Lena Horne - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:40
Size: 95.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. I Got Rhythm
[3:11] 2. Someone To Watch Over Me
[2:40] 3. It's All Right With Me
[3:20] 4. Stormy Weather
[2:38] 5. What Is This Thing Called Love
[2:23] 6. Get Out Of Town
[3:33] 7. The Rules Of The Road
[2:39] 8. Darn That Dream
[2:38] 9. At Long Last Love
[3:13] 10. You're My Thrill
[3:16] 11. Let Me Love You
[2:48] 12. Come On Strong
[3:05] 13. Mad About The Boy
[3:19] 14. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

Lena Horne had three separate stays on RCA Victor Records: The first in the 1940s, the second lasting from the mid- '50s into the early '60s, and the third in the mid- '70s. During these stints, she scored only one hit single, "Love Me or Leave Me" in 1955 -- a recording not included on this compilation. In 1943, she appeared in the film Stormy Weather, and for the rest of her career that 1933 hit was identified as her signature song. Actually, she had recorded it for RCA two years before she sang it on film, and that recording is included here. Otherwise, this is a sampler of her RCA recordings stretching over the '40s, '50s, and '60s, most of them standards from the pens of George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, and others. There is even one track from Horne's brief period as singer with Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra in early 1941. But the disc does not justify the title "Greatest Hits," and it is not a comprehensive collection of the highlights of Horne's RCA work. Rather, it is a discount-priced, 42-minute survey of that work that contains many excellent performances. But there's plenty more where this came from. ~William Ruhlmann

Greatest Hits

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Grady Tate - Windmills Of My Mind

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:21
Size: 85.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 1968/2012
Art: Front

[4:14] 1. Windmills Of Your Mind
[4:50] 2. And I Love Her
[2:50] 3. Sack Full Of Dreams
[5:08] 4. Would You Believe
[6:39] 5. Work Song
[3:54] 6. A Little At A Time
[3:59] 7. TNT
[2:20] 8. Don't Fence Me In
[3:24] 9. All Around The World

Bass – Bob Cranshaw, Chuck Rainey; Drums – Bernie Purdie, Bob Thomas; Guitar – Billy Butler, Eric Gale; Organ – Herbie Hancock; Piano – Paul Griffin; Vocals – Grady Tate.

Mention Grady Tate's name to most bop lovers, and his excellent drumming is the thing that immediately pops into their minds. His singing isn't the first thing they think of, which is regrettable because he really is a fine singer. One of the impressive vocal albums he did was Windmills of My Mind, a jazz/R&B release recorded when he was 36. This album (which DCC reissued on CD in 1998) underscores the fact that Tate was never a radical or abstract type of singer; the smooth, elegant crooner heard on "And I Love Her," "The Windmills of Your Mind" and "A Little at a Time" has a lot more in common with Johnny Hartman, Arthur Prysock and even Johnny Mathis (up to a point) than hardcore beboppers like Jon Hendricks, Babs Gonzales and Eddie Jefferson. Although Tate's backing group includes pianist Herbie Hancock and bassist Bob Cranshaw, much of Windmills isn't jazz -- "Don't Fence Me In" and "Would You Believe," in fact, are pure '60s soul music. One of the best tunes on the album is "Work Song," a riveting account of life on a chain gang. The disappointing thing about the CD reissue of Windmills isn't the material, but the sound quality. An abundance of pops, clicks and crackling make the CD sound like a vinyl LP that's been played too often -- one would expect an audiophile label like DCC Compact Classics to do a much better job of digitally remastering a 1968 recording. Nonetheless, this is an album that both jazz and R&B enthusiasts should hear. ~Alex Henderson

Windmills Of My Mind

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Fats Navarro - Fat's Star Vol 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:51
Size: 118.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Groovin' High
[2:36] 2. Be-Bop Romp
[3:08] 3. Boperation
[4:04] 4. Our Delight
[3:03] 5. The Skunk
[3:10] 6. Gone With The Wind
[3:01] 7. Dameronia
[2:54] 8. Jahbero
[5:49] 9. Good Bait, No. 1
[4:31] 10. Tadd Walk
[2:51] 11. Lady Bird
[3:41] 12. Anthropology
[2:38] 13. Barry's Bop
[4:09] 14. Symphonette
[2:54] 15. Goin' To Minton's

Theodore "Fats" Navarro (September 24, 1923 – July 6, 1950) was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong stylistic influence on many other players, most notably Clifford Brown.

