Al Haig - Al Haig Meets Master Bop Saxes

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:27
Size: 164,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:36)  1. Light Gray
(2:48)  2. Stoned
(2:45)  3. Matter and Mind
(2:36)  4. The Toup
(3:05)  5. In a Pinch
(3:07)  6. It's the Talk of the Town
(2:51)  7. Five Star
(2:29)  8. Sugar Hill Bop
(3:28)  9. Twisted
(3:21) 10. Southside
(4:38) 11. Easy Living
(4:07) 12. Sweet Lorraine
(2:34) 13. Pardon My Bop
(3:02) 14. As I Live and I Bop
(2:44) 15. Interlude in Bebop
(2:42) 16. Diaper Pin (Pinhead)
(2:26) 17. Skull Buster
(2:43) 18. Ante Room
(2:47) 19. Poop Deck
(3:20) 20. Pennies from Heaven
(2:49) 21. Indian Summer
(2:57) 22. Long Island Sound
(2:42) 23. Mar-cia
(2:39) 24. Crazy Chords

Al Haig was one of the primal bop pianists. He endures in perpetuity with the spirits of George Wallington, Joe Albany, Dodo Marmarosa, Bud Powell and Elmo Hope. In the year 2000, Definitive Classics came up with a beautiful album of Haig's collaborations with tenor saxophonists Wardell Gray and Stan Getz, recorded in 1948 and 1949. Gray's genius is at once refreshing, his logic irresistible. Getz, like Gray, was profoundly influenced by Lester Young, and Haig was in many respects the ideal collaborator for their brand of bop-to-cool progressive jazz. That's why this music feels so pleasant and natural up inside of your head. Putting Getz and Gray together with Haig as the backbone of the collection makes all the sense in the world. This is superlatively hip music, perfect for cooking, booking, commuting, computing, operating heavy machinery or slacking off and cutting loose like there's no tomorrow.
~ arwulf arwulf; http://www.allmusic.com/album/al-haig-meets-master-bop-saxes-mw0000609243

Personnel:  Al Haig (piano), Wardell Gray, Stan Getz (saxophone)

Al Haig Meets Master Bop Saxes

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Al Haig - Al Haig Today!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 34:39
Size: 55,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Bags' Groove
(3:01)  2. The Good Life
(2:47)  3. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:50)  4. Satin Doll
(3:07)  5. Bluesette
(3:36)  6. Thrio
(2:36)  7. Brother, Where Are You
(4:16)  8. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(3:43)  9. Willow Weep for Me
(3:23) 10. Saudade

This difficult to find recording is worth the search; it contains some of the finest recorded work of Al Haig's enigmatic career. Haig was an important figure in the early development of bebop piano and can be heard as a sideman on many seminal recordings from the 1940s, including Salt Peanuts and Hot House. His refined classical technique was relatively unique at the time, and he was admired as a superb accompanist. Between the mid-'50s and the early 1970s there is a curiously large gap in his recorded output evidently due to personal problems. In fact, Al Haig Today! appears to be his only release as a leader during the '60s. The pianist is joined by Ed DeHaas on bass (who worked with Martial Solal, Kai Winding, Chet Baker, and Chris Conner among others) and the relatively unknown Jim Kappes on drums. (Kappes would later work with the Paul Winter Consort). This well-recorded date showcases a versatile selection of tunes including Haig's minor blues entitled "Thrio," Toots Thielemans' "Bluesette," and Oscar Brown's "Brother Where Are You." From his book of standards Haig pulls "Willow Weep For Me," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," "You Don't Know What Love Is," and "Satin Doll." The pianist's rendering of "Bag's Groove" is harmonized in dark, folky tones. "The Good Life," an evocative melody by French guitarist/vocalist Sacha Distel, is given a Latin treatment. One can hear many influences in Haig's piano work from the early inspiration of Nat King Cole, Billy Kyle, and Teddy Wilson to the bebop syncopation of his contemporary Bud Powell. Haig's lyrical playing on Today! also invokes the more modern work of Hank Jones and Bill Evans. Although his keyboard technique is typically lighter, neater, and less fiery than Powell's, Haig's subtle harmonies often have an appealing edge. His playing though cool and calm is still rhythmically interesting and highly creative; the overall sound is authentic bebop! On Al Haig Today! this underrated musician demonstrates his complete mastery of jazz piano impeccable swing, rich chording, and inventive improvisation. ~ Lee Bloom https://www.allmusic.com/album/al-haig-today%21-mw0000364531

Personnel: Piano – Al Haig; Bass – Eddie DeHaas; Drums – Jimmy Kappes

Al Haig Today!

