Showing posts with label Hank Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hank Jones. Show all posts

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Hank Jones, Thad Jones - Phases

Styles: Piano And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 97:38
Size: 226,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Shadowland
(3:34)  2. Pretty Brown
(4:26)  3. You Are Too Beautiful
(6:35)  4. Buzz-At
(2:39) 5. Bye and Bye When the Morning Comes
(5:01)  6. Six and Four
(3:33)  7. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:34)  8. Lonesome Road
(6:13)  9. Keepin' up with the Joneses
(6:46) 10. Nice and Nasty
(4:10) 11. There Is No Greater Love
(8:05) 12. Ray-El
(4:57) 13. Three and One
(3:16) 14. On the Alamo
(2:52) 15. Little Girl Blue
(4:50) 16. It Had to Be You
(2:29) 17. Teach Me Tonight
(6:23) 18. Lady Luck
(3:14) 19. Mack the Knife
(6:07) 20. Sput 'N' Jeff
(3:34) 21. Royal Garden Blues

The oldest of the Jones brothers, Hank Jones has been a supreme accompanist and underrated soloist. He's among the most accomplished sight readers in jazz, and his flexibility and sensitive style have kept him extremely busy cutting sessions and working in various groups and styles ranging from swing to bebop. He's worked with vocalists, played in big bands and done many solo, trio, and combo dates.

Born in 1918 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Jones moved with his family to the Detroit area while still a child, and studied piano early, listening carefully to Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, and Fats Waller. He began playing in the midwest at age 13, and worked in territory bands. Jones met Lucky Thompson in one of these groups, and Thompson invited him to New York in 1944 to work with Hot Lips Page at the Onyx Club. Jones worked for a while with John Kirby, Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Andy Kirk, and Billy Eckstine, then began touring in 1947. He worked with Jazz at the Philharmonic, then accompanied Ella Fitzgerald from 1948 to 1953. Jones also cut many sessions for Norman Granz's labels in the late '40s and early '50s, many with Charlie Parker. He worked and recorded in the '50s with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, and Cannonball Adderley before joining CBS' staff in 1959. He worked on such programs as The Ed Sullivan Show and stayed with CBS until they disbanded the staff in 1976. He recorded several sessions with Savoy in the mid- and late '50s, playing with Donald Byrd, Herbie Mann, Wendell Marshall, and Kenny Clarke, among others. He also recorded solo and quartet dates for Epic. His quartet with Osie Johnson, Barry Galbraith, and Milt Hinton became one of New York's busiest during the early '60s, sometimes doing three dates a day. They cut albums for Capitol and ABC in 1958, though Galbraith missed the ABC sessions.

Jones continued recording at Capitol, Argo, and Impulse in the early '60s, at times working with his brother Elvin. He made a host of recordings in the '70s. There were solo dates for Trio and Galaxy, and trio sessions for Interface and Concord, among others in the '70s. There were duo dates with Flanagan for Verve and Galaxy in the late '70s. Jones served as pianist and conductor for the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin in the late '70s. He also played in the Great Jazz Trio, originally with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. (Buster Williams replaced Carter on the trio's first recording date.) Jones continued with the trio into the '80s, though Eddie Gomez and Al Foster later became his mates, and Jimmy Cobb replaced Foster in 1982. The trio also backed Art Farmer, Benny Golson, and Nancy Wilson. Jones was the resident pianist at the Cafe Ziegfeld in the early '80s, and toured Japan with George Duvivier and Sonny Stitt. He kept his recording blitz going into the digital era. In 1989, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. In 2004, he was awarded as an ASCAP Jazz Living Legend; five years later, he received a National Medal of Arts; and in 2009, Jones earned a Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammys. One year later, he died in the Bronx while in hospice, just a few weeks after returning from performance dates in Japan. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hank-jones-mn0000558339/biography

A harmonically advanced trumpeter/cornetist with a distinctive sound, as well as a talented arranger/composer, Thad Jones (the younger brother of Hank and older brother of Elvin) had a very productive career. Self-taught on trumpet, he started playing professionally with Hank Jones and Sonny Stitt when he was 16. After serving in the military (1943-1946), Jones worked in territory bands in the Midwest. During 1950-1953 he performed regularly with Billy Mitchell's quintet in Detroit and he made a few recordings with Charles Mingus (1954-1955). Jones became well-known during his long period (1954-1963) with Count Basie's Orchestra, taking a "Pop Goes the Weasel" chorus on "April in Paris," and sharing solo duties with Joe Newman. While with Basie, Jones had the opportunity to write some arrangements and he became a busy freelance writer after 1963. He joined the staff of CBS, co-led a quintet with Pepper Adams, and near the end of 1965, organized a big band with drummer Mel Lewis that from February 1966 on, played Monday nights at the Village Vanguard. 

During the next decade the orchestra (although always a part-time affair) became famous and gave Jones an outlet for his writing. He composed one standard ("A Child Is Born") along with many fine pieces including "Fingers," "Little Pixie," and "Tiptoe." Among the sidemen in the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra (which started out as an all-star group and later on featured younger players) were trumpeters Bill Berry, Danny Stiles, Richard Williams, Marvin Stamm, Snooky Young, and Jon Faddis, trombonists Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Knepper, and Quentin Jackson, the reeds of Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Eddie Daniels, Joe Farrell, Pepper Adams, and Billy Harper, pianists Hank Jones and Roland Hanna, and bassists Richard Davis and George Mraz. In 1978, Jones surprised Lewis by suddenly leaving the band and moving to Denmark, an action he never explained. He wrote for a radio orchestra and led his own group called Eclipse. In late 1984 Jones took over the leadership of the Count Basie Orchestra but within a year bad health forced him to retire. Thad Jones recorded as a leader for Debut (1954-1955), Blue Note, Period, United Artists, Roulette, Milestone, Solid State, Artists House, A&M, Metronome, and many of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra's best recordings have been reissued on a five-CD Mosaic box set.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/thad-jones-mn0000133119/biography

Phases

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Oliver Jones, Hank Jones - Pleased To Meet You

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
Time: 52:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 124,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:29) 1. What Am I Here For?
(5:18) 2. Groove Merchant
(4:19) 3. Ripples
(4:44) 4. Makin' Whoopee
(5:19) 5. I'll Remember April
(6:09) 6. Star Eyes
(4:55) 7. Blues For Big Scotia
(4:38) 8. Cakewalk
(2:32) 9. Monk's Mood
(6:41) 10. I Remember OP
(1:48) 11. Lonely Woman

What a surprise to hear the first-ever recording that joins piano maestros Hank Jones and Oliver Jones.

A Detroit native, ninety-year-old Hank Jones is from the family that gave us Thad Jones and polyrhythmist Elvin Jones, and he has participated in historic bebop sessions with Charlie Parker and memorable duets with Tommy Flanagan. Montreal's Oliver Jones, who once followed in the footsteps of Oscar Peterson, has emerged to forge a virtuosic path as a Canadian music icon not unlike his erstwhile predecessor.

But their performances shine even brighter than the rare nature of this recording. Both men have the virtuosity to turn even an innocuous repertoire into something special, and thankfully don't have to here; Pleased to Meet You gives them something to work with.

Significantly, the label has chosen not to identify the order of their solos on ensemble pieces and duets. Yet it isn't hard to tell the two men apart. Hank Jones has the touch of an alchemist: notes are never ebony and ivory once he touches them lightly. They become burnished purveyors of dynamic sound, full of tonal color and timbral elegance. He holds an ever-burning torch for the stride geniuses of the past, such as Willie "The Lion" Smith, stepping on flatted fifths every once in a while (on "Ripples," for instance). On "Monk's Mood" and "Lonely Woman," both of which he plays alone, American music history flows through, and swirls around him. He is fleet-fingered, playing solos with rapid-fire double helix runs. Sometimes he turns them into inverted commas, pausing before quoting the melodies inside out.

