The 1930s Jazz Recording Project

Having come across a couple of reviews of a great-sounding CD I thought I'd mention it briefly here as it is bound to be of interest to my audience. The 1930s Jazz Recording Project is a 16-track (and one video) CD of classic 1930s standards recorded in traditional style by a 7-piece Jazz band whose members read like a Who's Who of the modern vintage jazz scene. This means artists from the likes of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, The Charleston Chasers and The Back To Basie Orchestra - to name but a few - precisely positioned and using original recording devices (in this case just one 1930s RCA R44 ribbon microphone and some valve equipment) to create that authentic 1930s mono sound!

There's something to be said for listening to original recordings as they would have been heard at the time and any audiophile will be quick to tell you that the sound from a needle in a 78 can never be the same as from a CD or an iPod, so this idea certainly has legs and seems to have been warmly received. I'd definitely like to get my hands on a copy, alas! *turns out empty pockets*

A much welcome addition to the vintage jazz discography; The 1930s Jazz Recording Project was released on Monday (31st January) and is available from Amazon and His Master's Voice amongst others.