Documents

200 No 1 Hits 1945-62 [10 CD]

This box with 10 CDs is a real goody for those with a taste for jazz. It comprises altogether 17 original LPs made by the legendary trumpeter who could also sing with great feeling. Chet Baker's fans reckon him among creators of a trumpet playing style that was more restrained, lyrical and distinguished by a typical coolness inspired by Miles Davis.<br/><br/>At the age of ten he was given a slide trombone by his father that he exchanged for a trumpet, to be like his idol Harry James. In a very short time Baker taught himself to play simple swing tunes and showed he was also a talented improviser. He became well-known as a trumpeter in Gerry Mulligan's quartet. He was co-writer alongside Mulligan of the popular hit single "My funny Valentine".<br/><br/>Parallel to his popularity however, grew also his addiction to drugs and he had to endure a two-year stretch in jail. After making it through a long and difficult period he played better than ever before and made his best records, in 1978 in Europe, for several different labels. A further high point was a successful tour in Japan.<br/><br/>But despite success the life of this brilliant musician ended tragically. In 1988 he fell from the window of a hotel room in Amsterdam. It still remains unclear whether it was an accident that happened under the influence of drugs, or a case of suicide.

Every Country and Western fan will find these ten CDs a real treasure trove with the best of Johnny Cash records on the Sun and Columbia labels. Altogether there are 14 original LPs and bonus titles - more music cannot be squeezed into a box - from religious songs through cover versions of Don Gibson and Hank Williams to Rockabilly. But the focus is on Johnny Cash's own million-selling successes that he made despite huge alcohol and drug problems. Innumerable honours and awards came his way during his long career and he supported suppressed minorities. This box documents his rise to becoming the most successful post-WW2 Country singer from his musical beginnings with Sun studios; frequently his songs reached the pop charts.

In 1956 Jazz impressario Norman Granz, who had started the legendary "Jazz at The Philharmonic" concerts and tours in 1944, signed Ella Fitzgerald to his new Verve label, which combined his earlier labels Clef and Norgran. Having been Ella´s personal manager for years - a role he maintained for the rest of her career - he had a vision to make her the most popular and prolific jazz singer of all times. Between 1956 and 1962 he recorded 7 songbooks each containing between 2 to 5 volumes and the incredible duets with Louis Armstrong - an impressive body of work, almost impossible to imagine to be created in such a short period of time today. To demonstrate that Granz was building on a good foundation, we also include some highlights of her Decca recordings, such as her intimate duo-sessions with pianist Ellis Larkins.

Lewis Ramsey: Original Albums [10 CD]

Sångaren och pianisten Nat "King" Cole föddes i Montgomery, Alabama, 1919. När han var bara fem år flyttade familjen till Chicago där Nat "King" Cole startade sin karriär, blott 12 år gammal.<br/>Den här 10CD-boxen innehåller tjugotvå originalalbum från denna hyllade artist. I boxen hittar du många av hans hits och några rariteter som visar den extraordinära skicklighet denna ikoniska musiker besatt.

Beethoven: The nine symphonies (Von Karajan) [6 CD]