Hank is generous with Oliver, allowing the younger man space to run riot with his florid, almost Byzantine whorls. Once it was well nigh impossible to tell Oliver Jones and Oscar Peterson apart, but the younger pianist has become his own man. He shows occasionally that he has heard Peterson and Ravel and Debussy as well. But he quotes only from his own vast store of intelligent and melodious phrases and metaphors. He constructs his solos like towering architectural wonders with grace and legato splendor. And he is tender as the night as he eulogizes his dear friend on "I Remember OP."

These two giants are joined on bass and drums by young pretenders to their respective thrones: Brandi Disterheft is a princess of the bass violin. She plays with great sensitivity and solos with confident majesty on all her tracks. Jim Doxas, Oliver Jones' drummer, shows himself to be a sublime melodist when he deftly brushes brass and skins on "What Am I Here For."

This is truly rare record a moving document in modern music that recalls the majesty of yesterday and the promise of tomorrow.By Raul d'Gama Rose
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/pleased-to-meet-you-hank-jones-justin-time-records-review-by-raul-dgama-rose

Personnel: Piano – Hank Jones, Oliver Jones (5); Bass – Brandi Disterheft; Drums – Jim Doxas

Pleased To Meet You

Friday, June 7, 2024

Stanley Turrentine - The Look Of Love

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:02
Size: 87,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:23) 1. The Look Of Love
(3:26) 2. Here There And Everywhere
(3:22) 3. A Beautiful Friendship
(6:01) 4. Blues For Stan
(2:34) 5. This Guy's In Love With You
(4:41) 6. MacArthur Park
(2:25) 7. I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco
(3:14) 8. Emily
(3:43) 9. Cabin In The Sky
(4:07) 10. Smile

With its mix of pop covers and jazz material, The Look of Love could be considered a typical Turrentine album from the late '60s. What sets this and a few other of his Blue Note titles apart, though, are the full yet tasteful string and band arrangements by jazz flügelhorn player and composer Thad Jones. With his flexible phrasing and muscular tone, Turrentine dives into the lush arrangements, especially on the sweeping rendition of Burt Bacharach's "Look of Love." Other pop selections bring mixed results: The plodding arrangement on "McArthur Park" garners a lukewarm response from Turrentine, while the tender settings for "Emily" and another Bacharach number, "This Guy's in Love With You," elicit the kind of velvety vaporous tone and sincere romantic phrasing Turrentine usually killed with on ballads.

More upbeat, straight-ahead material like "A Beautiful Friendship" and the blues swinger "Blues for Stan" keep the date well balanced and set the table for some masterful Turrentine solos. Again, special mention should be made of Thad Jones who, along with Oliver Nelson (Nancy Wilson's Welcome to My Love in particular) and Duke Pearson, supplanted the usual syrupy arrangements found on "cross-over" dates with intelligent, complimentary charts. Turrentine certainly appreciated it, as evidenced by his strong work here. Purists who usually cringe at late-'60s jazz dates like this (yes, there is a Beatles cover here) might be pleasantly surprised. For those who feel Bacharach and Jimmy Webb provide fine material for jazz, then The Look of Love is a must.By Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/look-of-love-mw0000899764

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone; Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young - flugelhorn; Benny Powell - bass trombone; Jim Buffington - French horn; Kenny Burrell - guitar; Hank Jones - piano; Duke Pearson - piano, arranger ; Roland Hanna - piano; George Duvivier - bass; Grady Tate - drums; Mickey Roker - Thad Jones - drums

The Look Of Love

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Art Pepper - So in Love

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:48
Size: 109,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:26)  1. Straight No Chaser
( 6:49)  2. Blues for Blanche
(11:42)  3. So in Love
(12:17)  4. Diane
(10:33)  5. Stardust

This deluxe release from the classy (but long defunct) Artists House label, as with all of Art Pepper's recordings of his comeback years, is easily recommended. Actually all of the music on So in Love has been reissued in greatly expanded form in Pepper's massive 16-CD Galaxy box set. The original LP has lengthy versions of "So in Love," "Stardust," "Straight No Chaser" and two Pepper originals ("Diane" and "Blues for Blanche"). 

Assisted by two equally talented rhythm sections (pianists Hank Jones and George Cables, bassists Ron Carter and Charlie Haden, and drummers Al Foster and Billy Higgins), Pepper is in excellent form throughout the album, giving these songs heart-wrenching interpretations. 
~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/so-in-love-mw0000622404

Personnel:  Art Pepper - alto saxophone;  George Cables (tracks 2, 3 & 5), Hank Jones (tracks 1 & 4) - piano;  Ron Carter (tracks 1 & 4), Charlie Haden (tracks 2, 3 & 5) - bass;  Al Foster (tracks 1 & 4), Billy Higgins (tracks 2, 3 & 5) - drums

So in Love

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Ruby Braff - Ruby Braff Goes “Girl Crazy”

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2009
Time: 39:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 92,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:56) 1. Embraceable You
(4:18) 2. Treat Me Rough
(6:28) 3. But Not For Me
(3:07) 4. Boy! What Love Has Done For Me
(5:39) 5. I Got Rhythm
(5:27) 6. Bidin' My Time
(6:18) 7. Could You Use Me
(3:03) 8. Barbary Coast

The then-32-year-old trumpeter Ruby Braff was fond of show tunes, and took for his concept the songs from the Gershwin brothers' Broadway stage play Girl Crazy for this album, his sixth as a leader. The music played by this band under the moniker of the Shubert Alley Cats is fairly predictable within the swing style, but this recording at times leans more toward bop with the inclusion of pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Jim Hall, and especially Al Cohn, who plays his trusty tenor sax and a lot of clarinet.

The musicianship is solid enough, the songs a bit stretched with solos, and the jazz fairly interesting within the conservative, mainstream, straight-ahead idiom. The hottest tune is the last, "Barbary Coast," as bassists Bob Haggart and George Duvivier go to town while the horns jam, while the slowest "Embraceable You" is the opener, a ballad where Braff plays in a style akin to Louis Armstrong.

In the middle you get a contradictory easy blues in "Treat Me Rough," and the uncharacteristically down-home "I Got Rhythm," accented by Jones and Hall, which merges into swing via Cohn's tenor. Hall's role as a rhythm guitarist seems untoward in what he would be as a leader, but his feature during the old-fashioned "Could You Use Me?" sets up the horns counterpoint, and is particularly pronounced on "But Not for Me."

While Cohn's clarinet might not settle into familiar territory for those who know him as a bop tenor, he's especially sweet with Braff on "Treat Me Rough," and repentant for the poignant, lovely, melancholy, no-frills take of "But Not for Me." There's one more ballad, "Bidin' My Time," which is as basic as it gets, while a more vocal sound from Braff's muted trumpet comes forth on "Boy! What Love Has Done for Me."

While the music is sophisticated, the heat of this music barely sparks any real flames, excepting the fine drumming of Buzzy Drootin and the always exceptional Jones when he chooses to turn it up a notch. It would have been nice to hear a follow-up recording from this clearly talented ensemble, for this instance captured in the early years of their lengthy and successful careers.By Michael G.Nastos
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ruby-braff-goes-girl-crazy-mw0000819868

Personnel: Trumpet – Ruby Braff; Tenor Saxophone – Al Cohn; Piano – Hank Jones; Guitar – Jim Hall; Drums – Buzzy Drootin; Bass – Bob Haggart, George Duvivier

Ruby Braff Goes “Girl Crazy”

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Conte Candoli - Modern Sounds From The West

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:34
Size: 141,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. The Blindfold Test No. 1
(3:42) 2. Culver City
(2:54) 3. Van Nuys Indeed
(3:56) 4. Burbank Bounce
(4:47) 5. Santa Monica
(4:07) 6. The Blindfold Test No. 2
(4:03) 7. Here's Pete
(3:59) 8. No Love, No Nothin'
(3:17) 9. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(2:42) 10. Come Love
(2:55) 11. T.N.T.
(3:31) 12. Thank You, Judge
(4:32) 13. Santa Anita
(3:34) 14. Hooray For Hollywood
(4:30) 15. The Blindfold Test No. 3
(4:27) 16. Arcadia

Best-known as the trumpet section leader in Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show Band, Conte Candoli was a fine all-around jazz stylist most at home in the worlds of bop and West Coast cool jazz. Younger by four years than his similarly accomplished trumpet-playing brother Pete, Conte was born Secondo Candoli in Mishawaka, IN, on July 12, 1927. He first patterned himself after players like Harry James, Roy Eldridge, and Dizzy Gillespie, later discovering Miles Davis and Clifford Brown.

