The Complete Riverside Recordings [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The span of this 12-CD box set is generally acknowledged as the best Bill Evans material available. That's saying a lot, considering the high quality of The Complete Fantasy Recordings and The Complete Bill Evans on Verve. What the Riverside recordings display is a young Evans discovering his revolutionary harmonic depth and improvisational genius with bursts of energy that, by his second session, had established a kind of moody intensity that seemed to deepen the music while making it at once more complex and easier to absorb. Evans's Riverside years encompass his early dynamos: Everybody Digs Bill Evans is resplendently here, as is the material from Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. So, too, are sessions with Cannonball Adderley, Jim Hall, and Zoot Sims. Through it all, Evans remains firmly planted in a winding style that's creatively unstoppable and visceral in its intensity. One could write hundreds of pages about these 12 CDs. Instead, you should indulge their dozen-plus hours. --Andrew Bartlett

The Complete Riverside Recordings, Music, Bill Evans, Ballads, Cool, Jazz, Jazz Music, Mainstream Jazz, Modal Music, Pop, Post-Bop, Standards
The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A piece of history
  • It's like being there
  • A superb collection
  • Excellent
  • What's All the Fuss About?
 The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
Bill Evans
Manufacturer: Riverside
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
Cool JazzCool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
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GeneralGeneral | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music
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  1. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
  2. Moon Beams
  3. Explorations
  4. Portrait in Jazz
  5. Everybody Digs Bill Evans

ASIN: B000AMJEKA
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

  1. Spoken Introduction
  2. Gloria's Step (Take 1, Interupted)(First U.S. Release)
  3. Alice In Wonderland
  4. My Foolish Heart
  5. All Of You (Take 1)
  6. Announcement And Intermission
  7. My Romance (Take 1)
  8. Some Other Time
  9. Solar

Tracks:

  1. Gloria's Step (Take 2)
  2. My Man's Gone Now
  3. All Of You (Take 2)
  4. Detour Ahead (Take 1)
  5. Discussion Repertoire
  6. Waltz For Debby (Take 1)
  7. Alice In Wonderland (Take 2)
  8. Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy)
  9. My Romance (Take 2)
  10. Milestones

Tracks:

  1. Detour Ahead (Take 2)
  2. Gloria's Step (Take3)
  3. Waltz For Debby (Take 2)
  4. All Of You (Take 3)
  5. Jade Visions (Take 1)
  6. Jade Visions (Take 2)
  7. ...A Few Final Bars

Amazon.com

Bill Evans, with virtuoso bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, reinvented the jazz piano trio, creating stunning contrapuntal dialogues that merged luminous lyricism with layers of complex, elusive harmonies, its moments of limpid beauty suddenly giving way to surging rhythms. The trio's finest recorded moments, these performances were captured just 10 days before LaFaro's death in a car accident. The original releases--Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby--are celebrated masterpieces. This three-CD set is a brilliant reissue--almost a revision--of that material, with superb sound from the newly remastered original tapes and all of the music presented in the sequence of the original five sets, adding a previously unissued take of "Gloria's Step," spoken introductions, and the band's incidental conversation. For those who know this music, it's a chance to hear it in a fresh way; for new listeners, it will come as a revelation at a bargain price. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A piece of history.......2007-06-27

For your ears only.....some people think that Bill evans is a "nice musician" Like its musac in an elevator. Listen to "my foolish heart" with headphones on, eyes closed, cranked! Let yourself get inside the music...listen to the subtleness of his playing...let it take you on a journey. This song, I think, shows the essence of bill evans. Scott lafaro and evans together is a killer combo, unfortunately there is not much out there from their short collaberation. This makes this 3 disc set a must own!

5 out of 5 stars It's like being there.......2007-05-12

I was lucky enough to hear Bill Evans, Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro in person at the Vanguard. This recording is the next best thing to being there because you hear everything the recordng engineer heard. Being there was unforgettable. Evans is the Chopin of America, in my opinion, except Chopin didn't swing or (to my knowledge) improvise. This group of sidemen constituted Evans' best trio ever.

5 out of 5 stars A superb collection.......2007-05-10

This set was my first introduction to Bill Evans...and what an introduction. A marvelous album in so many ways. Even if you are not a jazz fanatic, this is one box set to own.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2007-04-14

Execellent, both as an introduction or if you've been listening to jazz for a while. Only gets better over time.

5 out of 5 stars What's All the Fuss About?.......2007-03-02

I came at this album kind of backwards - I first listened to CDs of Evans playing with Tony Bennett, then solo, then live at Montreux with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette (trying to hear him at his most upbeat). I knew that this was one of the most revered albums in jazz, but I couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was all about. How much better could it be?

Much better. First, the recording quality on this album blows away the Montreux album. Yes, there's glasses clinking and occasional chit-chat, but it tells part of the story, as does the enemic applause. The bass tone is clear and full. The cymbals are not oppressive. It is amazing what such a meager recording setup can achieve in the right hands. If you have fear based on other bad jazz recordings, have no fear here.

Then there's the players. Bill Evans is Bill Evans - he has his good days and bad days, and most players people long in vain to live up to his bad days. And this was a good day, indeed. Then there's Scott LaFaro on bass. You really have to hear him play to appreciate just how much better than just about everyone else he was. He is busy yet tasteful, innovative and compelling to listen to. It would be a rare player indeed to come even close. Then there's Motian on drums. Based on other things I heard, I expected him to sit back, keep the beat and stay out of the way. He keeps the lid on the volume, but he plays with a control and intensity that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Unlike Jack DeJohnette, his timing syncs up precisely with Evans. His contribution to this trio should not be underestimated.

Then there are the songs. Each song is like an artichoke - dig a little deeper and you get a brand new flower. My favorites include Milestones with the upbeat drums and tasty chord voicings, the sweet playing on Alice and Wonderland, and the bass harmonics on Some Other Time, but there are so many good parts, and no weak ones. I'm sure my take will change over time as I become more familiar with the songs.

Finally, the context of the recording plays a big part in my overall impression. The small bits of applause add some irony to this recording - who knew that that this largely ignored day-in-the life of three underappreciated musicians would spawn albums, articles, and new jazz players for decades to come? The knowledge of LaFaro's impending death, his strained relationship with Evans, Evans' drug problems, Evan's profound grief at the death of LaFaro, and the fact that Evans is now gone all color my experience of this recording significantly. This album is a microcosm of the many tragedies and occasional triumphs in the strange and sometimes wonderful world of jazz. And a truly fine listening experience.
The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings (2 CD)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • MONK and TRANE
  • An insult to two great jazz masters
  • Monk and Trane in the Studio: The Director's Cut! That is, The Producer's Cut!
 The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings (2 CD)
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane , Thelonious Monk , and John Coltrane
Manufacturer: Riverside
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000FBHCQO
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Tracks:

  1. Monk's Mood (False Start)
  2. Monk's Mood
  3. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 1)
  4. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 2)
  5. Crepuscule With Nellie (Breakdown)
  6. Blues For Tomorrow
  7. Crepuscule With Nellie (Edited: Re-Takes 4 & 5)
  8. Crepuscule With Nellie (Re-Take 6)
  9. Off Minor (Take 4)
  10. Off Minor (Take 5)

Tracks:

  1. Abide With Me (Take 1)
  2. Abide With Me
  3. Epistrophy (Short Version)
  4. Epistrophy
  5. Well, You Needn't (Opening)
  6. Well, You Needn't
  7. Ruby, My Dear
  8. Ruby, My Dear
  9. Nutty
  10. Trinkle, Tinkle

Amazon.com

The 2005 release of Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall brought fresh attention to a brilliant musical partnership, though one of the least recorded. While the Monk/Coltrane association lasted only a few months in 1957, it coincided with Monk's emergence as a major figure and with the first flowering of Coltrane's genius. This two-CD set collects all of their studio meetings, including previously unreleased takes. There's the surprise trio version of "Monk's Mood," which the pianist inserted in a solo album; the Monk's Music septet sessions pairing Coltrane with Coleman Hawkins (now including the errant "Blues for Tomorrow," a Gigi Gryce tune recorded when Monk fell asleep at the keyboard); and the three superb tracks that constituted the sole studio documentation of the great quartet. Coltrane manages a virtual piano part on "Trinkle Tinkle," suggesting just how musically close the two became. Producer Orrin Keepnews provides an illuminating essay on the circumstances surrounding this essential chapter in jazz history. --Stuart Broomer

Album Description

Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane are universally recognized as musical demigods. The idea of Monk and Coltrane--the genius mentor and the budding genius--on the same bandstand or in the same recording studio is like Julius Erving and Michael Jordan soaring as teammates, or Jean Renoir and Francois Truffaut collaborating on a film. For an all-too-brief, magical time in 1957, Monk and Coltrane actually did work together every night as part of a quartet led by the uniquely brilliant pianist-composer Monk at New York's now-fabled Five Spot Cafe. And between April and July of that year they made the stunning music contained herein, their complete output in the recording studio.

