James Moody - Hey! It's James Moody + Flute N The Blues + 3 Bonus Tracks

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:40
Size: 183,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. Stella By Starlight
(2:38)  2. Indian Summer
(4:31)  3. Don't Blame Me
(2:38)  4. Last Train From Overbrook (Vocal Version)
(4:00)  5. Please Say Yes
(6:19)  6. Blue Jubilee
(3:14)  7. Woody'N You
(2:29)  8. Trouble In De Lowlands
(2:35)  9. Summertime
(2:55) 10. Tali
(4:07) 11. Flute 'n The Blues
(2:32) 12. Birdland Story
(2:42) 13. It Could Happen To You
(2:42) 14. I Cover The Waterfront
(4:23) 15. Body And Soul
(3:20) 16. Breaking The Blues
(3:21) 17. Parker's Mood
(3:51) 18. Easy Living
(3:43) 19. Boo's Tune
(4:41) 20. Richard's Blues
(3:07) 21. Last Train From Overbrook (instrumental)
(3:13) 22. Workshop
(3:18) 23. I'm In The Mood for Love

There is nothing earth-shattering on this collection, which was originally issued as two LPs: Flute'n The Blues (1956) and Hey! It's James Moody (1959). What remains remarkable, though, is how fresh James Moody sounds, even when some of the arrangements show their age and some of the ensemble passages lack precise intonation. Indeed, some of these tracks have passed into jazz lore, including "Last Train from Overbrook (the salute to Moody's return to the scene) with Eddie Jefferson's ebullient vocal, as well as an instrumental take and the classic Moody-Jefferson piece "I'm in the Mood For Love, performed since as "Moody's Mood For Love. The leader excels on alto and tenor, but his full-bodied, soulful and technically sure flute playing deserves special mention. He shines on a languid "Indian Summer that is far too short, and "Trouble In De Lowlands finds him appropriately mournful. "Tali is a bit too precious, but Moody almost salvages it with a far-too-short swinging segment. Likewise, the out-of-tune opening ensemble threatens to sabotage the leader's offering, as well as that of underrated trumpeter Johnny Coles, on "Flute'n The Blues. The closing, riff-based ensemble, however, is tighter. On tenor, Moody soulfully explores "Don't Blame Me, taking his time to build a compelling solo. On "Woody'N You (aka "Algo Bueno ), Dizzy Gillespie's tribute to Woody Herman, he soars again on tenor, using fragments of the melody to launch segments of blowing choruses. His tenor playing, individualized with gruff, acidic traces, is always compelling. Jefferson is featured extensively on pieces including "Birdland Story, "I Cover the Waterfront, the majestically paced "Workshop and the classics "Parker's Mood and "I'm in the Mood for Love (complete with that wild falsetto spot). The latter two are arguably the singer's most moving works on record. This release is a portrait of James Moody's output from the late '50s. Here and there it can sound a bit dated, mainly because the ensembles and tempi are too often too much the same, number after number. Moody's warm, passionate, focused voice, however, stands out. Whether in the studio or in the band box, he was then and remains now exciting, soulful and expressive. ~ Andrew Rowan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/hey-its-james-moody-james-moody-lone-hill-jazz-review-by-andrew-rowan.php

Personnel: James Moody: alto and tenor saxophone, flute. Tracks 1-10: John Gray: guitar; Eldee Young: bass; Clarence Johnston: drums; Eddie Jefferson: vocals (4,9); Tom McIntosh: arranger, conductor. Tracks 11-20: Johnny Coles: trumpet; William Shepherd: trombone; Pee Wee Moore: baritone saxophone; Jimmy Boyd: piano, arranger; John Latham: bass; Clarence Johnston: drums; Eddie Jefferson: vocals (12,14,17); Flip Richard, Earl Turner, Sonny Cohn: trumpet; John Avant: trombone; Bill Atkins, Lenny Druss: alto saxophone; Vito Price, Sandy Mosse, Eddie Johnson: tenor saxophone; Pat Patrick: baritone saxophone; Junior Mance: piano; John Gray: bass; Johnny Pate: bass, arranger, director; Red Holt: drums. Track 22: Johnny Coles, Howard McGhee: trumpet; Musa Kaleem: baritone saxophone; Gene Kee: piano; John Latham: bass; Clarence Johnston: drums; Johnny Coles: trumpet; Donald Cole: trombone; Tate Houston: baritone saxophone: Jimmy Boyd: piano; John Latham: bass; Clarence Johnston: drums; Eddie Jefferson: vocals.

