[78-L] James Reese Europe "Hellfighters"

[Jeff Sultanof]

I am starting a brand new project that will probably take a little while,
and I want to get off on a good start. So I am getting information from the
one group that can really help.

The project involves transcribing, arranging and adapting music for concert
band from the era 1840-1920, much of which has not been available in many
years. Such names as Francis Johnson, Arthur Pryor, Ford Dabney and James
Reese Europe are involved. The sources will be recordings, old sheet music
(usually piano arrangements), and old instrumental arrangements (which would
need to be adapted for modern instrumentation). I will probably arrange
these for concert orchestra as well. I have a publisher for all of this, the
same one publishing my historical big band scores.

The issue involves the Hellfighters recordings. As we all know, they were
recorded by the infamous Pathe label. As we also know, all 24 recordings
were reissued in two separate CD editions. The approach to remastering was
totally different for each set, and this raises a particular problem with
regard to two of the sides which were reissued on the Actuelle label
(according to Rust): That Moaning Trombone and Memphis Blues. Both of the
sides on the Memphis Archives set sounds rather frantic; the IAJRC set
reissues these sides at a slower speed, changing the key of both pieces.

This brings up a series of questions, since both sets were remastered by
people whom I consider authorities: Brad Kay and John R.T. Davies. At what
speed were these recorded at? What is the 'normal' playback speed of Pathe
vertical cut discs? Was there a difference in speed for Actuelles? Assuming
the Actuelles were dubbed from a Pathe and not the large master cylinder,
would that account for the difference in speed, or did John R.T. think as I
did that the Pathe's sound frantic and were recorded at a slower speed?

I realize that many of these questions may have been answered in different
contexts in books and articles, but anything anyone knows or is aware of
would be helpful. It has been suggested that I contact Maurice Peress about
this since he re-created the Europe Carnegie concerts, but Mr. Peress tends
to be territorial and considers Europe his turf, an attitude I've
encountered repeatedly with regard to George Gershwin and Gil Evans (as if
people 'own' this music), so I am coming to you first.

Thanks in advance,
Jeff Sultanof