Charlie Ventura - East Of Suez

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:41
Size: 83,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:51) 1. Synthesis
(3:02) 2. Blue Champagne
(2:43) 3. Stop 'n' Go
(3:03) 4. Soothe Me
(3:13) 5. Pennies From Heaven
(2:47) 6. Eleven-Sixty
(2:50) 7. East Of Suez
(3:12) 8. Baby, Baby All The Time
(2:43) 9. Let's Jump For Rita
(3:01) 10. Out You Go
(3:09) 11. Sweet Georgia Brown
(3:01) 12. C.V. Jam

Tenor man Charlie Ventura was was a prominent fixture on the jazz scene during his era. Born Charles Venturo he was one of thirteen children from a musical family who went on to become a jazz legend, and was named “Number One Tenor Saxophonist” by Down Beat Magazine in 1945. In the summer of 1942, Charlie got a call at his day job at the Philadelphia Navy yard to join Gene Krupa's band. Unwilling to relinquish the security of a paycheck, he turned them down. Then came the second phone call and before long, Charlie was on the road with the band becoming a featured soloist, along with trumpet star, Roy Eldridge and singer Anita O'Day. Throughout the forties, fifties and sixties, Charlie Ventura and Gene Krupa made music history together as America's leading jazz greats.

Ventura was one of the first jazz musicians to make the transition from swing to be-bop. In 1946, he formed his own “Bop for the People” band, playing a commercially-oriented form of be-bop. Continuing to play with The Gene Krupa Trio, he cut “Dark Eyes,” which led to over a dozen released albums, including “Charlie Ventura With Special Guest Charlie Parker”(1949) “Bop For The People”(1949-53) and “Charlie Ventura And His Orchestra.”(1954-55) Many fans will remember the succession of great jazz groups, fronted by Charlie, that appeared at The Open House nightclub he owned in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Playing Las Vegas with Jackie Gleason, and Atlantic City, New York and Philadelphia, Charlie Ventura was the consummate jazzman. “Jazz is maturing and maturity carries responsibilities. I feel that I'm supposed to make people laugh, make them cry, make them day dream and give them some excitement,” Charlie explained. His lifetime of musical achievement ended in January, 1992, but his legacy to the world of jazz lives on. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/charlie-ventura

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ventura; Bass – Al Hall, Chubby Jackson, Gus Cole; Drums – Dave Tough , Shelly Manne , Specs Powell; Guitar – Bill DeArango , Eddie Yance; Piano – Bill Rowland, Lou Stein, Ralph Burns; Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ventura; Trombone – Bill Harris, Kai Winding; Trumpet – Buck Clayton, Charlie Shavers ; Vocals – Buddy Stewart

East Of Suez

---

Charlie Ventura - All That's Mine

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 77:10
Size: 176.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Exactly Like You
[5:55] 2. No More Blues
[2:24] 3. Honeysuckle Rose
[3:26] 4. Stardust
[3:15] 5. When The Saints Go Marching In
[4:14] 6. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
[2:55] 7. Runnin' Wild
[3:08] 8. I've Got You Under My Skin
[5:12] 9. Long, Long Summer
[2:28] 10. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
[2:55] 11. Dark Eyes, Pt. 1
[3:01] 12. Sweet Sue, Just You
[2:09] 13. Dark Eyes, Pt. 2
[4:31] 14. 's Wonderful
[3:13] 15. Charlie Comes On
[2:55] 16. It's Only A Paper Moon
[2:48] 17. Jack-Pot
[2:49] 18. I Surrender, Dear
[3:36] 19. Pau De Arara
[3:07] 20. C.V. Jam
[2:29] 21. Sweet Lorraine
[4:15] 22. Who's Sorry Now
[2:50] 23. Good (Big) Deal