Navarro was born in Key West, Florida, of Cuban-Black-Chinese parentage. He began playing piano at age six, but did not become serious about music until he began playing trumpet at the age of thirteen. He was a childhood friend of drummer Al Dreares. By the time he graduated from Douglass high school he wanted to be away from Key West and joined a dance band headed for the midwest.

Tiring of the road life after touring with many bands and gaining valuable experience, including influencing a young J. J. Johnson when they were together in Snookum Russell's territory band, Navarro settled in New York City in 1946, where his career took off. He met and played with, among others, Charlie Parker, one of the greatest musical innovators of modern jazz improvisation. But Navarro was in a position to demand a high salary and did not join one of Parker's regular groups. He also developed a heroin addiction, tuberculosis, and a weight problem (he was nicknamed "Fat Girl"). These afflictions led to a slow decline in his health and death at the age of twenty-six. Navarro was hospitalized on July 1 and died in the evening of July 6, 1950. His last performance was with Charlie Parker on July 1 at Birdland.

Fat's Star Vol 1

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Donald Brown, Charles Thomas, Harold Mabern, Roy Drummond, Alan Dawson - A Season Of Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:14
Size: 147.0 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[8:16] 1. Harlem Nocturne
[4:21] 2. The View From Here
[6:35] 3. Give Me The Simple Life
[5:15] 4. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
[6:45] 5. When You Look Into Your Eyes
[4:10] 6. Welcome To My World
[4:18] 7. Come Sunday
[4:44] 8. I'm Old Fashioned
[5:53] 9. Your Name Is Love
[5:10] 10. Brownie's Eyes
[3:55] 11. Raintree
[4:46] 12. Love Wise

This James Williams-produced date actually features each of the three Memphis pianists separately with bassist Ray Drummond and the late drummer Alan Dawson (on one of his last recordings) in an all-ballad CD. Brown starts off with a funky "Harlem Nocturne" followed by his melancholy original "The View From Here." Charles Thomas is a veteran who hasn't ventured into the studio much but is highly respected by his peers. He offers a lyrical take of "When You Look Into Your Eyes," a full-bodied gospel-flavored arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday," and a richly textured "I'm Old Fashioned."

Mabern is the big surprise with his choice of four lesser known songs; his waltzing take of "Your Name Is Love," the bright version of Quincy Jones' "Brownie's Eyes," and his exuberant playing on "Raintree" show his willingness to take chances. It's too bad there wasn't time or room for producer Williams to take his turn at the piano, too; maybe next time. ~Ken Dryden

A Season Of Ballads

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Ida Landsberg, Francesco Moraca - Jazz Moments

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:39
Size: 88.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:18] 1. Blue Moon
[3:50] 2. Moon River
[4:28] 3. Cheek To Cheek
[4:30] 4. Over The Rainbow
[2:56] 5. Fly Me To The Moon
[2:12] 6. Alice In Wonderland
[2:30] 7. Beautiful Love
[2:40] 8. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
[2:34] 9. Here's That Rainy Day
[4:16] 10. I Wish You Love
[3:06] 11. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[3:13] 12. Time Remembered

Music is in my life since I can think. In my case music always had been present but for a long time it wasn’t at the centre of my thinking and activities yet. It was more an accompaniment of every of my daily actions, an accessory, an atmosphere, a song to sing or an open ear for sounds and noises. I always had a very sensible ear that hated rumors and couldn’t tolerate notes that weren’t perfectly clean. Who loved high and clear voices and memorized melodies quickly.

I didn’t grow up in an artist environment even though my grand-grandmother, from which I had my name Ida, was a sculpturist and lived surrounded by famous 19th Century painters in Kleinmachnow just outside Berlin. One of her friends were Max Liebermann. I know her only from my father’s tellings. In my earliest childhood, I sang on my grandmother’s balcony and the neighbors listened to me. At the age of 6 I started to play piano, to sing in a church choir and to be part of a children dance theatre.

