavoy]

what we have so far:


Essential Swing Era:
-Al Cooper Savoy Sultans, 1938-1941 [Classics]
-Andy Kirk, Mary's Idea <<1936 - 1941>>
-Artie Shaw, Begin the Beguine [Bluebird/RCA] <<'38-41>>
-Artie Shaw, Complete Gramercy Five Sessions <<'40-45>>
-Benny Goodman, The Birth of Swing
-Buddy Johnson, Walk 'Em
-Cab Calloway, Are You Hep to the Jive? <<1935 - 1945>>
-Chick Webb, Spinning the Web
-Chick Webb, Strictly Jive
-Count Basie, The Complete Decca Recordings
-Earl Hines, 1937-1939 [Classics]
-Earl Hines, Masterpieces, Vol. 14 <<1934 - 1942>>
-Ella Fitzgerald, Early Years, Pt. 1 <<1935 - 1938>>
-Erskine Hawkins, Original Tuxedo Junction <<1938 - 1945>>
-Fletcher Henderson, Hocus Pocus
-Fletcher Henderson, Tidal Wave
-Ivie Anderson & Duke Ellington, Raisin' the Rent
-Jay McShann, Blues from Kansas City <<1941-1942>>
-Jimmie Lunceford, For Dancer's Only [Decca] <<'35-37>>
-Jimmie Lunceford, Lunceford Special:[/b] 1939-1940
-Jimmie Lunceford, Rhythm Is Our Business [ASV/Living Era] <<'34-35>>
-Jimmie Lunceford, Stomp It Off <<'34-35>>
-Lucky Millinder, 1941-1942 [Classics]
-Lucky Millinder, 1943-1947 [Classics]
-Mills Blue Rhythm Band, 1934-1936 [Classics]
-Roy Eldridge with Gene Krupa and Anita O'Day, Uptown
-Roy Eldridge, After You've Gone <<'36-46>>
-Roy Eldridge, Little Jazz [CBS] <<'35-40>>
-Tommy Dorsey, Yes, Indeed! <<1939-1945>>

Essential Modern:
Essential Early Jazz:

Essential New York:
Essential Chicago:
Essential New Orleans:
Essential West Coast:
Essential Central Avenue:

Essential Male Vocalists:
Essential Female Vocalists:
Essential Vocal Groups:

Essential Big Bands:
-Complete Decca Count Basie or Proper Records Basie box set.
Essential Small Groups:
Essential Jazz Me Blues:
Essential Jump:
-Roy Milton and His Solid Senders - Specialty Series (Greatest Hits)
Essential Piano:
Essential Saxophone:
-Lester Young, complete studio sessions on Verve, and Proper Records Lester Young box set
Essential Trumpet:
-Louis Armstrong, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man or the not-out-of-print ... um, that flat one with all the photos. uh, yeah.
Essential Organ:
Essential Clarinet:
Essential Guitar:
-Charlie Christian, genius of the electric guitar.
Essential Drums:
-Chick Webb, Standing Tall

Essential Swing DJ Collection:
Essential Swing Dancer Collection:
Essential Jazz Early:
Essential Jazz Bebop:
Essential Jazz Post Bop:
-Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (self-titled, on Impulse!)

Essential Compilations:
-Really Swingin': Frankie Manning's Big Band
-Swinging at the Savoy: Home of Happy Feet 1937-45
-Oscillatin' Rhythm: Great Swing Hits in Hi-Fi
-An Anthology of Big Band Swing (1930-1955)
-Ken Burns Jazz: The Story of America's Music
-Prewar Vocal Jazz Story, 1923-1945
-Harlem Swings: Black Big Band Swing

[mark0tz]

These are some of my favorites, and I definitely think they belong in the list, too .

Jazz Bebop:
Miles Davis Quintet - Relaxin'

Big Bands:
Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport 1956 [Complete]

Piano:
Oscar Peterson - Exclusively For My Friends [Box Set]

Female Vocalist:
Sarah Vaughan - Sassy Swings The Tivoli [2 CD]

[Soupbone]

A couple of box sets to add to the lists:

Essential Jump: The Okeh Rhythm & Blues Story...[Box]

Essential Big Band: Fletcher Henderson -- A Study in Frustration [Box]

[julius]

Uh yeah, by "that flat one with all the photos" I meant the complete hot five and hot sevens.

