Duke Ellington - Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings (3-Disc Set)

This three-CD set, which has all of Duke Ellington's recordings for the Brunswick and Vocalion labels, dwarfs all of the earlier reissues that Decca and MCA have put out of this important material. Starting with the first session in which the Ellington Orchestra sounds distinctive ("East St. Louis Toodle-oo" and "Birmingham Breakdown" from November 29, 1926) and progressing through the Cotton Club years, this essential release (which contains 67 performances) adds a few "new" alternate takes and rare items ("Soliloquy" and a few titles by the "Six Jolly Jesters") to make this collection truly complete, at least for MCA's holdings (since Ellington also recorded for Columbia- and Victor-owned labels during the same period). With such major soloists as trumpeters Bubber Miley (and his replacement Cootie Williams), Freddy Jenkins, and Arthur Whetsol, trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton, clarinetist Barney Bigard, altoist Johnny Hodges, baritonist Harry Carney, and the pianist/leader, along with the classic arrangements/compositions, this set is essential for all serious jazz collections. ~Scott Yanow

Album: Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:27

Size: 149.9 MB

Styles: Big Band, Early jazz

Year: 1994

[2:51] 1. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo

[2:47] 2. Birmingham Breakdown

[3:02] 3. Immigration Blues

[2:48] 4. The Creeper (1st Take)

[2:46] 5. The Creeper (2nd Take)

[3:00] 6. New Orleans Low-Down

[3:01] 7. Song Of The Cotton Field

[2:41] 8. Birmingham Breakdown

[2:58] 9. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo

[3:16] 10. Black And Tan Fantasy

[3:06] 11. Soliloquy

[2:52] 12. Red Hot Band

[3:07] 13. Doin' The Frog

[2:39] 14. Take It Easy

[2:43] 15. Jubilee Stomp

[3:08] 16. Black Beauty (1st Take)

[3:11] 17. Black Beauty (2nd Take)

[2:55] 18. Yellow Dog Blues

[2:58] 19. Tishomingo Blues

[3:15] 20. Awful Sad

[3:10] 21. The Mooche

[3:01] 22. Louisiana

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Album: Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:57

Size: 151.0 MB

Styles: Big Band, Early jazz

Year: 1994

[3:08] 1. Doin' The Voom Voom

[2:52] 2. Tiger Rag (Pt. 1 Take A)

[2:51] 3. Tiger Rag (Pt. 1 Take B)

[2:51] 4. Tiger Rag (Pt. 2)

[3:27] 5. Rent Party Blues

[2:29] 6. Paducah

[3:07] 7. Harlem Flat Blues

[3:30] 8. Black And Blue

[2:44] 9. Jungle Jamboree

[3:18] 10. Ain't Misbehavin'

[3:06] 11. Doin' The New Low-Down

[3:02] 12. Jolly Wog

[2:49] 13. Jazz Convulsions

[3:08] 14. Six Or Seven Times (Take A)

[3:04] 15. Six Or Seven Times (Take B)

[2:31] 16. Goin' Nuts

[2:44] 17. Oklahoma Stomp (Take A)

[2:40] 18. Oklahoma Stomp (Take B)

[3:07] 19. Sweet Mama

[3:00] 20. Wall Street Wail (Take A)

[2:58] 21. Wall Street Wail (Take B)

[3:22] 22. Cincinnati Daddy

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Album: Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings (Disc 3)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 68:59

Size: 157.9 MB

Styles: Big Band, Early jazz

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Maori (1st Version)

[3:07] 2. When You're Smiling (Take A)

[3:06] 3. When You're Smiling (Take B)

[2:58] 4. Maori (2nd Version Take A)

[3:03] 5. Maori (2nd Version Take B)

[3:07] 6. Admiration

[2:54] 7. Double Check Stomp

[2:56] 8. Accordion Joe (Take A)

[2:57] 9. Accordion Joe (Take B)

[2:54] 10. Cotton Club Stomp (Take A)

[2:53] 11. Cotton Club Stomp (Take B)

[2:46] 12. Runnin' Wild

[2:55] 13. Mood Indigo

[2:57] 14. Home Again Blues

[2:59] 15. Wang Wang Blues

[3:10] 16. Rockin' Chair

[3:02] 17. Rockin' In Rhythm

[2:57] 18. Twelfth Street Rag

[3:16] 19. The Peanut Vendor

[3:07] 20. Creole Rhapsody (Pt. 1)

[3:18] 21. Creole Rhapsody (Take A)

[2:56] 22. Creole Rhapsody (Take Aa)

[2:20] 23. Is That Religion

Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings (Disc 1,2 and 3)

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Charles Sullivan - Genesis

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:08
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

( 8:26) 1. Evening Song
( 5:55) 2. Good-Bye Sweet John (In Memory Of John Foster: Pianist)
( 3:43) 3. Field Holler
( 4:33) 4. Now I'll Sleep
(17:29) 5. Genesis

Trumpeter, flügelhornist, and composer Charles Sullivan pegged as a poor man's Lee Morgan or Woody Shaw toiled in many mainstream or progressive big bands of the 1970s, languishing in obscurity until breaking through with this, his debut as a leader. Using a spare, warm tone, Sullivan was a cool customer in the firestorm of progressive jazz and fusion of the day, adapting those idioms to his own brand of personalized jazz. Because of his many professional associations, he was able to employ true cream-of-the-crop musicians like pianists Stanley Cowell, Onaje Allan Gumbs, and Sharon Freeman, saxophonist Sonny Fortune, bassist Alex Blake, percussionist Lawrence Killian, and drummer Billy Hart to play his original compositions. Of the five selections, each has its own distinctive flair, taking from different modern jazz elements prevalent to the time frame while not stuck in a rut with any of them.