After a long and intense 70s musical rebel period in my adolescence at the sound of the The Doors, Janis Joplin and the Beach Boys, I discovered jazz music which would have been my strongest passion. Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck had become my new heroes, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald my idols. Soon the desire of letting music be a central part of my life became concrete. I had the pleasure to collaborate with many wonderful musicians. Music is my aim and ambition, my continuous research and look to the future. No day passes without having some idea or project to realize, something new to create or experience, some unexperienced music style to live. Some notes left to write or to sing. Music for me is not a passion. It is a necessity.

Jazz Moments

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Johnny Griffin, Horace Parlan - Close Your Eyes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:48
Size: 134.6 MB
Styles: Piano/Saxophone jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 6:34] 1. I'll Close My Eyes
[ 9:28] 2. Pannonica
[ 5:57] 3. I Hear A Rhapsody
[ 8:23] 4. My One And Only Love
[ 5:48] 5. Someone To Watch Over Me
[10:36] 6. My Little Brown Book
[ 5:19] 7. The Jampfs Are Coming
[ 6:40] 8. You're My Everything

Piano – Horace Parlan; Saxophone [Tenor] – Johnny Griffin. Recorded at Gag Studios, Hamburg in February 2000.

Chicago has long been famous for big-toned tenor men, and when jazz enthusiasts are discussing hard bop tenor giants who have lived in the Windy City, Johnny Griffin's name inevitably comes up, along with the likes of Gene Ammons (who died of cancer in 1974), and Ira Sullivan (who also plays several other wind instruments, including alto and soprano sax, trumpet, and flugelhorn). Griffin was 71 when, in February 2000, he visited Hamburg, Germany and recorded Close Your Eyes, an album of tenor/piano duets with pianist Horace Parlan (who was 69 at the time). Neither bass nor drums are employed on this German release -- strictly sax and acoustic piano -- and this intimate setting works well for the veteran jazzmen, who enjoy a consistently strong rapport throughout the album. Clearly, neither musician has lost anything in the chops department; both are very much on top of their game. Over the years, Griffin has had no problem with the fiercely competitive, hell-bent-for-chops approach -- there's a reason why his admirers used to describe him as "the world's fastest tenor" -- but Close Your Eyes isn't about competition. It's about dialogue, intimacy, and lyricism, and Griffin's lyrical side serves him nicely on standards like "My One and Only Love," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Hear a Rhapsody," and Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica". Yes, many of the songs on this CD are warhorses that have been beaten to death over the years, but when the tenor in question is a 71-year-old bop survivor who has spent more than half-a-century in the trenches, one tends to be forgiving of the warhorse factor. Close Your Eyes falls short of essential, but it's a respectable, solid addition to Griffin's sizable catalog. ~Alex Henderson

Close Your Eyes

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Buck Clayton - Passport To Paradise

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:36
Size: 99,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:49)  1. My Funny Valentine
(4:06)  2. I Cover The Waterfront
(4:26)  3. Please Be Kind
(3:17)  4. Sleepy Time Gal
(3:40)  5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
(3:08)  6. I Cried For You
(2:51)  7. Passport To Paradise
(2:46)  8. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
(2:41)  9. Ma Gigolette
(3:51) 10. Tangerine
(4:25) 11. Body And Soul
(3:30) 12. Green Eyes

Trumpeter Buck Clayton was in Paris at the time of this tasteful and typically melodic quintet date. Joined by a four-piece rhythm section that features pianist Sir Charles Thompson and guitarist Jean Bonal, Clayton (who generally states the opening melody muted and then closes the piece with an open horn) never really cuts loose but is quite pleasing to hear on these standards. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/passport-to-paradise-mw0000909591

Personnel:  Buck Clayton – trumpet;  Sir Charles Thompson – piano;  Jean Bonal – guitar;  Gene Ramey – double bass;  Oliver Jackson - drums