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Al Haig - Trio And Quintet!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:00
Size: 115,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:40)  1. Maxology
(5:53)  2. Prince Albert
(6:10)  3. Yesterdays
(3:37)  4. Maximum
(4:01)  5. Just One Of Those Things
(3:09)  6. Yardbird Suite
(2:43)  7. Taboo
(4:55)  8. Mighty Like A Rose
(3:38)  9. S'Wonderful
(1:51) 10. Spotlight
(5:26) 11. 'Round Midnight
(2:49) 12. The Moon Was Yellow

One of the finest pianists of the bop era (and one who learned from Bud Powell's innovations quite early), Al Haig was quite busy during two periods of his career but unfortunately was pretty obscure in the years between. After serving in the Coast Guard (playing in bands during 1942-1944) and freelancing around Boston, Haig worked steadily with Dizzy Gillespie (1945-1946), Charlie Parker (1948-1950), and Stan Getz (1949-1951); and was on many recordings, mostly as a sideman (including some classic Diz and Bird sessions) but also as a leader for Spotlite, Dawn, and Prestige. However (other than little-known dates in 1954 for Esoteric, Swing, and Period), Haig did not lead any more albums until 1974. He played fairly often during the 1951-1973 period, but was generally overlooked. That changed during his last decade, when he was finally recognized as a bop giant and recorded for Spotlite, Choice, SeaBreeze, Interplay, and several Japanese and European labels. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-haig-mn0000604469/biography

Personnel: Piano – Al Haig; Bass – Bill Crow, Tommy Potter ; Drums – Lee Abrams, Max Roach; Tenor Saxophone – James Moody; Trumpet – Kenny Dorham

Trio And Quintet!                  

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Stan Getz, Al Haig - Prezervation (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:29
Size: 81.2 MB
Styles: Bop, West Coast jazz
Year: 1967/1992
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. Prezervation
[2:59] 2. Pinch Bottle
[2:52] 3. Earless Engineering
[3:06] 4. Be Still, Tv
[3:17] 5. Short P, Not LP
[2:39] 6. Stardust
[2:38] 7. Goodnight My Love
[3:19] 8. Intoit
[2:34] 9. Liza
[3:32] 10. Stars Fell On Alabama
[3:28] 11. Stairway To The Stars
[2:18] 12. Opus Caprice

All of these sides were recorded in 1949-50 for Prestige, most of them under pianist Al Haig's name (when the material was first released on LP in 1967, Getz was much better known and more likely to sell records, thus he was given the leadership plug, even though he doesn't even appear on 1/3 of the tunes).

One track with Getz that's especially fine is the title tune, PREZERVATION, which is an alternate take of the famous CRAZY CHORDS, an up-tempo blues that changes keys with every chorus. It's a real beauty. INTOIT is another swinger with good solos by Getz and Haig. Four of the numbers feature just Haig with the rhythm section (Tommy Potter [b] Roy Haynes [d]); OPUS CAPRICE sounds very much like Monk's RHYTHM-A-NING, and Al plays a nice version of LIZA. Two other tunes feature Junior Parker on vocal; STARDUST has Stan playing the verse and then Parker taking over for a rather straight vocal. This CD collects early stuff by these two modern masters when bop was king. Definitely worth checking out. ~Bomojaz

Prezervation (Remastered) mc
Prezervation (Remastered) zippy

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Fats Navarro - Goin' to Minton's

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:07
Size: 165,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. Boppin' A Riff
(5:45)  2. Fat Boy
(5:52)  3. Everything's Cool
(5:38)  4. Webb City
(2:50)  5. Calling Dr. Jazz
(2:53)  6. Fracture
(2:42)  7. Hollerin' & Screamin'
(2:49)  8. Stealing Trash
(2:16)  9. Just A Mystery
(3:06) 10. Red Pepper
(2:33) 11. Spinal
(3:03) 12. Maternity
(2:21) 13. Fat Girl
(2:41) 14. Ice Freezes Red
(2:25) 15. Eb Pob
(2:52) 16. Goin' to Minton's
(3:00) 17. A Be Bop Carroll
(2:53) 18. The Tadd Walk
(2:44) 19. Nostalgia
(2:40) 20. Barry's Bop
(2:37) 21. Be Bop Romp
(2:48) 22. Fats Blows