A fine swing-oriented tenor saxophonist, Ventura is best-remembered for his attempt at popularizing bebop during the tail end of the music's mid- to late-'40s heyday. Born Charles Venturo, he came from a large, musically inclined family. His first instrument was C-melody sax. He switched to alto before eventually settling on tenor. Ventura left his day job at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942 to join Gene Krupa's band. He became a featured soloist with Krupa, playing with the drummer from 1942-1943 and 1944-1946 (working in the interim with guitarist/bandleader Teddy Powell). Ventura achieved considerable popularity while with Krupa, winning a Down Beat magazine award as best tenor saxophonist in 1945. He started his own big band in 1946 with middling results. He had more success fronting a small band, one version of which included trumpeter Conte Candoli, trombonist Bennie Green, alto saxophonist Boots Mussulli, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, and vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. Ventura recorded for small labels before getting signed to RCA Victor, which at the time wanted to capitalize on the emergence of bebop. An RCA executive purportedly told him that they wanted the word "bop" in the band's name. Ventura came up with the phrase "Bop for the People," which implied an accessible form of the music. Ventura formed a big band in 1948, but soon cut it down to eight members, retaining Cain and Kral, who were crucial components of the band's sound. The Bop for the People band worked through 1949 (during which time Ventura employed modern jazz's greatest saxophonist, Charlie Parker, on a record date), but in the end Ventura's stab at making a commercial success of bop failed. Indeed, as fine a player as he was, Ventura himself was never really a bopper. During the early '50s Ventura led another big band; formed a highly acclaimed group called the Big Four with bassist Chubby Jackson, drummer Buddy Rich, and pianist Marty Napoleon; briefly ran his own night club in Philadelphia; and also worked again with Cain and Kral. Ventura's health was not the best, yet he continued to work with Krupa into the '60s. After the '50s, Ventura recorded commercially only once (in 1977, with pianist John Bunch for the Famous Door label). Still, he remained active. He worked in Las Vegas (with comedian Jackie Gleason), and fronted various groups in the '70s and '80s, before dying of lung cancer in 1992. ~Chris Kelsey

All That's Mine

---

Charlie Ventura With Mary Ann Mccall - Another Evening With Charlie Ventura And Mary Ann Mccall

Styles: Vocal, Hard Bop
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:09
Size: 93,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:43) 1. Soft Touch
(4:07) 2. We'll Be Together Again (Voc)
(3:30) 3. There'll Be Some Changes Made (Voc)
(2:48) 4. The Breeze And I
(3:16) 5. Charlie's Venture
(3:06) 6. Swingin' On A Star
(7:36) 7. It Don't Mean A Thing
(2:49) 8. Deep Purple
(3:14) 9. Jersey Bounce
(2:28) 10. Lover
(3:28) 11. Yesterdays

Tenor man Charlie Ventura was was a prominent fixture on the jazz scene during his era. Born Charles Venturo he was one of thirteen children from a musical family who went on to become a jazz legend, and was named “Number One Tenor Saxophonist” by Down Beat Magazine in 1945. In the summer of 1942, Charlie got a call at his day job at the Philadelphia Navy yard to join Gene Krupa's band. Unwilling to relinquish the security of a paycheck, he turned them down. Then came the second phone call and before long, Charlie was on the road with the band becoming a featured soloist, along with trumpet star, Roy Eldridge and singer Anita O'Day. Throughout the forties, fifties and sixties, Charlie Ventura and Gene Krupa made music history together as America's leading jazz greats. Ventura was one of the first jazz musicians to make the transition from swing to be-bop. In 1946, he formed his own “Bop for the People” band, playing a commercially-oriented form of be-bop. Continuing to play with The Gene Krupa Trio, he cut “Dark Eyes,” which led to over a dozen released albums, including “Charlie Ventura With Special Guest Charlie Parker”(1949) “Bop For The People”(1949-53) and “Charlie Ventura And His Orchestra.”(1954-55) Many fans will remember the succession of great jazz groups, fronted by Charlie, that appeared at The Open House nightclub he owned in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Playing Las Vegas with Jackie Gleason, and Atlantic City, New York and Philadelphia, Charlie Ventura was the consummate jazzman. “Jazz is maturing and maturity carries responsibilities. I feel that I'm supposed to make people laugh, make them cry, make them day dream and give them some excitement,” Charlie explained. His lifetime of musical achievement ended in January, 1992, but his legacy to the world of jazz lives on. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/charlie-ventura

Personnel: Vocals – Mary Ann McCall; Saxophone – Charlie Ventura; Bass – Bob Carter; Drums – Sonny Igoe; Piano – Dave McKenna

