NEW LISTING:THE JAZZ SCENE 6 78 RECORD SET NORMAN GRANZ UNIQUE IMPORTANT LTD ED

$

500

THIS IS ACKNOWLEDGED WIDELY AS A UNIQUE VITAL AND IMPORTANT WORK ON THE HISTORY OF MODERN JAZZ BY THE LEGENDARY NORMAN GRANZ. IN HIS INGENIOUS WAY HE SOUGHT IN THIS  REMARKABLE COLLECTION TO TELL THE STORY OF MODERN JAZZ WITH THE FULLEST COOPERATION OF SPECIALLY RECORDED SESSIONS WITH GILLESPIE THROUGH THE JAZZ DIVAS EACH IN EITHER THEIR OWN STUDIOS OR IN THE STUDIO OF THE OTHER REMARKABLE FIGURE IN JAZZ, MOSES ASCH OR AT MERCURY. THE RECORDS IN MY SET NUMBER 1610 OF THIS LIMITED EDITION PRESSING ARE MINT CONDITION. I PLAYED THEM MAYBE TWICE AND TOOK FINE RECORDINGS DIGITALLY FOR MYSELF SO AS NOT TO RUIN THESE DISCS. I THINK THE PHOTO I HAVE INCLUDED HERE SHOWS THE PRISTINE CONDITION OF THESE RECORDS. IF IT WERENT ENOUGH TO HAVE SUCH REORDINGS, THE ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOT FOR THIS ALBUM ARE EQUALLY GREAT IN ALL THEIR ASPECTS TOO. I HAVE INCLUDED A SAMPLING OF THE TITLE PATES AND ALSO THE LIST OF PARTICIPANTS AS THEIR ARE TOO NUMEROUS FOR ME RETYPE HERE AT MY AGE. ALSO INCLUDED UNDER A PAPER CLIP ON THE COVER PAGE IS A POST CARD SIZED CARD FROM NORMAN GRANZ ASKING FOR SERIOUS CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF THIS ALBUM! I WOULD HAVE THE NERVE TO HAVE RESPONDED. I WAS IN AWE LISTENING TO THE MUSIC ITSELF AND TOTALLY MESMERIZED AT THE ARTISTIC WORK COMMITTED TO MAKE THIS A LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT FOR NORMAN GRANZ WHO'S LIFE WAS FILLED WITH FIRSTS AND BESTS. JUST GOOGLE FOR THE COMMENTARY THEN AS IT WAS WIDELY REVIEWED AND RECENTLY IN THE VERY EXPENSIVE CD SET ACCOMPANIED BY POOR IMITATIONS OF THE PHOTO ESSAY OF THIS ORIGINAL. I FOUND TWO ALBUMS WHICH WERE AUCTION HERE IN 2011 AND 1998 BOTH HORRID ALBUMS WITH SHREDDED CORNERS AND RECORDS IN WRETCHED CONDITION THE MOST RECENT SOLD FOR $399 AND THE LATTER FOR THE SAME WAY BACK THEN. IVE PRICED MINE ACCORDINGLY FOR LAST FOREVER WITH THE RIGHT STEWARD WHO BUYS THIS ALBUM KNOWING THE RESPONSIBILITY WHICH ACCOMPANIES THE PURCHASE I  HOPE. DONE LET THIS SLIP BUY AS YOULL BE THINKING ABOUT YOUR ERROR FOR A LONG TIME. -----------------------------------------------------------------------===============================================
Here is what's inside these covers as described in the cover notes from the album and contemporary commentary much better than I could do it:

Soon, in those days, was nine months away. The release of The Jazz Scene, as this package was called, was in the week before Christmas 1949 and just as today the first question the music press was asking was, ‘Is it worth it?’ Billboard emphatically declared ‘Mercury unveils “Jazz Scene” – $25, But It’s Worth It’. The reason that it took so long to appear is that its production was being underwritten in ‘pre-sales’. The appeal of the photos and the unbreakable discs, along with Granz’s own notes and biographies of the artists really did make this a working template.