His first job came at age 16, when brother Pete recommended him for a summer gig with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd; after graduating high school, he joined full-time. He went on to play with several other bands, including Stan Kenton, whom he left in 1954 to form his own band. After leading some recording dates, he soon found a more comfortable existence, moving to Los Angeles and taking session jobs in between gigs with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars.

After about four years, he left in 1960 to work with drummer Shelly Manne, while he and Pete both enjoyed top-dog status in the L.A. session community. In 1968, Candoli took a part-time gig with the Tonight Show Band and joined permanently in 1972, when the show officially moved to Burbank.

During the '70s, he was also a member of Supersax, among other L.A. all-star outfits, and also continued his periodic collaborations with his brother. Candoli retired from the Tonight Show along with Johnny Carson in 1992, and continued to play until a battle with cancer slowed his activities. Candoli died in a convalescent home on December 14, 2001.By Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/conte-candoli-mn0000100990/biography

Personnel: Conte Candoli / trumpet; John Graas / flute; Charlie Mariano / alto sax; Marty Paich / piano; Monty Budwig / bass; Stan Levey / drums; Buddy Collette / alto sax, flute; Jimmy Giuffre / clarinet, tenor sax,bass sax; Gerald Wiggins / piano; Howard Roberts / guitar; Curtis Counce / bass; Hank Jones / piano; Barry Galbraith / guitar; Milt Hinton / bass; Osie Johnson / drums; Harry Edison / trumpet; Herb Geller / alto sax; Bob Enevoldsen / valve trombone, tenor sax; Lorraine Geller / piano; Joe Mondragon / bass

Modern Sounds From The West

Friday, March 24, 2023

Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd - The Birth Of Hard Bop Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: The Birth Of Hard Bop  Disc 1

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:18
Size: 146,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:30)  1. Budo
(6:58)  2. I Married An Angel
(8:02)  3. The Jazz Message
(5:49)  4. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:06)  5. Cattin' - Alternate Take
(4:37)  6. Cattin'
(4:41)  7. Madeline
(3:45)  8. When I Fall In Love
(4:20)  9. Space Flight - Previously Unissued
(4:12) 10. Space Flight
(5:18) 11. Blues Number Two - Previously Unissued
(4:56) 12. Blues Number Two

Album: The Birth Of Hard Bop  Disc 2

Time: 64:36
Size: 149,2 MB

(6:30)  1. B. For B.B. - Previously Unissued
(6:28)  2. B. For B.B.
(7:01)  3. Hank's Shout
(7:53)  4. Bet
(8:53)  5. Nostalagia
(9:49)  6. Thad's Blues
(5:31)  7. A-1
(5:48)  8. A-1 - Alternate Take
(6:37)  9. Doug's Minor Bouk

This 2-CD set, introducing the Savoy Jazz Rare Sessions series, contains the reissue of four 1956 Savoy albums: The Jazz Message Of Hank Mobley, Hard Bop, The Jazz Message Of Hank Mobley, Volume 2 and A-1: The Savoy Sessions. It includes alternate takes and previously unissued tracks that serve an important purpose. Here, "Cattin’," for example, is played at different tempos: Bird-like on the alternate take with different featured soloists. The version originally issued is looser and more representative of hard bop. "Space Flight," on the other hand, is virtually the same on both takes. Minor flaws in the recorded sound were most likely caused when performers turned away from the microphone. The unissued track of "Blues Number Two" contains serious sound problems as well as artist miscues. But there’s more. The alternate track was performed at a faster bebop tempo without as much soulful expression as that evident in the issued take.

By including the alternate track, Savoy is giving the listener an opportunity to hear what was considered desirable in the recording studio: better sound and a genuine, gospel-influenced, blues-based expression.While the previously unissued take of "B. for B.B." is obviously inferior, both in its poor sound balance and in the faster, uninspired mood; "A-1" appears as two different arrangements, both of great value but independent of each other. Each session leader is well represented. Sweet ballads and driving jams feature the Byrd/Mobley quintet as well as the Morgan/Mobley quintet. Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley appear on the last 7 tracks. Over two hours in length, Savoy’s reissue offers early glimpses of several pioneers, four very different pianists, and an introduction to what folks began calling hard bop. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-birth-of-hard-bop-lee-morgan-savoy-jazz-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan- trumpet; Hank Mobley- tenor saxophone; John LaPorta- alto saxophone; Horace Silver, Ronnie Ball, Barry Harris, Hank Jones- piano; Wendell Marshall, Doug Watkins- bass; Kenny Clarke, Arthur Taylor- drums. 


Sunday, February 26, 2023

Gene Ammons - Fine And Mellow

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:00
Size: 167,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Lady Sings the Blues
(5:59)  2. Play Me
(5:29)  3. Ben
(3:07)  4. Fly Me
(4:25)  5. Fuzz
(5:03)  6. Fine And Mellow
(3:34)  7. Strange Fruit
(7:47)  8. Big Bad Jug
(4:04)  9. God Bless The Child
(7:43) 10. Tin Shack Out Back
(6:47) 11. Lady Mama
(4:09) 12. I Can't Help Myself
(4:52) 13. Lucille
(4:30) 14. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Gene “Jug” Ammons was a sucker for finely wrought pop songs. He was also unapologetic slave to melody, putting his sturdy saxophone into the service of countless hummable themes. But his improvisations were never slavish and even with material of papish pedigree he always seemed to find something worthwhile to say. Perfect case in point is this new Prestige two-fer, which combines material from a pair of early '70s platters, Got My Own and Big Bad Jug. The first set has a lounge vibe so viscous you can virtually smell the Aqua Velva aftershave, Pall Mall smoke and Mohair fibers in the air. How a string section crammed into Rudy Van Gelder’s studio alongside Jug’s core sextet is a mystery, and it’s more than likely that the label overdubbed the orchestrations after the fact. Largely superfluous to the action, they also thankfully don’t get in the way.

The ensemble line-up includes some impressive talent in the personages of Jones, Beck, Carter and Muhammad, but the ringers are the presence of heavy production and predilection for plugging in. The songbook is just as capricious; balancing a trio of Billie Holiday numbers (the film eponymous with the first track was a big hit contemporaneous to the session) with pop and funk fare. If the idea of Jug tackling Neil Diamond’s “Play Me” and the Michael Jackson signature “Ben” signals skeptical impulses, don’t be alarmed. Ammons treats each tune with sober respect and the gravity in his playing accentuates the sometimes hidden strengths in the song craft. And while he rarely strays far from the melody, the muscle and surety in his phrasings further dispel any traces of triteness from the tracks. The oddest of the clutch is the reading of “Strange Fruit,” a duet with Jones’ electric piano that finds Jug in an uncustomary somber mood, sketching breathy lines across a watercolor wash of keyboard hues and trailing a luminous studio echo.

