Search - Jazz Icons: Series 3 Box Set (8 DVDs) on DVD

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rayjazz | las vegas, NV | 11/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As I said on another review of a Jazz Icons disc, buy
this set. This is such a great value. If you are a jazz
fan, and don't own any of the Jazz Icon series, I urge
you to purchase all of these box sets. This is a huge
deal. These sessions range from grainy black and white
to rich color, but all of the performances are so great
one can overlook this, if you love this music as much
as I do. You get a bonus disc with this set, even if
say Roland Kirk isn't your cup of tea, the price makes
it free, but he was an astounding talent, so give it
a try."

Jazz Icons, series 3

William J. Lavin | Kettering, OH United States | 11/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the limited, esoteric world of video footage of jazz performances, the Jazz Icons series stands alone. Other companies churn out performances, often of questionable video quality, and almost always with minimal liner notes. The Jazz Icons series unearth beautiful performances of musicians at their peak creativity. They then match these wonderful performances with thorough liner notes about the musician and the performances.

I hope that this endeavor continues until all of the unseen performances from Europe are released. There are many musicians that have not been covered by these releases, such as Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Errol Garner, Stan Getz, Ornette Coleman that would be very interesting subjects of future Jazz Icons series. Our job is to spread the word, and keep purchasing these, to encourage future releases."

Another Great Collection By Jazz Icons

Saratoga Jazz | Upstate New York | 11/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having Just Received This Third Edition of The Jazz Icon Series for my Birthday I Must Tell You , The First Two Collections Are Great, This One Is Over The Top Fantastic!!!. Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball , WOW!! Great Examples of How Big the Jazz Tent Is, Come On In ! The Jazz Is Hot. Take Some Time, Open a Bottle of Wine, Relax and ENJOY !!!"

Priceless!

Jim Brown | 03/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own and treasure all three of the Jazz Icons box sets. They are an important part of the recorded legacy of many of the greatest jazz musicians who lived in the last half of the 20th century. These are programs recorded by European broadcasters while these major jazz artists were on tour in Europe with their working bands. The musicians were "up" for it, and so were the broadcasters. The quality of the music, the sound, and the video production are all excellent given the technology available they were recorded.

No time is wasted with uninformed TV hosts interviewing musicians they know nothing about. The cameras nearly always seem to find the soloist, there's never the distraction of inane visuals to detract from the performance. The produced DVDs are all well edited and have good musical continuity.

The sound crews all used top quality recording mics, put them in the right place, and mixed them to produce a balance that makes sense musically. I'm a recording engineer specializing in live jazz, and I'd be happy to have my name on any of these shows!

Compared to the Jazz Icons series, the recordings of US broadcasters during the same time frame are worse than a bad joke, they are a tragedy. Lousy sound quality, lousy production, time squandered by clueless hosts and so-called stars. A tragedy because the visual legacy of so many great artists has been lost, or so poorly represented.

There are a few exceptions, most notably the magnificent "The Sound of Jazz" from 1958, arguably television's finest hour, and the subsequent "The Sound of Miles Davis."
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