Jean DuShon - Make Way For Jean Dushon

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:20
Size: 83,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. I'm Thru With Love
(2:59)  2. The Best Is Yet To Come
(4:59)  3. Don't Explain
(2:41)  4. Hitch Hike
(2:53)  5. Night Song
(2:56)  6. More
(2:53)  7. Evenin'
(2:36)  8. Early One Morning
(3:47)  9. Lorna's Here
(3:06) 10. Baia
(2:46) 11. If Ever I Should Leave You

Jean Du Shon revisits her jazz roots on her Chess/Argo debut. Previous labels ABC Paramount, Okeh, and Atlantic recorded Du Shon as an R&B/soul artist.

Three-fifths of the Lou Donaldson Quintet also signed to Argo Herman Foster (piano), Earl May (bass), and Bruno Carr (drums) accompanies the lovely songbird on 11 well-arranged tracks. The tasty morsels include Lee Adams and Charles Strouse's "Lorna's Here" from Golden Boy; Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe's "If Ever I Should Leave You"; and Arthur Herzog and Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," "The Best Is Yet to Come," and "Night Song." ~ Andrew Hamilton https://www.allmusic.com/album/make-way-for-jean-du-shon-mw0000855121

Personnel: Vocals – Jean DuShon; Bass – Earl May; Drums – Bruno Carr; Piano – Herman Foster

Thank You Flyingfinger! 

Make Way For Jean Dushon

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Shirley Scott - Happy Talk (Remastered)

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:48
Size: 80,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:43)  1. Happy Talk
(5:28)  2. Jitterbug Waltz
(4:51)  3. My Romance
(5:17)  4. Where or When
(5:01)  5. I Hear a Rhapsody
(5:26)  6. Sweet Slumber

An admirer of the seminal Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott has been one of the organ's most appealing representatives since the late '50s. Scott, a very melodic and accessible player, started out on piano and played trumpet in high school before taking up the Hammond B-3 and enjoying national recognition in the late '50s with her superb Prestige dates with tenor sax great Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Especially popular was their 1958 hit "In the Kitchen." Her reputation was cemented during the '60s on several superb, soulful organ/soul-jazz dates where she demonstrated an aggressive, highly rhythmic attack blending intricate bebop harmonies with bluesy melodies and a gospel influence, punctuating everything with great use of the bass pedals. Scott married soul-jazz tenor man Stanley Turrentine, with whom she often recorded in the '60s. The Scott/Turrentine union lasted until the early '70s, and their musical collaborations in the '60s were among the finest in the field. Scott wasn't as visible the following decade, when the popularity of organ combos decreased and labels were more interested in fusion and pop-jazz (though she did record some albums for Chess/Cadet and Strata East). But organists regained their popularity in the late '80s, which found her recording for Muse. Though known primarily for her organ playing, Scott is also a superb pianist  in the 1990s, she played piano exclusively on some trio recordings for Candid, and embraced the instrument consistently in Philly jazz venues in the early part of the decade. At the end of the '90s, Scott's heart was damaged by the diet drug combination, fen-phen, leading to her declining health. In 2000 she was awarded $8 million in a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the drug. On March 10, 2002 she died of heart failure at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia. ~ Alex Henderson and Ron Wynn https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/happy-talk-remastered/915593021

Personnel:  Shirley Scott - organ;  Earl May - bass;  Roy Haynes - drums

Happy Talk (Remastered)

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Tony Scott Quartet - Complete Brunswick Sessions 1953

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:34
Size: 161.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:27] 1. Katz' Meow (A Cannon For Cats)
[5:25] 2. After After Hours
[4:29] 3. I Never Knew
[6:28] 4. Away We Go
[6:17] 5. Cupcake
[3:56] 6. Bob's Blob
[6:54] 7. Milt To The Hilt
[7:49] 8. Homecoming
[3:28] 9. I Cover The Waterfront
[2:51] 10. It's You Or No One
[5:56] 11. Blues For Ava
[2:58] 12. Yesterdays
[2:50] 13. Goodbye
[3:25] 14. Swootie Patootie
[3:14] 15. Sweet Lorraine

Tony Scott (cl), Dick Katz (p), Milt Hinton, Earl May, Percy Heath (b), Philly Joe Jones, Jackie Moffett, Sid Bulkin, Osie Johnson (d).

Tony Scott was arguably the best clarinetist in modern jazz in the 1950s, and these 1953 Quartet recordings for the Brunswick label are among his best. They showcase his warmth, imagination, and complete command of the instrument. Despite this, he won more acclaim from critics and fellow musicians than among jazz audiences, largely because interest in clarinet declined with the advent of bop and faded in popular esteem since the Goodman-Shaw days.