The planets seemed to align for Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982) and John William Coltrane (1926-1967) when they joined forces in '57. Coltrane was poised to make a giant leap forward--and ready to learn from one of the masters, Monk. In a Down Beat interview Coltrane said: "Working with Monk brought me close to a musical architect of the highest order. I learned from him in every way." Some of those answers involved the way in which Coltrane's harmonic acuity developed, expressed via early intimations of his torrential "sheets of sound." With Monk's chords guiding him to places he'd never before visited, Coltrane was now on the path to transcendence. When he is joined by Coleman Hawkins, jazz's father of the tenor saxophone, on a couple of numbers from the epochal septet album Monk's Music, one hears the tenor's past, present, and future (e.g., the master take of "Epistrophy"). And listen raptly to the respective approaches of Hawkins and Coltrane on the two versions of "Ruby, My Dear," one of three signature Monk ballads in this set (the others are "Monk's Mood" and the ever-evolving "Crepuscule with Nellie").

There is such greatness on these two discs, so many wondrous performances (the rhythm team of bassist Wilbur Ware and drummers Art Blakey or Shadow Wilson is especially inspired), and so many fascinating stories about how these masterpieces came into being. Orrin Keepnews, who as producer of the original sessions was present at the creation of every note, has written a superb essay that sets the record straight, clears up long-standing rumors about what did (and did not) go down in the studio, and, above all, lets the listener in on how a genius mentor, a budding genius, and their gifted colleagues went about the business of conceiving a work of art.

Monk and Coltrane Photos

More Monk & Coltrane

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
Monk's Dream
The Essential Thelonious Monk

Monk Alone
A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
Blue Train, John Coltrane

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars MONK and TRANE.......2007-01-11

First I'd like to preface that I am not a musician or Jazz expert, but a Jazz enthusiast. I was a little leary about purchasing this CD because of the bad review and all the outtakes on the discography, but the price was right.

If you get this CD you'll be pleasantly surprised at the audio and musical quality of the songs and alternate takes. The little booklet inside was informative without being verbose.

Highly recommended!

1 out of 5 stars An insult to two great jazz masters.......2006-07-29

If you prefer the outtakes and the interviews on a movie DVD then you'll love this album. If you like to hear the best of the best then forget it. This album is of no real historic or musical value.

5 out of 5 stars Monk and Trane in the Studio: The Director's Cut! That is, The Producer's Cut!.......2006-06-28

With the recently-released Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane Carnegie Hall CD selling extraordinarily well, the next logical step was to create a companion set of their studio recordings. On cue, THE COMPLETE 1957 RIVERSIDE RECORDINGS steps into the marketplace. Basically this set is the audio equivalent of a "Director's Cut" video release, but in this case it's producer Orrin Keepnews' labor of love.

For some the contents of this set may be too much of a good thing, given the number of alternate takes (plus the inclusion of several cuts from the same sessions that are missing one of the two key musicians). Ten tunes are featured among the twenty tracks included on the two CDs. However, for most listeners the multiple takes will be welcome. Both Monk and Coltrane almost always find something unique to say in their solos, although the five takes of "Crepuscule With Nellie" arguably do get a bit repetitive. Even so, bottom-of-the-barrel Monk and Trane out-takes would be over-the-top-of-the-barrel for most other musicians. Furthermore, I was surprised to find that two tracks are released here for the first time. Not to mention the master takes, which belong in the front wing of any jazz hall-of-fame!

Monk and Coltrane's names may be the only ones on the front cover, but the other musicians are among jazz's all-time greats as well, including tenor sax legend Coleman Hawkins on one session. There's really nothing more I can write than to say that these recordings are historically important, and timeless in their ability to sound fresh and innovative even a half-century after they were recorded. It's hard to find any jazz recordings over the course of its entire history that are more crucial than these Monk and Coltrane sessions.
The Freelance Years: The Complete Riverside and Contemporary Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • It doesn't get any better than this!
  • What took me so long?
  • Beautiful, golden music from the heart
  • Quintessential Jazz
 The Freelance Years: The Complete Riverside and Contemporary Recordings
Sonny Rollins
Manufacturer: Riverside
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

PianoPiano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00004NHCS
Release Date: 2000-04-18

Tracks:

  1. Brilliant Corners
  2. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
  3. Bemsha Swing
  4. Pannonica
  5. I'm An Old Cowhand
  6. Way Out West
  7. Come, Gone
  8. There Is No Greater Love
  9. Wagon Wheels

Tracks:

  1. Solitude
  2. I'm An Old Cowhand (Alternate)
  3. Come, Gone (Alternate)
  4. There Is No Greater Love (Take 2)
  5. Way Out West (Alternate)
  6. Falling In Love With Love - Kenny Dorham
  7. My Old Flame

Tracks:

  1. La Villa - Kenny Dorham
  2. I'll Remember April - Kenny Dorham
  3. The Last Time I Saw Paris
  4. Just In Time
  5. Toot, Toot, Tootsie
  6. What Is There To Say
  7. Dearly Beloved
  8. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
  9. Cutie
  10. It Could Happen To You
  11. Mangoes
  12. Funky Hotel Blues
  13. Porgy
  14. I Must Have That Man
  15. When A Man Loves A Woman

Tracks:

  1. Strong Man
  2. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
  3. That's Him
  4. My Man
  5. Don't Explain
  6. I Must Have That Man (Take 3, Alternate)
  7. Porgy (Take 1, Alternate)
  8. Sonnymoon For Two
  9. Like Someone In Love
  10. Theme From Symphony No.6 Pathetique
  11. Till There Was You (Take 4)
  12. Someday I'll Find You
  13. Will You Still Be Mine?
  14. Shadow Waltz
  15. Till There Was You (Take 3, Alternate)

Tracks:

  1. The Freedom Suite
  2. I've Told Ev'ry Little Star
  3. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody
  4. How High The Moon
  5. You
  6. I've Found A New Baby
  7. Alone Together
  8. The Song Is You
  9. In The Chapel In The Moonlight
  10. You (Alternate)
  11. I've Found A New Baby (Alternate)
  12. The Song Is You (Alternate)

Amazon.com

Sonny Rollins has been a major figure in jazz since the 1950s, a titanic improviser whose weighty sound and speech-like ease have embodied a larger-than-life personality--swaggering, comic, soaring, and tender by turns. For all that career longevity, though, his most creative work dates from the flowering of his talent in the late '50s, when he emerged as a dominant presence after years as a sideman with Miles Davis and Max Roach. He had developed a unique gift for the extended solo, creating remarkable musical architecture with fragments of melody and infinitely varied rhythmic patterns. His sense of swing was extraordinary. He would do everything possible not to swing--from false slowdowns to on-the-beat accents--while still somehow driving forward. During that time he recorded for most of the important independent jazz labels, and his Complete Prestige and Complete Blue Note recordings have already appeared. This five-disc set comprises all his work for the New York Riverside and Los Angeles Contemporary labels, recorded between December 1956 and October 1958, and as such forms a remarkable portrait of the period as well as its outstanding soloist. The set includes all of Rollins's sideman appearances for Riverside, all made in Roach's creative orbit. There's a quintet date with trumpeter Kenny Dorham that adds harp to a rendition of "My Old Flame," another with Abbey Lincoln that brings gritty realism and high drama to jazz singing, and Thelonious Monk's essential Brilliant Corners. Rollins also leads terrific sessions with pianists Sonny Clark and Hampton Hawes and guitarist Barney Kessel, with a repertoire from "Toot, Toot, Tootsie" to a theme from Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" symphony. Though he would already go as far as solo saxophone for a version of "It Could Happen to You," Rollins is at his very best--both his wittiest and most profound--with just bass and drum accompaniment. The first Contemporary recording, originally released as Way Out West, plays with the East-West rivalry then current in jazz. Rollins, the quintessential East Coaster, is clearly having great fun applying himself to "I'm an Old Cowhand" and "Wagon Wheels," and that only feeds the level of group invention with Roy Brown and Shelly Manne. Amidst all this great music, the crowning touch is the Freedom Suite session, with Rollins working through the 20-minute title track and a series of standards with superb support and interplay from Roach and Oscar Pettiford. It's essential music, rivaled by only two contemporaneous recordings in the Rollins canon, Saxophone Colossus and A Night at the Village Vanguard. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars It doesn't get any better than this!.......2007-04-28

The 50s were an incredible time for jazz, with so many major figures reaching their peak, and here is Rollins playing with Thelonious Monk, Kenny Dorham, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, not to mention cutting his incredible Freedom Suite, all within a short span of three years. It is not surprising he took a break after this tremendous outpouring.

