8 Classic Albums

This is a treasure-trove for those who like organ led combos. McDuff is a master of the "down home" bluesy style of playing and in all but one of the 8 albums presented here you get the business. The one album which frankly does dissappoint is the first one - "Brother Jack"- which is , to these ears, somewhat lifeless- partticularly when compared with what is to follow.On the other7 albums you get the real deal - organ,sax and guitar combos swinging/grooving like mad. McDuff has some oustanding saxmen working with him, among the foremost of which are Jimmy Forrest,Roland Kirk,Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt (all on tenor) and Leo Wright (on alto) ; you also get Grant Green and Kenny Burrell on guitar and Lem Winchester on vibes . Green is featured on several of the discs as is a tenor player ,new to these ears - Harold Vick - who fits in admirably and contributes well.As always with these "Real Gone" compilations, you get the barest details but you certainly do get access to obscure and, in some cases, long out of print material at real value for money. Recommended.

Found Jack McDuff on a film soundtrack on my daughters iPhone play list amounts a welter of dancey trancey stuff ..... it sounded great so I bought this with finders crossed .... need not have worried .... absolutely excellent and a great price for 8 albums

Can't stop Playing them..Brilliant value.!

The Real Gone Jazz label continues to issue classic jazz album sets at rock bottom prices. (if you will pardon the word Rock?)It's now Jack MsDuff's turn in the spotlight with eight of his best.The "Eight Classic Albums" areBrother Jack, Tough 'Duff, The Honey Dipper,Goodnight It's Time To Go,Kirks Work,Brother Jack Meets The Boss,Screamin', and Sonny Meets Brother JackThe whole lot are housed in a double wide jewel case.The Label: Real Gone Jazz has gained a lot of praise for the enhanced sound but the inlays give little information.The main thing is that Amazon, at the time of writing have not given us the track listing so here it is.Just ignore the last track on CD 4 if you cut and paste!Track List:[1. Brother Jack2. Mr. Wonderful3. Noon Train4. Drowsy5. Organ Grinder's Swing6. Mack 'N' Duff7. You're Driving Me Crazy8. Light Blues9. Smooth Sailing10. Mean To Me11. Tippin' In12. Yeah, Baby13. Autumn Leaves14. Tough 'Duff15. Whap!16. I Want A Little Girl17. The Honeydripper18. Dink's Blues19. Mr. Lucky20. Blues And Tonic21. Sanctified Waltz22. Goodnight, It's Time To Go23. I'll Be Seeing You24. A Smooth One25. Mcduff Speaking26. Three For Dizzy27. Makin' Whoopee28. Funk Underneath29. Kirk's Work30. Doin' The Sixty-Eight31. Too Late Now32. Skater's Waltz33. Watch Out34. Strollin'35. Mellow Gravy36. Christopher Columbus37. Buzzin' Around38. Mr. Clean39. He's A Real Gone Guy40. Soulful Drums41. After Hours42. Screamin'43. I Cover The Waterfront44. One O' Clock Jump45. All Of Me46. Pam Ain't Blue47. Time After Time48. Ringin' In49. Nother Fu'ther50. When Sonny Gets Blue51. Thirty-Three, Ninety-Six52. Holderness Twist

Just to complement the info and opinions posted above: one strange characteristic of this Real Gone set is the fact that, for some reason, each of the four CDs is virtually a segueway, with no time at all between tracks. Whoever's mastered it has even chased the faders down at the end of some tracks to kill the natural die-away, which is disconcerting. After a long soul-jazz workout, you want it to hang in the air and allow the listener to catch a breath! Other than that, of course, the music's great.

The music is fine (if it is to your taste, of course), some albums within better than others, unsurprisingly. The music qualifies for 3-4 stars.However, this is a bulky 4 cd jewel case posted in a cardboard sleeve, which is clearly inadequate, as the case arrived broken to such an extent that it is only fit for the bin, hence the one star. Unfortunately the supplier only offers a refund and not a replacement. Frankly, returning it is too much hassle, despite the 'quad' box being difficult (albeit not impossible) to replace.Better packaging is required (as the delivery services cannot be relied upon to treat packages with care).