The second session enlists a different, more streamlined studio band with only Carter returning for the party. Phillips’ organ and, on “Tin Shack Out Back,” electric piano plant the mood firmly in funk and soul territory. Parker’s wah-wah slathered guitar adds fleshy chordal support to Jug’s wailing lead, and the band sounds off here as purely and proudly a product of their era. The leader’s closing unaccompanied cadenza is a killer. Even the rendering of “God Bless the Child” is laced with a palpable backbeat. Carter revels in the weighty sponginess of his amplified strings while Cobham carves out propulsive, if at times simplistic, rhythms. A laidback attitude seems to be the primary sentiment of the moment. Closing with a trance-inducing version of the Temps’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” Jug soars over a stuttering bass-heavy groove that steamrolls everything in its path. Check your prejudices at the coat rack and this set will likely fulfill the same purpose it did back in the day. An enjoyable diversion devoid of pretense by a man who earned the right to play and do things the way he wanted to. (An added extra: the new liner notes scribed by Ted Panken, which contain some insightful anecdotes voiced by none other than fellow Chicagoan Von Freeman.) ~ Derek Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/fine-and-mellow-gene-ammons-prestige-records-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel: Gene Ammons- tenor saxophone; Ernie Hayes- organ; Hank Jones- electric piano; Joe Beck- guitar; Ron Carter- acoustic & electric bass; Idris Muhammad- drums; Mickey Roker- drums; Sonny Phillips- electric piano, organ; Maynard Parker- guitar; Billy Cobham- drums.

Fine And Mellow

Monday, February 20, 2023

Oliver Nelson - Meet Oliver Nelson / Main Stem

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:25
Size: 165.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[7:02] 1. Jams And Jellies
[6:51] 2. Passion Flower
[3:44] 3. Don't Stand Up
[5:30] 4. Ostinato
[6:52] 5. What's New
[6:34] 6. Booze Blues Baby
[6:50] 7. Main Stem
[5:50] 8. J & B
[4:33] 9. Ho!
[6:11] 10. Latino
[5:18] 11. Tipsy
[7:03] 12. Tangerine

Kenny Dorham, Joe Newman (tp), Oliver Nelson (ts), Ray Bryant, Hank Jones (p), Wendell Marshall, George Duvivier (b), Charlie Persip, Art Taylor (d).

”Meet Oliver Nelson” marked the leader recording debut of a considerable talent in tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson (1932-1975). He was to win even greater acclaim later as a composer and arranger, but at 27 he was already a vastly experienced performer and a notably imaginative soloist, affectingly sensitive on ballads like Passion Flower and What’s New, with a voluminous sound, full and fiery, on more driving material.

For his debut he had simpatico company in trumpeter Kenny Dorham, so lyrical on Booze Baby Blues, and a shrewdly chosen rhythm section in pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Art Taylor. It was a noteworthy beginning.

Recorded almost two years later, “Main Stem” was much more like a typical Prestige blowing session of the time, heavily dependant on the wit and invention of the participants. Fortunately, Nelson again chose his colleagues well. Trumpeter Joe Newman is particularly good and pianist Hank Jones is his usual lucidly impeccable self in a swinging rhythm section with bassist George Duvivier and drummer Charlie Persip, while the leader, on both alto and tenor, produces an abundance of melodic, well-constructed solos over a satisfying session.

Meet Oliver Nelson/Main Stem  

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [eight-album series]

"Benny Carter: The Princeton Concerts" is an eight-album series recorded at Carter’s request and until now, unissued. Although he received many distinguished awards (among the National Medal of the Arts, multiple Grammys, and the Kennedy Center Award), it was the doctorate bestowed by Princeton University in 1974 that he especially treasured. Invited and encouraged by Professor Morroe Berger, Carter not only grew close to the school as he led many classes and seminars, but also to the Berger family. Out of that relationship came the monumental biography and cultural history Benny Carter: A Life In American Music (written by Berger, his son Ed, and James Patrick) and the music presented here, recorded by Berger’s son, Ken.

Across these eight albums, Carter leads small groups and one all-star big band comprised of some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. The intensity and interaction with a live audience always brought out the best in Carter and each concert has its own unique moments of inspired improvisation. He effortlessly reveals his mastery of the alto saxophone, the elegance of compositions, and his graciousness as a bandleader in giving generous space to his compatriots.

All, save two, were recorded at Princeton between 1972 and 1983. There is a brilliant 1978 evening captured in Buffalo that features one of the only recordings of the legendary pianist Al Tinney, whose role in the creation of bebop in the early 1940s has long been heralded by historians, but who went largely unrecorded during his long career. The collection set ends chronologically with music from the 90-year-old Carter, playing with astounding freshness and creativity, backed by pianist Chris Neville and bassist Steve LaSpina, who were in Carter’s last band.

Mrs. Hilma Carter has made a gift of this music to the National Jazz Museum in Harlem to support their mission of preserving, promoting, and presenting jazz. It is her wish that the music be made available free of charge, and the museum is placing it across the world’s most popular streaming services. In addition, visitors are always welcome (by appointment) to hear the music at the museum.
https://jmih.org/collections/benny-carter-the-princeton-concerts/
 
Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol.1 April 19, 1973 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 87:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 199,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:17) 1. Introduction (Live At Princeton, April, 1973)
(8:07) 2. A Night In Tunisia (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(8:28) 3. Undecided (Live At Princeton, April, 1973)
(8:36) 4. Robbins Nest (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(8:25) 5. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Live At Princeton, April, 1973)
(6:56) 6. Honeysuckle Rose (Live At Princeton, April, 1973)
(8:29) 7. In A Mellotone (Live At Princeton, April, 1973)
(6:53) 8. A Day In The Life Of A Fool (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(8:31) 9. All The Things You Are (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(9:25) 10. One Good Blues (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(4:41) 11. Sweet Georgia Brown (Live At Princeton, April,1973)
(6:07) 12. How High The Moon (Live At Princeton, 1973)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol.1 April 19, 1973 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 2 October 22, 1973 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 137:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 315,5 MB
Art: Front

(03:02) 1. Introduction (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(10:35) 2. Undecided (Live At Princeton, October 1973)
(11:28) 3. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Live At Princeton, October 1973)
(11:51) 4. Satin Doll (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(08:40) 5. When Lights Are Low (Live At Princeton, October 1973)
(02:53) 6. Nuages (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)
(02:43) 7. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)
(02:26) 8. I'm Coming Virginia (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)
(06:08) 9. She's Funny That Way (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Grady Tate)
(05:22) 10. Body And Soul (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Grady Tate)
(10:41) 11. Blues Medley: Blues / Blue Monk / My Gal (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Clark Terry)
(14:09) 12. Take The "A" Train (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(10:20) 13. Perdido (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(07:47) 14. Evening Star (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(07:30) 15. Doozy (Live At Princeton, October 1973)
(03:54) 16. Mumbles (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Clark Terry)
(09:26) 17. In A Mellotone (Live At Princeton, October 1973)
(08:16) 18. Sweet Georgia Brown (Live At Princeton, October 1973)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 2 October 22, 1973 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 3 December 3, 1973 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 132:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 303,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:06) 1. Doozy (Live At Princeton, December 1973)
(03:11) 2. Introduction (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(03:50) 3. When Lights Are Low (Live At Princeton, December 1973)
(02:54) 4. You Are (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(06:11) 5. Souvenir (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(12:51) 6. Honeysuckle Rose (Live At Princeton, December 1973)
(18:19) 7. Blues For Beginners (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Hale Smith)
(13:14) 8. Coalition (Live At Princeton, 1973) (Feat. Ray Barretto)
(09:15) 9. I Can't Get Started (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(12:06) 10. Cotton Tail (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(04:14) 11. A Kiss From You (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(09:51) 12. A Walkin' Thing (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(04:18) 13. Sleep (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(12:40) 14. Ballad Medley: These Foolish Things/ A Day In The Life Of A Fool / St. Louis Blues / The Nearness Of You (Live At Princeton, 1973)
(09:17) 15. Juke Box (Live At Princeton, 1973)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 3 December 3, 1973 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 4 March 18, 1977 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 157:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 360,8 MB
Art: Front