The box set starts with selections from Brilliant Corners, led by Thelonious Monk, and closes with Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders, which featured Hampton Hawes, Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne among others. I was pleasantly surprised to find that his recordings with Abbey Lincoln on the album That's Him figured heavily into this collection. You get the album in its entirety, providing a nice change of pace to the hard driving compositions which dominate the five discs. No one played the saxophonist with such force, a true heavyweight, yet he seemed remarkably adaptable to almost any situation. Like other musicians of his day, Rollins became drawn toward eastern music, discovering new techniques, which he nurtured during his hiatus before going onto record with Blue Note and other labels.

5 out of 5 stars What took me so long?.......2006-08-16

Sonny Rollins' recordings from '56-'58 are like nothing else. Hard to believe 2 years turned into 5 discs - and he still did 6 dates for Prestige in '56 - no wonder he had to take some time off. The sound, the technique, the concepts, they were sooo hip at the time people are still trying to get it down. This set dispells the myth that Sonny was simply a bebopper. Tracks like "Symphony No. 6", "Freedom Suite", even what he does with "I'm An Old Cowhand" show a man looking to push boundaries. But if you like show tunes and standards, they're here as well, just with the usual Sonny Rollins reinterpretation.
The package is well thought out. Slim and manageable, with great notes & pictures - even suggested reading. Well worth it.

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful, golden music from the heart.......2005-10-08

I'm a jazz fan, not a professional reviewer or hardcore jazz nerd, so I won't try to analyze too deeply the details of what makes this music so fantastic. But I love it, and if you like almost any jazz at all there's a pretty good chance you'll dig this. It's incredibly human and lyrical, interesting but accessible, at times challenging without never abrasive, virtuosic but always in the service of music. His long improvisations are full of weight and meaning and never seem to ramble.

Coltrane in full flight is a white-hot supernova of spiritual creative freedom; Rollins at his best is a beautiful intricate golden voice from the heart.

I'm still at the beginning of learning the Rollins canon, which is wonderfully exciting. Every new song I hear deepens my appreciation for this incredible artist. If I could give this box more than 5 stars I would.

5 out of 5 stars Quintessential Jazz.......2000-07-17

Listening to this boxed set by Sonny Rollins was like opening up a time portal to the history of Jazz music. This 5 CD set meticulously covers the complete Riverside recordings (1956-58), capturing Rollins in his freelance years. Some jazz experts consider this to be Rollin's most creative period. Many famous and influential artists played with Rollins on these sessions. Here a some of the artists that took part in this musical treasure; Jimmy Cleveland, Wendell Marshall, Oscar Pettiford, Leroy Vinegar, Max Roach, Hampton Hawes, Gil Coggins and Victor Feldman. Every one of these men are considered to be some of the very best musicians of there time period.

I enjoyed disc three and four immensely. The vocals of Abbey Lincoln give the music an ambiance and definitive fifties atmosphere that allows you to step back and put yourself right in that time frame of jazz history. Disc one, two, and five were absolutely amazing as well. When you sit and listen to the developing and flowering talent of the artist it makes you realize why the time period was called the Cool period of jazz.

The music herein can be considered as bop, progressive and contemporary. With the in-depth liner notes and comprehensive coverage of the artists catalog with Riverside, this set leaves no stone unturned. You get a glimpse of the different moods and musical palettes that Rollins draws from to create his music. The free form alternate takes are lengthy musical mirrors of a man that is intent on perfecting his art form. Attempting to push through contemporary barriers to create his own style and trademark, Rollins succeeds in enveloping the other performers in his musical vision. Although his playing seems to be restrained most of the time, the sound could be considered as progressive and slightly risqué for the fifties. It's all labeled as contemporary by today's standards.

When one takes all the factors into consideration, this boxed set stands as a testament to the importance of the artist and his tremendous contributions to music. Sonny Rollins was one of the few saxophone players that was talented enough to set a standard and make his own place in history. This beautiful boxed set is but one piece of a long and storied career. This is a superior chronicle of Sonny Rollin's emergence as a true force in jazz music. There is no doubt that Mr. Rollins should be considered a pioneer and a quintessential part of the jazz genres complex puzzle. This is one piece of the puzzle that has a place amongst the rest to complete the entire musical snapshot of jazz.

Keith Hannaleck May, 4, 2000 MuzikMan's Sound Script
The Complete Riverside Recordings
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I am not sure I even know where to start...
  • Remastering getting long in the tooth
  • Hard bop paradise
  • $200 for a Lifelong Friend
  • Awesome Collection!
 The Complete Riverside Recordings
Thelonious Monk
Manufacturer: Riverside
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000000ZG5
Release Date: 1991-11-22

Tracks:

  1. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
  2. Sophisticated Lady
  3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
  4. Black And Tan Fantasy
  5. Mood Indigo
  6. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
  7. Solitude
  8. Caravan
  9. Liza, All The Clouds'll Roll Away
  10. Memories Of You
  11. Honeysuckle Rose
  12. Darn That Dream
  13. Tea For Two

Tracks:

  1. You Are Too Beautiful
  2. Just You, Just Me
  3. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
  4. Pannonica-opening
  5. Pannonica
  6. Brilliant Corners
  7. Bemsha Swing
  8. I Surrender, Dear

Tracks:

  1. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You (Take 5)
  2. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You (Take 7)
  3. I Should Care (Take 1)
  4. I Should Care (Take 2)
  5. I Should Care (Take 3)
  6. 'Round Midnight-In Progress
  7. 'Round Midnight (Take 7)
  8. April In Paris
  9. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
  10. Monk's Mood-False Start
  11. Monk's Mood

Tracks:

  1. Functional (Take 1-alternate)
  2. Functional (Take 2)
  3. All Alone
  4. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 1)
  5. Crepuscule With Nellie-Breakdown
  6. Blues For Tomorrow
  7. Off Minor (Take 4-alternate)
  8. Off Minor (Take 5)
  9. Abide With Me
  10. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 4/5)
  11. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 6)

Tracks:

  1. Epistrophy-fragment
  2. Epistrophy
  3. Well, You Needn't-opening
  4. Well, You Needn't
  5. Ruby, My Dear
  6. Ruby, My Dear
  7. Nutty
  8. Trinkle, Tinkle
  9. Straight, No Chaser (Take 1-alternate)
  10. Straight, No Chaser (Take 3)
  11. Rhythm-A-Ning

Tracks:

  1. I Mean You (Take 1-alternate)
  2. I Mean You (Take 2-alternate)
  3. I Mean You (Take 4)
  4. 'Round Midnight
  5. Decidedly (Take 4)
  6. Decidedly (Take 5)
  7. Sweet And Lovely
  8. Coming On The Hudson
  9. In Orbit
  10. One Foot In The Gutter

Tracks:

  1. Trust In Me
  2. Let's Cool One
  3. Pea Eye
  4. Argentia
  5. Moonlight Fiesta
  6. Buck's Business
  7. Flugelin' The Blues
  8. Very Near Blue
  9. Evidence
  10. Blues Five Spot
  11. In Walked Bud/Epistrophy (theme)

Tracks:

  1. Unidentified Solo Piano
  2. 'Round Midnight
  3. Bye-Ya/Epistrophy (theme)
  4. Light Blue
  5. Coming On The Hudson
  6. Rhythm-A-Ning
  7. Just A Gigolo
  8. Blue Monk
  9. Evidence
  10. Epistrophy (Theme)

Tracks:

  1. Nutty
  2. Blues Five Spot
  3. Let's Cool One
  4. In Walked Bud
  5. Misterioso
  6. Epistrophy (theme-#2)
  7. In Walked Bud
  8. Blue Monk

Tracks:

  1. Rhythm-A-Ning
  2. Monk's Mood
  3. Friday The 13th
  4. Little Rootie Tootie
  5. Off Minor
  6. Thelonious
  7. Crepuscule With Nellie
  8. Little Rootie Tootie-Encore

Tracks:

  1. Played Twice (Take 1-2nd alternate)
  2. Played Twice (Take 2-alternate)
  3. Played Twice (Take 3)
  4. Straight, No Chaser
  5. Ask Me Now
  6. I Mean You
  7. Jackie-Ing
  8. Round Lights
  9. Pannonica
  10. Blue Monk

Tracks:

  1. Ruby, My Dear
  2. There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Take 1-alternate)
  3. There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Take 2)
  4. Everything Happens To Me
  5. Reflections
  6. Remember
  7. Bluehawk
  8. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart
  9. San Francisco Holiday
  10. Just You, Just Me
  11. 'Round Midnight
  12. San Francisco Holiday (Take 2-Alternate)

Tracks:

  1. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
  2. Evidence
  3. Epistrophy (theme)
  4. Epistrophy
  5. Four In One (Take 1)
  6. Let's Call This
  7. 'Round Midnight
  8. San Francisco Holiday (Worry Later) (Take 3)
  9. Four In One (Take 2)
  10. Epistrophy (theme)

Tracks:

  1. Well, You Needn't
  2. Crepuscule With Nellie
  3. Jackie-Ing
  4. Body And Soul
  5. Off Minor
  6. April In Paris
  7. I Mean You
  8. Rhythm-A-Ning
  9. Just A Gigolo

Tracks:

  1. Hackensack
  2. Epistrophy
  3. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
  4. Jackie-Ing
  5. Body And Soul
  6. Straight, No Chaser
  7. Crepuscle With Nellie
  8. Bemsha Swing
  9. San Francisco Holiday
  10. Rhythm-A-Ning
  11. Epistrophy

Amazon.com

With 15 jam-packed CDs and a well-designed LP-sized booklet with beautiful photos inside, this is the mother of all Thelonious Monk collections. Its supremacy is only in part related to girth and presentation, however. Historians and critics are almost unanimous in appraising the years Monk spent with the then-fledgling Riverside Records as his best. And this set catches it all, from the moments of deeply inspired, quicksilver genius to the foibles, miscues, and studio chatter (which is very minimal). Beginning in 1955 with a trio recording of Ellington tunes to the slew of live recordings that compose most of the last eight CDs, the recordings here end in 1961, with Monk leading a slender quartet fronted by tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, who would remain with him through many of his Columbia releases of the 1960s. Monk's trail up to his lengthy stint with Riverside began with a short tenure at Blue Note, and while those recordings (collected on the four-CD Complete Blue Note Recordings) illuminate the pianist's skewered take on bebop, sessions like the one that makes up the Brilliant Corners single CD (and that appear, of course, here) show ways Monk was doubling back on jazz styles, piling techniques from the swing era--a more moderated approach to underlying swing, for example--onto his odd voicings on chords, which arrest the ear at every turn. Where the Brilliant Corners sessions show Monk working with a rasp-toned Sonny Rollins on tenor and Ernie Henry on alto, the bands expand and contract repeatedly throughout the 30 sessions, all of them annotated by producer and Riverside cofounder Orrin Keepnews in the booklet. You can hear Monk tailoring his Tatum-esque flourishes on the solo sessions that led to Thelonious Himself and Thelonious Alone in San Francisco and then lavishing reams of reeds and brass when in 1957 he corralled John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxes, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Gigi Gryce on alto sax, and Art Blakey for the Monk's Music session or when in 1959 he led a roiling ten-piece in the At Town Hall session. But the most intimate encounters are the smaller ones, with Gerry Mulligan clearly finding all manner of seams and creases to drop his flowing baritone in on the Mulligan Meets Monk session or with Monk finding an ideal chemistry with Johnny Griffin's fast, tight tenor sax lines. Then there is the microtonal poetry of a 20-minute listen-in where Monk explores "Round Midnight," giving listeners a keen glimpse into the mind of one of jazz's most singularly creative minds in history. With any one of the single CDs that together make up this package, a listener could so easily get hooked into buying all the work Monk did for Riverside disc by disc that it makes sense to take the colossal leap and scoop it all up at once--and then dig way in. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I am not sure I even know where to start..........2004-12-24

I think I almost cried when I got this set... It is truly a magnificent and beautiful boxed-set indeed. If you can afford it... A must. It is a staggering fifteen discs, which I have now had the pleasure of completely hearing. I was still just as amazed now as I was when I first listened to Monk in high school. This music never ages (and there is some jazz that does, I am sorry) and this set is a masterclass in itself of jazz composition and style... My favourite is, and will forever be, the slick twists of "Off Minor" and I am duly rewarded on this set with multiple excellent versions of this oft over-looked, but once found never forgotten, Monk standard... Check it out. You will be rewarded a thousand times over. I love him. I totally agree with "the obsessive reviewer"'s opinion on it needing a remaster for today's standards... Can't bear to give it any less than five... Sorry man, you are correct though!

3 out of 5 stars Remastering getting long in the tooth.......2003-02-25

I've got this set, & the music on it is unquestionably among the greatest of Monk's achievements. That said, this was released back in 1986 (when it won a pair of Grammys)...and that's the remastering used on the CD set. The sound quality is acceptable but, even without my making a direct comparison to recent generations of remasterings (& this particular catalogue has lately been in the process of a facelift) it's obvious enough in listening to it that the remastering quality is far from state of the art. Live recordings such as the Five Spot sessions with Johnny Griffin sound particularly in need of a careful dusting. Anyway, I certainly don't wish to dissuade Monk fans from this set--clearly, it's the best way to get a hold of this crucial body of work in one lump, & there are a number of tracks here which aren't available elsewhere now. But it's high time that this set be given a repolishing according to current remastering standards. Calling Mosaic Records......

5 out of 5 stars Hard bop paradise.......2002-07-23

Guy Lombardo enthusiasts will probably consider the bucks to be expended on this set a dreadful waste of cash but if you are partial to bop-oriented jazz it will give you years of boundless pleasure. At the very least it is a splendid coffee-table item but the music is the thing. On every track Monk shows his inventiveness, versatility and his hipness; truly a giant of modern jazz. An excellent booklet (LP size) with extensive (Grammy winning) notes accompanies this set. Highest recommendation

5 out of 5 stars $200 for a Lifelong Friend.......2001-06-25

Sure, this is expensive, and I really resent the manner in which so many boxed-sets are marketed to exploit "a new angle" of a musician, but this particular example is a goldmine. Save up your ducats (stop smoking, cut out your afternoon candy bar, or start bicycling to work) and buy this box for yourself. Once the box is in your possession, do not rush yourself or over-indulge. If administered properly, this music will reveal its genius to you, and you will create a permanent spot in your life for it in return. Monk made a lot music both before and after the sessions included in this box, but this is the essential stuff.

Unlike much 20th century music, Stravinsky's music embraces the deconstructive chaos of "modern" music, and yet somehow retains the balanced building blocks of the classical era. This also holds true for Monk. You cannot call his music "out" or "free", but he clearly throws a hand-grenade into the bunker of convention. He swallowed the sounds & constructs of conventional swing & bop, and spit them out as angular, fragmented ideas that still retained an organic "listenability". His modern approach is not cold or alienating, but adds depth and sophistication to the modes of jazz that preceded him.

This music could be a lifelong friend. Is $200 too much to pay for a lifelong friend? Buy it, open it up, and take it along for your journey...

5 out of 5 stars Awesome Collection!.......1999-12-04

Any serious Monk fan should have this set if its within your budget. The multiple versions on Round Midnight are worth the price of admission alone and there are so many wonderful collaborations. I mean does it get any better than John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk? Although I must admit the packaging is a little bland, but that is likely due to the fact that it was released a few years back. However, the substance can definitely be found in the music and Thelonious Monk will forever be an icon.
The Complete Riverside Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Complete is the word!
  • Some of his Best
  • Completely Wonderful
  • Bedrock of modern jazz piano
  • an amazing set
 The Complete Riverside Recordings
Bill Evans
Manufacturer: Riverside
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Complete Fantasy Recordings
  2. The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
  3. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
  4. COLTRANE The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings
  5. Moon Beams

ASIN: B000000ZG4
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

  1. I Love You
  2. Five
  3. Conception
  4. Easy Living
  5. Displacement
  6. Speak Low
  7. Our Delight
  8. No Cover, No Minimum (take 1-Alternate)
  9. No Cover, No Minimum (take 2-Originally Issued)
  10. I've Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
  11. Waltz For Debby
  12. My Romance
  13. Minority
  14. Young And Foolish
  15. Night & Day
  16. Oleo

Tracks:

  1. Tenderly
  2. What Is There To Say?
  3. Peace Piece
  4. Lucky To Be Me
  5. Some Other Time
  6. Epilogue
  7. You & The Night & The Music
  8. How Am I To Know?
  9. Woody'n You (Take 1)
  10. Woody'n You (Take 2)
  11. My Heart Stood Still
  12. Green Dolphin Street
  13. Peri's Scope
  14. Witchcraft

Tracks:

  1. Spring Is Here
  2. What Is This Thing Called Love?
  3. Come Rain Or Come Shine
  4. Blue In Green (Take 2-Previously Unissued)
  5. Blue In Green (Take 3-Originally Issued)
  6. Autumn Leaves (Mono)
  7. Autumn Leaves (Stereo)
  8. Some Day My Prince Will Come
  9. When I Fall In Love
  10. Elsa
  11. Sweet & Lovely
  12. Beautiful Love (Take 1-Previously Unissued)
  13. Beautiful Love (Take 2-Originally Issued)

Tracks:

