Links for Rookies

Barengero

SoulShade wrote:

I'll have to look for that book, even though I speak very little German.

This book is out of print since years, I´m afraid. The best you can do is to find someone who has the complete Intégrale-Series and allows you to copy all the booklets. Then you´ll have a very accurate and complete discography.

Best,
Barengero

trumbology

SoulShade wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I've got the JSP sets, and I wanted to see what I'm missing etc.! I'll have to look for that book, even though I speak very little German.
For those of you with both, are the JSP's considerably better sonically?

1.) Discographies, checklists, and buying CDs:

If you are in the early stages of collecting Django, the online discographies

http://banjo.boya.to/django/printdiscography.html and
http://www.djangomontreal.com/doc/Disco28.htm

will be very helpful without the bother of photocoping the Fremeaux booklets or, as I did, the discography in the back of the Delunay biography.

I haven't cross checked them against each other, or against other sources, but from my experience using them, they are pretty darn good.

In my own collecting, I was most eager to get Django's studio sides as a leader, then his sideman gigs with American players like Coleman Hawkins and Rex Stewart, then his recordings for French radio (the "Souvenirs" sessions that are spread over Integrale v.14 & 15)

The early singer sessions (Sablons, etc.) haven't been a high priority for me, though the ones I've heard are pleasant enough. Airchecks are what I'm most interested in getting a hold of now. I'll probably break down and get all the Fremeaux's sooner or later, but right now I've got:

1st JSP box (1934-1939)
Mosaic HMV / Swing box
Blue Star Sessions (Verve)
Paris Brussels 1947-53 (DRG)
1949-50 Rome (JSP)
'Django's Music' (Hep)
Integrale 14, 15
w "American Friends" or something (DRG, 3 CDs w/ Cocteau drawing on cover)
a couple of other odds and ends.

I'm definitely past the point of diminishing returns--the essential stuff, IMO, is the studio work on Ultraphone, Decca, Swing, and Blue Star, most of which is contained on the first four issues listed above (except that damn first post-war Decca session with Stephane!).

The 'Django's Music' disc on Hep puts almost all of his big band (ca. 1940-1943) sides in one place, which I like. I don't listen to it often, but when I want to sample Django in that context, it's convenient. I think it's only the Swing label cuts, which explains why a couple of things are missing. But I think all the really good big band cuts are there.

2). Sound Quality

I don't have the Integrales covering the early QHCF years to compare against the JSPs, but the Mosaic box duplicates all the 1935-1937 Swing sessions, and to my ears the sound is an improvement. On some cuts, Baro's rhythm guitar just seems to leap out of the speakers. I don't know if they used any sonic trickery (I doubt it, knowing Mosaic), but whatever they did, I like it. Probably they had access to source material that collectors didn't. The wartime Swing Records sides, curiously, don't sound as well engineered as the prewar stuff. Maybe because with drums and clarinet, a different set of microphone placement issues arose. But for the all-strings stuff, Swing seemed to have the magic formula for getting the QHCF around the microphone.

Nothing against JSP, Ted Kendall, or John R.T. Davies--I think they did good work too, and they were basically the first in the CD era to come out with a Django issue that was comprehensive and well researched (I know Blue Note had a big CD box way back, but it was EMI-held masters only, I think). And it's very hard to argue with the price.

JSP's 1949-50 Rome set is quite well done, and again an incredible bargain. The inspiration level on these Rome sessions varies a good bit, as it does on the 1947 radio studio recordings. Makes you appreciate how hard Django and the QHCF worked in the studio to achieve near-perfection on their commercial records (well, on an amazingly high percentage of them).

I just wish Mosaic would do the Deccas and Ultraphones (though the pre-war Decca sessions might not have been as well engineered in the first place--I don't know).

I haven't read any raves on the Integrale mastering; people tend to say acceptable or slightly sub-par (no doubt there are much worse, muddier CD issues out there, but if you're reading this, you probably aren't even considering those).

SoulShade

Thanks all! The JSP's are great; it's just gonna drive me nuts untill I've got it all in order. (I know that means Integrale, but I won't have that kind of money for some time) It seems for the organization, completeness, and album notes the Integrale's are great, but sound and price go to JSP.
Right now I'm out for everything after the 1950 Rome stuff that I've got on JSP Vol. 3. The one cut I've got (Night and Day recorded March 10, 1953 in Paris) is outstanding. (Love that tube tone!)
I've gotten us off of the "Links" topic, so I'll end here.

scot

The most accurate and readily available discography is Paul Vernon's "contexual bio-discography". It's a very interesting and unique book. It's available at Amazon at just over $100 so it's only for the most devoted. Other discographies like Max Abrams' "Book of Django" occasionally turn up on ebay or Amazon (there is one there now for $35, which is a good price) but this book is more of a curiosity nowadays as it isn't accurate by modern standards.

There are other excellent privately compiled discographies but unfortunately these are not available.

Best
Scot

caseyspaos

I see this page is not updated very often.

Jack

caseyspaos wrote:

I see this page is not updated very often.

True, but I think many of the original links are still active and worth a look...I'll try to edit out inactive links and add some new ones some time soon.

best,
Jack.

jazzmanouchenwct

Jack wrote:

caseyspaos wrote:

I see this page is not updated very often.

True, but I think many of the original links are still active and worth a look...I'll try to edit out inactive links and add some new ones some time soon.

best,
Jack.

Good to hear!