[baka1969]

Hi all,

I need some help with some Louis Armstrong recommendations. I prefer Pops' post war stuff with the All Stars. I like to have an album or two but I'd want it to well recorded and in stereo. I'll chose studio work over live performances if it means better sonics but either is fine. So please help me pick up a couple of Satchmo albums. Thanks everyone.


Peace,

Ross

 

[LFF]

That's tough....
 
Try finding a new pressing of Satchmo Plays King Oliver. Awesome stereo sound on that record.
 
Unfortunately, most of his releases are a mixed bag. Fantastic music...mediocre sound.
 
There is a live performance release titled "Mack The Knife" which sounds great but contains one mono performance.
 
Of course, his three duet albums with Ella are phenomenal. His two albums with Duke Ellington are also fantastic.
 
For the Ella & Louis release you want the Japan SACD hybrid release, for the second Ella & Louis album you want the MFSL and for the third album, Porgy and Bess, you want the original first pressing. For both Duke Ellington albums, you want the MFSL versions.
 
If I think of any others, I'll update this thread....

 

[baka1969]

Thanks for the help. I can only play Redbook. Aren't the MoFi recordings really pricey? I have the Louis Armstrong Essentials CD and the quality of the recordings varies widely. I had that issue with Glenn Miller. Most of those recordings are fair at best. I'm being kind. Hell, many of the CDs are taken straight from the vinyl. You can hear the pops, clicks and groove noises. lol

I know there are some that like mono, but I never have. I prefer stereo. I've heard and had the early Beatles. I like the new stereo. I have both versions of Pet Sounds. Stereo gets all my listening. So when it comes to Pops, I want stereo.


If anyone else has suggestions I'd be grateful. Thanks.


Peace,ricey? I have the Louis Armstrong Essentials CD and the quality of the recordings varies widely. I had that issue with Glenn Miller. Most of those recordings are fair at best. I'm being kind. Hell, many of the CDs are taken straight from the vinyl. You can hear the pops, clicks and groove noises. lol

I know there are some that like mono, but I never have. I prefer stereo. I've heard and had the early Beatles. I like the new stereo. I have both versions of Pet Sounds. Stereo gets all my listening. So when it comes to Pops, I want stereo.


If anyone else has suggestions I'd be grateful. Thanks.


Peace,

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Thanks for the help. I can only play Redbook. Aren't the MoFi recordings really pricey? I have the Louis Armstrong Essentials CD and the quality of the recordings varies widely. I had that issue with Glenn Miller. Most of those recordings are fair at best. I'm being kind. Hell, many of the CDs are taken straight from the vinyl. You can hear the pops, clicks and groove noises. lol

I know there are some that like mono, but I never have. I prefer stereo. I've heard and had the early Beatles. I like the new stereo. I have both versions of Pet Sounds. Stereo gets all my listening. So when it comes to Pops, I want stereo.


If anyone else has suggestions I'd be grateful. Thanks.


Peace,ricey? I have the Louis Armstrong Essentials CD and the quality of the recordings varies widely. I had that issue with Glenn Miller. Most of those recordings are fair at best. I'm being kind. Hell, many of the CDs are taken straight from the vinyl. You can hear the pops, clicks and groove noises. lol

I know there are some that like mono, but I never have. I prefer stereo. I've heard and had the early Beatles. I like the new stereo. I have both versions of Pet Sounds. Stereo gets all my listening. So when it comes to Pops, I want stereo.


If anyone else has suggestions I'd be grateful. Thanks.


Peace,






 

I know exactly what you mean regarding the bad sounding transfers of Glenn Miller. The Complete Glenn Miller actually has great sound but it's a tough set to find now. Here is a cheap CD that sounds very nice. Sometimes, those first pressings are the best versions you can find. They might have some noise but they sound much better than the no-noised crap freely available now. If you like swing music and want AWESOME stereo sound, try to find the Time Life Swing Era Music CD sets. They are faithful stereo re-recordings of the big band hits and the sound is awesome. Done at the Capitol Tower by the great Billy May and an associate.
 
As for the Satchmo recommendations above, all of them can be played on redbook except for "Plays King Oliver" which is available only on vinyl. A lot of his best recordings are only available in mono too. One of my favorite all time recordings is Bing & Satchmo. Highly recommend that album. That album is the whole reason I got into mastering and audio restoration. IMHO, it's a true hidden gem.