  1. I Wish I Knew
  2. The Boy Next Door
  3. Haunted Heart
  4. Nardis
  5. How Deep Is The Ocean?
  6. Israel
  7. Who Cares? (Take 4-Previously Unissued)
  8. Who Cares? (Take 5-Originally Issued)
  9. Goodbye
  10. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
  11. Toy
  12. Elsa
  13. Waltz For Debby
  14. Venice

Tracks:

  1. Know What I Mean? (Take 12-Alternate)
  2. Know What I Mean? (Take Re-7-Originally Issued)
  3. Alice In Wonderland (Take 1-Alternate)
  4. My Foolish Heart
  5. All of You (Take 1-Previously Unissued)
  6. My Romance (Take 1-Originally Issued)
  7. Some Other Time
  8. Solar
  9. Gloria's Step (Take 2-Originally Issued)
  10. My Man's Gone Now

Tracks:

  1. All of You (Take 2-Originally Issued)
  2. Detour Ahead (Take 1-Alternate)
  3. Waltz For Debby (Take 1-Alternate)
  4. Alice In Wonderland (Take 2-Originally Issued)
  5. Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy)
  6. My Romance Take 2-Alternate)
  7. Milestones
  8. Detour Ahead (Take 2-Originally Issued)
  9. Gloria's Step (Take 3-Alternate)

Tracks:

  1. Waltz For Debby (Take 2-Originally Issued)
  2. All of You (Take 3-Alternate)
  3. Jade Visions (Take 1-Alternate)
  4. Jade Visions (Take 2-Originally Issued)
  5. ...A Few Final Bars
  6. Danny Boy
  7. Like Someone In Love
  8. In Your Own Sweet Way
  9. Easy to Love
  10. How My Heart Sings
  11. Summertime
  12. If You Could See Me Now
  13. Walking Up

Tracks:

  1. Very Early
  2. Show-Type Tune
  3. Re: Person I Knew
  4. 34 Skidoo
  5. Palkadots & Moonbeams
  6. I Should Care
  7. I Fall in Love Too Easily
  8. Ev'rything I Love
  9. In Love In Vain
  10. Stairway to the Stars
  11. In Your Own Sweet Way (Take 1-Originally Issued)
  12. In Your Own Sweet Way (Take 2-Previously Unissued)
  13. It Might As Well Be Spring

Tracks:

  1. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
  2. When You Wish Upon A Star
  3. You Go To My Head
  4. You & The Night & The Music
  5. Interplay
  6. I'll Never Smile Again (Take Re-6-Previously Unissued)
  7. I'll Never Smile Again (Take Re-7-Originally Issued)
  8. Loose Bloose (Take 3)
  9. Loose Bloose (Takes 2 & 4)
  10. Fudgesickle Built For Four
  11. Times Remembered

Tracks:

  1. Funkallero
  2. My Bells
  3. There Came You
  4. Run Ride
  5. What Kind Of Fool Am I? (Take 1)
  6. My Favorite Things/Easy To Love/Baubles, Bangles & Beads
  7. When I Fall In Love
  8. 'Spartacus' Love Theme/Nardis
  9. Everything Happens To Me
  10. April In Paris

Tracks:

  1. All The Things You Are
  2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
  3. I Loves You, Porgy
  4. What Kind Of Fool Am I? (Take 2)
  5. Love Is Here To Stay
  6. Ornithology
  7. Autumn In New York/How About You?
  8. All The Things You Are
  9. Lover Man
  10. Love Is Here To Say
  11. Stella By Starlight

Tracks:

  1. 'Round Midnight
  2. Who Cares?
  3. The Boy Next Door
  4. Isn't It Romantic?
  5. What Is This Thing Called Love?
  6. How About You?
  7. Blues In F/Five
  8. Everything Happens To Me
  9. In A Sentimental Mood
  10. My Heart Stood Still
  11. Time Remembered
  12. Wonder Why
  13. Swedish Pastry

Amazon.com

The span of this 12-CD box set is generally acknowledged as the best Bill Evans material available. That's saying a lot, considering the high quality of The Complete Fantasy Recordings and The Complete Bill Evans on Verve. What the Riverside recordings display is a young Evans discovering his revolutionary harmonic depth and improvisational genius with bursts of energy that, by his second session, had established a kind of moody intensity that seemed to deepen the music while making it at once more complex and easier to absorb. Evans's Riverside years encompass his early dynamos: Everybody Digs Bill Evans is resplendently here, as is the material from Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. So, too, are sessions with Cannonball Adderley, Jim Hall, and Zoot Sims. Through it all, Evans remains firmly planted in a winding style that's creatively unstoppable and visceral in its intensity. One could write hundreds of pages about these 12 CDs. Instead, you should indulge their dozen-plus hours. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Complete is the word!.......2004-04-10

Bill Evans may be one of the most eclectic jazz pianists of all time. His playing is intuitive, flawless, masterful, and well schooled. It's not just natural talent that he worked with, although he had plenty of it. The man was tremendously schooled in music theory and had a strong classical background. His playing is easy to recognize in terms of sound. It's always strong, subtle, and confident all at the same time. Whether it's his own compositions, or those of others, he always makes it his sound, his work. The Complete Riverside Recordings is about as qunitessential as you can get (maybe the eighteen disc Verve Collection as the only exception) in terms of giving the listener an idea of the virtuosity of this underrated super musician. Bill Evans was a genius, and just a listen to one or two tunes proves it. Listen and learn.

5 out of 5 stars Some of his Best.......2004-02-16

Just heard a couple of Evans' sides recorded from Shelly Mann's place in Hollywood in the 60's on the Long Beach jazz station. "Wonder Why,"All the Things you Are," and "Swedish Pastry" are astounding renditions with Bill at the height of his powers with a great group.These sides are in the Riverside collection, many of which I have on other discs, and I wonder if they are available elsewhere without my having to purchase the whole 9 (I believe)albums. These sides take one's breath away, such subtle chording, overall technique, feeling, and total ensemble unity. 5 stars.

5 out of 5 stars Completely Wonderful.......2001-11-08

This collection of Bill Evans' wonderful work for Riverside is nothing short of magnificent. The 12-discs (nicely packaged in three, 4-disc holders similar to the old 2-cd sets) in this set contain over 13 hours of music (the remastering from 1987 is good) and almost 150 tracks. Evans' work from 1956-1963 (arguably his most productive) is what this box set is all about. The peerless recordings with Scott LeFaro and Paul Motian are highlights (of course) as well as a session with Cannonball Adderley, Evans' "Interplay" sessions, some previously unreleased, beautiful solo piano (subsequently available on other records--the Solo Sessions for example), and all Evans' other recordings for Riverside. Naturally this includes the brilliant "Everybody Digs Bill Evans", "Portrait in Jazz", "Sunday at the Village Vanguard", and "Waltz for Debby" amongst others. Many alternate takes (some more engaging than the originals) are included (most, if not all, of these have been included on recent re-releases of these classic albums) and the set comes with an excellent 32-page booklet (dimensionally similar to an lp) detailing the recording sessions and paying tribute to one of jazz's greatest pianists. While the majority of the music in this set can be collected via the individual cds, this set is well-packaged, well-annotated, more easily stored, and a lot easier to purchase. Fans of jazz piano and especially fans of Bill Evans (even if you own all the individual discs, this set is probably worth the investment) will very much enjoy this set and all the hours of listening enjoyment that come along with it. Very Highly Recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Bedrock of modern jazz piano.......2001-06-26

Like a lot of boxed sets of first-rank artists, the real question is: do you need it? Most of the albums included here are the lynchpins of Bill Evans' oeuvre, & some of the most familiar & influential jazz of the postbop era. So: here's a quick runthrough of what you get--you can make up your mind, depending on how much of this material you already have:

_New Jazz Conceptions_--a solid early date with Teddy Kotick & Paul Motian; Evans is as yet not that distinctive a pianist, & the real early achievements are to be found in his sideman appearances on George Russell's albums.

_Everybody Digs Bill Evans_--a date from two years later, during Evans' tenure with Miles Davis; the rhythm section is Sam Jones & Philly Joe Jones. The first great Evans album, split between hard-hitting uptempo numbers like "Oleo" and his trademark luminous ballads like "Young and Foolish".

A session with Paul Chambers & Philly Joe Jones only released in 1975: this was an unplanned recording (they were in the studio as the rhythm section for a Chet Baker date, & the producer invited them to continue afterwards & cut a trio recording); the material is easily picked standards. An excellent date, & one of the only ones here not currently available outside of the box set.

_Portrait in Jazz_, _Explorations_, _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_, _Waltz for Debby_: the classic trio with Scott LaFaro & Paul Motian. This is material every jazz fan should know. Nice to have the Vanguard tracks here in the original order of playing, rather than the ordering on the CD reissues, which puts duplicate versions of the same tune next to each other.

