Don Byas

• DELUXE, LIMITED EDITION, 10-CD BOX SET

LONG-OVERDUE TRIBUTE TO A MAN WHOSE WORK SITS AMONG THE BEST IN JAZZ

A new, stunning, comprehensive, and weighty set from Mosaic Records: “Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946” is a long-overdue tribute to a man whose work sits among the best in jazz
This is a historical document of jazz at a time when the musicians, steeped in the swing tradition, were creating and setting the mold for the modern sounds of bebop.

This limited edition set documents a recording legacy in a way never-before possible, with sessions from both Savoy and National, and many from obscure labels where ownership has faded into oblivion.

An incredible revelation is the massive trove of “lost” home recordings from the collection of Timme Rosenkrantz, the Danish jazz aficionado. The sessions from Timme Rosenkrantz’s apartment are nothing short of remarkable. Freed from the spotlight and demands of a paying audience, musicians could stretch out, explore, and invent. Only a few have ever made their way to LPs or CDs. Thanks to a special arrangement with the Byas estate for this very limited release, Mosaic has gained access to this historical legacy.

In fact, throughout this collection you’ll hear musicians at the peak of their talents, contributing to the evolution in jazz in ways that were often unknown contemporaneously.

The “Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946” features Byas in duet, quartet, quintette, and big band settings led by Byas and others including Emmett Berry, Hot Lips Page, Earl Bostic, Cozy Cole, Oscar Pettiford, Benny Carter, and more. Sidemen are far too many to list here but include such important players as: Charlie Shavers, Johnny Guarneri, Slam Stewart, Milt Hinton, J. C. Heard, Vic Dickinson, Benny Morton, Ike Quebec, Tiny Grimes, Red Norvo, Teddy Wilson, Lucky Thompson, Thelonious Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Benny Harris, Serge Chaloff, J.J. Johnson or Max Roach.

This deluxe box set features an exclusive, collector-worthy booklet containing an essay on Byas’ life and work by jazz scholar, musician and Grammy Award winner Loren Schoenberg; a track-by-track analysis of the songs and the details behind each recording; and rare photographs from the sessions and other performances. This discography corrects a number of mistakes in other sources.

Superior Sound Quality
Mosaic’s superior sound quality is a combination of many factors including their ability to gain access to record company vaults, utilizing the best engineers, and having the passion to spend the time and resources to restoring this great music to the best you’ve ever heard.

In compiling this set, Mosaic accessed original 78s and lacquer discs, using the best-sounding source material available. All the Timme Rosenkrantz recordings were transferred directly from the original discs in the collection by Nils Winther, SteepleChase Studio, Klampenborg, Denmark.

Since these discs were made on a home disc machine that was capable of recording at a slower speed we have performances that far exceed the time restraints of a commercially issued 78 rpm record. However, due to the age and fragile nature of these non-professionally recorded discs, there will be some issues with the condition and pitch of some tracks.

Lacquer transfers¸ sound restoration and mastering were produced by Grammy winner Andreas Meyer and 78 transfers by Nancy Conforti and Andreas Meyer. 24 bit technology was utilized at all stages of the production of this Mosaic release.