(04:06) 1. Introduction (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(09:42) 2. Undecided (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(10:19) 3. Easy Money (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(08:01) 4. Here's That Rainy Day (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(10:49) 5. South Side Samba (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(10:41) 6. Green Wine (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(05:23) 7. A Child Is Born (Live At Princeton, 1977) (Feat. Joe Newman)
(09:48) 8. Yesterdays (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(09:27) 9. Satin Doll (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(06:52) 10. St.thomas (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(07:45) 11. Django Medley: Nuages / Tears (Live At Princeton, 1977) (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)
(03:47) 12. Send In The Clowns (Live At Princeton, 1977) (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)
(04:20) 13. Ballad Medley: I'll Be Around / I Concentrate On You (Live At Princeton, 1977) (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)
(07:07) 14. Evening Star (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(09:10) 15. On Green Dolphin Street (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(06:45) 16. Summertime (Live At Princeton, 1977) (Feat. Richard Davis)
(04:17) 17. When You're Smiling (Live At Princeton, 1977) (Feat. Joe Newman)
(10:59) 18. The Courtship (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(08:26) 19. Perdido (Live At Princeton, 1977)
(09:08) 20. In A Mellotone (Live At Princeton, 1977)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 4 March 18, 1977 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 5 October 12, 1979 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 94:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 218,2 MB
Art: Front

(08:19) 1. Ain't Misbehavin' (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(11:41) 2. Straight, No Chaser (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(07:07) 3. Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(09:28) 4. Broadway (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(04:50) 5. This Is Always (Live At Princeton, 1979) (Feat. Joe Kennedy)
(00:42) 6. Introduction (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(11:38) 7. Perdido (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(11:32) 8. On Green Dolphin Street (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(08:51) 9. My Old Flame (Live At Princeton, 1979) (Feat. Stanley Jordan)
(03:25) 10. Now's The Time (Live At Princeton, 1979) (Feat. Stanley Jordan)
(10:20) 11. Caravan (Live At Princeton, 1979)
(07:00) 12. Blues (Live At Princeton, 1979)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 5 October 12, 1979 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 6 May 21, 1982 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 137:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 316,7 MB
Art: Front

(12:14) 1. Opening Remarks (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(01:23) 2. Introduction (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(09:41) 3. Easy Money (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(10:27) 4. Autumn Leaves (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(09:50) 5. The Courtship (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(08:10) 6. Love For Sale (Live At Princeton, 1982) (Feat. Derek Smith)
(10:30) 7. In A Mellotone (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(07:11) 8. Ain't Misbehavin' (Live At Princeton, 1982) (Feat. Harry "Sweets" Edison)
(06:16) 9. Basically The Blues (Live At Princeton, 1982) (Feat. George Duvivier)
(10:51) 10. Southside Samba (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(08:47) 11. Undecided (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(06:46) 12. Souvenir (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(01:33) 13. Introduction 2 (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(05:09) 14. Misty (Live At Princeton, 1982) (Feat. Stanley Jordan)
(12:08) 15. Perdido (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(09:44) 16. Cotton Tail (Live At Princeton, 1982)
(07:03) 17. Blues (Live At Princeton, 1982)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 6 May 21, 1982 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol 7. September 13, 1997 Live at Princeton]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 55:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 126,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:01) 1. Introduction (Live At Princeton, 1997)
(6:28) 2. Just Friends (Live At Princeton, 1997)
(6:40) 3. My One And Only Love (Live At Princeton, 1997) (Feat. Steve Laspina)
(7:49) 4. Another Time, Another Place (Live At Princeton, 1997)
(9:58) 5. Lover Man (Live At Princeton, 1997)
(4:55) 6. You, Only You (Live At Princeton, 1997) (Feat. Chris Neville)
(8:00) 7. What Is This Thing Called Love (Live At Princeton, 1997)
(9:09) 8. Perdido (Live At Princeton, 1997)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol 7. September 13, 1997 Live at Princeton]

Benny Carter - Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 8 October 28, 1978 Live in Buffalo]

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 139:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 321,5 MB
Art: Front

(05:41) 1. There Will Never Be Another You (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(07:53) 2. In A Mellotone (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(05:07) 3. What's New (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(07:43) 4. On Green Dolphin Street (Live In Buffalo 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(06:07) 5. 12 Bar Blues (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(08:25) 6. Undecided (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(04:56) 7. Take The "A" Train (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(05:11) 8. When Lights Are Low (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. University Of Buffalo Jazz Ensemble)
(04:29) 9. A Walkin' Thing (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. University Of Buffalo Jazz Ensemble)
(10:25) 10. Blues For Beginners (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. University Of Buffalo Jazz Ensemble)
(05:15) 11. I Can't Get Started (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. University Of Buffalo Jazz Ensemble)
(07:59) 12. Honeysuckle Rose (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. University Of Buffalo Jazz Ensemble)
(09:06) 13. In A Mellotone, Pt. 2 (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(08:08) 14. On Green Dolphin Street, Pt. 2 (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(09:17) 15. Lover Man (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(09:05) 16. Perdido (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(08:50) 17. Body And Soul (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(07:58) 18. Cherokee (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)
(08:11) 19. All The Things You Are (Live In Buffalo, 1978) (Feat. Al Tinney)

Princeton Concerts (And Beyond) [Vol. 8 October 28, 1978 Live in Buffalo]

Eddie Diehl (With Hank Jones) - Well, Here It Is...

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:05
Size: 121.5 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:55] 1. My Heart Stood Still
[4:55] 2. Swedish Schnapps
[6:16] 3. Semisamba
[5:22] 4. Swinging Till The Girls Come Home
[8:11] 5. Aquarian Melody
[9:32] 6. Love You Madly
[7:32] 7. My Romance
[5:18] 8. Be Bu

Eddie Diehl has long been respected among his fellow jazz musicians, but finally makes his recording debut as a leader with on one of the first CDs issued by a new label, Lineage. It's quite a plus to have a co-leader like veteran pianist Hank Jones, along with having bassist John Webber and drummer Mickey Roker. While Diehl has a fluid touch on his instrument, he seems just as happy featuring his bandmates as himself. While the two standards from the Rodgers & Hart songbook are enjoyable, the interpretations of less-frequently heard works like the bop gem "Swedish Schnapps," Oscar Pettiford's intricate blues "Swinging Till the Girls Come Home," and Ellington sideman Harold Ousley's gently swinging "Aquarian Melody" are the tracks that command one's attention. Diehl also contributed a pair of choice originals. The informal air of this recording session almost make it sound like a gathering of old friends playing late at night for their own amusement; hopefully, Eddie Diehl won't have to wait long for an opportunity to lead another record date. ~Ken Dryden

Well, Here It Is... 