Cannonball Adderley's _Know What I Mean?_, a session included because it was intended as a feature for Evans. Some interesting material on this one: the title track is a modal tune; "Elsa" is an Earl Zindars tune that Evans also covered on _Explorations_; "Toy" is a tune by Adderley's protege, the saxophonist Clifford Jordan (cf. Jordan's _Spellbound_ date).

A previously unreleased abortive attempt at a solo album: Evans was still very depressed about LaFaro's death in a car accident at the time, & there's some of Evans' most downcast & fragile ballad-playing here. Not perhaps a session to listen to too often, but interesting, & again it's not available outside this set.

_Moon Beams_ & _How My Heart Sings!_: dates with Chuck Israel on bass in place of the late Scott LaFaro; the date is especially notable for the return of Evans the composer (with LaFaro in the band Evans seems to have taken a back seat in this regard, encouraging LaFaro to contribute originals like "Jade Visions" & "Gloria's Steps"). Classic tunes like "Very Early" receive their premieres here.

_Interplay_ and _Loose Blues_. The former is a pleasing if inconsequential date with Jim Hall, Freddie Hubbard, Percy Heath & Philly Joe Jones, mostly doing lightweight old standards like "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams"; the most important track is the one original, the intricate contrapuntal blues "Interplay". _Loose Blues_ has a similar group, with Hubbard & Heath replaced by Zoot Sims & Ron Carter; it is all originals, often very interesting ones, but the session went unreleased until after Evans' death because the musicians had such difficulty with the tunes that it proved impossible to produce complete & acceptable takes of several of the tracks. The versions here are spliced together from multiple takes. An interesting session, not least for glimpses of originals like "Fun Ride" which Evans never included in his regular repertoire, but not an especially successful date.

A superb & very important solo session, Evans's first; this went unreleased at the time, & only appeared after his detah in this box set, although it is now available separately. This is still something of the main attraction here: this is some of Evans's least celebrated music because of its belated release, but is certainly his finest recorded solo performance. One gets previews of material better-known in recordings he did for Verve--"Theme from Spartacus", "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"--which is still at its freshest here, & there's a marvellous reading of "Nardis" which points ahead towards the unaccompanied improvisations on the tune which were the highlight of his late live recordings with Marc Johnson & Joe LaBarbara.

_Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole_ ends the set; there's some more material here than is available on the single-CD reissue of this date, which is very welcome. This material has Chuck Israels on bass, & on drums the west-coast player Larry Bunker. This is an underrated item in the Evans canon; it is notable for some well-prepared versions of standard material (there's a comprehensively reharmonized "What Is This Thing Called Love?" which deserves close study; & a deeply-felt "Round Midnight"), plus the first issued version of "Time Remembered" (the tune had earlier been on the unreleased Sims/Hall date).

There's little more to be said except: this is some of the great music of the last century. This set is certainly for those already committed to completism, but unlike many reissues this is a document that will also satisfy the casual listener: the sessions are not flooded with alternate takes & false starts, nor is there any bad music here. Of the unfamiliar material, I would single out the Evans/Chambers/Jones date & the solo sessions as first-rate; the others are more mixed in their success, but everything here is worth a listen.

5 out of 5 stars an amazing set.......2000-05-18

From the first to the last disc, this set is filled with tremendous performances from Bill Evans. Despite being issued over a decade ago, the remastering provides first rate sound. The detailed notes and essay add to the value of this superb set of music. Exceptional.
The Complete Riverside Recordings
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great for background music
  • a truly unique musician
  • genius
  • What more could a Wes Montgomery fan really need?
  • Wes Montgomery Is The Man
 The Complete Riverside Recordings
Wes Montgomery
Manufacturer: Riverside
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Complete Prestige Recordings
  2. The Freelance Years: The Complete Riverside and Contemporary Recordings
  3. Complete Live in Paris 1965
  4. The Complete Prestige Recordings
  5. Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings (1951-1956)

ASIN: B000000ZG6
Release Date: 1993-03-25

Tracks:

  1. 'Round Midnight
  2. Satin Doll (Take 5-alternate)
  3. Satin Doll (Take 7 originally issued)
  4. Missile Blues (Take 5-alternate)
  5. Missile Blues (Take 6 originally issued)
  6. Jingles
  7. Whisper Not
  8. The End Of A Love Affair
  9. Too Late Now
  10. Ecaroh
  11. Yesterdays
  12. Airegin
  13. West Coast Blues
  14. Four On Six

Tracks:

  1. D Natural Blues
  2. In Your Own Sweet Way
  3. Mister Walker
  4. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
  5. Gone With The Wind
  6. Sack O' Woe
  7. Work Song
  8. Scrambled Eggs
  9. Pretty Memory
  10. Fallout
  11. My Heart Stood Still
  12. Mean To Me
  13. Violets For Your Furs
  14. I've Got A Crush On You

Tracks:

  1. Compulsion
  2. Terrain
  3. Klactoveedsedstene
  4. Ursula
  5. West Coast Blues
  6. Don't Explain
  7. Lolita
  8. The Chant
  9. Azule Serape

Tracks:

  1. Never Will I Marry
  2. Your Is My Heart Alone
  3. Au Privave (Take 1-alternate)
  4. Au Privave (Take 2-originally issued)
  5. Tune-Up (Take 4-originally issued)
  6. Tune-Up (Take 9-alternate)
  7. Body And Soul (Take 2-alternate)
  8. Body And Soul (Take 4/6-alternate)
  9. Body And Soul (Take 7-originally issued)
  10. Sandu
  11. So Do It (Teke 1-previously unissued)

Tracks:

  1. So Do It (Take 6-originally issued)
  2. Movin' Along (Take 1-alternate)
  3. Movin' Along (Take 4-alternate)
  4. Movin' Along (Take 5-originally issued/re-edited)
  5. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You
  6. Says You
  7. Doujie (Take 6-originally issued)
  8. Doujie (Take 7-alternate)
  9. Just For Now
  10. Groove Yard
  11. Heart Strings
  12. Remember
  13. Delirium

Tracks:

  1. Bock To Bock (Take 1-alternate)
  2. Bock To Bock (Take 3-originally issued)
  3. If I Should Lose You (Take 2-alternate)
  4. If I Should Lose You (Take 4-originally issued)
  5. Doujie (Take 8-previously unissued)
  6. Somethin' Like Bags
  7. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
  8. Cotton Tail
  9. Twisted Blues
  10. I Wish I Knew
  11. Repetition
  12. While We're Young
  13. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

Tracks:

  1. Darn That Dream (Take 1-alternate)
  2. Darn That Dream (Take 8-originally issued)
  3. And Then I Wrote
  4. Double Deal
  5. No Hard Feelings
  6. Love Walked In (Take 1-alternate)
  7. Love Walked In (Take 8-originally issued)
  8. Lois Ann
  9. Enchanted
  10. Love For Sale
  11. Stranger In Paradise
  12. Mambo In Chimes (Take 1-alternate)
  13. Mambo In Chimes (Take 11-originally issued)
  14. The Lamp Is Low
  15. Blue Roz (Take 3-alternate)
  16. Blue Roz (Take 4-originally issued)
  17. Jingles (Take 8-alternate)
  18. Jingles (Take 9-originally issued)

Tracks:

  1. Stairway To The Stars (Take 2-alternate)
  2. Stairway To The Stars (Take 6-originally issued)
  3. Stablemates (Take 2-previously unissued)
  4. Stablemates (Take 4-originally issued)
  5. Sam Sack (Take 2-previously unissued)
  6. Sam Sack (Take 3-originally issued)
  7. 'S.K.J.' (Take 4-previously unissued)
  8. 'S.K.J.' (Take 7-originally issued)
  9. Delilah (Take 3-alternate)
  10. Delilah (Take 4-orignally issued)
  11. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Take 1-alternate)
  12. Born To Be Blue (Take 1-previously unissued)

Tracks:

  1. Blue 'N' Boogie (Take 1-previously unissued)
  2. Cariba (Take 1-previously unissued)
  3. S.O.S. (Take 2-alternate)
  4. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Take 2-originally issued)
  5. Born To Be Blue (Take 2-subsequently issued)
  6. Full House
  7. Cariba (Take 2-origianally issued)
  8. Blue 'N' Boogie (Take 2-originally issued/re-edited)

Tracks:

