| Memphis Jazz Box | |
|---|---|
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| Box set by
various Memphis jazz artists
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| Released | March 9th, 2004 re-released 2008 |
| Recorded | various dates between 1995-2003 |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 2:33:46 |
| Label | Icehouse Records |
| Producer | John Threadgill Jack Cooper John Phillips |
| Compiler | Jack Cooper |
| cat. # - Ice House Records IHR 5902 | |
"The Memphis Jazz Box"[1][2] is a 3-CD box set by Memphis jazz artists, first released by Ice House Records in March 2004 and then re-released to the public in 2008. Volume one and two have a combined 24 tracks from a wide variety of artists who were currently working in Memphis during the time the set was produced. The third CD is the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter recorded in 2003 for Summit Records.
The Memphis tradition of jazz music dates back many years to the time of W.C.Handy, Jimmie Lunceford, and Phineas Newborn. Memphis is a city with a long musical heritage that is an integral part of the American sound consisting of work songs, spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, and rock and roll. Through this tradition, Memphis is a music city that serves to foster musical talent that is unique. There is a wide range a music on the CD set that represents the current flavor of what Memphis music is; from the traditional sounds to Joyce Cobb and W.C. Handy to the contemporary sounds of fusion with the band Voodoo Village. This box set of three CD was produced commercially to promote the city and the jazz music generated from the Mid-south region. This was the second such boxed set produced by Ice House Records and the Chamber of Commerce. The first set, produced in 2001, featured "Best Of. . ." tracks from Sun, Stax, and Hi Records.
All tracks are written by noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let's Get Lost" (Kelley Hurt) | McHugh/Loesser | Raindance[3] | 3:29 |
| 2. | "The Protagonist" (Jack Cooper Quartet) | Jack Cooper | 5:51 | |
| 3. | "Bags" (The U of Memphis Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra) | Bill Holman | 3:12 | |
| 4. | "Garment District" (Voodoo Village) | Ernest Williamson | Funk Soup[4] | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Family Money" (Hope Clayburn) | Hope Clayburn | Report 4 Booty[5] | 6:49 |
| 6. | "Beale St. Blues" (Joyce Cobb & the Beale St. Jazz Band) | W.C. Handy | Jazzin on Beale | 4:26 |
| 7. | "I've Got You Under My Skin" (T.J. Graham) | Cole Porter | 4:51 | |
| 8. | "Rhythm is Our Business" (The New Memphis Hepcats) | Jimmie Lunceford | Swingopoly[6] | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Andrea" (Herman Green & the Green Machine) | Herman Green | Hernando Street Strut[7] | 5:31 |
| 10. | "One Kind Word" (Charlie Wood) | Charlie Wood | Southbound[8] | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Corcovado" (Holly Shelton & the Backroom Boys) | Antonio Carlos Jobim | Back on Beale Street[9] | 3:46 |
| 12. | "Reed Between the Lines" (Carl Wolfe Quartet) | Carl Wolfe | 4:43 | |
| 13. | "Reekin' With Love" (Di Anne Price & Her Boyfriends) | Di Anne Price | Reekin' With Love[10] | 2:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gentle Rain" (Teresa Pate) | Luiz Bonfá | 4:15 | |
| 2. | "2nd & Beale" (Freeworld) | Freeworld | Diversity[11] | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Crazy She Calls Me" (Gary Johns) | Sigman/Russell | Made In Memphis | 6:02 |
| 4. | "El Gato De La Noche" (Memphis Jazz Orchestra) | Carl Wolfe | 6:51 | |
| 5. | "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Gene Rush) | Duke Ellington | 6:21 | |
| 6. | "Waltz For Debbie" (U of Memphis Jazz Singers) | Bill Evans | 3:25 | |
| 7. | "School Girl Crush" (Candice Ivory) | Candice Ivory | Path: Undefined[12] | 6:25 |
| 8. | "Voodoo Village" (Voodoo Village) | Kurt Clayton/Pat Register/Ernest Williamson | Funk Soup[4] | 5:23 |
| 9. | "Out of This World" (Kelley Hurt) | Arlen/Mercer | Raindance[3] | 4:15 |
| 10. | "River of Jive" (Charlie Wood) | Charlie Wood | Southbound[8] | 4:18 |
| 11. | "Local Edition" (Jack Cooper Quartet) | Jack Cooper | 5:38 |
| No. | Title | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter" (Jazz Orchestra of the Delta) | All tracks - Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter |
Di Anne Price passed in March 2013.[13]
Charlie Wood is married to Jacqui Dankworth and has moved to London since the release of this CD set.[14] He still retains a CD contract with Archer RecordsinMemphis, TN.
The CD release party was held in AutoZone Park on March 18, 2004, at 5:30 pm., in the upper club room convention/party level: it was promoted well and The Commercial Appeal as well as the Memphis Business Journal.[15][16] The box was conceived through cooperation of the nonprofit Mid-south Jazz Foundation, the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, the Shelby County/Memphis Music Commission, the University of Memphis School of Music, and Select-O-Hits. Numerous artists from the CD set performed at the event, it was well attended and sponsored by the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce. Interviews were done on WKNO-FM 91.1 and WUMR with the producer of the set, the tracks from the set have had extensive play on WUMR radio which is the jazz radio station for the Mid-South region. It has also had airplay on other jazz radio stations around the country.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Commercial Appeal |   [17] |
| DISC 3 - L.A. Jazz Scene | (very positive)[18] |
| DISC 3 - Jazz Journal International | (very positive)[19] |
"A new collection, The Memphis Jazz Box, states with classy pride the case for the Bluff City's jazz heritage, notably those currently working on the local scene...The box stands as a fine effort, a nice cross-section..."
Bill Ellis, Commercial Appeal [17]
"...the result is a cohesive ensemble that understands (the) musical direction so well that they reproduce precisely what (the arranger) has intended...Balance and phrasing, suitable textures, and mellow harmonic ties follow with glamorous effects."
Jim Santella, L.A. Jazz Scene[18]
"...(the arranger) is to be congratulated on the way he orchestrated some of (Porter's) best known songs, maintaining interest, despite the familiarity with the material."
Gordon Jack, Jazz Journal International[19]
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