Friday, November 11, 2022

Lew Tabackin Quartet - Desert Lady

Styles: Flute And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:02
Size: 149,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Hot House
(9:40)  2. Pyramid
(8:04)  3. Serenade To Sweden
(7:19)  4. Chelsea Bridge
(3:57)  5. Johnny Come Lately
(9:55)  6. Desert Lady
(4:37)  7. A Bit Byas'd
(2:53)  8. You'll Never Know
(5:27)  9. Yesterdays
(7:57) 10. You Leave Me Breathless

The great tenor saxophonist and flutist Lew Tabackin is joined by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Victor Lewis on this well-rounded program. The Concord CD has many highlights, including "Hot House," Duke Ellington's "Serenade to Sweden," Tabackin's "A Bit Byas'd," and "You Leave Me Breathless"; the leader's tenor in particular is in top form. Highly recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz, this release gives one a strong sampling of Lew Tabackin's talents. ~  Scott Yanow  https://www.allmusic.com/album/desert-lady-mw0000208060

Personnel:  Flute, Tenor Saxophone – Lew Tabackin;  Piano – Hank Jones ;  Bass – Dave Holland;  Drums – Victor Lewis

Desert Lady

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Coleman Hawkins - Bean And The Boys

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:05
Size: 167.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1993/2009
Art: Front

[2:54] 1. In The Hush Of The Night
[2:50] 2. Out To Lunch
[2:48] 3. Every Man For Himself
[2:43] 4. Look Out Jack!
[2:39] 5. On The Bean
[2:51] 6. Recollections
[2:47] 7. Flyin' Hawk
[3:02] 8. Drifting On A Reed
[3:02] 9. I Mean You
[2:38] 10. Bean And The Boys
[2:41] 11. Bean And The Boys
[3:03] 12. Cocktails For Two
[3:00] 13. You Go To My Head
[6:06] 14. Stasch
[5:58] 15. Trust In Me
[6:04] 16. Roll 'em Pete
[5:58] 17. Skrouk
[6:56] 18. Since I Fell For You
[4:55] 19. My Babe

BEAN AND THE BOYS is the perfect title for this compilation, for certainly the list of players heard on this disc reads like a virtual "who's who" in jazz. Hawkins is teamed up with swing era players Jonah Jones (trumpet), and Walter "Foots" Thomas (tenor saxophone) on the first four tracks. Tracks nine through 13 highlight The Bean with the then young lions of bebop, J.J. Johnson (trombone), Fats Navarro (trumpet), Milt Jackson (vibes) and others. The final batch of tunes comes from a post-bop period (where Hawk finally settled musically). Songs from this era (late '50s) tend to incorporate stylistic elements from both swing and bebop. Hawkins himself never really became a bebop soloist per se, though he did sometimes "turn" a bop line quite successfully. All this, if nothing else, shows us the interconnection between the various genres of jazz. Mostly, all the styles heard on BEAN AND THE BOYS contain elements of the blues. As well, all styles herein contain highly syncopated rhythmical ideas, and similar song structures. Highlights include the bopish "Bean and the Boys," the bouncy "Out the Lunch," and the boogie woogie inflected "Roll 'em Pete."

Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Roy Gaines (guitar); Jerome Richardson (flute, alto saxophone); Eddie Barefield (clarinet, alto saxophone); Hilton Jefferson, Hubert Fol, Porter Kilbert (alto saxophone); Walter "Foots" Thomas, Walter Thomas (tenor saxophone); Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Fats Navarro, Idrees Sulieman, Jonah Jones (trumpet); Nat Peck, J.J. Johnson (trombone); Clyde Hart, Hank Jones , Jean-Paul Mengeon, Ray Bryant, Thelonious Monk (piano); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Cozy Cole, Denzil Best, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Walter Bolden (drums).

Recording information: Hackensack, NJ (10/19/1944-12/21/1949); New York, NY (10/19/1944-12/21/1949); Paris, France (10/19/1944-12/21/1949).

Bean & the Boys  

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Joe Lovano Quartet feat. Hank Jones - JazzBaltica 2005

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 93:47
Size: 216,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:50) 1. Bird's Eye View
(12:37) 2. Don't Ever Leave Me
(10:10) 3. I Waited For You
( 9:59) 4. Consummation
(14:10) 5. Kids Are Pretty People
(11:15) 6. Stella by Starlight
( 8:25) 7. I'm All for You
( 9:04) 8. Six and Four
( 7:14) 9. Crescent

Joseph Salvatore Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 29, 1952 and grew up in a very musical household. His dad, Tony, aka Big T, was a barber by day and a big-toned tenor player at night. “Big T,” along with his brothers Nick and Joe, other tenor players, and Carl, a bebop trumpeter, made sure Joe’s exposure to Jazz and the saxophone were early and constant. Joe’s mom, Josephine, and her sister Rose were serious listeners, as well, His Mom remembers hearing Big T play opposite Stan Getz and Flip Phillips when they were engaged. And Aunt Rose went to hear Jazz at the Philharmonic with Ella Fitzgerald when they came through Cleveland.

Not surprisingly, Joe began playing the alto at five, switching to the tenor a few years later. By the time he got his driver’s license at sixteen, Joe Lovano was a member of the Musician’s Union, Local 4, and working professionally. He started playing club dates (sometimes subbing for his dad), and Motown cover bands, eventually saving enough money from these gigs to put himself through college. “My dad was a fantastic saxophone player with a really deep passion for the music. I grew up with his record collection and when I was a teenager, he’d bring me around to rehearsals and jam sessions” http://www.joelovano.com/biography/

Personnel: Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone; Hank Jones – piano; George Mraz – bass; Lewis Nash – drums

JazzBaltica 2005

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Hank Jones - Jam at Basie

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:02
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:25) 1. Cool Struttin'
(4:31) 2. Cotton Tail
(5:42) 3. Summertime
(5:47) 4. Have You Met Miss Jones
(7:09) 5. Road Song
(3:51) 6. In a Sentimental Mood
(6:37) 7. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
(5:49) 8. Twisted Blues
(7:18) 9. Moose the Mooch
(8:49) 10. Blue Monk

Jam At Basie is a very special record. It is the late Hank Jones' last live recording, made at a jazz spot in Japan called "Basie" in August 2009. In front of the appreciative audience, Jones, who had just turned 91, played with vigor, finesse and imagination with young and talented American musicians who belong to his grandchildren's generation. The performance is inspired throughout and everyone is given ample space to stretch out. It is astonishing and we are grateful for it that Jones played as well as ever at that age. It's all there in full glory the elegance, the beautiful and strong touch, the advanced sense of harmony and unique inflections.

This special recording was first released as super-limited, super-expensive Crystal Disc made of high-quality glass. Now it is finally made available on regular CD and vinyl LP. It is released by the new label ZZJA Plus, a partnership between Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, the owner of Basie and well-known audiophile, and Yasohachi "88" Itoh, the renowned producer who has been associated with East Wind, Sony and his own Eighty-Eights labels.

The recording team consisting of top engineers at Sony Japan, pulled out all the stops to document these two-day concerts with the highest fidelity possible. First, they opted to record them analog, using rare Ampex 456 half-inch tapes and the Studer A820 tape recorder. Second, for the CD release, they mastered it in DSD. Third, they used all the techniques Sony has to make the regular, redbook CD sound better, including the blue laser diode cutting, green label coating and silver spattering. The result is an astonishingly high quality sound that will satisfy even the most demanding audiophiles.

It is only fitting that Hank Jones' last live recording was made in Japan, because the Japanese people loved him and he loved them back. He toured Japan numerous times and made many recordings for Japanese labels. He was so popular there that he was once featured on a television commercial. He passed away on May 16, 2010, but his legacy lives on, and we are eternally grateful for his artistry. Thank you, Hank Jones! http://www.eastwindimport.com/product-info.asp?ProductId=1409

Personnel: Hank Jones (piano); David Wong (bass); Lee Pearson (drums); Raymond McMorrin (tenor sax)

Jam at Basie

Friday, December 17, 2021

Emily Remler - Retrospective, Volume Two "Compositions"

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:53
Size: 139,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:30) 1. Mocha Space
(5:02) 2. Nunca Mais
(6:39) 3. Waltz For My Grandfather
(7:24) 4. Catwalk
(6:28) 5. Blues For Herb
(8:03) 6. Transitions
(4:10) 7. The Firefly
(6:17) 8. East To Wes
(4:30) 9. Antonio
(7:46) 10. Mozambique

Emily Remler (September 18, 1957 – May 4, 1990) was an American jazz guitarist who rose to prominence in the 1980s. She recorded seven albums of hard bop, jazz standards and fusion guitar.