There are many tragic figures in bebop history, but Fats Navarro's story is even sadder than most. Considered by some to be a better trumpeter than Dizzy Gillespie (Lennie Tristano is reported to have said of Gillespie, "He's a nice trumpet player, but he's no Fats"), Navarro was killed by his heroin addiction at age 26. This disc includes material from five sessions recorded between September of 1946 and December of 1947, when bop was at the height of its popularity and its most important and influential practitioners were still alive. Some of them, in addition to Navarro, are present on these sessions: Bud Powell plays piano on "Boppin' a Riff," "Fat Boy," "Everything's Cool," and his own "Webb City," tracks which also feature Sonny Stitt on alto and Kenny Clarke on drums. Other sessions feature Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on tenor, frequent Charlie Parker sideman Curley Russell on bass, Charlie Rouse on tenor, and Art Blakey on drums. While the sound quality isn't always great, the performances themselves rarely fall short of greatness, and Navarro's sweet tone and effortlessly beautiful phrasing are a constant pleasure throughout. ~ Rick Anderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/goin-to-mintons-mw0000252304

Personnel includes: Fats Navarro (trumpet); Leo Parker (alto & baritone saxophones); Sonny Stitt, Ernie Henry (alto saxophone); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Charlie Rouse, Morris Lane (tenor saxophone); Ed DeVerteuill (baritone saxophone); Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, Al Haig (piano); Huey Long (guitar); Al Hall, Gene Ramey, Curley Russell, Nelson Boyd (bass); Kenny Clarke, Denzil Best, Art Blakey (drums).

Goin' to Minton's

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Fats Navarro - Fats Blows 1946-1949

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:54
Size: 166,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Dance Of The Infidels
(2:49)  2. 52nd St. Theme
(5:34)  3. Double Talk
(2:35)  4. Move
(2:41)  5. Hollerin' And Screamin'
(2:54)  6. The Tadd Walk
(3:09)  7. Jumpin' For Jane
(2:50)  8. Lady Bird
(2:53)  9. Goin' To Minton's
(2:45) 10. Nostalgia
(2:25) 11. Eb Pob
(2:59) 12. Our Delight
(3:16) 13. Bouncing With Bud
(3:04) 14. Wail
(3:05) 15. Symphonette
(3:07) 16. Boperation
(2:49) 17. Fats Blows
(4:02) 18. Stop
(2:52) 19. Sid's Delight
(2:53) 20. Jahbero
(2:57) 21. The Skink
(2:59) 22. The Squirrel
(3:13) 23. Groovin' High

A 23-track overview of Fats' brief moments of brilliance in the jazz skyline. The groups are varied, as was Navarro's wont, featuring such luminaries as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Tadd Dameron, Leo Parker, Art Blakey, Howard McGhee, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Clarke, Milt Jackson, and Fats' idol, Charlie Parker. Navarro was a brilliant musician, done in by drugs and tuberculosis. This disc gives you an idea of how tragic his loss was to the jazz world. ~ Cub Koda http://www.allmusic.com/album/fats-blows-1946-1949-mw0000051021

Personnel includes: Fats Navarro (trumpet); Leo Parker (alto & baritone saxophones); Charlie Parker, Ernie Henry, Budd Johson, Sahib Shihab, Ernie Henry (alto saxophone); Eddie Davis, Charlie Rouse, Don Lamphere, Allen Eager, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Wardell Gray (tenor saxophone); Cecil Payne, Marion De Veta (baritone saxophone); Howard McGhee (trumpet); Kai Winding (trombone); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Al Haig, Tadd Dameron, Lennie Tristano, Linton Garner, Bud Powell (piano); Huey Long, Billy Bauer, Chuck Wayne (guitar); Gene Ramey, Curley Russell, Nelson Boyd, Tommy Potter, Jimmy Johnson, Jack Lesberg (bass); Denzil Best, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, Shadow Wilson, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Roy Haynes (drums); Chano Pozo, Diego Ibarra (bongos); Vidal Bolado (conga).