  1. S.O.S. (Take 3-originally issued)
  2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
  3. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
  4. Pretty Blue (Take 1-alternate/re-edited)
  5. Pretty Blue (Take 2-originally issued)
  6. The Girl Next Door (Take 1-previously unissued)
  7. The Girl Next Door (Take 2-originally unissued)
  8. God Bless The Child (Take 2-alternate)
  9. God Bless The Child (Take 4-originally issued)
  10. My Romance
  11. Prelude To A Kiss (Take 2-previously unissued)
  12. Prelude To A Kiss (Take 3-originally issued)
  13. All The Way
  14. Somewhere
  15. Tune-Up (Take 1-previously unissued)
  16. Tune-Up (Take 2/3-alternate)
  17. Tune-Up (Take 4-alternate)
  18. Tune-Up (Take 5-originally issued/re-edited)
  19. Baubles, Bangles And Beads (Take 3-previously unissued)
  20. Baubles, Bangles And Beads (Take 4-originally issued)

Tracks:

  1. The Trick Bag (Take 2/5-originally issued)
  2. The Trick Bag (Take 6-alternate)
  3. Days Of Wine And Roses
  4. Canadian Sunset
  5. Dearly Beloved
  6. For Heaven's Sake
  7. Besame Mucho (Take 2-alternate)
  8. Besame Mucho (Take 3-originally issued)
  9. Fried Pies (Take 1-alternate)
  10. Fried Pies (Take 2-originally issued/re-edited)
  11. The Breeze And I
  12. Moanin' (Take 7-originally issued/re-edited)
  13. Dreamsville

Tracks:

  1. Freddie Freeloader
  2. Movin' Along (previously unissued selection)
  3. Mi Cosa (Take 1-subsequently issued)
  4. For All We Know
  5. The Way You Look Tonight (Take 1-originally issued)
  6. The Way You Look Tonight (Take 2-alternate)
  7. Yeterday's Child (previously unissued take)
  8. Geno
  9. Dangerous (previously unissued take)
  10. Lolita (previously unissued take)
  11. Blues Riff (Take 7-alternate)
  12. Blues Riff (Take 8-alternate)
  13. Moanin' (Take 10-alternate)

Amazon.com

Guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded for Riverside from 1959 to 1963, going in that time from an obscure Indianapolis musician to the most celebrated guitarist in jazz. All the reasons for that rise are here, in a 12-CD box that includes 49 previously unreleased and alternate takes. The settings range from the organ trios with which Montgomery often worked to tracks with string accompaniment, but the music is all linked by the guitarist's highly original approach, using thumb picking and frequent octave runs to put his signature on blues, ballads, and bop tunes. Among the gems are live recordings of a quintet that includes the accelerated tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin and bassist Paul Chambers, as well as the studio recordings where Montgomery matches talents with Milt Jackson and the fine pianists Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great for background music.......2004-03-14

There is a staggering amount of music in this collection -- 12 full CDs worth! On one hand, this boxed set is a convenience for a true Wes Montgomery fan as it gathers tracks not just from releases where he was the frontman, but also from his collaborations with other Riverside artists where he was billed as a guest or supporting role; plus there are alternate and unreleased takes of several tunes. On the other hand, this collection is almost too much of a good thing ... choosing which CD to play is like standing at an unlimited buffet of comfort food and knowing your eyes are bigger than your stomach!
As was noted above, the packaging is the weakest part of this compendium, but only because it does little to help the owner differentiate one CD from another; the three quadruple-CD jewel cases are identical in appearance, and original (1960s) album content is sometimes split between CDs. This becomes even more confusing when there are multiple versions of the same song presented on different CDs -- remember, every one of these selections are instrumentals. The documentation is good to excellent though, as the boxed set comes with an LP-sized booklet filled with photographs, discography and biographical information.
In general, for Montgomery the Riverside years were more enjoyable (even if less commercially successful) than his subsequent Verve years. Much of his Riverside output resulted from trio, quartet or quintet ensembles, sometimes including one or both of his brothers, and was rooted in the sensibilities of jazz club improvisation. Be forewarned, though, that some of Montgomery's Riverside collaborations were forays into stringed orchestration or other stylings not 'typical' of a be-bop jazzman; however, compared to his later Verve material these experiments are softer, sweeter and less contrived sounding than the brassy, punchy pop arrangements of later albums like GOING OUT OF MY HEAD.
I have no qualms about the sound quality of this collection; these performances were originally recorded with analog equipment and under the recording conditions typical of a fledgling label in the late 1950s/early 1960s. But the playback is free of pops, hisses, dropouts, etc. and is in stereo so there is little reason to complain; these aren't wrinkled 'demo' tapes, crackling and tinny radio appearances or bootlegged live recordings that sometimes round out similar 'complete' collections. Nearly everything in CRR represents studio recordings with the exceptions being the live tracks that originally comprised the excellent FULL HOUSE album.
For the casual jazz listener who isn't sure if this collection would suit his ear, I recommend GROOVE BROTHERS or FAR WES (non-Riverside recordings that predate/coincide with Montgomery's first sessions with Riverside and feature his brothers accompanying on piano and bass) or FULL HOUSE (my favorite material on CRR). I also recommend VERVE IMPRESSIONS: THE JAZZ SIDES, with particular emphasis placed on the reconstructed SMOKIN AT THE HALFNOTE live material.

4 out of 5 stars a truly unique musician.......2002-08-12

The ability to move the most casual of listeners as well as hard-core music lovers is quite unique. Frank Sinatra had such a gift as did Miles Davis. Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery ( 1925-1968 ) should surely be added to that rare category of musician who exudes effortlessness; a genius that extends far beyond ( mere ) virtuosity to touch the souls of people long after their own departure.

Montgomery's brief recording career has often been described as consisting of three phases, each categorized according to the record label he worked with.

1. "Riverside" years ( 1959-1963 )
2. "Verve" years ( 1964-1966 )
3. "A&M" years ( 1967-1968 )

Wes' work with "Riverside" ( featured in its entirety in the complete box set under review ) is rightly acclaimed as the high point of his career, consisting as it does of his playing in straight ahead jazz combos ( quartets/quintets ), organ trios and even towards the end, a "string" date ( somewhat awkwardly titled "FUSION" ) that prefigures his later work.

Wes Montgomery was a very consistent artist, so one will not find many mediocre recordings in his oeuvre. Nevertheless, there are particular highpoints:

"SO MUCH GUITAR" (1961) features a good mixture of tunes and an interesting group consisting of Hank Jones, Lex Humphries, a young Ron Carter on bass and the congas of the popular sideman Ray Barretto. Wes' unaccompanied version of "While We're Young" is breathtaking.

"FULL HOUSE" ( 1962 ) is an exciting live date ( the only one for "Riverside" ) in Berkeley with a superb backing band ( Miles Davis' working group ) of Wynton Kelley, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb plus the tenor saxophone of Johnny Griffin. Unfortunately, as with the great majority of "Riverside" albums, the lush beauty of Wes' Gibson L-5 was not captured properly. Anyone who knows Wes Montgomery's playing is aware that his tone is absolutely unique; Kenny Burrell and George Benson are some of the few guitarists that come close to Wes' warm ( almost acoustic ) sound.

For this reviewer, the all-time greatest music Wes Montgomery ever put to wax is heard on "BOSS GUITAR" ( April 1963 ), cut with hometown friend Mel Rhyne on organ and Jimmy Cobb on drums. What sets this LP apart from the others?

1) Repertoire:

It is carefully programmed as a balance of blues + ballads + bop. Two of Wes' best original tunes are here ( "Fried Pies" and "The Trick Bag" ). Some tunes have Latin/Bossa feel ( "Besame Mucho" and "Canadian Sunset" ) while standards such as "Dearly Beloved" and "Days of Wine & Roses" are taken at varying tempos ( the former taken at an incredibly fast clip ).

2) Performance:

Wes was unbelievably "on" for this session, even by his Olympian standards. Some of the melodic lines that come out of his improvisations are impressive enough to be considered "tunes" in themselves. His improv on the ballad titled "For Heavens Sake" can bring tears to the eye. Also, having an excellent drummer like Jimmy Cobb really helped the music lift off ( what great jazz album has a poor performance by the drummer? ).

3) Sound:

The engineering on this album comes closer than most other "Riverside" albums in revealing his beautiful tone. While not as rich as his later "Verve" releases, "BOSS GUITAR" is notable for its sound quality.

Wes Montgomery's "story" is fairly well known amongst aficionados. A self taught guitarist ( starting at age 19 ) inspired by the pioneering work of Charlie Christian, he avoided touring for the most part and plied his trade in an endless succession of gigs at bars and after-hours clubs in his native Indianapolis throughout the 1950's ( this while holding down a day job and supporting a wife and family! ). Many dates would take shape in the "organ trio" ( B-3 organ, guitar, drums ) format common to the era; others were shared in the company of his two musician brothers ( Buddy and Monk ).

