Search - Various Artists :: Paramount Hot Dance Obscurities, Vol. 2

5 stars for production, 3 for the music

"Gimpy" Peach Johnson | 01/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a collector of 78s from the 1920s and 1930s, this is the kind of CD I *love* to find: incredibly rare recordings of obscure dance bands playing some well-known tunes mixed in with some not-so-well tunes. As usual, Jazz Oracle has produced a handsome CD set with a lavish, well-annotated booklet (telling us all we're ever likely to know about the musicians involved). The remastering by the late John R. T. Davies is wonderful; these 80-year-old records sound better than they did when they were new. However, these were all originally recorded by Paramount, notorious for lousy sound quality, so don't expect too much! While the production of the disc is top-notch, listening to the CD, I see why these bands remain obscure. Musically, most of the selections are mildly disappointing. The bands making these records weren't the best, and they frequently used only stock arrangements. The jazz content is rather low on many tracks. I did find a few standouts that really caught my attention ("Buffalo Rhythm," "Lady Be Good," "Black And Tan Fantasy," "Five Pennies," and "Maybe It's Love"), but most of the others I found to be forgettable. Still, this is an important CD documenting "territory" working bands in the late 1920s--a rare chance to escape the mainstream New York or Chicago recording activity of the time to listen to sounds committed to wax in that little Paramount studio in Grafton, Wisconsin. Serious collectors of vintage jazz or dance bands should have this CD, but casual listeners wanting just a few 1920s samplers for their CD shelf may want to pass on this one."