Hey! It's James Moody

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James Moody - Heritage Hum

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:40
Size: 112,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Heritage Hum
(5:55)  2. Sound For Sore Ears
(4:32)  3. Road Runner
(5:21)  4. Can't Fool Around With Love
(6:09)  5. Rainy Days
(7:32)  6. Travel On
(7:27)  7. Soul Searching
(4:10)  8. Parker's Mood
(2:27)  9. Pennies From Heaven

While not as all-out funky as some of the other Perception jazz LPs from the time (including Moody's own The Teachers), this one's got a great slinking groove to it, and features nice playing by Michael Longo, who was also in Dizzy's funky 70s group at the time. Eddie Jefferson sings vocals on a hilarious version of "Pennies From Heaven", and other titles include "Heritage Hum", "Road Runner", "Soul Searching", and "Travel On".  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/22942/James-Moody:Heritage-Hum

Personnel:   Saxophone, Flute – James Moody;  Acoustic Bass – Samuel Jones;  Drums – Frederick Waits;  Piano – Michael Longo;  Vocals – Eddie Jefferson

Heritage Hum

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Dexter Gordon & Johnny Griffin' - Great Encounters

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:50
Size: 102,9 MB
Art: Front

(14:05)  1. Blues Up And Down
( 4:52)  2. Diggin' In
(12:04)  3. Cake
( 8:41)  4. Ruby, My Dear
( 5:08)  5. It's Only A Paper Moon

The two great tenors, Dexter Gordon and Johnny Griffin, battle it out on in exciting fashion on live versions of "Blues Up and Down" and "Cake." Bop singer Eddie Jefferson and trumpeter Woody Shaw join Gordon and his quartet (pianist George Cables, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Eddie Gladden) on "Diggin' In" and "It's Only a Paper Moon" and Gordon takes Thelonious Monk's ballad "Ruby My Dear" as his feature. Everything works quite well on this diverse but consistent LP, one of Dexter Gordon's later efforts. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/great-encounters-mw0000421077

Personnel:  Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin (Tenor Saxophone); Rufus Reid (Double Bass); Eddie Gladden (Drums); George Cables (Piano); Curtis Fuller (Trombone); Woody Shaw (Trumpet); Eddie Jefferson (Vocals).

Great Encounters

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Roy Brooks and the Artistic Truth - Ethnic Expressions

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:45
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(16:03)  1. M'Jumbe
( 8:13)  2. The Last Prophet
( 5:53)  3. The Smart Set
( 5:33)  4. Eboness
(13:00)  5. Eboness (Kwanza)

Ethnic Expressions by Roy Brooks & the Artistic Truth is one of two recordings drum master Roy Brooks cut for the tiny Afrocentric New York imprint Im-Hotep. Released in 1973, it has been one of the most sought-after "Holy Grail" recordings on the collector's market, with copies selling at auction for over $1,200. The reason is not merely its rarity, but the stellar quality of its music and the focus of its vision reinventing the unity of African-American self-determination through music. Recording at Small's Paradise in Harlem on the tenth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, this large collective of musicians created a positive, musically sophisticated, emotionally powerful performance that epitomized 1970s jazz as it incorporated the free, progressive, and spiritual jazz elements of the 1960s in a setting that also included soul and blues expression. The personnel includes Brooks on drums and percussion; Olu Dara and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpets and flügelhorn; Hamiet Bluiett, Sonny Fortune, and John Stubblefield on saxophones, flute, and bass clarinets; pianists Joe Bonner (acoustic) and Hilton Ruiz (Rhodes); bassist Reggie Workman; and Richard Landrum and Lawrence Williams on African percussion. Vocalist Eddie Jefferson also appears on the "The Smart Set" and "Eboness," at his most expressive and soulful. The album's five tracks include two longer pieces in "M'Jumbe" (whose arrangement reflects the time Brooks spent with Charles Mingus a year earlier) and the closing "Eboness (Kwanza)," as well as three middle-length pieces  The 16-minute "M'Jumbe" begins in a free call and response between trumpet, percussion, and bowed bass, gradually adding more instruments until its groove emerges at two minutes and its melody unfolds near the three-minute mark. Even as the horn sections quote the theme, improvisation moves in and out, funky themes are introduced with another melodic statement, and brief moments of free playing slip through before formal solos are taken. 