Another Evening With Charlie Ventura And Mary Ann Mccall

---

Charlie Ventura With Mary Ann Mccall - An Evening With Charlie Ventura And Mary Ann Mccall

Styles: Vocal, Hard Bop
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:22
Size: 63,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:14) 1. Charlie's Parley
(2:58) 2. Careless (Voc)
(5:42) 3. Get Happy
(3:13) 4. Sam And Don
(3:23) 5. Detour Ahead (Voc)
(3:53) 6. Basin Street Blues
(2:57) 7. Please Be Kind (Voc)

Mary Ann McCall was a fine singer who started out singing middle-of-the-road pop, yet grew as a well-respected jazz singer during her episodic career. She began as a singer and dancer with Buddy Morrow's Orchestra in her native Philadelphia and was with Tommy Dorsey briefly in 1938. McCall had her first stint with Woody Herman in 1939 and she was Charlie Barnet's vocalist during a period of time (1939-40) when his band was attracting attention. McCall then dropped out of music, but when she returned it was for a high-profile position with Woody Herman's First Herd in 1946 and Second Herd from 1947-50. McCall was married to Al Cohn for a time, had a solo career and sang with Charlie Ventura from 1954-55. She gradually faded away from the scene, singing in Detroit from 1958-60 and then moving to Los Angeles where she was active on a part-time basis. McCall re-emerged to sing and record with Jake Hanna in1976 and Nat Pierce in 1978, still sounding close to prime form. As a leader, McCall recorded four songs for Columbia in 1947, six for Discovery in 1948, four for Roost in 1950; she recorded albums for Regent in 1956, Jubilee in 1958 and Coral in 1959. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mary-ann-mccall-mn0000370718/biography

An Evening With Charlie Ventura And Mary Ann Mccall

---

Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy On The French Riviera

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:34
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:20)  1. No More Blues
( 5:15)  2. Long, Long Summer
( 2:44)  3. I Waited For You
( 3:27)  4. Desafinado
( 8:33)  5. Here It Is
( 3:38)  6. Pau De Arara
( 4:34)  7. For The Gypsies

Some of Dizzy Gillespie's best and most well-known material from the '60s with a truly talented band is included on this set of recordings done in France. A group of American expatriates and Europeans really musicians from all over the world accompany the trumpeter for music that spans bop, Brazilian sounds, and originals. Argentine pianist Lalo Schifrin plays piano and contributes the arrangements, and Leo Wright is Gillespie's main foil on flute and alto sax, while Hungarian Elek Bacsik plays guitar in subtle ways that reflect the overall style of the sounds inspired by the French Riviera. A classic, stretched-out take of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "No More Blues" kicks off the set, with the sound of kids on an ocean beach leading to Gillespie and Wright trading halves of the melody line as playful as the children in a perfectly played bossa. Another Jobim standard, "Desafinado," has Wright's bright flute and the muted trumpet of Diz in a more pensive but still hopeful romantic mood. "I Waited for You" is the ultimate languid, laying-in-wait ballad, with Schifrin's refrains cuing the trumpeter's procrastinations, while "Long, Long Summer" is the pianist's ode to a sullen affair with ultraviolet light cool shades included in a swinging and modal approach. "For the Gypsies," penned by the leader, has Bacsik more up-front rhythmically, as Wright's mysterious flute contrasts with Gillespie's sharply precise notes in a sneaky quick bossa rhythm. Also written by Dizzy, "Here It Is" is as memorable a tune as he ever did, a signature strutting shuffle jazz/blues that exemplifies the joy in life always present in his music. That all of the participants are extremely talented and can mix and match with Gillespie beautifully makes this an album that should appeal universally to all jazz lovers, and especially his biggest fans. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/dizzy-on-the-french-riviera-mw0000188085

Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet, vocals;  Lalo Schifrin – piano;  Leo Wright - flute, alto saxophone, vocals;  Elek Bacsik - guitar;  Chris White - double bass;  Rudy Collins - drums;  Pepito Riestria - percussion;  Charlie Ventura - tenor saxophone, bass saxophone

