Michael Coleman - The Grey Goose (1927)

XR remastered from Vocalion 84129B provided from a private collection. Recorded on December 27, 1927, Coleman is accompanied by Ed Geoghegan on the piano. Interestingly, this recording was made for the Columbia label (33237-F), but was later issued under the Vocalion label. Both releases share the same matrix number. (W 108606-2), and were first sold to the public in September of 1928. The flipside of this record is the famous Lord McDonald's medley. Coleman was at the height of his powers when he recorded for the Columbia label in 1927, and was reportedly paid $500 for this record, which is approximately $8,500 in today's money. While the transfer used in this restoration was of E+ quality, the actual pressing has a surprisingly limited frequency response for the time. Either Coleman was too far from the microphone and the piano too close, or the recording engineers were being conservative to prevent any distortion. However, XR restoration has helped to tame the boomy piano and recover the high frequencies of the violin buried under the surface noise.