Eventually Cannonball Adderly got word of this phenomenon and checked him out in person. Immediately, the great alto saxophonist urged his producer to sign Wes to their label. Shortly thereafter the LP titled "THE INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR OF WES MONTGOMERY" ( 1960 ) came out and he was quickly acclaimed as THE great jazz guitarist ( critic Ralph J. Gleason referred to Wes as the "best thing to come along since Charlie Christian" ). To judge from his influence in the years following his unfortunately early death, Wes Montgomery may well be the most influential jazz guitarist of all time. Certainly he is one of a select few that one can consider in the same breath with the horn players that have traditionally dominated this dynamic art form.

It seems a bit churlish to give this deluxe box set less than a 5 star review. My rationale is that the savvy music fan is able to pick out a number of albums from Wes' overall catalog ( not restricted to "Riverside" releases ) for far less money and still get a better view of his artistry. This obviously will not work for those of a "completist" mindset, but the majority may wish to follow the suggested route in building a solid collection of Wes Montgomery's music. This reviewer believes that the previously mentioned albums are quite representative of Montgomery's best work on "Riverside" and while his "Verve" legacy is not as esteemed by hardcore jazz fans, three in particular stand out as excellent: "IMPRESSIONS" (esp. the second CD, a 1965 date at the Half Note in NYC with Kelley, Chambers and Cobb ), "THE DYNAMIC DUO" ( 1966 with Jimmy Smith on organ ) and "TEQUILA" ( string arrangements by Claus Ogerman in 1966 date; the most successful combination of "popular" and "pure" Wes ).

5 out of 5 stars genius.......2001-01-27

Wes Montgomery was, as a matter of fact, a musical genius. full stop. I haven't enjoyed jazz as much as this a long time, although I own ~200 Jazz CDs and can't stop buying new ones all the time. He is simply able to improvise GREAT solos and to play with much feeling. His sound is very unique as a result of his special picking (no pick, just his thumb) and his heavy use of octaves. The selections range from (real great) trios with just drums and organ supporting Wes, to quintets or sextets. The sound quality is quite OK, it's just that this stuff is quite old and can't sound too great. Nevertheless, you're not annoyed by unwanted distortion or whatever. In my opinion, the riverside albums of wes are better than the on he released later (Verve), I just hate it when he's accompanied by strings. Although his playing is then great, too, everything sounds so cliché-like and sometimes just like elevator music. The packaging is... well, ok, this seems to be the weakest point of the set: you only get 3 double-CD-packs stuffed with 4 CDs each. My recommendation: If you like jazz, buy this one. If you need an introduction first, buy "The WM Trio" or "The incredible Jazz Guitar of WM". This box set features every track he has released under the Riverside label plus alternate takes.

5 out of 5 stars What more could a Wes Montgomery fan really need?.......2000-08-13

At the age of 49, after being a Wes Montgomery fan for over 35 years, and, after wishing for this wonderful set of music since it was published several years ago, I have finally found Nirvana. EVERY SINGLE SELECTION on the entire set is wonderful. Not a bad piece in the box. Here is Wes as I've loved him over the years. Young, honest, brave, energetic, romantic, OUTSTANDING! Giving no quarter, taking no prisoners, straight ahead and way ahead of any of his contemporaries - Wes Montgomery, The Master at Work. Buy it, savor it, love it. What more could a Wes Montgomery fan really need?

5 out of 5 stars Wes Montgomery Is The Man.......1999-07-22

I love Grant Green and Kenny Burrell, but Wes Montgomery is the man. This collection is all of his best recordings as he was at his peak when he was with Riverside. Yes it is a bit pricey, but it is well worth the price of admission for this extensive collection. Save all your pennies and buy this awesome set, you won't regret it.
Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings

    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B000GIWNG0
    Release Date: 2006-08-29
    The Complete Riverside Recordings
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		The Complete Riverside Recordings
      Bill Evans
      Manufacturer: Fantasy
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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      ASIN: B000A38QI0
      Release Date: 2005-09-26

      Tracks:

      1. I Love You
      2. Five
      3. Conception
      4. Easy Living
      5. Displacement
      6. Speak Low
      7. Our Delight
      8. No Cover, No Minimum [Take 1][Alternate Take]
      9. No Cover, No Minimum [Take 2]
      10. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
      11. Waltz for Debby
      12. My Romance
      13. Minority
      14. Young and Foolish
      15. Night and Day
      16. Oleo

      Tracks:

      1. Tenderly
      2. What Is There to Say?
      3. Peace Piece
      4. Lucky to Be Me
      5. Some Other Time
      6. Epilogue
      7. You and the Night and the Music
      8. How Am I to Know?
      9. Woody 'N You [Take 1]
      10. Woody 'N You [Take 2]
      11. My Heart Stood Still
      12. Green Dolphin Street
      13. Peri's Scope
      14. Witchcraft

      Tracks:

      1. Spring Is Here
      2. What Is This Thing Called Love?
      3. Come Rain or Come Shine - Bill Evans
      4. Blue in Green [Take 2][#]
      5. Blue in Green [Take 3]
      6. Autumn Leaves [Mono Version]
      7. Autumn Leaves [Stereo]
      8. Someday My Prince Will Come
      9. When I Fall in Love
      10. Elsa
      11. Sweet and Lovely
      12. Beautiful Love [Take 1][#]
      13. Beautiful Love [Take 2]

      Tracks:

      1. I Wish I Knew
      2. Boy Next Door
      3. Haunted Heart
      4. Nardis
      5. How Deep Is the Ocean?
      6. Israel
      7. Who Cares? [Take 4][#]
      8. Who Cares? [Take 5]
      9. Goodbye
      10. Nancy (With the Laughing Face)
      11. Toy
      12. Elsa
      13. Waltz for Debby
      14. Venice
      15. I Know What I Mean? [Take 12][Alternate Take]
      16. Know What I Mean? [Take Re-7]

      Tracks:

      1. Alice in Wonderland [Take 1][Alternate Take]
      2. My Foolish Heart
      3. All of You [Take 1][#]
      4. My Romance [Take 1]
      5. Some Other Time
      6. Solar
      7. Gloria's Step [Take 2]
      8. My Man's Gone Now

      Tracks:

      1. All of You [Take 2]
      2. Detour Ahead [Take 1][Alternate Take]
      3. Waltz for Debby [Take 1][Alternate Take]
      4. Alice in Wonderland [Take 2]
      5. Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy)
      6. My Romance [Take 2][Alternate Take]
      7. Milestones
      8. Detour Ahead [Take 2]
      9. Gloria's Step [Take 3][Alternate Take]

      Tracks:

      1. Waltz for Debby [Take 2]
      2. All of You [Take 3][Alternate Take]
      3. Jade Visions [Take 1][Alternate Take]
      4. Jade Visions [Take 2]
      5. ...A Few Final Bars
      6. Danny Boy
      7. Like Someone in Love
      8. In Your Own Sweet Way
      9. Easy to Love
      10. How My Heart Sings
      11. Summertime - Bill Evans
      12. If You Could See Me Now
      13. Walkin' Up

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      1. Very Early
      2. Show-Type Tune
      3. Re: Person I Knew
      4. 34 Skidoo
      5. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
      6. I Should Care
      7. I Fall in Love Too Easily
      8. Ev'rything I Love
      9. I Love in Vain
      10. Stairway to the Stars
      11. In Your Own Sweet Way [Take 1]
      12. In Your Own Sweet Way [Take 2][#]
      13. It Might as Well Be Spring

      Tracks:

      1. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
      2. When You Wish Upon a Star
      3. You Go to My Head
      4. You and the Night and the Music
      5. Interplay
      6. I'll Never Smile Again [Take Re-6][#]
      7. I'll Never Smile Again [Take Re-7]
      8. Loose Bloose [Take 3]
      9. Loose Bloose [Take 4 and 2]
      10. Fudgesickle Built for Four
      11. Time Remembered

      Tracks:

      1. Funkallero - Bill Evans
      2. My Bells
      3. There Came You
      4. Fun Ride
      5. What Kind of Fool Am I? [Take 1][#]
      6. Medley: My Favorite Things/Easy to Love/Baubles, Bangles and Beads [#]
      7. When I Fall in Love [#]
      8. Medley: Spartacus Love Theme/Nardis [#]
      9. Everything Happens to Me [#]
      10. April in Paris [#]

      Tracks:

      1. All the Things You Are [#]
      2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town [#]
      3. I Loves You, Porgy [#]
      4. What Kind of Fool Am I? [Take 2][#]
      5. Love Is Here to Stay [#]
      6. Ornithology [#]
      7. Medley: Autumn in New York/How About You? [#]
      8. All the Things You Are [#]
      9. Lover Man
      10. Love Is Here to Stay
      11. Stella by Starlight

      Tracks:

      1. 'Round Midnight
      2. Who Cares?
      3. Boy Next Door
      4. Isn't It Romantic?
      5. What Is This Thing Called Love?
      6. How About You?
      7. Blues in F/Five
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