Passport To Paradise

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Nnenna Freelon - Listen

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:28
Size: 148,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Gaia's Garden
(3:58)  2. Dad's Delight / Lil B's Poem
(5:15)  3. Will You Still Love Me Tomorro
(6:15)  4. I'll Be Around / I Love You
(6:28)  5. Ballad for Aisha
(4:42)  6. A Hundred Dreams From Now
(3:34)  7. Circle Song
(3:30)  8. Sol Cycle
(5:26)  9. Waste Not Want Not
(4:49) 10. Journey of the Heart
(7:00) 11. Song of Silent Footprints
(4:59) 12. Lost in the Stars
(3:00) 13. Listen

Nnenna Chinyere Freelon is a world-renowned jazz vocalist; she has recorded extensively and been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards. While this doesn't necessarily set her apart from other more prolific female jazz singers, there is one aspect of her career that does: she didn't begin recording until she was in her late thirties. She was born in Cambridge, MA, in 1954 as Nnenna Chinyere Pierce. She began singing at an early age in church, but didn't pursue music as a career until decades later. She graduated from Simmons College, with a degree in health care administration. She worked for a time in in social services for Durham, NC's hospital corporation. In 1979, she married Philip Freelon, an architect. The couple had three children before she began to consider a career in music. She studied with Yusef Lateef, developing her singing through listening to horn players. Her big break came in 1990 while attending the Southern Arts Federation's jazz meeting, and sitting in with Ellis Marsalis. Marsalis was doing A&R for Columbia Records' Dr. George Butler at the time, and asked the singer for a tape, which he passed on to Butler, who signed her. Her self-titled debut recording was released in 1992 and attracted mixed reviews due to Freelon's heavy stylistic debt to Sarah Vaughan  though this was not entirely the vocalist's fault but her producer's. Her second album, a ballad-heavy collection entitled Heritage, was released in 1993, and was received by critics and fans alike as a jewel. Freelon truly established her own voice and style with her 1994 outing, Listen. it was her final recording for Columbia. In 1995 she signed to Concord (where she was granted far more artistic control over her recordings). She released her first album for the label, Shaking Free, in 1996; for it she received her first Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Maiden Voyage, released in 1998, was also nominated for Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance; it displayed her interest in the role of women in music and society as expressed through her sometimes radical but always elegant interpretations of pop and folk songs as well as jazz standards. 

In 2000, Freelon branched out. She made her acting debut in the feature film What Women Want and released her first self-produced set, Soulcall. The album garnered her two Grammy nominations: one for Best Jazz Vocal Album and another for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal for her interpretation of the standard "Button Up Your Overcoat." In 2002 she released Tales of Wonder: Celebrating Stevie Wonder, a tribute recording of songs written by, and associated with, the Motown great, and as a reward, received another Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She recorded her first live album in 2005, and followed it with her radical Blueprint of a Lady: Sketches of Billie Holiday in 2006; this album is wildly refreshing for the way in which Freelon took great liberties with songs associated with Holiday, reinterpreting them in contemporary settings and in her own bold image. And while some jazz critics took notable exception to messing with Lady Day, Freelon was nonetheless honored by the RIAA with another Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In 2008, she appeared as the only vocalist on the Monterey Jazz Festival: 50th Anniversary All-Stars album, fronting a band that starred Benny Green, James Moody, Terence Blanchard, Kendrick Scott, and Derrick Hodge. In 2010, Ms. Freelon released her seventh Concord album, Homefree. ~ Thom Jurek https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/nnenna-freelon/id902838#fullText

Personnel: Nnenna Freelon, Jon Lucien (vocals); Dick Oatts (alto & soprano saxophones); Alex Foster (tenor saxophone); Earl Gardner (trumpet); Scott Whitfield (trombone); Cecil Bridgewater (flugelhorn); Dave Valentin (soprano flute); Yusef Lateef (alto flute); Stan Pollack (violin); Kathryn Klenke (viola); Eugene Moye (cello); Bill Fischer (vibraphone, marimba, bells); Bill O'Connell (piano); Scott Sawyer (guitar); Ron Carter (bass); Ricky Sebastian (drums); Warren Smith (percussion).

