Mills Blue Rhythm Band

Message

trev · #1 Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 7:44 pm

The Lucky Millinder 'Apollo Jumps' set I picked up is probably the best purchase I've made in my short time of swing-music-collecting, and so I was hoping to pick up some Mills Blue Rhythm Band.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I've been trying to find the 1936-1937 Classics disc, but it's a 9 year old release and seems to be out of stock at all my usual online sources?

Are there other sets more desirable? - I'm trying to avoid releases that sound like they were mastered thru a pillow.

lindyholic · #2 Post by **lindyholic** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 2:52 am

I have found with the CDs I have of theirs that it's about 50/50. 50% of it is really REALLY awesome, while the other 50% is so-so. This is the way it is with all the CDs of theirs I own, but each one is worth it for the awesome stuff, no doubt.

Harrison

trev · #3 Post by **trev** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 8:17 pm

lindyholic wrote:I have found with the CDs I have of theirs that it's about 50/50. 50% of it is really REALLY awesome, while the other 50% is so-so. This is the way it is with all the CDs of theirs I own, but each one is worth it for the awesome stuff, no doubt.

Harrison

Thanks, 50/50 is a pretty good ratio for most compilations. Now all I have to do is find one for sale.

Bob the Builder · #4 Post by **Bob the Builder** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 6:52 am

Hi Trev

I picked up the 1936 - 37 cd when I was in Toronto. I've really enjoyed it. I've included 2 track of it, in my Yehoodi radio set.
Only prolem with it is the sound recording quality is not fantastic. To get the best out of it when DJing you will need a good sound system and use you graphic equilizer.
If I came across any of the other Mills Blue Rhythm band CDs in my local shops, I wouldn't hesitate to pick them up. But that's just my music taste.
Hope it helps a little.

Brian

Platypus · #5 Post by **Platypus** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 8:16 am

Jazz Mart records in Chicago:
http://www.jazzrecordmart.com/cgi-bin/m ... rchant.mvc+

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/st ... 71-4733643

trev · #6 Post by **trev** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 6:51 pm

Thanks for the links. I had it on backorder at Amazon for about 3 months and kept getting "would you like to wait another month?" emails, so I gave up on it there.

Bob the Builder · #7 Post by **Bob the Builder** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 7:34 pm

With many CD's like those ones it does take a long time to get them.
I've waited up to 9 months for some.
Amazon are good, that they keep you up to date on how they are doing. Many of the smaller internet shops, you won't hear anything from them at all.
BN are very good. Any thing I've ever ordered from them, I 've got quite quickly.

Brian

Platypus · #8 Post by **Platypus** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 11:13 am

When I went to the jazz mart a year ago, they had a few MBR CDs in stock(let's just say that I had to give my husband a time limit and promise to keep within a spending limit during that one visit, so I had to make some difficult decisions and only got one MBR CD). I bet that since the CDs are listed on their site, they probably have it in stock.

kitkat · #9 Post by **kitkat** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:50 am

I'm assuming it's safe to say Hep is better mastering than Chronogical Classics, so if you want to have complete Mills yet have as good of sound quality as possible, here's the overlap:

CC 31, Tracks 1 & 2, are unique, but #1 is a top-hat-and-cane-style crooney vocal, and #2 is serenadey, so no big loss for the dance floor.

The rest of CC 31 is on the Hep CD Blue Rhythm. (Well...there are few extra alternate takes not on Hep that are on CC.)

The first part of CC 31-32 is on Hep's Blue Rhythm.

The second part of CC 31-32 is on Hep's Rhythm Spasm, though Amazon Marketplace lists the album as Volume 2.

The first 10 tracks of CC 33-34 are on Hep's Rhythm Spasm.

MP3.com tells me Hep released a Mills Blue Rhythm Band LP in addition to these two, but it hasn't been published on CD.

So, assuming you don't want the first two tracks of CC 31, all you need is 13 tracks off of CC 33-34, CC 34-36, and CC 36-37.

---------------------------------------------------

Listening to Amazon.com sound samples, I don't think I'm going to invest in CC's 1933-34 disc (the one that's only unique from Hep's Rhythm Spasm on its last tracks). Remastering can push late 20's & early 30's recordings over the line from too much like hot jazz into the area where it really feels swingin'. CC doesn't have that...the music actually seems to lapse back a few years, stylistically, once you drop off the Hep CD's limits.

I haven't gotten around to listening to 34-36 or 36-37 yet.

kitkat · #10 Post by **kitkat** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:58 am

Damn the Blue Rhythm Band. I was becoming such a good DJ! I was playing vocals, I was hitting just the right tempos by feel...people liked me.

And then I actually have the chance to buy this music I never checked out because I couldn't afford it anyway, and I'm slipping back into all my old diabolical thoughts of, "Who cares if the songs are 200-260? They're good music! You simply don't sit out for amazing songs like this...they'll dance...right?"

trev · #11 Post by **trev** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:58 pm

Update: I picked up a copy of Chronogical Classics 1934-1936 on E-Bay and I can appreciate the tempo dilemma. The disc has lots of awesome tracks, mostly > 200bpm.

My favourites would be:
Yes! Yes! (211bpm)
There's Rhythm In Harlem (basically a much better "In the Mood" that predates the Glenn Miller's)(212bpm)
Harlem Heat (263bpm)
Red Rhythm (271bpm)
Ride, Red, Ride (~380bpm)

The slower tracks which I would DJ are:
Blue Mood (120bpm)
E Flat Stride (162bpm)
Midnight Ramble (170bpm)

The disc also has 11 tracks which feature the vocals of Chuck Richards, making them quite soppy. 'Shoe Shine Boy' 'Cotton' & 'Dinah Lou' are the best of these in my opinion.

Haydn · #12 Post by **Haydn** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:16 am

Just over two years later ...

I've recently been getting into early hot jazz including, amongst others, the Mills Blue Rhythm Band.

I've got most of their CDs, and the one I recommend is Harlem Heat from ASV, which can currently be picked up on Amazon for around $8.

My favourite tracks on this CD are:

There's Rhythm in Harlem
Algiers Stomp

CMU Matt · #13 Post by **CMU Matt** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:36 pm

"Harlem Heat" is one of the best discs in my collection. Great songs, Hadyn.

turin · #14 Post by **turin** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:35 pm

I just bought the 1933-36 retrieval set from Itunes. Probably the best buy I've yet to make.

The song that stands out the most to me, and has become my personal favorite

Callin' your bluff ~180bpm

falty411 · #15 Post by **falty411** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:04 pm

if you don't like the song "Snake Hips" by MBR, you don't like fried chicken