Born in New York City, Remler began to play the guitar at the age of ten. Initially inspired by rock artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter as well as other popular styles of music, she experienced a musical epiphany during her studies from 1974 to 1976 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She began to listen to such legendary jazz greats as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Martino, Charlie Christian, Miles Davis and John Coltrane and took up jazz with a ferocious intensity, practicing almost constantly and never looked back. After graduating Berklee at age 18 she started her professional career touring around the USA.

Remler's first significant and formative step as a fledgling professional musician was to settle in New Orleans where she played in blues and jazz clubs working with bands such as FourPlay and Little Queenie and the Percolators before beginning her recording career in 1981. She was championed by guitar great Herb Ellis, who referred to her as "the new superstar of guitar". Ellis introduced her to the world at the Concord, CA Jazz Festival in 1978. In an interview with People magazine, she once said of herself: "I may look like a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey, but inside I’m a 50-year-old, heavyset black man with a big thumb, like Wes Montgomery." ~People Mag. 1982~ Recorded for the famous Concord label, Remler's albums showcase the diverse influences of a fast-developing artist who quickly attained a distinctive jazz style on the guitar through her interpretations of jazz standards and her own compositions.

Her first album as a band leader, Firefly, won immediate acclaim and her bop guitar on the follow-up, Take Two, was equally well received. Transitions and Catwalk traced the emergence of a more individual voice, with many striking original tunes, while her love of Wes Montgomery shone through on the stylish East to Wes. When the rhythm section is floating, I'll float too, and I'll get a wonderful feeling in my stomach. If the rhythm section is really swinging, it's such a great feeling, you just want to laugh Emily Remler In addition to her recording career as a band leader and composer, Remler played with artists as diverse as Larry Coryell, with whom she recorded an album entitled Together, and the singer Rosemary Clooney. She played on Broadway for the Los Angeles version of the show 'Sophisticated Ladies' from 1981 to 1982 and produced two popular guitar instruction videos. She also toured for several years in the early eighties as guitarist for Astrud Gilberto.

In 1985, she won the ‘Guitarist Of The Year’ award in Down Beat magazine’s international poll. In 1988, she was 'Artist in Residence' at Duquesne University and, in 1989, received Berklee's Distinguished Alumni award. She married Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander in 1981, the marriage ending in 1984. Her first guitar was her elder brother's Gibson ES-330, and she played a Borys B120 hollow body electric towards the end of the 1980s. Her acoustic guitars included a 1984 Collectors Series Ovation and a nylon string Korocusci classical guitar that she used for playing bossa nova. When asked how she wanted to be remembered she remarked: "Good compositions, memorable guitar playing and my contributions as a woman in music…. but the music is everything, and it has nothing to do with politics or the women’s liberation movement." She appealed to all audiences with her wide understanding of all forms of jazz. She gained respect from fellow musicians and critics because of her dedication, enthusiasm and remarkable skill. Remler, who was a heroin addict, died of heart failure at the age of 32 at the Connells Point home of musician Ed Gaston, while on tour in Australia. Two tribute albums were recorded after her death, Just Friends volume one and two, featuring contributions from Herb Ellis, David Benoit, Bill O'Connell and David Bromberg among many others. In 2006 the Skip Heller Quartet recorded a song called "Emily Remler" in her memory. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/emily-remler

Personnel: Guitar – Emily Remler; Bass – Bob Maize, Buster Williams, Don Thompson, Eddie Gomez; Drums – Jake Hanna, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Terry Clarke; Drums, Percussion – Bob Moses; Piano – Hank Jones, James Williams ; Trumpet – John D'Earth

Retrospective, Volume Two "Compositions"

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra - A Portrait Of Duke Ellington

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:18
Size: 99,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:45) 1. In A Mellow Tone
(4:52) 2. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(4:21) 3. Serenade To Sweden
(2:34) 4. Chelsea Bridge
(3:04) 5. Upper Manhattan Medical Group
(2:37) 6. Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me
(5:20) 7. Caravan
(3:17) 8. Sophisticated Lady
(3:36) 9. Johnny Come Lately
(4:49) 10. Perdido
(2:58) 11. Come Sunday

A Portrait of Duke Ellington is an album featuring trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and orchestra performing compositions associated with Duke Ellington, recorded in 1960 and released on the Verve label. All of the orchestral arrangements were provided by then Hi-Lo's accompanist and sometimes arranger Clare Fischer, hired on the basis of a previously recorded but unreleased album with strings, arranged by Fischer for erstwhile University of Michigan classmate Donald Byrd. Byrd played the tape for Gillespie; Gillespie liked what he heard.

Unfortunately for Fischer, especially in light of the critical accolades given the eventual fruit of his, and Gillespie's, labor, Fischer's name was nowhere to be found on the finished LP; widespread awareness of his participation would have to await the CD reissue almost 2½ decades later.

The AllMusic review awarded the album 4.5 stars. The album's original LP release received 5 stars from Billboard, though, owing to Verve's aforementioned oversight, Fischer's contribution went unnoticed. In fact, it was only through the efforts of The Washington Post's Tony Gieske that this, as well as two of Fischer's other groundbreaking efforts in this period, were acknowledged and documented. Regarding the Gillespie LP, Gieske noted:

And on A Portrait of Duke Ellington (Verve MG V 8386), that depth and skill, stimulated by a change in the stale Gillespie repertoire and compemented by rich, radically imaginative arrangements by, I am told, Clare Fischer, result in a really classic album. Fischer, a young conservatory graduate, is a new name to be reckoned with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Portrait_of_Duke_Ellington

Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet; Bennie Green - trombone; Ray Alonge, Richard Berg, Joe Singer - French horn; Jay McAllister - tuba; Robert DiDomenica - flute; Ernest Bright, John Murtaugh, Paul Richie, Stan Webb - woodwinds; George Devens - vibraphone; Hank Jones - piano, celesta; George Duvivier - bass; Charlie Persip - drums; Clare Fischer - arranger, director

A Portrait Of Duke Ellington

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Budd Johnson - French Cookin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:09
Size: 81,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:03) 1. La Petite Valse
(5:41) 2. Le Grisbi
(4:30) 3. I Can Live With The Blues
(4:33) 4. Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
(4:21) 5. Under Paris Skies
(3:47) 6. Hugues' Blues
(4:53) 7. Je Vous Aime
(4:19) 8. Je T'Aime

One of the earliest Texas tenors, arranging boss of the Earl Hines Grand Terrace Orchestra, and pivotal swing-to-bop figure, Budd Johnson distributed his gifts through several eras of jazz. He was a major composer and arranger and a saxophonist whose style fit as comfortably into bebop as it did into swing. Albert J. (Budd) Johnson was born in Dallas on December 14, 1910. His father was a choir director and cornetist who taught him piano at a young age. By Johnson's teenage years he had switched to drums and was playing with his brother, Keg Johnson, in bands around town. Eventually the two started their own group, the Moonlight Melody Six. They later joined Gene Coy's Amarillo-based band, the Happy Black Aces. Switching instruments again, this time to the saxophone, Johnson headed to Kansas City and then to Chicago, where he met and joined Louis Armstrong in 1933. During his stint in the Windy City he also met Earl Hines; their musical relationship lasted nine years. It was during his tenure with Hines that he came into his own as an arranger on top of being a solid member of the reed section.

By 1944 Johnson had moved to New York City, where he became involved in organizing and playing in smaller jazz combos, joining up with Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, and Billy Eckstine, in whose band he replaced Dexter Gordon. Johnson became a pioneer of the emerging bop jazz style, and he is credited with organizing the first bop recording session. He remained an integral part of American jazz throughout the 1950s. In 1956-57 he played with Benny Goodman, with whom he toured Asia, and in 1958 he formed his own septet and recorded the album “Blues a la Mode.” In 1960 he did a stellar session “Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants,” for Riverside. Johnson, who takes tenor solos throughout the date and also contributes a bit of clarinet in addition to providing the arrangements, is matched with four distinctive and very different trumpeters: Clark Terry, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Nat Adderley and Ray Nance.