Listen

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Dizzy Gillespie - One Night In Washington

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:08
Size: 113,2 MB
Art: Front

(16:48)  1. The Afro Suite - Manteca
( 7:56)  2. Hobnail Boogie
( 6:25)  3. Wild Bill's Boogie
( 5:15)  4. Caravan
( 6:26)  5. Tin Tin Deo
( 6:16)  6. Up 'N' Downs

Dizzy Gillespie was recruited as a special guest to perform on March 13, 1955, in concert with the Orchestra (a Washington, D.C., big band), a date that was recorded by Bill Potts and not initially released until 1983 by Elektra Musician. Although there was only a brief rehearsal of Gillespie with the band prior to their performance of the trumpeter's "The Afro Suite" (which includes "Manteca" plus a trio of pieces written in collaboration with Chico O'Farrill), they provide excellent support for this extended work, which features the composer extensively. Two pieces from the vast repertoire of Count Basie, "Hobnail Boogie" and "Wild Bill's Boogie," are enjoyable, though pianist Larry Eanet suffers from an inadequate microphone setup. Ed Dimond takes over the keyboard for an explosive Latin-flavored romp through "Caravan," though Gillespie obviously steals the show. The rather reserved small group rendition of "Tin Tin Deo" is curious but still of interest. The closer is bassist Tom McKay's swinging riff tune "Up 'N' Downs," which sounds like it could have easily been a part of Basie's songbook. One oddity about the concert is that Charlie Parker had died during the previous night, but this was not known to the musicians as his passing had not yet been announced. One of the more obscure recordings by Dizzy Gillespie, One Night in Washington is well worth acquiring. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/one-night-in-washington-mw0000218828

Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie (vocals, trumpet); Dizzy Gillespie; Mike Goldberg (alto saxophone); Joel Davie (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Jim Parker (tenor saxophone); Charles Frankhauser, Bob Carey (trumpet); Ed Dimond (piano, percussion); Mert Oliver (double bass); George Caldwell, Tom McKay (congas); Angelo Tompros, Spencer Sinatra (tenor saxophone); Al Porcino, Marky Markowitz, Ed Leddy, Bunny Aldhizer (trumpet); Earl Swope, Rob Swope, Dick Leith (trombone); Larry Eanet (piano); Joe Timer (drums).

One Night In Washington

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Harold Danko - Three of Four

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 68:27
Size: 125,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. Jitterbug Waltz
(6:48)  2. Tintiyana
(6:45)  3. Everybody's song but my own
(5:32)  4. Ruby My Dear
(6:31)  5. Turn out the stars
(5:18)  6. 502blues
(7:45)  7. Little Niles
(6:35)  8. Black fire
(6:40)  9. Valse Hot
(5:11) 10. Walk on the water
(5:40) 11. Blue in green

Even when it seems that you've heard all that there is to hear and all of the up-and-coming musicians that are out there to hear, someone will inadvertently pop up and surprise you. Such is the case with pianist Harold Danko, a gentleman who works as a college educator by day, stepping out once in awhile to lead a record date or two for Sunnyside or SteepleChase. It was his recent work for the latter label, as part of a great quartet, that brought Danko to the attention of this reviewer. Since then, his remarkable authority and heartfelt approach has been nothing short of an inspiration. A specific concept is at play for this new trio affair, we get three of the regular quartet's four members on board (bassist Scott Colley and drummer Jeff Hirshfield) and the program consists exclusively of tunes in the waltz tempo of 3/4 time or 6/8 on occasion. And then leave it to Danko to go for broke by sagaciously choosing eleven tracks that run the gamut from Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz" to Andrew Hill's "Black Fire." Avoiding any monotony that might be suggested by the waltz concept, Danko treats each piece creatively. As a result, Bill Evans' "Turn Out the Stars" appears as a lilting bossa and Monk's "Ruby My Dear" gets its first-ever treatment in three. 