The tune is always circular due to its impeccably preeminent rhythmic elements. "The Last Prophet" showcases the band's groove side with stellar piano work from Bonner and a horn section in full swagger. The interplay between Workman and Brooks is magical. Jefferson's hip R&B roots are brought into play on the finger-popping "The Smart Set" and his blues authority on "Eboness," with some deep soul work from Workman and Ruiz as well as a fine flute solo from Fortune. On "Eboness (Kwanza)," the vocalist referred to as "Black Rose" is Dee Dee Bridgewater. This is a bona fide jazz classic; its importance as an example of the best that jazz had to offer in the 1970s cannot be overstated. [Ethnic Expressions slipped out of print in 1975, and remained out of print until Japan's P-Vine made it available for a limited time on CD in 2009. In 2010, however, Great Britain's Jazzman was able to license and reissue it on both CD and LP, making it widely available and affordable worldwide.] ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/ethnic-expressions-mw0001746882

Personnel:  Roy Brooks – drums & various percussion instruments;  Olu Dara – trumpet & E-flat horn;  Hamiet Bluiett – baritone sax & clarinet;  Reggie Workman - bass;  Joseph Bonner - piano; Black Rose – ethnic expressionist;  Eddie Jefferson – vocalist;  Cecil Bridgewater – trumpet & flugelhorn;  Sonny Fortune – alto sax & flute;  John Stubblefield – tenor sax, flute & bass clarinet; Hilton Ruiz – piano (Fender Rhodes);    Richard Landrum – African percussion;  Lawrence Williams – African percussion

Ethnic Expressions

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Eddie Jefferson - Letter From Home

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 36:42

Size: 84.0 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 1962/1987

Art: Front

[2:59] 1. Letter From Home

[3:09] 2. Take The A Train

[2:45] 3. Billie's Bounce (Take 4)

[2:47] 4. Billie's Bounce (Take 3)

[3:06] 5. I Cover The Waterfront (Back In Town)

[2:49] 6. Soft And Furry

[3:30] 7. A Night In Tunisia

[3:08] 8. Things Are Getting Better

[2:57] 9. Keep Walkin' (Take 4)

[2:51] 10. Keep Walkin' (Take 1)

[3:09] 11. Body And Soul (I Feel So Good)

[3:27] 12. Parker's Mood (Bless My Soul)

This CD (which augments the original LP program with two alternate takes) is a fine showcase for vocalese master Eddie Jefferson. Backed by either a tentet or a quintet that gives solo space to altoist James Moody and the tenor of Johnny Griffin, Jefferson sings his lyrics to such numbers as "Take the 'A' Train," "Billie's Bounce," "I Cover the Waterfront," "Parker's Mood" (the latter differs from the famous lines immortalized by King Pleasure), "A Night in Tunisia," and "Body and Soul," among others. Jefferson is in prime form and these boppish renditions as a whole form a near classic. ~Scott Yanow

Letter From Home  

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Eddie Jefferson - The Jazz Singer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:51
Size: 107.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1976/1996
Art: Front

[3:31] 1. So What
[3:08] 2. Moody's Mood For Love
[2:42] 3. Sister Sadie
[3:01] 4. Lester's Trip To The Moon (Paper Moon)
[2:25] 5. T.D.'s Boogie Woogie
[2:59] 6. Now's The Time
[3:30] 7. Body & Soul
[2:56] 8. Workshop
[3:02] 9. Sherry
[3:17] 10. Baby Girl (These Foolish Things)
[2:51] 11. Memphis
[2:17] 12. Honeysuckle Rose
[2:30] 13. A Crazy Romance (The Preacher)
[2:32] 14. Night Train
[3:20] 15. N J R
[2:42] 16. I've Got The Blues (Lester Leaps In)

