Classic jazz recordings

This boxed set of these classic recordings is definitely the way to obtain these recordings for the sound quality, which the late John R.T. Davies did a great job with the remastering of these recordings from 1926-1929 by leaving a little noise instead of using noise reduction processes, plus it is at a decent price that makes it worthwhile to pick up. There are liner notes for each individual disc instead of a book so that you can get information on the specific period covered instead of the lavish book that many boxed sets do feature. These are essential recordings so buy this set as soon as possible and forego the lavish packaging that the Columbia set features and it is priced at half the cost of the Columbia set as well.

The best of the bunch!

This early Armstrong material has been reissued again and again and again... in the 1990s Columbia began a series of Armstrong CDs that is still available today. It is awful! The speeds are wrong on many of the recordings, and any presence that the original 78s had was filtered away in some apparent misguided quest for digital silence. The untrained listener might listen to them at first and say "wow... they got those old records so quiet!!" Unfortunately, when removing noise, sound usually gets compromised as well. There is hardly any music left on the CBS reissues. But they are quiet.



Enter: John R. T. Davies. The man who understood the sound of these old recordings better than anybody in the business, and who was not afraid to present a record with a little scratch left, if it meant preserving the beauty of the performance. His Armstrong collection is the one against which all others should be measured; and the fact that it's available in a JSP budget box is astounding! Some of his work from this set has even been lifted by CBS (uncredited) and included in their grammy-winning set "Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". I guess 'borrowing' is the sincerest form of flattery, eh?



Anyway, if you want to hear these records (not necessarily as cleanly), but as clearly as possible, buy this set! I've heard them all, and it's my favorite.

This record is a BOOTLEG - Do Not Buy it.

I work for Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings and I know that this company whoever they are has no right to be selling this set in the US. Perhaps it is an import. In Europe this classic material is Public Domain. No royalties are being paid to the artist estate.

While the price is right, the artist and record company is being ripped off.