Abdullah Ibrahim's "Tintiyana" also must be mentioned because it's stately marching tempo and Danko's rapturous solo make it one of disc's finest moments. As could be expected from a working band, these three men share a musical bond that elevates this set to one of the best piano trio sides in recent memory. Both in support and as a soloist, Scott Colley is quickly becoming a bassist to keep your eyes on with a deep and sonorous sound and quickfire imagination. Danko's style is so much his own that its hard to make the usual comparisons that help to better define a player's approach via the written word. He's at once incendiary on the scorching numbers and movingly introspective on the pretty ballads. In the end, you realize that the possibilities inherent in "three" are more than previously thought imaginable. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/three-of-four-harold-danko-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php
 

Personnel: Harold Danko- piano, Scott Colley- bass, Jeff Hirshfield- drums

Three of Four

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Earl Hines - One For My Baby

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:09
Size: 106,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:03)  1. It's Only A Paper Moon
( 5:16)  2. One For My Baby
( 7:03)  3. Ill Wind
( 5:05)  4. Blues In The Night
( 6:22)  5. Stormy Weather
(12:00)  6. I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues
( 5:17)  7. As Long As I Live

Once called "the first modern jazz pianist," Earl Hines differed from the stride pianists of the 1920s by breaking up the stride rhythms with unusual accents from his left hand. While his right hand often played octaves so as to ring clearly over ensembles, Hines had the trickiest left hand in the business, often suspending time recklessly but without ever losing the beat. One of the all-time great pianists, Hines was a major influence on Teddy Wilson, Jess Stacy, Joe Sullivan, Nat King Cole, and even to an extent on Art Tatum. He was also an underrated composer responsible for "Rosetta," "My Monday Date," and "You Can Depend on Me," among others. Earl Hines played trumpet briefly as a youth before switching to piano. His first major job was accompanying vocalist Lois Deppe, and he made his first recordings with Deppe and his orchestra in 1922. The following year, Hines moved to Chicago where he worked with Sammy Stewart and Erskine Tate's Vendome Theatre Orchestra. He started teaming up with Louis Armstrong in 1926, and the two masterful musicians consistently inspired each other. Hines worked briefly in Armstrong's big band (formerly headed by Carroll Dickerson), and they unsuccessfully tried to manage their own club. 1928 was one of Hines' most significant years. He recorded his first ten piano solos, including versions of "A Monday Date," "Blues in Thirds," and "57 Varieties." Hines worked much of the year with Jimmy Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, and their recordings are also considered classic. Hines cut brilliant (and futuristic) sides with Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, resulting in such timeless gems as "West End Blues," "Fireworks," "Basin Street Blues," and their remarkable trumpet-piano duet "Weather Bird." And on his birthday on December 28, Hines debuted with his big band at Chicago's Grand Terrace.

A brilliant ensemble player as well as soloist, Earl Hines would lead big bands for the next 20 years. Among the key players in his band through the 1930s would be trumpeter/vocalist Walter Fuller, Ray Nance on trumpet and violin (prior to joining Duke Ellington), trombonist Trummy Young, tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson, Omer Simeon and Darnell Howard on reeds, and arranger Jimmy Mundy. In 1940, Billy Eckstine became the band's popular singer, and in 1943 (unfortunately during the musicians' recording strike), Hines welcomed such modernists as Charlie Parker (on tenor), trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and singer Sarah Vaughan in what was the first bebop orchestra. By the time the strike ended, Eckstine, Parker, Gillespie, and Vaughan were gone, but tenor Wardell Gray was still around to star with the group during 1945-1946.

In 1948, the economic situation forced Hines to break up his orchestra. He joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, but three years of playing second fiddle to his old friend were difficult to take. After leaving Armstrong in 1951, Hines moved to Los Angeles and later San Francisco, heading a Dixieland band. Although his style was much more modern, Hines kept the group working throughout the 1950s, at times featuring Muggsy Spanier, Jimmy Archey, and Darnell Howard. Hines did record on a few occasions, but was largely forgotten in the jazz world by the early '60s. Then, in 1964, jazz writer Stanley Dance arranged for him to play three concerts at New York's Little Theater, both solo and in a quartet with Budd Johnson. The New York critics were amazed by Hines' continuing creativity and vitality, and he had a major comeback that lasted through the rest of his career. Hines traveled the world with his quartet, recorded dozens of albums, and remained famous and renowned up until his death at the age of 79. Most of the many recordings from his career are currently available on CD. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/earl-hines-mn0000455522/biography

Personnel: Earl Hines (piano)

One For My Baby

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