I have Vol1 & Vol2 and they are both excellent. Either is a joy. I may lean towards 1.
Don't have the one with Tribute in the title.
...thanks for the recommendation...and if I may, I'll toss a few vocal performances onto the table that I think are worth checking out...
...the first is Look Up by The Pilgrim Travellers on Andex A5001...be forewarned the pressing will probably look quite awful but the sound is very good and the performances are off the scale...I include this on this Circle because in my opinion all jazz vocalists are informed by the gospel tradition...maybe you could consider this to be valuable background information that allows a jazz lover lover to more fully understand jazz..certainly did that for me...
...the second recommendation is Memories Ad-Lib featuring Joe Williams and Count Basie...this may be the best combination of sound and performance recording that I own...unfortunately it is available only as a used item and getting the right pressing is a bit of a struggle..I have about 10 copies of this recording and the only ones that really work sonically are those marked Roulette SR-52021 with a bar across the top of the jacket that says Dynamic Stereo...Roulette was a very dodgy outfit that put out product of various degrees of quality but get the right one and you are in heaven...the other thing to do is bother Chad Kassem to re-release it...I've tried but he comes
back with there isn't enough demand...also note this may be the first mass release stereo recording..and gosh did they nail it...no ping pong monkeying around here, just a huge mono-ish center with a bare hint of stereo separation...very very effective..
...and one more thing...it was produced by Teddy Reig...see quote below...from AMG...
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A colorful character and one of the most important jazz producers of all time, Teddy Reig was involved in many important sessions of the 1940s,'50s and '60s. He started producing in 1945 and was soon working regularly at Savoy on most of their most significant dates (including the Charlie Parker sessions), helping turn Savoy into a major jazz and R&B record company. Reig founded the Roost label in 1950 and in the mid-1950s switched over to Roulette, where he extensively recorded Count Basie's Orchestra and other jazz musicians and singers. A skillful talent scout, Reig was a major force not only in jazz, but in the R&B and Latin music worlds. Health problems forced his retirement in the 1970s.
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Cheers
blutto