[ad-roc]

Big Band - Various Artists
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music


40 Disc Box Set $85

If you haven't started a swing collection, this is prob the best place to start.

I have listened to this side by side with other remasters from the artists and this remaster is better than the rest that i have heard. (Especially on the Chick Webb)

[mark0tz]

Wow ad-roc. 40 cd's for $85? You're all about value today. There is a nice track selection on that set. Any liner notes about dates/personnel? Or at $2/cd should we only expect the music?

[Lawrence]

See, Rayned, I told you so!
Rayne: should we make the essential albums a swingdj thread?
Shana: it would be interesting
Shana: but I'm not touching it with a 10 ft pole
Rayned: no?
Shana: not until I see that it's not going to be a ripfest

I've resisted responding to this thread out of similar feelings of futility. Another problem is that, by Rayned's preliminary summary, we already have 43 "essential" albums, with 19 categories still completely empty! If we all chime in, we're going to collectively come up with an "essential" list that has 250-500 CDs on it, which makes each recommentation not at all "essential" but instead rather attenuated and detailed.

Moreover, that level of detail reflects some tastes, and leaves others out. How many Jimmy Lunceford CDs are necessary to get the "essential" gist of Jimmy Lunceford's music? We have 4 already on the list, compared to ZERO Duke Ellington and only 1 or 2 Basie recommendations. When we eventually get that detailed about Basie and Ellington, we won't have an "essential" collection, we'll have a list of "essential" CDs that has more CDs for any given artist on it than what 95% CD stores out there carry in stock for that artist!! We now probably have more Jimmy Lunceford CDs on the "essential" list than even Jazz Record Mart (Chicago) carries in stock!!

I look at an "essential" collection as a starting point of COMMONLY-AVAILABLE albums for beginners who are developing their collection from scratch, not a list of what you need to have if you want to be a swing scholar or if you want to go to the ends of the earth chasing down rare Chick Webb compilations. Thus, for example, my Chick Webb "essential" CD is the widely-available "Swingsation" compilation (with Ella Fitzgerald, part of the series GRP re-released during the fad years), even though "Spinning the Webb" or the 2-CD French "Quintessence" compilation might be better compilations. I do have some rare CDs on my list, but only if completely necessary or if sufficient justification exists to overcome the "commonly-available" criterion.

On my website, I also limit my "essential" list to 25, and even in doing that I end up making multiple recommendations in some lines to extend it to 30 or more. But anything over 50 will certainly just overwhelm someone trying to get a grasp of the "essentials."

[CafeSavoy]

How many Jimmy Lunceford CDs are necessary to get the "essential" gist of Jimmy Lunceford's music? We have 4 already on the list, compared to ZERO Duke Ellington and only 1 or 2 Basie recommendations.

feel free to add some ellington and basie

[falty411]

Wow ad-roc. 40 cd's for $85? You're all about value today. There is a nice track selection on that set. Any liner notes about dates/personnel? Or at $2/cd should we only expect the music?

I got mine for $59.99

fairly complete liner notes including a little info about the band and personel, recording dates for each track etc.

awesome buy, even for those of us that arent just starting our collection

[SirScratchAlot]

How many Jimmy Lunceford CDs are necessary to get the "essential" gist of Jimmy Lunceford's music? We have 4 already on the list, compared to ZERO Duke Ellington and only 1 or 2 Basie recommendations.

feel free to add some ellington and basie

too funny, I alwasy ask dancers who danced during the swing era what their favorite Bands where. Lunceford was more dancers favorites then any other band (of both white and black dancers, including Lindy Hoppers as well as Swing dancers)....closely followed by Goodman, and third Basie...then Barnet...Webb...Shaw...(quite alot of dancers considered Barnett the dance band version of Ellington). But none has ever mention Ellington in their Top 5 as a dance band...

[SirScratchAlot]

Essential Piano:

Any Fats Waller on Piano

Essential Organ:

any Fats Waller on Organ