Search - Fred Rich :: The Columbia House Bands, Vol. 1

Fantastic CD!

"Gimpy" Peach Johnson | 12/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fred Rich led a dance band from the 1920s into the 1940s, and like Sam Lanin, Ben Selvin, and a few others, recorded prolifically under a string of pseudonyms for virtually every record label. At times, Rich's band included Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, the Dorseys, and other notable jazz musicians; however, the band usually played in a style that was only mildly "hot." Although Rich recorded countless sides for such budget labels as Perfect, Harmony, and the Plaza group of labels (Regal, Banner, etc.), the selections here were all recorded for Columbia, or its full-priced subsidiaries: OKeh and Parlophone. These recordings were made c. 1929-1931 and there are some real gems here. The arrangements are clever, the tunes are catchy, and there are some great vocals. I had many of these titles on a previous TOM LP (with some added reverb), but the tracks on this disc have been freshly remastered from the (rare) original 78s without any of the added effects. These are excellent, "honest" transfers with nothing added--the rich "Viva-Tonal" sound of the original records has been lovingly preserved. The liner notes by Rob Bamberger (host of "Hot Jazz Saturday Night" on WAMU in Washington, DC) are very good as well. Despite the rather boring cover, this is delightful CD of snappy 1920s dance band fare that I would highly recommend. I play this CD often and count it among my favorites."

Excelent Music and Sound Restoration

Gregory P. May Jr. | San Diego, CA | 01/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a perfect CD. It's got great old music, that has been perfectly restored! It doesn't get any better than that when you love vintage pop music!

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