VA - Melodisc Records of Hollywood 1945-46 (2010)

Daniel F. O’Brien at Melodisc Records on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard took one of the clearest “audio pictures” we have of Los Angeles’ jazz activity on Central Avenue during the mid-1940s. O’Brien cut just under 40 platters that were released between June 1945 and autumn 1946. This flurry of activity matched the urgency and raw excitement going on in the halls and venues around Hollywood. Clubs no longer booked New Orleans revival bands to fill seats but picked up on fashionable be-boppers, who with their new-found harmonic sophistication and rhythmic complexities, competed with blues and boogie-based small swing units and honkers, in an economic climate inhospitable to the maintenance of orchestras and large bands. This anthology by celebrated archivist, collector and writer Opal Louis Nations is a fascinating insight into a highly entertaining strand of musical history. Please note that these recordings have been transferred from original 78s, some in poor condition. The tracks have been cleaned as far as practical in re-mastering, but where this would have prejudiced the essential character and integrity of the performance, we have chosen to minimize the de-noising process, and some tracks therefore retain clicks and surface noise. We are sure collectors would prefer to have them in this form than not at all.