Monday, January 20, 2020

Grofe: Mississippi Suite (1927), Three Shades of Blue (1928)--Paul Whiteman and His Concert Orch.








DOWNLOAD: Mississippi Suite (Grofe)--Three Shades of Blue (Grofe)--Paul Whiteman and His Concert Orch., 1927 and 1928.


My own restorations, from my own copies, of Paul Whiteman's Concert Orchestra performing Ferde Grofe's Mississippi Suite (composed in 1926 and recorded in 1927) and Three Shades of Blue (1928).

Due to the low response on the Grofes, this will be the end of the series.

The gospel posts will be discontinued, too--the downloads on those have been next to nonexistent.  Am I doing anything right here?  Just asking.

UPDATE: I will continue both series.  I was having a bad evening.  Being my usual moody self. Thanks for the nice comments, and I will try to keep my moods balanced....


Lee


13 comments:

Ernie said...

Well, I don't download all the gospel records, but some of them I give a listen to. The Grofe stuff is pretty interesting. I have a stack of Whiteman & Grofe records I need to send you, in fact. Maybe having some new records to play with will inspire you. :)

Scott1669 said...

Ohhhh Noooo..... Sunday Morning Gospel is one of my favorites!!! I'm sorry if I don't comment enough on the greatness of those posts but I do love them and all that you do. Just now getting into the classical realm I don't really know what I am listening to but, trust me, they do sound fantastic!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes, yes you are! Your blog is on my "check everyday" list! Your research is great!!!

Buster said...

Well, I am enjoying both the Grofe and gospel series! My own view is, do what you love.

Jim said...

I will admit that I'm not a fan of Grofe (not even Grand Canyon), and it was only his score to Rocketship X-M that maintained my interest in hearing these other works.

To be honest, I find your puckish liner notes far more entertaining; they often lure (tempt) me into listening to pieces I would not ordinarily listen to - and I am almost always rewarded for my efforts.

As for the Gospel selections; that is an acquired taste and it was through your vintage recordings (the very old 78's and such) that I began reading the essays. HOWEVER - the notes you include with the uploads are every bit as educational and informative and I would feel the loss if I did not see them anymore.

Your fake hits and budget label classics are the best as far as I'm concerned, and are the number one reason I stop by. But as always, the essays you include with every posting are the icing on the cake.

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Thanks, Ernie, Scott, Buster, Anon., and Jim, for the nice words. I will keep the Grofe and gospel posts coming--and the shellac and fake hits--my apologies. I was having a moody a.m. I'm placing importance on "stats," which should never be the point of my blogging. Also, stats come and go, and they depend on what I'm posting--so I'm doing some false generalizing. And I have a batch of fake hits to come--I discovered a group I'd prepared for posting but didn't put up. I would have sworn I HAD done the post, and I would have been wrong....

David Federman said...

I'm glad I didn't have to beg you to continue along the Grofe and Gospel paths. Your posts of 20s gospel music some years ago were life-changers. And you have made Grofe an active adjunct of my life. We live in god-forsaken times and for His and my sake, you need to keep the music playing--both sacred and secular.

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Thanks, David. Sorry for my moodiness. I really need to get some more early gospel in my collection, but it's not as easy to find. Well, at reasonable prices, that is. At eBay, the majority of dealers seem to think that shellac is worth tens or even hundreds of dollars. I think some of these folks are either pulling a stunt or seriously need to talk to a professional....

Something's messing with my moods lately, and I'm almost positive it's the wonky weather. In my neck of the woods, we're being spared the horrible snow, but the spring-then-winter-then-spring routine is murder on people (like myself) who have MDD and migraines. When the flowers get confused and start to bloom, then you KNOW that people's brain and body chemistry are going to be similarly puzzled.

Scott1669 said...

OH Yeah.......forgot about the GREATNESS of the Fake Hits!!!!! Thank you for those!!! I can feel you with the change of weather...I live in North Texas.....it has been 70 all the way down to 28 in the same day this winter. You don't like the weather, have a cup of coffee and it will be different here. I do not, however have the sensitivity for the changes so I cannot feel your pain in that department. Keep your chin up, you always seem to, been reading here for a while. We all love what you do!!!!!!!!

Doc said...

Friend Lee, I just emailed you to say I'm sorry it takes a sad word from you for me to write and tell you how much your shares are appreciated. Grofe is a very favorite. Thanks for your determination to press on. May none of us--certainly not me--take your labor and generosity for granted! Sincerely, Doc

Larry said...

Thanks for this. Mississippi Suite is missing Father of Waters, my favorite movement of the set. I suppose some picking and choosing was necessary to fit the 78 format. However, I would never presume to second guess Paul Whiteman. The man knew what he was doing. These Grofe posts are much appreciated!

I've resided in four states over the course of my 68 years, Minnesota, Alaska, North Dakota and Wisconsin. I've pretty much had it with snow. I'm praying for you.

rev.b said...

A lack of comments or downloads doesn't necessarily equal a lack of interest. Chin up my friend, as with the snow, this too shall pass.

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Scott, a "Fake Sixties" post coming up, once I get the scans done. Sunday, I stumbled across a MAGIX project in progress called "Fake Sixties Part 2," and I hadn't remembered a Part 1. Checked the blog--no Part 1. Hunted through my files and finally located the tracklist for part 1. It had been ready to go up, but somehow it never saw the light of blog. I just need to get a few scans done, and then I'll put it up tonight or tomorrow. Some hilarious stuff.

Doc--Thank you very much. I'm just coming off a blue period--I really think our spring-to-winter-to-spring pattern is affecting my serotonin levels!

Larry--It's a shame, isn't it? I'd have loved to hear PW doing "Father of Waters." The second movement makes for a lousy start, but, like you said, something had to be cut. The only way out would have been to shorten Father or Waters and Old Creole Days, but neither movement lends itself to shortening. I'm almost sure PW recorded the M. Suite for HMV in England--and the recording was rejected, for some reason. I wonder if that performance contained the same revisions. Probably, but.... The all-time most painful lost PW/Grofe recording would have to be Broadway at Night, which was performed but rejected. Why didn't they give it another go? Broadway actually anticipates the infinitely more famous Rhapsody in Blue in some of its sections, meaning Gershwin was paying close attention to Paul and Ferde. He may even have taken some inspiration from that unrecorded work. Grofe's ragtime piece "Cyclone" also anticipates Gershwin in a big way. Snow-wise, I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where the snow would reach chest-level (for kids), and I remember walking the mile to school in such snow. (If I had grandkids, I could tell them about that.) Yet, despite that, I'm a snow and cold weather wimp. I have never liked winter!

Rev. B.--Thanks much. We're actually getting a major break, snow-wise. We had what amounts to a dusting, really. Ice is the main problem. Our temps are moving up, starting tomorrow. My moods (and sinuses!) are in a state of confusion, and I'm sure I'm not alone in my neck of the woods. Probably a lot of bronchitis and depression going around. We'd be better off if the weather would find a midpoint and stay there.