Search - Boyd Raeburn :: Jubilee Performances

Great and Scarce Performances, for the Serious Fan of "Diffi

Robert English | Independence, OR USA | 08/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most bands perform better in front of a live audience, and this mind-blowing outfit also seems to squeeze out some extra adrenalin on these broadcast recordings. If you like the post-war output of the Stan Kenton or Woody Herman bands, you will love what is on this CD.



These come from Armed Forces Radio transcriptions, and while the recordings suffer a little from over-modulation in the louder passages there is no surface noise to speak of - the surface of the original discs was clean. Some minor occasional "flutter" can be heard in the source, most noticeable in what would otherwise be a fantastic rendition of "Body and Soul". The frequency response is very good, as good as it got for pre-HiFi monaural, and remastering of these recordings onto CD is welcome despite the previously-stated flaws in the source material.



The highlights on this CD come from guest appearances - first, Dizzy Gillespie plays a blistering trumpet solo on Raeburn's version of "Night in Tunisia" (track 3), and on track 16 Mel Torme guests with the Mel-Tones on a manic version of "That's Where I Came In". Forties-era Mel Torme never sounded better or more focused, and he & the band feed off each other's energy. It offers a glimpse of what might have been if Mel had sung in front of Boyd's band more often.



The undeniable historic value of Raeburn's recordings was as an inspiration to other bands of the period - Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Ray McKinley (while Eddie Sauter was doing arrangements for him), and a young Henry Mancini who used to see Raeburn's band every chance he could. If you are familiar with Woody Herman's recording of "Summer Sequence", or Stan Kenton's record of "This Is My Theme", then you are prepared for the wild sounds that are on this disk. If not, this music may not sit well with you - even today, sixty years later, it still qualifies as "difficult music" - if this is not what you love then leave this one alone. Otherwise, if you love this material (as I do), then do yourself a favor and pick this up while it is still available."