He seemed in top form that year (’60) for he also did “Let’s Swing,” which is regarded as one of his best efforts. He would go on to be involved in countless of sessions and too many recording to mention. During the 1960s Johnson played with Count Basie and Quincy Jones and rejoined Earl Hines in ’64. He formed the JPJ Quartet, which worked on an occasional basis, during the 1969-‘75 periods. He also served as music director for Atlantic Records and started his own publishing company. In the 1970s and 1980s he taught music at Queens College and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Budd Johnson died in New York City on October 20, 1984. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/budd-johnson

Personnel: Budd Johnson – tenor saxophone; Hank Jones – piano; Kenny Burrell, Everett Barksdale – guitar; Milt Hinton – bass; Willie Rodriguez – latin percussion; Osie Johnson – drums; Joseph Venuto – marimba, vibraphone

French Cookin'

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Lionel Hampton - Vintage Hampton

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:49
Size: 165,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:17) 1. Peggy's Blue Skylight
( 6:18) 2. Apple Core
( 4:18) 3. Lullaby Of Birdland
( 6:12) 4. Take The 'A' Train
( 3:44) 5. Midnight Blues
( 7:43) 6. The Man I Love
( 8:06) 7. Blues For Gates
( 5:17) 8. Fatha Meets Gates
(10:05) 9. As Long As We're Here
( 6:12) 10. Fables Of Faubus
( 8:31) 11. Blues For Gerry

During 1977, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton had the opportunity to record full albums with all-star groups headed by Charles Mingus (a nonet also including Woody Shaw and Gerry Mulligan), Mulligan, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Rich, Teddy Wilson and Earl Hines, among many others. One or two selections from each of those sets are included in this 1993 CD reissue, plus two titles "Ghost of a Chance," "Stella By Starlight," "When I Fall In Love" and "Sweet Sue."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/vintage-hampton-mw0000115008

Ricky Ford - Tenor Saxophone; Dexter Gordon - Soprano and tenor Saxophone; Lionel Hampton - Vibes; Earl Hines - Piano; Hank Jones - Piano; Thad Jones - Trumpet; Charles Mingus - Bass; Gerry Mulligan - Sax (Baritone); Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar; Buddy Rich - Drums; Dannie Richmond - Drums; Woody Shaw - Trumpet; Lucky Thompson - Soprano Saxophone; Jack Walrath - Trumpet; Teddy Wilson - Piano; Teddy Wilson Jr. - Drums; Oliver Jackson - Drums; Paul Jeffrey - Tenor Saxophone; Steve Marcus - Soprano Saxophone; Bob Neloms - Piano; Grady Tate - Drums; Candido - Conga; Coleman Hawkins - Tenor Saxophone; George Duvivier - Bass; Clark Terry - Trumpet; Milt Hinton - Bass; J.J. Johnson - Trombone; Osie Johnson - Drums; Barry Kiener - Piano; Peter Matt - Horn; Arvell Shaw - Bass; Tom Warrington - Bass; Tom Warrington - Trumpet; Sam Turner - Conga

Vintage Hampton

Friday, May 21, 2021

Curtis Fuller - Cabin In The Sky

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:30
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:49) 1. The Prayer / Taking A Chance On Love
(4:00) 2. Cabin In The Sky
(3:22) 3. Old Ship Of Zion
(4:15) 4. Do What You Wanna Do
(3:25) 5. Honey In The Honeycomb
(4:57) 6. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
(2:45) 7. Savannah
(3:46) 8. Love Turned The Light Out
(3:40) 9. In My Old Virginia Home (On The River Nile)
(5:27) 10. Love Me Tomorrow (But Leave Me Alone Today) / The Prayer

If you love Miles Davis' Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess both arranged by Gil Evans then you simply must consider Curtis Fuller's Cabin in the Sky. Recorded over two days in April 1962 for Impulse, the album's orchestrations are on par with both Davis albums and frame Fuller's trombone beautifully. [Pictured above, Curtis Fuller]. Arranged by Manny Albam [pictured above] one of the finest composer-arrangers of the '50s and '60s who remains woefully underappreciated Cabin in the Sky has the same sighing quality and provocative brassy bombast as the Evans works. They shift, turn, swing and ponder all the way through.

On the album, Fuller (like Davis) is cast as a wandering, vulnerable soloist who must spar with surging sections of the orchestra that hurl all sorts of heavenly bolts at him. From start to finish, Cabin in the Sky is a masterpiece that truly needs fresh critical consideration.At the time, however, the album was a considered a commercial flop through no fault of Fuller or Albam. Which is both tragic and baffling, considering its spectacular qualities and the musicians involved. Here's who were talking about... On the tracks with strings: Curtis Fuller (tb), Eddie Costa (vib,perc), Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d) and Margaret Ross (harp) along with unknown strings. On the orchestral tracks: Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Al DeRisi and Freddie Hubbard (tp); Curtis Fuller, Bob Brookmeyer, Kai Winding [pictured above] and Wayne Andre (tb); Alan Raph (b-tb) Harvey Phillips (tu) Jimmy Buffington, Ray Alonge, Tony Miranda and Morris Secon (fhr); Eddie Costa (vib); Hank Jones (p); Art Davis (b) and Osie Johnson (d).

As you can see, the date featured many of New York's finest. So what was the problem? To find out, I pulled Ashely Kahn's The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records off the shelf...

“The trombonist remembers that for a session requiring intricate coordination with large ensembles, all went surprisingly well until extra studio time was requested.

“ 'They allowed me three hours with the strings and three hours with the brass. The strings, obviously, went perfect; we got that done, boom, with time to spare. But we needed time to fuse the thing, to connect the strings with the brass... I said, No, [three hours is] kind of harsh, can we have another hour? They raised hell for about a week.'

“The album was completed, released with an evocative double male-female profile by photographer Pete Turner [pictured above], who received positive notice in the jazz press. Yet what ultimately transpired, from Fuller's perspective, was a bitter lesson in record company acccounting that can leave an unwary musician with little chance of recouping expenditures, some of which were hidden. “ '[Bob] Thiele said, If w'ere going to have strings, we're going to go all out. We went from a six-string ensemble to the New York Philharmonic. Well, now, whose budget is it anyway? Then I found out that they would charge me for the ashtrays and the music stands and everything else you know, this is a big business... [Photo above of Impulse producer Bob Thiele and John Coltrane by Joe Alper]

“ 'I think Creed [Taylor] would have run that over with me. But Bob Thiele was, Let's just do this and let's let it be done. But once the album came out, I just don't think that the company was prepared to put the kind of [marketing and promotional] money into it."

If you are unfamiliar with Fuller's Cabin in the Sky, you will be knocked out by the trombonist's conversational style and Manny Albam's extraordinary gift for turning an orchestra into a rip-tide of brassy energy. https://news.allaboutjazz.com/curtis-fuller-cabin-in-the-sky

Personnel: Curtis Fuller - trombone; Al DeRisi, Bernie Glow, Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Royal - trumpet; Ray Alonge, Jim Buffington, Anthony Miranda, Morris Secon - French horn; Wayne Andre, Kai Winding - trombone; Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone; Alan Raph - trombone, bass trombone; Harvey Phillips - tuba; Eddie Costa - vibraphone, percussion; Barry Galbraith - guitar; Hank Jones - piano; Art Davis, Milt Hinton - bass; Osie Johnson - drums; Harry Lookofsky - violin, concertmaster; Margaret Ross - Harp; Unnamed string section; Manny Albam - arranger, conductor

Cabin In The Sky