Lee Konitz - Inside Hi-Fi

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:10
Size: 94,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. Kary's Trance
(4:30)  2. Everything Happens To Me
(4:02)  3. Sweet And Lovely
(5:29)  4. Cork 'N' Bib
(5:10)  5. All Of Me
(5:21)  6. Star Eyes
(5:08)  7. Nesuhi's Instant
(5:19)  8. Indiana

This excellent recording (part of their 1987 Jazzlore series) features altoist Lee Konitz with two separate quartets during 1956. Either guitarist Billy Bauer or pianist Sal Mosca are the main supporting voices in groups also including either Arnold Fishkind or Peter Ind on bass and Dick Scott on drums. The most unusual aspect to the set is that on the four selections with Mosca, Konitz switches to tenor, playing quite effectively in a recognizable cool style. The overall highlights of this enjoyable album are "Everything Happens to Me," "All of Me," and "Star Eyes," but all eight performances are well played and swinging.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/inside-hi-fi-mw0000194310

Personnel: Lee Konitz (alto & tenor saxophones); Sal Mosca (piano); Billy Bauer (guitar); Arnold Fishkind, Peter Ind (bass); Dick Scott (drums).

Inside Hi-Fi

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Flip Phillips - A Melody from the Sky

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:04
Size: 97,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. A Melody from the Sky
(2:37)  2. Stompin' at the Savoy
(5:01)  3. Sweet and Lovely
(2:36)  4. Swingin' for Popsie
(3:57)  5. Bob's Belief
(2:47)  6. Why Shouldn't I?
(4:48)  7. Lover Come Back to Me
(3:11)  8. Papilloma
(3:09)  9. Skyscraper
(4:23) 10. 1-2-3-4 Jump
(3:23) 11. More Than You Know
(2:56) 12. Without Woody

This CD is a straight reissue of a Flying Dutchman LP and features all four of tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips' recording sessions as a leader prior to 1949. At the time, he was a key member of Woody Herman & the First Herd, and these performances have short solos from other Herman sidemen (including trombonist Bill Harris and Neal Hefti on trumpet), although Phillips is the main star. His jumping tenor was already quite distinctive, whether on romps or ballads. "Sweet and Lovely" and "Stompin' at the Savoy" are high points of this definitive early Flip Phillips set. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-melody-from-the-sky-mw0000099142

Personnel: Flip Phillips (tenor saxophone); Billy Bauer (guitar); Bill Shine, Aaron Sachs (clarinet); Sam Marowitz (alto saxophone); Mickey Folus , Pete Mondello (tenor saxophone); Sam Rubinwich (baritone saxophone); Neal Hefti (trumpet); Bill Harris (trombone); Tony Aless, Ralph Burns (piano); Margie Hyams (vibraphone); Dave Tough, Shelly Manne (drums).

A Melody from the Sky

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Al Cohn & Shorty Rogers - East Coast - West Coast Scene

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:06
Size: 108,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:48)  1. Inside Out
( 6:10)  2. Autumn Leaves
( 6:59)  3. Serenade For Kathy
(10:33)  4. Cool Sunshine
( 6:48)  5. Loki
( 9:44)  6. Elaine's lullaby

A classic session in the tried and true marketing style of "East Coast vs West Coast" jazz, with one side of tracks by a group led by Al Cohn, and featuring Gene Quill, Hal McKusick, and Joe Newman. The other side's got Shorty Rogers representin' on the West Coast, with Jimmy Giuffre, Zoot Sims, Bud Shank, and Shelly Manne. The album's a nice batch of tracks, in the tightly arranged style that characterizes many of these mid-50's RCA jazz sessions. However, since Cohn's measured playing could never really be taken for New York Hot, and since his longtime partner Zoot Sims is part of Rogers' West Coast group, it's hard to say that these sides are really any sort of true battle between the coasts. Instead, though, the tracks are nice and long, with more room for solos than usual, and titles that include "Loki", "Cool Sunshine", and "Inside Out". (Original pressing – in really nice shape overall! Cover is great, too – save for a tiny bit of laminate peeling near the opening.) https://www.dustygroove.com/item/506057

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Gene Quill, Hal McKusick;  Baritone Saxophone – Sol Schlinger;  Bass – Milt Hinton;  Drums – Osie Johnson;  Guitar – Billy Bauer;  Piano – Sanford Gold;  Saxophone – Al Cohn;  Trombone – Billy Byers, Eddie Bert;  Trumpet – Joe Newman, Shorty Rogers

East Coast - West Coast Scene

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Sam 'The Man' Taylor - Jazz For Commuters / Salute To The Saxes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:37
Size: 152.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, swing
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:19] 1. All Too Soon
[3:03] 2. Westchester Waltz
[4:10] 3. Lester Leaps In
[2:34] 4. Ride, Sammy, Ride
[3:51] 5. Body And Soul
[8:29] 6. Long Island Railroad Blues
[5:01] 7. Bucks County Bounce
[2:48] 8. Do-A-Lu
[2:32] 9. Taylor Made
[3:40] 10. Rockland County Round Trip
[2:29] 11. Cloudburst
[2:46] 12. The Big Beat
[6:30] 13. Air Mail Special
[2:27] 14. Rood Runner
[2:29] 15. Sam's Blues
[3:11] 16. Westport Wail
[2:38] 17. Look Out
[3:31] 18. Flyin' Home

All sessions recorded in New York. The album tracks were recorded on October 15 & 22, 1958. The Bonus tracks (tracks 11-18) came from different sessions cut between March, 1955 and June, 1956. Charlie Shavers, Thad Jones (tp), Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Sam “The Man” Taylor, Georgie Auld (ts), Budd Johnson (ts, bars), Haywood Henry (bs), Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith, Billy Bauer (g), Milt Hinton (b), Panama Francis (d).

