Paul Whiteman - Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra [EPM]
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Track List: Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra [EPM]
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Album Details: Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra [EPM]
- Release Date:
- 10/29/1996
- Label:
- Epm Musique
- UPC:
- 723722364228
User Reviews: Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra [EPM]
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Whiteman's a Treasure
, January 10, 2007Reviewer: L.E. Smith - See all L.E. Smith's reviews
read all (1) user reviews for Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra [EPM]
Pro Reviews: Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra [EPM]
| EXPERT RATING: From AMG Reviews Whiteman's place in music history is an obscure one. He certainly popularized jazz, but watered it down to the point of unrecognizability. Although he employed artists like Bix Beiderbecke and Bing Crosby, his music doesn't swing very much, played with a stiff precision that has only the most tenuous connection to the real thing. As dance-band music of the times, however, the recordings he made are majestic, chock full of sparkling arrangements and attention to detail. These 78 transfers sound as good as you could expect given the ravages of time; they stand as a nice cross-section of some of his best work. Whiteman isn't for everyone's taste, but there's some great music to explore on these ancient sides. - Cub Koda, All Music Guide |
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Paul Whiteman Biography
Because press agents dubbed him "The King of Jazz" in the 1920s, Paul Whiteman has always been considered a controversial figure in jazz history. Actually, his orchestra was the most popular during the era and at times (despite its size) it did play ...Full Paul Whiteman Biography
-- ©2008 All Media Guide, LLC
Pros: Wonderful melodies..
Cons: A few dated references..
Regardless of how today's jazz historians view Paul Whiteman and his publicity held title "King of Jazz," his music is still classic jazz for all time. At a time when the music was the creation of African-Americans, Whiteman brought jazz front and center with fox-trot oriented hits like "Wang-Wang Blues," "Whispering," "Japaneese Sandman," and other hits. All the while the music evolved to swing-like proportions as evidenced in the later part of the CD. As the old saying goes, Whiteman made a lady out of jazz. In fact, Whiteman worked with jazz legend Fletcher Henderson on compositions that inspired each other's bands for many years until Henderson's 1952 passing. Also, Bing Crosby and the Rhythym Boys make for a fine edition in some of the Whiteman recordings. The downside was when during the song, "I'm Coming, Virginia," a reference was made to "Mammy." Not what many of today's audiences of color would want to hear given the times and when the song was written (it was sung by Crosby). Granted, Whiteman and Crosby were not racist by any means as they had many black influences in their music and personal and professional lives.
But I reccomend this CD for its classic jazz recordings and to feel the joy in the music as only the Whiteman Orchestra played it. ...