Books, Arts & Manners: Jazz: From LP to CD

Jazz grew up with the phonograph. And though much that was recorded died a quick death, the best of it lived on—in the collections of the aficionados, and in the reissues that were fitfully offered. With the advent of the long-playing record, much of what had been available disappeared from music-shop shelves. Meanwhile, even those who held on to their shellac 78s found themselves locked out as new equipment omitted the faster spin.

Now there will be another bill of divorcement as the CD replaces the LP—and what survives the transfer will not always be the best. Certainly much of Duke Ellington will come tousonCD—and so will the bands of the Swing Era and their modern successors. The Louis Armstrong of the Hot Five and Hot Seven period will also be preserved, both for his musical greatness and for his historic importance. But will there be a record company ready to gamble on the response to the Jelly Roll Morton of Red Hot Peppers issue? It took long enough to get the Sidney Bechet sides on LP; how much longer will it take before they go CD? And will the Smithsonian Institution, which has done such wonderful work in restoring the old jazz to our turntables, move into the new medium?

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Ralph de Toledano

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Jazz grew up with the phonograph. And though much that was recorded died a quick death, the best of it lived on—in the collections of the aficionados, and in the reissues that were fitfully offered. With the advent of the long-playing record, much of what had been available disappeared from music-shop shelves. Meanwhile, even those who held on to their shellac 78s found themselves locked out as new equipment omitted the faster spin.

Now there will be another bill of divorcement as the CD replaces the LP—and what survives the transfer will not always be the best. Certainly much of Duke Ellington will come tousonCD—and so will the bands of the Swing Era and their modern successors. The Louis Armstrong of the Hot Five and Hot Seven period will also be preserved, both for his musical greatness and for his historic importance. But will there be a record company ready to gamble on the response to the Jelly Roll Morton of Red Hot Peppers issue? It took long enough to get the Sidney Bechet sides on LP; how much longer will it take before they go CD? And will the Smithsonian Institution, which has done such wonderful work in restoring the old jazz to our turntables, move into the new medium?