Off The Record: The Complete 1923 Jazz Band s

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Product Description ------------------- Off the Record offers an amazingly fresh and simple alternative--one that proves to be a definitive step in presenting these truly classic sides. By special arrangement with Archeophone Records, Off the Record is proud to present all 37 issued titles by the Oliver band, newly transferred from the best available original sources, issued on two compact discs. Engineer and master sound restoration spet Doug Benson--known for his definitive work on "The Complete Hit of the Week" on Archeophone Records--and David Sager--jazz historian and trombonist--have searched far and wide to gain access to the cleanest copies of all the Oliver discs, including the unique copy of "Zulus Ball" and "Working Man Blues." Using a meticulous musical ear, a wide variety of styli and the subtlest application of digital technology, Benson, perhaps for the first time, has revealed the natural ambience of these discs. Unprecedented Detail and Clarity: The Oliver ensemble has never been heard to better advantage. Passages long accepted as muddy and indistinct pour forth with unprecedented clarity. Even the introduction of the ultra-rare "Zulus Ball," often lamented for its poor condition, shines through crystal clear! Straight off the discs with as little processing as possible: There is no better way to bring these old discs to life than with the right stylus, a sensitive ear, and careful application of non-invasive processing. Whereas many reissues are marred by over-processing, resulting in muffled sound and/or digital artifacts, Off the Record has judiciously applied just enough non-invasive technique in order to remove ticks, pops, harsh resonances and other unwelcome noise--leaving the music to speak for itself. Expertly Speed Corrected: Just because we call them "78s" doesn't mean that they really are. Sound s from the early days of sound rarely spin at exactly 78 rpm. Back in those days there was no standardization regarding speed; often discs ran a Review ------ To hear these astonishing transfers is, in a very real sense, to truly hear this music for the first time. --Dan Morgenstern, Director, Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies Here at last is what I believe to be the closest anyone has gotten to reproducing what Oliver laid down in those glorious few months before Louis split. --George Avakian, Recipient, 2000 Down Beat Lifetime Achievement Award Maybe you can hear the Oliver band's music in far greater detail than if you'd been lucky enough to be in the Lincoln Gardens in 1923 with jostling and shoving and feet stepping on yours. --Lawrence Gushee, author, Pioneers of Jazz: The Story of the Creole Band