However the music here amply endorses his 1953 recognition as winner of New Star, Clarinet Division, in Down Beats Annual Jazz Critics Poll. It reveals a jazzman with a rare combination of sensitivity, seriousness and an exceptionally sharp sense of humor. Accompanied by a rhythm section with Dick Katzhis sophisticated pianist and arrangerthe veteran and persuasive Milt Hinton on bass, and the forceful Philly Joe Jones on drums on the first session, the group swings superbly. Other talented jazzmen who contributed to Scotts memorable quartet recordings of that year were bassists Earl May and Percy Heath, and drummers Sid Bulkin, Jackie Moffet and Osie Johnson.

Throughout, Scott remained unsurpassed among clarinetists in his astounding ability to improvise linear patterns that build implacably to climaxes that somehow succeed in reconciling surprise with inevitability and always swing brilliantly.

Complete Brunswick Sessions 1953

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Claude Williams - Swing Time In New York

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:56
Size: 156,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:15)  1. Limehouse Blues
(6:01)  2. Laura
(3:29)  3. You've Got To See Your Mama Ev'ry Night Or You Can't See Mama At All
(4:23)  4. I've Got The World On A String
(5:40)  5. Mood Indigo
(5:20)  6. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
(3:59)  7. Just You, Just Me
(5:58)  8. Mean To Me
(5:38)  9. Lester Leaps In
(6:12) 10. My Buddy
(3:44) 11. I Can't Give You Anything
(4:30) 12. Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)
(4:18) 13. Straight, No Chaser
(3:22) 14. I Want You, I Need You

Violinist Claude Williams, at the age of 86, shows that he is still in his musical prime during this quintet date with Bill Easley (who switches between tenor, clarinet and flute), pianist Sir Roland Hanna, bassist Earl May and drummer Joe Ascione. Williams was with both Andy Kirk and Count Basie shortly before they made it big but has spent most of his long career in Kansas City in obscurity. Fortunately he has made several worthy recordings in his later years and this is one of his best, a well-rounded set ranging in repertoire from one of the first songs he ever learned ("You've Got to See Your Mama Ev'ry Night or You Can't See Mama at All") to Ellington, Monk ("Straight No Chaser") and even Stevie Wonder ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life"). The emphasis is on swing and Claude Williams is heard near the peak of his powers. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/swingtime-in-new-york-mw0000648389

Personnel: Claude Williams (violin, vocals); Sir Roland Hanna, Bill Easley, Earl May, Joe Asione.

Swing Time In New York

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The Earl May Quartet - Swinging The Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:40
Size: 141.2 MB
Styles: Swing, Bebop
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[6:20] 1. Swinging The Blues
[3:53] 2. Blame It On My Youth
[4:38] 3. My Foolish Heart
[4:31] 4. Tea For Two
[5:03] 5. Blue Iridescence
[6:35] 6. Make Someone Happy
[6:20] 7. Under African Skies
[4:31] 8. Sioux Suite
[5:11] 9. My Old Flame
[3:10] 10. Confirmation
[2:46] 11. Wishes Are Starting To Don't Come True
[4:43] 12. It's So Divine
[3:53] 13. Lester Leaps In

Over the course of the last half-century, Earl May has been one of the busiest bass players in the New York Area. He spent just about the entire decade of the 1950s with the long-running Billy Taylor Trio. Dr. Taylor arranged for a reunion recording of the original trio (with Percy Brice on drums), which was recorded for Prestige in 2003 as Billy Taylor Trio with Earl May/Percy Brice.

On this latest effort, May shows his ability to provide the pulse of this quartet as well as manage some nimble solos. Recording for Arbors, one of the key labels specializing in post-war swing music, the Earl May Quartet fits right in and then some. Altoist David Glasser takes most of the melody statements, providing the right touch. On the jump tunes, like the Count Basie piece "Swinging The Blues," Glasser sounds very much like Paul Desmond in his prime. On the first ballad, "Blame It On My Youth," Glasser's notes curl inward on the beautiful Oscar Levant/Edward Heyman melody. Dave Glasser also contributes a fine ballad, "Blue Iridescense," and his solo on that composition explores the blues content of the piece.

Earl May's reputation is that of a workhorse who has to be coaxed to take a solo. I am pleased to see that he does get the opportunity on this album, taking a walking bass solo on the title tune, beginning the melody line of "My Foolish Heart" before turning it over to Glasser, and putting in another good one on the Comden & Green/Jule Styne piece "Make Someone Happy." Larry Ham proves a most serviceable pianist, whether providing a romantic cushion for the ballads or fine comping on the up-tempo "Make Someone Happy." After having seen drummer Eddie Locke a number of times, I'd forgotten just how good he can be with brushes. You can hear that throughout the album and especially on Dave Glasser's "It's So Divine." Locke even contributes an original tune, "Wishes Are Starting To Don't Come True." In addition to the standards and originals, the quartet tackles some bebop staples like "Lester Leaps In" and "Confirmation" rather smartly. ~Michael P. Gladstone

Recording information: Nola Studios, New York, NY (02/21/2005/02/22/2005).

David Glasser (saxophone, alto saxophone); Earl May (double bass); Barry Harris , Larry Ham (piano); Eddie Locke (drums).

Swinging The Blues

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