Dizzy On The French Riviera

---

Charlie Ventura - It Don't Mean A Thing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:36
Size: 72.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:29] 1. It Don't Mean A Thing
[2:23] 2. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
[2:54] 3. Sweet Sue, Just You
[2:03] 4. Dark Eyes
[2:47] 5. Sophisticated Lady
[2:25] 6. Sweet Lorraine
[2:37] 7. Solitude
[2:43] 8. Runnin' Wild
[3:02] 9. I've Got You Under My Skin
[2:38] 10. Take The A Train
[2:20] 11. Honeysuckle Rose
[3:09] 12. When The Saints Go Marching In

A fine swing-oriented tenor saxophonist, Ventura is best-remembered for his attempt at popularizing bebop during the tail end of the music's mid- to late-'40s heyday. Born Charles Venturo, he came from a large, musically inclined family. His first instrument was C-melody sax. He switched to alto before eventually settling on tenor. Ventura left his day job at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942 to join Gene Krupa's band. He became a featured soloist with Krupa, playing with the drummer from 1942-1943 and 1944-1946 (working in the interim with guitarist/bandleader Teddy Powell). Ventura achieved considerable popularity while with Krupa, winning a Down Beat magazine award as best tenor saxophonist in 1945. He started his own big band in 1946 with middling results. He had more success fronting a small band, one version of which included trumpeter Conte Candoli, trombonist Bennie Green, alto saxophonist Boots Mussulli, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, and vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. Ventura recorded for small labels before getting signed to RCA Victor, which at the time wanted to capitalize on the emergence of bebop. An RCA executive purportedly told him that they wanted the word "bop" in the band's name. Ventura came up with the phrase "Bop for the People," which implied an accessible form of the music. Ventura formed a big band in 1948, but soon cut it down to eight members, retaining Cain and Kral, who were crucial components of the band's sound. The Bop for the People band worked through 1949 (during which time Ventura employed modern jazz's greatest saxophonist, Charlie Parker, on a record date), but in the end Ventura's stab at making a commercial success of bop failed. Indeed, as fine a player as he was, Ventura himself was never really a bopper. During the early '50s Ventura led another big band; formed a highly acclaimed group called the Big Four with bassist Chubby Jackson, drummer Buddy Rich, and pianist Marty Napoleon; briefly ran his own night club in Philadelphia; and also worked again with Cain and Kral. Ventura's health was not the best, yet he continued to work with Krupa into the '60s. After the '50s, Ventura recorded commercially only once (in 1977, with pianist John Bunch for the Famous Door label). Still, he remained active. He worked in Las Vegas (with comedian Jackie Gleason), and fronted various groups in the '70s and '80s, before dying of lung cancer in 1992. ~bio by Chris Kelsey

It Don't Mean A Thing

---

Gene Krupa - Drums Drums Drums

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:04
Size: 140,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Drummin' Man
(3:04)  2. Leave Us Leap
(3:10)  3. Drum Boogie
(3:23)  4. Boogie Blues
(2:53)  5. Bolero At The Savoy
(2:55)  6. Lover
(3:17)  7. Massachusetts
(2:55)  8. Symphony In Riffs
(2:58)  9. Opus One
(2:39) 10. After You've Gone
(2:35) 11. Do You Wanna Jump, Children
(2:59) 12. Tuxedo Junction
(3:25) 13. Boog-It
(3:25) 14. Body & Soul
(3:13) 15. That's What You Think
(3:17) 16. Wire Brush Stomp
(2:30) 17. Nagasaki
(3:12) 18. Disk Jockey Jump
(2:43) 19. Rhumboogie
(3:20) 20. How High The Moon