Eddie Jefferson, one of the great jazz singers and an important pioneer of vocalese, is heard in peak form on this Evidence CD which reissues an Inner City LP and adds six previously unissued selections to the program. The bulk of the music is from 1959-1961, with Jefferson backed by several horns including trumpeter Howard McGhee and tenor saxophonist James Moody, and sometimes three other vocalists. There are many highlights including Jefferson's original classic versions of "Body and Soul" (a tribute to Coleman Hawkins, the "king of the saxophone") and "So What" (dedicated to Miles Davis), a remake of "Moody's Mood for Love" and vocalese adaptations of a few Lester Young and Charlie Parker solos. Most of the unissued tracks are from these sessions, but there is also "Silly Little Cynthia" from 1964 (a duet with pianist Tommy Tucker) and a meeting with guitarist Louisiana Red on 1965's "Red's New Dream." When one considers that Jefferson otherwise did not record during 1963-1967, it makes those two numbers not only enjoyable but historic. This CD is highly recommended for all jazz collections. ~Scott Yanow

The Jazz Singer  

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Richie Cole - New York Afternoon: Alto Madness

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:38
Size: 79,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Dorothy's Den
(4:05)  2. Waltz For A Rainy Be-Bop Evening
(6:52)  3. Alto Madness
(4:43)  4. New York Afternoon
(3:12)  5. It's The Same Thing Everywhere
(4:59)  6. Stormy Weather
(5:07)  7. You'll Always Be My Friend

This Muse album features the group that altoist Richie Cole and the late singer Eddie Jefferson co-led in the mid-'70s. They had a mutually beneficial relationship, with Cole learning from the older vocalist and Jefferson gaining extra exposure from associating with the popular young saxophonist. Their spirited set, which has two Jefferson vocals, is highlighted by "Waltz for a Rainy Be-Bop Evening," "New York Afternoon," "Stormy Weather" and "Alto Madness."~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-afternoon-alto-madness-mw0000308734

Personnel: Richie Cole (alto saxophone); Eddie Jefferson (vocals); Vic Juris (guitar); Mike Tucker (piano, electric piano); Rick Laird (electric bass); Eddie Gladden (drums); Ray Mantilla (percussion).

New York Afternoon: Alto Madness

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James Moody - Cookin' The Blues And Another Bag

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:19
Size: 174.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[6:40] 1. The Jazz Twist
[5:55] 2. One For Nat
[5:39] 3. Bunny Boo
[4:19] 4. Moody Flooty
[5:51] 5. It Might As Well Be Spring
[2:15] 6. Disappointed
[2:51] 7. Sister Sadie
[2:12] 8. Little Buck
[6:19] 9. Home Fries
[4:45] 10. Sassy Lady
[7:46] 11. Ally Parts 1, 2, 3
[3:09] 12. Spastic
[3:16] 13. Minuet In G
[6:52] 14. Cup Bearers
[5:29] 15. The Day After
[2:53] 16. Pleyel D'jamie

Twofer: Tracks #1-9, from the album “Cookin' the Blues” (Argo LPS 756); Tracks #10-16, from the album “Another Bag” (Argo LPS 695). James Moody (as), Howard McGhee (tp), Bernard McKinney (tb), Musa Kaleem (bs), Sonny Donaldson (p), Steve Davis (b), Arnold Enlow (d), Eddie Jefferson (vcl) / Paul Serrano (tp), John Avant (tb), Kenny Barron (p), Ernest Oulaw (b), Marshall Thompson (d). James Moody’s full-bodied sound on tenor was always original and hard swinging, but as he demonstrated leading these fine small bands, he felt equally at home playing alto sax or flute.

“Cookin’ the Blues”, the first album here, features his septet recorded live at the Jazz Workshop in June 1961, during his tour on the West Coast. Moody, wonderfully relaxed and in good form, fronts a band (with trumpeter Howard McGhee in his come back to the coast) offering inspired performances and more musical content than groups with a bigger name. Eddie Jefferson was also was one of the moving forces behind the whole show, with his humorous, and happily frantic singing.

All seven songs in “Another Bag”—the second album of this compilation—are excellent originals. Tom McIntosh, arranger on the date, contributed five, with his craftsmanship throughout distinguished by skillful voicings, interesting harmonic structures and beautiful melodies, somewhat reminiscent of the writing of Tadd Dameron and Gigi Gryce. Besides a forceful and driving Moody, the group features the consistently effective Paul Serrano on trumpet and the excellent solo and comping of pianist Kenny Barron.