Sam “The Man” Taylor is a saxophonist as adept at swinging jazz as he is at the blues and R&B for which he is most famous. With his unending drive and energy, he stood out in the bands he was in, including those of Cootie Williams, Cab Calloway and others. During the 50s he spent much of his time playing R&B sessions, but he also performed and recorded often with his own combo and, ten years later, he achieved wide recognition in Japan thanks to his ballads. This CD, however, resents an exultant Taylor, deeply rooted in the most genuine jazz, during a swinging 1958 session with great jazzmen like Charlie Shavers, Georgie Auld, Budd Johnson and Hank Jones. As a bonus, there is an example of his more “rocking” side, fronting a group that exudes Taylor’s typically soulful essence.

Jazz For Commuters/Salute To The Saxes

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Billy Bauer - Plectrist

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:32
Size: 124.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1956/2000
Art: Front

[4:09] 1. It's A Blue World
[2:30] 2. Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much
[4:04] 3. Lincoln Tunnel
[4:43] 4. Night Cruise
[2:58] 5. Too Marvelous For Words
[3:38] 6. Lady Estelle's Dream
[3:11] 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[3:44] 8. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
[3:37] 9. The Way You Look Tonight
[3:57] 10. Lullaby Of The Leaves
[2:10] 11. Blue Mist
[3:48] 12. The Way You Look Tonight (alt 1)
[3:50] 13. The Way You Look Tonight (alt 2)
[3:50] 14. The Way You Look Tonight (alt 3)
[4:15] 15. Lullaby Leaves

Bass – Milt Hinton; Drums – Osie Johnson; Guitar – Billy Bauer; Piano – Andrew Ackers. Recorded 1956 at Fine Sound, New York City: tracks 1-4 on January 23; tracks 5-15 on March 12. Tracks 12-15 previously unissued.

Bauer had a natural, swinging style that was essential for keeping 1940s big-band rhythm sections on track. A superb sight-reader, Bauer had great taste in chord structures and improvisational lines. What's more, he was confident and clear, which is why he was in such demand.

As the big bands gave way to smaller ensembles in the late 1940s and early 1950s, guitarists increasingly were called upon to keep tempos and set moods. Like Mundell Lowe, Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Smith, Dave Barbour, Chuck Wayne, Jimmy Raney and many other guitarists, Bauer was a journeyman, joining groups for brief periods and record dates before being yanked away by another leader or record producer, especially in the 10-inch LP era.

Right after the turn of the year in 1956, Bauer finally relented to Norman Granz's nagging and agreed to record Plectrist. The word "plectrist" was made up by the session's producer and means one who skillfully uses a plectrum or a triangular plastic pic on the guitar's strings. The first four tracks of Plectrist were recorded on January 23, 1956, with another six captured on March 12. Bauer's playing swings on the up-tempo tracks and features gorgeous chords on the ballads. Bauer is so good on the album that he sounds as if he's accompanying himself. What you notice throughout, in addition to Bauer's beautiful taste, is Osie Johnson's drums. Johnson appeared on dozens of recordings in the 1950s, but it's rare to hear his drumming style and technique so distinctly. On Plectrist, you can hear clearly just how gifted a beat-keeper he was and why he was a favorite of so many session leaders of the period. Milt Hinton, of course, keeps rock solid time all the way through. Again, because this is a small group with guitar as the lead, you hear exactly why Hinton was so beloved by session and club artists. Andrew Ackers is the least-known player on the date. Ackers was a session pianist who worked steadily in the 1940s with bandleaders Jerry Wald and George Paxton, and with Carmen McRae in 1955.

Plectrist is a snapshot of the level of taste and talent that existed in early 1956, especially among guys who went from studio to studio earning a living on record dates. It's a sleeper album that's a must-own for any collection.

Plectrist

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Al Cohn - Al Cohn & His Charlie's Tavern Ensemble

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:51
Size: 153,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Inside Out
(6:09)  2. Autumn Leaves
(6:58)  3. Serenade For Kathy
(7:16)  4. Move
(5:29)  5. Never Never Land
(6:26)  6. Something For Lisa
(3:08)  7. Count Every Star
(2:47)  8. La Ronde
(4:07)  9. Breakfast With Joe
(3:15) 10. This Reminds Me Of You
(3:05) 11. Cabin In The Sky
(2:22) 12. Lullaby Of Birdland
(2:54) 13. Cohn My Way

Al Cohn was something special, a gem among musicians. Writer, arranger, performer, leader he was one of those rare creative artists gifted with unlimited imagination and technical resources, with magnificent taste and an unerring insight into the expressiveness of East Coast jazz. In the 50s, the personnel he assembled for the four sessions that make up this CD often relaxed in Charlie’s Tavern, a congenial watering hole on Broadway across from Birdland, “the jazz corner of the world”. Despite slight personnel changes, each group was power-packed and, unlike many such outfits, married outstanding individuality to collective cohesiveness. With them, Cohn emphatically demonstrated the allembracing brilliance of the many-faceted talents that earned him the title “Mr. Music”.  

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/and_his_charlies_tavern_ensemble-cd-4924.html

Featuring: Al Cohn (ts), Joe Newman (tp), Billy Byers, Eddie Bert (tb), Hal McKusick, Gene Quill (as), Sol Schlinger (bars), Sanford Gold (p), Billy Bauer, Jimmy Raney (g), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d). Al Cohn, Johnny Carisi, Ralph Burns (arrangers)

Al Cohn & His Charlie's Tavern Ensemble

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