This 20-song collection, evidently made up of radio airchecks that are effectively out of copyright overseas, makes a good companion to Sony's Gene Krupa hits and Anita O'Day/Roy Eldridge collections. It doesn't have "Let Me Off Uptown," but it does include O'Day's extraordinary "Boogie Blues," "Bolero at the Savoy," and "Massachusetts," and performances by scat-singing star Leo Watson. Further, Roy Eldridge is featured on at least half the cuts here in prominent solos, but the producers have also included tracks by the later Krupa line-ups, which included Charlie Ventura and Gerry Mulligan, working in leaner, more modern jazz surroundings. The sound quality is above average for the period, with minimal distortion and a clean, close sound. The drums, of course, are prominent (nowhere more so than on "Wire Brush Stomp"), but the solos by Eldridge and the other featured members of Krupa's various bands also come out loud and richly textured. Of the music itself, there's only one really weak link here, Krupa's much-too-fast treatment of the Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart waltz "Lover," and it is more than made up for by the presence of O'Day's singing on "That's What You Think." And it's all budget priced too. ~ Bruce Eder http://www.allmusic.com/album/drums-drums-drums-mw0000533832

Personnel:  Drums – Gene Krupa;  Saxophone – Charlie Ventura (tracks: 14);  Trumpet – Roy Eldridge (tracks: 10);  Vocals – Anita O'Day (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 9, 15), Irene Daye (tracks: 1, 3, 13, 19), Leo Watson (tracks: 11, 17)

Drums Drums Drums

---

Charlie Ventura - Charlie Ventura Plays Hi Fi Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:09
Size: 78,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:37)  1. Runnin' Wild
(2:25)  2. Honeysuckle Rose
(3:16)  3. When The Saints Go Marching In
(2:51)  4. It's Only A Paper Moon
(3:03)  5. Sweet Sue, Just You
(2:10)  6. Dark Eyes
(2:28)  7. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
(3:28)  8. Stardust
(2:31)  9. Sweet Lorraine
(2:42) 10. Harvest Moon
(3:23) 11. Exactly Like You
(3:09) 12. I've Got You Under My Skin

By 1956 tenor-saxophonist Charlie Ventura no longer had a regular band and was drifting into semi-retirement. In fact, other than an album for King the following year and a set for Famous Door in 1977, this Lp was his final recording. Teamed with the then-unknown pianist Dave McKenna, guitarist Billy Bean, bassist Richard Davis (at the beginning of his career) and drummer Mousey Alexander, Ventura switches between tenor, alto, baritone and bass saxophones. The repertoire is filled with swing and dixieland standards including such unlikely songs as "When The Saints Go Marching In," "Bill Bailey" and "Sweet Sue" (in addition to a remake of Ventura's old hit with Gene Krupa "Dark Eyes") but the interpretations are full of spirit and swing. Although it may not look too promising, this budget Lp (which is long out of print but may be found at a cheap price) is actually well worth picking up. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/charlie-ventura-plays-hi-fi-jazz-mw0000931007

Personnel:  Bass – Richard Davis;  Drums – Mousey Alexander;  Guitar – Bill Bean;  Piano – Dave McKenna;  Saxophone – Charlie Ventura

Charlie Ventura Plays Hi Fi Jazz

---

Charlie Ventura & Bill Harris - Live At the Three Deuces

Styles: Saxophone and Trombone Jazz
Year: 1947
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:49
Size: 119,1 MB
Art: Front

(10:25)  1. Characteristically B. H.
( 5:37)  2. Blue Champagne
( 8:11)  3. Frolic Sam
( 9:26)  4. High On an Open Mike
( 6:54)  5. Body and Soul
( 7:56)  6. The Great Lie
( 3:17)  7. Everything Happens To Me

Charlie Ventura and Bill Harris made their mark among fellow jazz musicians but both died in obscurity. The reappearance of these historic live performances from 1947 are important parts of their discography, most of them transcribed by collector Jerry Newman during gigs at the Three Deuces. Unlike 78 rpm discs of the era, the musicians get a chance to stretch out at length. Ventura's boppish tenor sax shows the influence of swingers like Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, yet he is clearly speaking a new language on the instrument. Harris is a bit more economical with his notes but no less effective an improviser. The rhythm section features pianist/arranger Ralph Burns, bassist Bob Leininger and the tragic but gifted drummer Dave Tough. While this isn't a complete compilation of their material from this period, it represents most of the highlights. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-three-deuces-1947-mw0000082005

Personnel: Charlie Ventura (tenor saxophone); Bill Harris (trombone); Ralph Burns (piano); Bob Leininger, Curley Russell (bass); Dave Tough (drums).

Live At the Three Deuces

---