‘The entire production is out of the top drawer in taste and conception. It leans towards the modern, both in the Milli-conceived photography and the Granz-supervised Wax.’ – Billboard

‘I was just beginning and I didn’t have a lot of money, I wanted to do something that reflected what was going on in jazz at the time.’ – Norman Granz

Not everyone agreed that this was such a good idea; Neil Hefti’s publisher claimed his copyright had been infringed over the use of his tunes “Repetition” and “Rhumbacito”. Granz claimed that he had paid Hefti a flat fee to conduct the pieces and 2 cents royalties a side in recognition of him being the composer of the pieces and that Hefti had not mentioned he had pre-assigned the rights to his publisher, Castle Music. For a while the courts and the press were kept busy with claim and counter claim.

In 1954, following the parting of the ways of Clef and Mercury, The Jazz Scene was issued as a $10 double LP with a $5 subscription for a photo pack

The Duke Ellington Sides – “Sono” and “Frustration” – arranged by Duke Ellington featuring Harry Carney (baritone saxophone), Billy Strayhorn (piano), Fred Guy (guitar), Oscar Pettiford (bass) Sonny Greer (drums) – Recorded 1949
The Neal Hefti Sides – “Repetition” and “Rhumbacito” – arranged and conducted by Neal Hefti featuring Bill Harris (trombone), Charlie Parker (alto saxophone on “Repetition”), Flip Phillips (tenor saxophone), Manny Albam (baritone saxophone), Shelly Manne (drums) – Recorded “Repetition” December 1947, and “Rhumbacito” autumn 1948
The Lester Young Side – “I Want To Be Happy” – Lester Young (tenor saxophone), Nat King Cole (piano), Buddy Rich (drums) – Recorded March–April 1946
The Coleman Hawkins Side – “Picasso” – Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone) – Recorded 1948
The Ralph Burns Side – “Introspection” – arranged by Ralph Burns featuring Sonny Berman (trumpet), Bill Harris, Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone) and a large orchestra – Recorded October 1946
The George Handy Side – “The Bloos” – arranged by George Handy featuring Sonny Berman (trumpet), Bill Harris, Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone) and a full orchestra – Recorded November 1947
The Charlie Parker Side – “The Bird” – Charlie Parker (alto saxophone), Hank Jones (piano) Ray Brown (bass), Shelly Manne (drums) – Recorded 10 February, 1949
The Willie Smith Side – “Sophisticated Lady” – Willie Smith (alto saxophone), Dodo Marmarosa (piano), Barney Kessel (guitar), Red Callender (bass), Jo Jones (drums) – Recorded November 1947
The Machito Side – “Tanga” – arranged and conducted by Machito with his orchestra, including Flip Phillips (tenor saxophone) – Recorded January 1949
The Bud Powell Side – “Cherokee” – Bud Powell (piano), Ray Brown (Bass) Max Roach (drums) – Recorded February 1949

‘Coleman Hawkins took so seriously what he was doing that we originally did “Round Midnight”, but he didn’t like it and came back three or four months later and did an adlib piece we called “Picasso”.’– Norman Granz

For The Jazz Scene Granz had wanted to record Charlie Parker and Art Tatum, but Tatum never showed and so they rang around New York and got Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne to come down to Carnegie Hall, which Granz had hired for the recording because he liked the acoustics.

We’ve put together as best we can the sides from the package as it is long since out of print. Sadly we could not find Rhumbacito on Spotify. Every side is worth lestening to, but the Hawk’s side, ‘Picasso’ is outstanding, as is Bird and ‘The Bird’. It’s hard not to be beguiled by Pres, and Willie Smith; equally the Ellington sides with Harry Carney on top form are fabulous.

This is classic jazz played by some of the greatest musicians that was marketed in a unique and innovative way, years ahead of its time.