 

[baka1969]

I have Glenn Miller's Essential. Which is enough of Glenn Miller for me. lol. I prefer bop and modal jazz to Miller's swing.

As for Pops, I'll look for your suggestions. Thanks! If anyone else has anything to add I'd be interested.

 

[tru blu]

Yeah, it's pretty difficult if your audio demands are rigid. I listen to the early Hot Fives and Sevens stuff much more, but going through my late-Louis collection I suddenly realize why the Ella & Louis things—even beyond the fact that the music is pretty magnificent—are so widely touted. They're so well done. The band isn't the All-Stars, though. The Louis & Duke stuff is, and like LFF says, it's also pretty cool.

 

[bigshot]

Satch Plays Fats and Satch Plays W C Handy were Armstrong's best albums in the LP era and they have good sound too. No jazz fan should be without them. They're desert island disks.

 

[tru blu]

Quote:

Satch Plays Fats and Satch Plays W C Handy were Armstrong's best albums in the LP era and they have good sound too. No jazz fan should be without them. They're desert island disks.

I think there's a fairly recent reissue of Satch Plays Fats, my favorite of the two. If I remember correctly, the story is that Columbia had lost/misplaced the original masters, and found them for 2008 release. The one I have is a 2000 reissue, but I don't mind it.
 

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Satch Plays Fats and Satch Plays W C Handy were Armstrong's best albums in the LP era and they have good sound too. No jazz fan should be without them. They're desert island disks.

I agree but the OP doesn't like mono recordings.
 
 
Quote:

I think there's a fairly recent reissue of Satch Plays Fats, my favorite of the two. If I remember correctly, the story is that Columbia had lost/misplaced the original masters, and found them for 2008 release. The one I have is a 2000 reissue, but I don't mind it.
 

That's correct.....fascinating stuff!
 

 

[baka1969]

Thanks again everyone. My issue with mono is that it sounds flat to my ears. Maybe I don't know how to appreciate it? I have no problem buying CDs. I just don't want to have music that won't stay in the rotation. Mono does that. So do poor recordings. I know this subject is discussed ad nauseum, but with the level of much of our equipment, it's brutal on poor quality recordings. Sometimes to the point of being unlistenable. A lot of Glenn Miller's stuff is like that to me.

When I listen to a album like Jazz at the Pawnshop, it's tough to listen to other albums. So, yes I'm a bit choosy. Thanks again!

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Thanks again everyone. My issue with mono is that it sounds flat to my ears. Maybe I don't know how to appreciate it? I have no problem buying CDs. I just don't want to have music that won't stay in the rotation. Mono does that. So do poor recordings. I know this subject is discussed ad nauseum, but with the level of much of our equipment, it's brutal on poor quality recordings. Sometimes to the point of being unlistenable. A lot of Glenn Miller's stuff is like that to me.

When I listen to a album like Jazz at the Pawnshop, it's tough to listen to other albums. So, yes I'm a bit choosy. Thanks again!

It's understandable. Mono recordings usually have 2 problems...bad transfers and bad mastering. A great mono recording can have amazing depth and even sound three-dimensional. The one mastering problem that drives me bonkers is when they take a mono recording and attempt to make it stereo. There are proper ways of doing this but it seems most engineers use the worse ways every single time.
 
 

 

[baka1969]

@LFF. My browser is acting up. Thanks for the link. Sadly, I access the internet from my BlackBerry and can't integrate it into my main rig. No-one ever said jazz was easy. LoL Thanks again. I will seek out some of the suggestions that you and others have mentioned. I'd like my Armstrong collection to approach what I have in Miles. Which isn't totally extensive but is nice also. (I am looking to get Miles 50 album, 70 CD discography box set as well as the 10 disc Armstrong collection [I'm not sure of the sound quality of the Armstrong though])

 

[baka1969]

My browser is giving me a big problem. It won't even let me edit my posts. Please excuse the mess. thanks

 

[baka1969]

I picked up "The Great Summit - The Master Takes" with Pops and Duke. It's pretty damn good. It will definitely go into the rotation. Thanks for the head's up on that one. To me, that's what jazz is all about.


I'll pick up more discs and report back. Thanks again everyone.

 

[bigshot]

Mosaic has a box set of Armstng's big band records. Purists poo poo these recordings, but I like them a lot. They've never been released anywhere else.