Fats Blows 1946-1949

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Al Haig - Plays Jerome Kern

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:59
Size: 89,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:20)  1. The Way You Look Tonight
(3:50)  2. Dearly Beloved
(3:24)  3. Yesterdays
(4:31)  4. All the Things You Are
(2:53)  5. Can I Forget You
(4:34)  6. The Folks Who Live On the Hill
(4:40)  7. I'm Old Fashioned
(5:17)  8. The Song Is You
(2:27)  9. They Didn't Believe Me

There is a curious sense of history revisited, or rewritten, in the release of this album by Al Haig. More than three decades ago, in 1947, Haig was a member of the large orchestra (woodwings, strings, French horns) conducted by Johnny Richards for a Dizzy Gillespie record session. The date was dedicated to Jerome Kern; in fact, two of the four songs recorded, The Way You Look Tonight and All the Things You Are are found in the present Haig collection. As one of the first and most gifted pianists to become involved in the revolutionary new jazz of the period, Haig was in and out of the bebop scene for several years, working from time to time with big bands such as Charlie Barnet’s or Jimmy Dorsey’s, but also answering calls from Dizzy or Bird. The present album finds Al in his element, provided with material from the long-prolific pen of Jerome Kern. Haig’s version of Yesterdays (introduced in a 1933 musical, Roberta) finds him in a reflective mood, with fills and ornamentations that are at times evocative of Art Tatum. It is interesting that even on the up tempo pieces such as I’m Old Fashioned, Al bears little resemblance to Bud Powell, who was generally accepted in his day as the pace-setting bebop pianists. The supple bass work on this and other tracks is by Jamil Nasser. ~ From the 1980 liner notes. https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alhaig

Personnel:  Bass – Jamil Nasser;  Piano – Al Haig;  Helen Merrill – Vocal.

Plays Jerome Kern

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Al Haig - Al Haig Trio and Sextets

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:35
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. Just One Of Those Things
(3:07)  2. Yardbird Suite
(2:44)  3. Taboo
(4:51)  4. Mighty Like A Rose
(3:37)  5. S'wonderful
(1:52)  6. Just You, Just Me
(2:48)  7. The Moon Was Yellow
(5:21)  8. 'round Midnight
(2:34)  9. Sugar Hill
(2:54) 10. Five Star
(3:09) 11. It's The Talk Of The Town
(3:08) 12. In A Pinch
(2:26) 13. Skull Buster
(2:46) 14. Ante Room
(2:52) 15. Poop Deck
(3:20) 16. Pennies From Heaven

Bop pianist Al Haig was unfortunately overlooked, with few opportunities to record for a long stretch in the middle of his career. Fortunately, this Original Jazz Classics compilation highlights several sessions recorded between 1949 and 1954 for Period. The first eight tracks feature bassist Bill Crow and drummer Lee Abrams, where Haig's light touch is especially of interest. A number of these pieces were recorded by Art Tatum, but Haig puts his own stamp on them, inserting a humorous bit of "Sing, Sing, Sing!" into an easygoing "Taboo" (to contrast with Tatum's showstopping virtuoso arrangement) and offering a rambunctious bop treatment of "Just You, Just Me" as a quicky. Four tracks feature Haig in a group with tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray and guitarist Jimmy Raney, with vocalist Terry Swope scatting in unison on two of them. Best is Haig's potent original "In a Pinch." Stan Getz is present (along with Raney) on the last four selections, including a breezy take of Haig's "Skull Buster" (a transparent reworking of "[Back Home Again In] Indiana") and the pianist's lighthearted "Poop Deck." Released as a limited-edition reissue in 2000, bop fans are advised not to tarry if interested in this excellent compilation of Al Haig's early recorded efforts. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/trio-and-sextets-mw0000609148

Personnel: Al Haig (piano); Terry Swope (vocals); Wardell Gray, Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Jimmy Raney (guitar); Tommy Potter, Bill Crow, Gene Ramey (bass); Lee Abrams, Charlie Perry (drums); Carlos Vidal (congas).

Al Haig Trio and Sextets

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