| Abbreviation | CD (Dixieland Fake Book Vol. 2, has the "hard-core" classics, the JSP sets and Olivers are a must for it) |
| Armstrong5,7,
Orch |
Louis Armstrong Hot 5's & sevens (4 CDs), JSP, 312-315 (definitive, great sound, very cheap; when you've got the basic tunes down cold, you'll need to learn many of the rest of these, so get it while you can) The last CD in the set is filled out with Orch. tracks. |
| Bix 24 | Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines, 1924-1925, Timeless, CBC 1-013 |
| Bix 27
|
Bix & Tram (4 CDs), JSP, 913. (definitive, good sound, very cheap; many basic tunes.The most important Bix records were those made under Frankie Trumbauer's leadership, and Bix's own sessions, 1927-1929. |
| Django1,2,3,4,5 | Django Reinhart: The classic early recordings in chronological order (5 CD boxed set), JSP, 901 (definitive, great sound, very cheap; many standard tunes; most cuts have no horns, are in standard keys, so really good for playing along) |
| Morton | Jelly Roll Morton as artist (5 CD boxed set), JSP, 903
(definitive, great sound, very cheap. Not a lot that beginners can deal
with, but the Red Hot Peppers is arguably the greatest of the classic bands,
it's all very listenable, so get it while it's available. They were so
well recorded originally that you don't need a modern recreation to learn
them)
AVID "The original Mr. Jelly Lord 1923-1941" AMSC 696. 2 CDs comprising the most important non-piano solo records of his whole career. |
| Bessie Smith | FROG issued her complete records on 8 CDs. Transfers by the late John R.T. Davies |
| Oliver 23 | "King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, 1923-24", (2 CDs) Archeophone
OTR-MM6-C2
"Oh play that thing!" Naxos, 8.120666 (The earliest of the really great classic bands; Louis Armstrong was the 2nd cornet. Too hard for beginners to play along with, but once you have the basic tunes down, it's essential for learning the tunes. This recent set has the best sound likely to be available for years, makes these accoustically recorded tracks quite listenable, and the music really moves. See also Peruna Jazzmen CD below.) |
| Spanier 39 | Muggsy Spanier 1931 and 1939, CDS, RPCD 609.OP. 16 are
his 1939 Ragtimers records, considered to be the epitome of the dixieland
style. The only currently available CD is CLASSICS 709 "Muggsy Spanier
1939-1942".
AVID "Muggsy special, 1924-1954" AMSC 695. 2 CDs is a fun collection. |
| Teagarden | "Jack Teagarden, Father of Jazz rombone" Avid AMSC 765. 3 CDs |
| Condon, Eddie | "Eddie Condon: the classic sessions, 1927-1949" JSP CD906. 4 cds of classic dixieland |
| Dodds, Johnny | "Johnny Dodds, 1926-1928" JSP CD319; OP.. Also the same period on Classics. Of special note, the Chicago Footwarmers sides from 1927-28 w/Natty Dominique cornet, Jimmy Blythe pno, Baby Dodds washboard. a bunch of generally simple tunes played hot. Sparkling exempla of rhythm piano and washboard. |
| NORK | "New Orleans Rhythm Kings 1922-1923, the complete set" Retrieval RTR 79031. 2-CDs. Basic set. NORK members composed many dixieland standards. Listenable; not exciting, but they swing. Decent sound. |
| NAXOS. 2 series: "Jazz Legends", "Nostalgia". Naxos is a budget label usually available for $7-8.00. The CDs have 18-20 tracks, good selections, excellant sound, and detailed track info. Curently very active; recent "Jazz Legends" issues include King Oliver '23, Fletcher Henderson 1931-33, Kid Ory. Some are not available in the USA, but all seem to be available from Jazz'n'Blues in the UK. http:/www.naxos.com to view their catalog. They do their own transfers. | |
| JASMINE has been issuing good jazz compilations.
"Golden age of jazz" JASBOX 4-4. 4 CDs comprising 27 excellant sessions of several records each. Not a systematic starter set, but a terrific sampler of the various styles, mainly from the 30s-40s. |
|
| CLASSICS. This CD label has virtually everything, but the sound quality varies, as they use whatever sources they can obtain, and pirate other labels' transfers. Unlike MOJ, they don't usually include alternate takes, and the albums for each artist only include tracks recorded under the artist's name. They provide the discographical info, but that's about all. Alternate takes are on NEATWORK. | |
| Masters of Jazz. This now defunct CD reissue label had extensive complete artist series. Usually the transfers were pretty good; a few were transferred by John R.T. Davis. For our purposes, the Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet sets were the main source for the 1923-1925 period. The booklets were supurb. | |
| Abbreviation | CD |
| Davison | Wild Bill Davison: The Commodore master takes, GRP/Commodore CMD-405. (Hot stuff, virtually all sides are useful.) |
| FJC1,2,3 | Federal Jazz Commission: 8 privately issued CDs. (Virtually all basic classic tunes, mostly standard keys and routines. This Washington DC band specializes in the classic 20s, particularly Oliver, Armstrong, Johnny Dodds.) eMail me for details. They also have a website listing complete contents of the CDs. |
| Murphy1,2,3, etc. | Turk Murphy (West Coast 2-beat "Revival" style, one of today's main Dixieland "schools") Many CDs with just about all the tunes; I need to listen to each and select those with the most standard tunes in standard keys. |
| Murphy1 | Turk Murphy's Jazz Band Favorites, Good Time Jazz, FCD-60-011 |
| Murphy2 | Turk Murphy's Jazz Band at the Italian Village 1952-1953, Merry Makers, MMRC CD-11 |
| Murphy3 | Best of Turkey Murphy's San Francisco Jazz Band, Merry Makers, MMRC-CD-2 |
| Murphy4 | Turk Murphy Jazz Band in Hollywood, San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation, SFTJFCD 102 (The audio isn't that good but it has a good selection, some with unusual tempos and keys) |
| Kid Ory | "Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944/1946", Jazz Archives
158872.
"Creole classics" Naxos 8.120587 (New Orleans 4-beat "Revival" style; really kicks along.) |
| Bunk Johnson | "Bunk and the New Orleans Revival, 1942-1947" Jasmine JASCD 635. 2-CD set. |
| George Lewis | "504" label. |
| New Jazz Wizards
1,2,3,4 |
Pam Pameijer's band recreates the sound and style of the Armstrong and Dodds records, but not necessarily the notes and routines. Pameijer's drumming is a splendid model for would-be dixieland drummers. Stomp Off |
| Peruna Jazzmen | Plays the music of King Oliver, GHB BCD-436 (By far the best Oliver '23 recreations; 21 tracks of the good stuff that adheres so closely to the original you can learn to love and play the tunes from it. The cornets, hence the lead line, come through clearly.) Their many CDs cover all the classics. |
| Roof Garden | "Roof Garden Jass Band salutes the ODJB and the beginning of recorded jazz", Loop-garous LG1001. Recreations of the records. Other CDs have been released. |
| Frisco Jazz Band | Travelin' shoes, Stomp Off, CD 1315 |
Revised 1/18/07