Centennial
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band / Various Artists

Centennial
July 7, 2024 hennessey
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band / Various Artists: Centennial

The 1923 recordings by King Oliver’s working Chicago band are the stuff of legend. Nothing like them had ever been heard on record before, and nothing in jazz would be the same afterward. Here, for the first time, all 37 sides are presented—in release order—on two LPs and two CDs, along with 55 additional tracks (on CDs 3 and 4) that allow us to understand these musical giants not only as innovators but also as products of the acoustic-era recording industry. With all-new restorations and remastering by Richard Martin, these selections have never sounded better. Further, there’s an 80-page book included, where GRAMMY-winning author Ricky Riccardi insightfully tells the story of the relationship between “Papa Joe” Oliver and “Little Louis” Armstrong and gives detailed notes on the tracks. Produced by Archeophone’s Meagan Hennessey and Richard Martin, GRAMMY-winning producers of Lost Sounds. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of these landmark records!  List price: $114.95

OVERVIEW

  • Catalogue number: ARCH 6014
  • UPC: 860003210093
  • Original release date: August 30, 2024
  • Box set features 4 CDs, 2 LPs in a double gatefold, an 80-page hard-bound book and a 22″ by 33″ poster packaged in a hard slipcase
  • In Archeophone’s Jazz, Dance & Blues series
Tracks and Sound SamplesAdditional PhotosVideosReviews
Tracklist: CD 1 (King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band)
1. Dipper Mouth Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
2. Weather Bird Rag King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
3. Just Gone King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
4. Canal Street Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
5. Mandy Lee Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
6. I’m Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
7. Froggie Moore King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
8. Chimes Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
9. Snake Rag King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
10. Sobbin’ Blues King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
11. Sweet Lovin’ Man King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
12. Dipper Mouth Blues King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
13. Where Did You Stay Last Night? King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
14. High Society Rag King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
15. Snake Rag King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
16. Krooked Blues King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923
17. Alligator Hop King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923
18. Zulus Ball King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923
19. Workingman Blues King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923

 

Tracklist: CD 2 (King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band)
1. Jazzin’ Babies Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
2. Chattanooga Stomp King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
3. New Orleans Stomp King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
4. The Southern Stomps (take 1) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
5. The Southern Stomps (take 2) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
6. Riverside Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
7. Mabel’s Dream (take 1) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
8. Mabel’s Dream (take 2) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
9. London (Café) Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
10. Camp Meeting Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
11. Tears King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
12. Buddy’s Habit King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
13. Working Man Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
14. Riverside Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
15. Room Rent Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
16. I Ain’t Gonna Tell Nobody King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
17. Mabel’s Dream King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
18. Sweet Baby Doll King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
BONUS: Non-Oliver flip sides:
19. Choo Choo Blues Art Landry’s Syncopatin’ Six 1923
20. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues Clarence Williams’ Blue Five 1923
21. Dearborn Street Blues Young’s Creole Jazz Band 1923

 

Tracklist: CD 3 (Louis’ Record Collection)
1. Thompson’s Old Gray Mule Louis Vasnier 1891
2. Tell Me Pretty Maiden Sextette from Florodora 1901
3. Semper Fidelis March Sousa’s Band 1906
4. The Holy City Henry Burr ca. 1903
5. Oif’n pripetshok (A Little Fire Burns in the Stove) Naum Coster 1918
6. Flee as a Bird Frederick Wheeler 1911
7. O Didn’t He Ramble Dan W. Quinn 1904
8. Bugle Calls of the United States Army Bugle Calls ca. 1902-04
9. Maple Leaf Rag U.S. Marine Band 1909
10. The Fatal Stone (from Aida) Arthur Pryor and Emile Kenecke, acc. Pryor’s Band 1909
11. Swiss Echo Song (L’Eco) Luisa Tetrazzini 1911
12. Darling Nellie Gray Haydn Quartet 1908
13. A Little Bunch of Shamrocks Edgar Stoddard and Henry Burr 1913
14. Carnival of Venice Herbert L. Clarke 1909
15. High Society Prince’s Military Band 1911
16. Quartet—Bella figlia dell’ amore (from Rigoletto) Amelita Galli-Curci–Flora Perini–Enrico Caruso–Giuseppe de Luca 1917
17. Shout All Over God’s Heaven Fisk University Male Quartette 1915
18. Play that Barbershop Chord Billy Murray & American Quartet 1910
19. That Haunting Melody Al Jolson 1911
20. It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary John McCormack & Male Chorus 1914
21. Ballin’ the Jack (Intro. “What It Takes to Make Me Love You, You’ve Got It”) Victor Military Band 1914
22. M’appari (from Martha) Enrico Caruso 1917
23. Ole Miss Rag Handy’s Orchestra of Memphis 1917
24. Clarinet Marmalade Blues Original Dixieland Jazz Band 1918
25. The Moon Shines on the Moonshine Bert Williams 1919
26. Darktown Court Room Shelton Brooks & Co. 1921

 

