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Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 11:37 am
by straycat
Is going to be out December 9th, and it's pure Basie / Prez from the late 30s.

As before, you can download one track now (an AWESOME Bugle Call Rag), and the previews for the others have me completely stoked for the rest....

Christmas coming early this year :)

http://jazzmuseuminharlem.org/savorycollection/vol2/

Here's a quote from that page:
Volume 2: Jumpin’ at the Woodside includes 22 rare tracks from the late 30’s that heavily define Count Basie’s Swing Era legacy. They highlight the genius of the Pres, tenor saxophonist Lester Young, and include many notable gems by soloists and sideman alike. These extended nightclub and ballroom performances are longer, free-flowing and creatively daring as the artists were freed from the constraints of a conventional studio recording.

What separates these from the previously issued Basie air checks of the same vintage, is the definition and depth that Savory’s discs afford. The rhythm section with the strokes and chords of the guitar are clearly audible, as are the always swinging rumblings of the bass drum. The horns also benefit from a sense of the air in the room that surrounded them. While not high fidelity, they are markedly superior to anything previously heard.

This extraordinary find is a collector’s dream. It is an educational gem, an authentic record of our rich musical heritage and adds new layers to the story of jazz as we know it.

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 3:15 pm
by trev
I'm so excited about this series. Can't wait!

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:46 pm
by trev
3 tracks into the Savory Collection Vol 2 and all I can say is WOW. Electric 1930s Count Basie! How good was Lester Young?!

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:22 pm
by Jose Tello
The tracks sound great, but I wonder why only release these volumes in m4a format via the iTunes store. Kind of funny that so much time went into restoring these tracks and preparing them for release, only to have them released in a somewhat low quality format... :P

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 6:18 pm
by trev
There's complex legal issues around the release of this material. I suspect either digital-only made the copyright issues simpler, or Apple was seen as a suitable partner to help the project forward in exchange for exclusivity.

As for audio quality, AAC format at 256 kbps is pretty decent, especially considering the relatively poor condition of the source material. I'm not sure lossless quality would have revealed any more detail even to the most adamant audiophiles.

The series producer Loren Schoenberg has stated that they are hoping to do a CD release eventually, perhaps as a Mosaic set.

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:07 am
by straycat
Yeah - I think it's a minor miracle they've managed to release anything at all - I had a brief email conversation with the Mosaic guys a while back, where they made it sound very unlikely they were ever going to get through the various legal hurdles and make a release possible

I do wonder whether Apple's clout was at least partially instrumental in making this happen - but with a but of luck, it might pave the way for companies like Mosaic to do their own releases. For now, I'm over the moon with the iTunes versions.

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 9:21 pm
by Jose Tello
trev wrote:There's complex legal issues around the release of this material. I suspect either digital-only made the copyright issues simpler, or Apple was seen as a suitable partner to help the project forward in exchange for exclusivity.

As for audio quality, AAC format at 256 kbps is pretty decent, especially considering the relatively poor condition of the source material. I'm not sure lossless quality would have revealed any more detail even to the most adamant audiophiles.

The series producer Loren Schoenberg has stated that they are hoping to do a CD release eventually, perhaps as a Mosaic set.
That makes sense, yeah. Something along the lines of what I suspected...
With ffmpeg and the lamemp3 plugins for Audacity, I was able to import the m4a files and clean a few tracks up a bit more. Pretty happy with the release and looking forward to seeing what else gets released next year. :)

Re: Savory Collection Volume 2

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 9:50 pm
by lipi
I'm particularly enjoying "Rosetta" from Lionel Hampton's jam session (1938-12-28) and intend to play it until dancers around here get thoroughly sick of it.

Then I'll play it some more.

Hire me, I'm awesome.