As the very first piece he ever wrote, "Evening Song" is compelling with its Latin beat and modal montuno piano where Sullivan takes an extended solo, with Cowell also featured before the trumpeter returns for more. A solemn duet with Gumbs for the late pianist John Foster on "Goodbye Sweet John" contrasts with the funky fusion tune "Field Holler," with Freeman's stabbing electric Fender Rhodes chord-driven lines, featuring Alphonse Mouzon's powerhouse drumming and the electric bass of Anthony Jackson, with a lyrical and basic Sullivan sounding influenced by James Brown.

The remainder of the recording is a twofold message of despair and renewal, as Dee Dee Bridgewater sings beautifully in the paradox song "Now I'll Sleep," about suicide, with the lyric that one might "choose to lose, afraid to love" with Sullivan's horn in way late. "Genesis" is a 17-plus-minute workout that rises from those sullen ashes with an Afro-modal stance similar to Frank Foster's Loud Minority of the same era. Cowell's piano and the impressive tandem of Sullivan and Fortune's fiery alto sax push the ensemble to the limits of African-American progressive jazz expressionism. This recording received a five-star rating in Down Beat magazine, and while there are too few Charles Sullivan recordings in the marketplace, it's well deserving of this accolade as one of the very best post-bop efforts of its decade, and now available on CD. By Michael G. Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/genesis-mw0001879323

Personnel: Charles Sullivan - trumpet; Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone; Stanley Cowell, Onaje Allan Gumbs - piano; Sharon Freeman - electric piano; Alex Blake - bass; Billy Hart - drums; Lawrence Killian - congas, percussion; Dee Dee Bridgewater - vocals

Genesis

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Dave Stryker - Strike Zone

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:15
Size: 161,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:59)  1. Strike Zone
(8:51)  2. Who Can I Turn To
(8:12)  3. I Wish I Knew
(5:14)  4. Twenty One
(9:02)  5. Undercurrent
(5:14)  6. Evidence
(2:23)  7. Some Other Time
(9:33)  8. Going Home
(8:29)  9. Muddy Waters
(6:15) 10. My Shining Hour

Dave Stryker is undoubtedly one of the most talented of the younger generation of jazz guitarists today. This is the first recording by Stryker on SteepleChase. Born in Omaha, Nebraska on March 30, 1957, Stryker has been playing guitar since he was 10. Unsurprisingly he started out on rock guitar but soon turned to jazz because of George Benson and John Coltrane. Dave moved to New York in 1980 and after a short while established himself in the NY scene as one of the most sought after players playing with among others Lonnie Liston Smith, Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie. “… The specific strengths of this album include consistently top-notch performances and a sense of contemporaneity afforded by Stryker’s attractive original compositions enhanced by a willingness to experiment with sound and stylistic approach .” (Cadence)

Personnel: Guitar – Dave Stryker; Bass – Ron McClure;  Drums – Ronnie Burrage;   Piano, Synthesizer [DX-7] – Marc Cohen;  Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Alto Clarinet – Steve Slagle

Strike Zone

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Yellowjackets - Parallel Motion

Styles: Jazz Fusion
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:06
Size: 129,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. Intrigue
(6:44) 2. Challenging Times
(5:33) 3. Parallel Motion
(8:49) 4. Onyx Manor
(4:49) 5. Samaritan
(7:38) 6. Il Mio Amico
(5:02) 7. Resilience
(4:48) 8. If You Believe
(7:07) 9. Early

A mid the oversaturated din of the entertainment landscape, Yellowjackets have been quietly buzzing away for more than 40 years. Their initial albums, like 1983’s Mirage a Trois and 1985’s Samurai Samba, fit squarely in that slick, sophisticated, dawn-of-the-CD era that encompasses Shadowfax, Flim and the BB’s, and early Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Later on, the band enlisted cream-of-the-crop members like drummer Marcus Baylor and collaborated with greats like Bobby McFerrin, guitarist Mike Stern, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and bassist Felix Pastorius.

Their recent work has continued in that collaborative vein; 2018’s Raising Our Voice featured Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza, and 2020’s Jackets XL was an orchestral team-up with Cologne, Germany’s WDR Big Band. Which brings us to Parallel Motion, featuring only one guest (vocalist Jean Baylor) and no specific angles. It simply comprises a veteran band doing their thing spiritedly, inventively, and imaginatively.

Today’s only original Yellowjacket is pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante. But there are no voids in this lineup far from it. Tenor/soprano saxophonist Bob Mintzer has been in the band for more than 30 years, drummer Will Kennedy joined in the late ’80s for a spell and rejoined in 2010, and bassist Dane Alderson is a seven-year ’jacket.

Together on Parallel Motion, they demonstrate remarkable agility, chemistry, and borderline telepathy. “Onyx Manor” marries a buzzy drone with stairstep interplay between Mintzer and Alderson, “Samaritan” is patient and enveloping, and “Il Mio Amico” features a ravishing ascendant melody.

If fusion isn’t your thing but you’re of a certain age, Parallel Motion can act as a cozy fireplace of a listen, reminding one of when bands like this dominated the earth. But if you love this musical sphere, it doesn’t get much better than a seasoned Yellowjackets. And their newest offering simply hits
on whatever terms you want it to.
By Morgan Enos https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/yellowjackets-parallel-motion-mack-avenue

Personnel: Russell Ferrante — piano, keyboards; Bob Mintzer — tenor and soprano saxophones, EWI; Will Kennedy — drums, keyboards; Dane Alderson — electric bass, MIDI sequencing; Jean Baylor — guest vocals (track 8)

Parallel Motion

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