Tracklist: CD 4 (Joe’s Jazz Kingdom)
1. Don’t Take Away Those Blues Flo Bert 1920
2. Avalon (Intro. “The Japanese Sandman”) Art Hickman’s Orchestra 1920
3. Wang-Wang Blues Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra 1920
4. Royal Garden Blues Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds 1921
5. St. Louis Blues Original Dixieland Jazz Band (vocal: Al Bernard) 1921
6. Wabash Blues Isham Jones Orchestra (laughing cornet: Louis Panico) 1921
7. Frisco Jazz Band Blues Ethel Waters’ Jazz Masters 1921
8. Bugle Blues Johnny Dunn’s Original Jazz Hounds 1921
9. My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms Levy’s Trio 1922
10. I’m Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind Original Memphis Five 1922
11. Hot Lips Specht’s Society Serenaders 1922
12. Krooked Blues Roberta Dudley, acc. Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra 1922
13. That Sweet Something Dear Ruth Lee, acc. Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra 1922
14. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate The Georgians 1922
15. Panama Friars Society Orchestra 1922
16. Buddy’s Habits Charley Straight and His Orchestra 1923
17. Jazzin’ Babies Blues Eva Taylor (acc. Clarence Williams’ Trio) 1923
18. Play That Thing Ollie Powers’ Harmony Syncopators 1923
19. Sobbin’ Blues Art Kahn’s Orchestra 1923
20. The Black Sheep Blues Midway Dance Orchestra 1923
21. Barney Google Original Capitol Orchestra 1923
22. You Ernest Stevens’ Dance Orchestra 1923
23. London Blues Jelly Roll Morton’s Jazz Band 1923
24. Ringside Blues Greenwich Village Orchestra 1923
25. Old Black Joe’s Blues Henderson’s “Club Alabam’” Orchestra 1923
26. When the Jazz Band Starts to Play Thomas Morris’ Past Jazz Masters 1923

 

Tracklist: LP 1
SIDE A
1. Dipper Mouth Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
2. Weather Bird Rag King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
3. Just Gone King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
4. Canal Street Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
5. Mandy Lee Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
6. I’m Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
7. Froggie Moore King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
8. Chimes Blues King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
9. Snake Rag King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923
SIDE B
1. Sobbin’ Blues King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
2. Sweet Lovin’ Man King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
3. Dipper Mouth Blues King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
4. Where Did You Stay Last Night? King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
5. High Society Rag King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
6. Snake Rag King Oliver’s  Jazz Band 1923
7. Krooked Blues King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923
8. Alligator Hop King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923
9. Zulus Ball King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923
10. Workingman Blues King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band 1923

 

Tracklist: LP 2
SIDE A
1. Jazzin’ Babies Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
2. Chattanooga Stomp King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
3. New Orleans Stomp King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
4. The Southern Stomps (take 1) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
5. The Southern Stomps (take 2) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
6. Riverside Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
7. Mabel’s Dream (take 1) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
8. Mabel’s Dream (take 2) King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
9. London (Café) Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
SIDE B
1. Camp Meeting Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
2. Tears King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
3. Buddy’s Habit King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
4. Working Man Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
5. Riverside Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
6. Room Rent Blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
7. I Ain’t Gonna Tell Nobody King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
8. Mabel’s Dream King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923
9. Sweet Baby Doll King Oliver’s Jazz Band 1923


Trailer

Ricky’s Unboxing Video


The Wall Street Journal

“Produced near the end of the acoustic recording era, the Oliver-Armstrong sessions have been available from the 78 rpm era onward, although inevitably with murky audio quality. This new edition, with restoration primarily by early-audio specialist and historian Richard Martin, is easily the best these tracks have sounded since they were heard in person. As Armstrong biographer Ricky Riccardi informs us in his invaluable album notes, many historians over the past century have dismissed the recordings because of the audio quality. But the Archeophone package shows that the original engineers—for Gennett, Okeh, Columbia and Paramount Records—knew what they were doing, and that the Oliver-Armstrong tracks are just as vibrant and exciting as any jazz ever captured on shellac, tape or digital bits.”
Will Friedwald, The Wall Street Journal [read review ]

The Tracking Angle

“The new ‘Centennial’ remaster by Richard Martin sounds significantly better than any prior version of the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band recordings. . . . We will not hear a reissue of this music sound better for a long time, if ever,” and “The book superbly reproduces label shots (both sides) of all the records, many photos of the band, some of which I had never seen and includes magisterial liner notes by Ricky Riccardi, Director of Research Collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum.”
Joseph W. Washek, The Tracking Angle [read review ]

Jazz Lives

“Its effect is nearly overwhelming. . . I am not even through listening to all the music, reading the book, admiring the lovely packaging, and I can only say that it is the offering of a lifetime. It may be copied but I don’t know how it would be surpassed. And it would make an astonishing gift, especially for those jazz enthusiasts who say, “I already have the Oliver sides,” or “I can’t listen to those old records.” Let the conversion experiences begin. And they will.”
Michael Steinman, Jazz Lives [read review ]

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