Cookin' The Blues And Another Bag

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Eddie Jefferson - The Main Man

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:54
Size: 75,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:58)  1. Jeannine
(3:21)  2. Night Train
(3:19)  3. Moody's Mood For Love

(3:05)  4. Body & Soul

(3:28)  5. Confirmation

(3:54)  6. Benny's From Heaven

(4:11)  7. Summertime

(3:22)  8. Freedom Jazz Dance

(4:12)  9. Exactly Like You

Eddie Jefferson's final recording before his tragic death is a tour de force session that showcases a love for big-band type horn sections, his indefatigable ability to scat and write original vocalese lyrics, and his enthusiasm for life. At a time when his overdue star was rising, Jefferson compiled a list of his most well-known numbers, a few standards, and modified songs with his newly penned words, then modified them into different stories of life and the pitfalls of romance. Leon Thomas and Inner City head honcho Irv Kratka produced the session, while Slide Hampton did most of the excellent arrangements and plays trombone. The horn section also features sidekick alto saxophonist Richie Cole, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, and unsung trumpeter Charles Sullivan, with the brilliant pianist Harold Mabern, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Billy Hart in the rhythm section. 

Done in 1977, these tracks have all become classics and distinct identifiers as to what made Jefferson the main cog in progressive vocal jazz circles for all time. If you are a student of jazz vocals, then the classic ballad "Moody's Moody for Love" subtitled "There I Go" should be high on any list for analysis, while a controlled take of "Exactly Like You" is exemplary for the way Jefferson could play it straight, scat like no one else, and encourage bandmembers like Sullivan and Mabern to play solos just on the edge of the mainstream. "Jeannine" and "Bennie's from Heaven" are Jefferson's ultimate storyboard adaptations, the former an extra tasty soul-jazz groove about a flighty lover gone from sight, the latter a quizzical tale of a soldier returned from duty to find a pregnant wife, stating "Benny must be from heaven, 'cause he darn sure ain't from me." At heart a bebopper, Jefferson wails on "Confirmation," perfectly exclaiming it's the music that saved the nation and allowed it to be free, while "Summertime" steams with the ripeness of that season, as he extrapolates wonderfully on the main lyric, with adept knowledge in a brilliant display on his keen powers of observation. 

"Night Train" is another soul-jazz exercise in wishful thinking on bringing his baby back, and is as closely identified as any song Jefferson ever interpreted, while "Freedom Jazz Dance" has a fairly straight lyric relating to his days as a tap dancer that has been interpreted by many others after his passing, and is another tune prime for close study. Jefferson was exploring "the out cats" at this time, and was seeking a means to make his music more progressive, and there are hints at this stylistic evolution on this recording. After being out of print for many decades, The Main Man is finally available, and stands as a shining testament to perhaps the last truly great and innovative jazz singer in the modern era. ~ Michael G.Nastos  http://www.allmusic.com/album/main-man-mw0000900528

The Main Man     

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Eddie Jefferson - Body And Soul

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:21
Size: 81,3 MB
Art: Front

(1:07)  1. Introduction By Ed Williams
(2:44)  2. See If You Can Git To That
(4:26)  3. Body And Soul
(2:56)  4. Mercy, mercy, mercy
(4:24)  5. So What
(2:18)  6. There I Go, There I Go Again
(2:47)  7. Psychedelic Sally
(4:29)  8. Now's the Time
(3:28)  9. Filthy McNasty
(6:37) 10. Oh Gee

Eddie Jefferson had not been on record in quite a few years when he recorded this excellent set (reissued on CD) for Prestige. A few of the songs ("Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Psychedelic Sally" and "See If You Can Git to That") were attempts to update the singer's style in the mod idiom of the late '60s but the most memorable selections are "So What" (on which Jefferson recreates Miles Davis's famous solo), "Body and Soul", "Now's the Time," "Oh Gee" and "Filthy McNasty"; the latter has very effective lyrics by writer Ira Gitler. Tenorman James Moody, trumpeter Dave Burns and pianist Barry Harris are in the supporting cast of this excellent set. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/body-and-soul-mw0000202949

Personnel: Eddie Jefferson (vocals); James Moody (flute, tenor saxophone); Dave Burns (trumpet); Barry Harris (piano); Billy Gene English (drums).

Body And Soul

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