Lem Winchester And Ramsey Lewis Trio - Tribute To Clifford Brown

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:39
Size: 82,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Joy Spring
(4:30)  2. Where It Is
(6:14)  3. Sandu
(5:34)  4. Once In A While
(3:26)  5. Jordu
(3:41)  6. It Could Happen To You
(3:36)  7. Easy To Love
(5:09)  8. A Message From Boysie

This out of print LP, Lem Winchester's first as a leader, matches his vibes with the early Ramsey Lewis Trio on a tribute to the late trumpeter Clifford Brown. They perform two of Brownie's best compositions ("Joy Spring" and "Sandu"), four standards (including "Jordu"), the obscure "A Message from Boysie," and Winchester's "Where It Is." 

A good example of Ramsey Lewis' original piano style, the little-known set is actually excellent and would be easily recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans if it could be found. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/tribute-to-clifford-brown-mr0001599019

Personnel: Lem Winchester - vibraphone; Ramsey Lewis - piano; El Dee Young - bass; Issac "Red" Holt - drums

Tribute To Clifford Brown

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Lem Winchester, Benny Golson - Winchester Special

Styles: Vibraphone And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:28
Size: 91,2 MB
Art: Front

(10:02)  1. Down Fuzz
( 4:01)  2. If I Were A Bell
( 7:00)  3. Will You Still Be Mine
( 7:31)  4. Mysticism
( 4:11)  5. How Are Things In Glocca Morra
( 6:42)  6. The Dude

This excellent CD reissue features the ill-fated vibraphonist Lem Winchester teamed up with tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Art Taylor for three standards, an obscurity and two of the leader's originals. The music falls between bop and hard bop with consistently swinging solos that are generally fairly inventive. This was one of Winchester's three recordings for the New Jazz label; all are easily recommended to straightahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/winchester-special-mw0000271817

Personnel: Vibraphone – Lem Winchester; Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson;  Bass – Wendell Marshall; Drums – Arthur Taylor; Piano – Tommy Flanagan

Winchester Special

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Oliver Nelson - Taking Care Of Business

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:37
Size: 97.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1960/2013
Art: Front

[9:54] 1. Trane Whistle
[6:57] 2. Doxy
[5:30] 3. In Time
[6:16] 4. Lou's Good Dues
[7:32] 5. All The Way
[6:26] 6. Groove

Bass – George Tucker; Drums – Roy Haynes; Organ – Johnny "Hammond" Smith; Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Oliver Nelson; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester.

Oliver Nelson would gain his greatest fame later in his short life as an arranger/ composer, but this superior session puts the emphasis on his distinctive tenor and alto playing. In a slightly unusual group (with vibraphonist Lem Winchester, organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Roy Haynes), Nelson improvises a variety of well-constructed but spontaneous solos; his unaccompanied spots on "All the Way" and his hard-charging playing on the medium-tempo blues "Groove" are two of the many highpoints. Nelson remains a vastly underrated saxophonist and all six performances (four of them his originals) are excellent. ~Scott Yanow

Taking Care Of Business mc
Taking Care Of Business zippy

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Jack McDuff - The Prestige Years (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:40
Size: 180.1 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[8:13] 1. The Honeydripper
[2:59] 2. Brother Jack
[4:49] 3. Sanctified Waltz
[8:55] 4. Yeah, Baby
[5:00] 5. Mellow Gravy
[6:01] 6. He's A Real Gone Guy
[6:22] 7. Candy
[7:00] 8. Tough 'Duff
[2:23] 9. Grease Monkey
[6:46] 10. Jive Samba
[2:59] 11. Organ Grinder's Swing
[7:18] 12. Screamin'
[2:56] 13. Hot Barbeque
[6:54] 14. Opus De Funk

Alto Saxophone – Leo Wright; Bass – Wendell Marshall; Drums – Bill Elliot, Joe Dukes; Guitar – Bill Jennings, Eddie Diehl, George Benson, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell; Organ – Brother Jack McDuff; Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons, Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest, Red Holloway; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester.

The history of jazz is full of great musicians who died tragically young; Clifford Brown, Bix Beiderbecke, Eric Dolphy, Fats Navarro, Charlie Christian, Booker Little, and the seminal Charlie Parker were among the many legendary improvisers who died in their twenties or thirties. But when Jack McDuff passed away on January 23, 2001, at the age of 74, his fans could take some comfort in knowing that he had lived a long and productive life. The soul-jazz/hard bop organist left behind a huge catalog, which is why best-of releases like The Prestige Years and The Best of the Concord Years are sorely needed. While the latter is devoted to McDuff's Concord Jazz recordings of the '90s and early 2000s, this 79-minute CD focuses on his Prestige output of 1960-1965. Although McDuff only spent a fraction of his career at Prestige and was still keeping busy 35 years after leaving the label, Prestige was the company that put him on the map as a recording artist -- and most soul-jazz enthusiasts would agree that he recorded some of his most essential work there. The Prestige Years bears that out; "Rock Candy," "Yeah, Baby," and McDuff's 1960 version of Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" are required listening for anyone with even a casual interest in gritty, down-home organ combos. The list of musicians who join McDuff on these recordings reads like a who's who of '60s soul-jazz; Gene Ammons, George Benson, Red Holloway, Jimmy Forrest, and Grant Green are among the major names appearing in the credits. The Prestige Years is far from the last word on McDuff's long recording career -- for that matter, it's far from the last word on his Prestige output. But if one is seeking an introductory overview of McDuff's five years at that label, The Prestige Years wouldn't be a bad investment at all. ~Alex Henderson

The Prestige Years (Remastered)

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Oliver Nelson, Lem Winchester - Nocturne

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:25
Size: 90.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1960/2006
Art: Front

[3:44] 1. Nocturne
[5:28] 2. Bob's Blues
[6:07] 3. Man With A Horn
[4:46] 4. Early Morning
[6:12] 5. In A Sentimental Mood
[5:41] 6. Azure Te
[7:24] 7. Time After Time

Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Oliver Nelson; Bass – George Duvivier; Drums – Roy Haynes; Piano – Richard Wyands; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester. Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, NJ; August 23, 1960. Digital remastering, 1991 (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley).

This relaxed set (originally on the Prestige subsidiary Moodsville) puts the emphasis on ballads and slower material. Nelson (switching between alto and tenor) is joined by vibraphonist Lem Winchester, pianist Richard Wyands, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Roy Haynes for four standards and three of his originals (including the swinging "Bob's Blues"). Everyone plays well but the intentional lack of mood variation keeps this release from being all that essential. ~Scott Yanow

Nocturne

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Patrolman Lem Winchester - New Faces At Newport/A Tribute To Clifford Brown

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:56
Size: 118.9 MB
Styles: Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[0:51] 1. Presentation
[4:38] 2. Now's The Time
[5:49] 3. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
[4:56] 4. Take The A Train
[3:26] 5. Joy Spring
[4:31] 6. Where It Is
[6:15] 7. Sandu
[5:31] 8. Once In A While
[3:27] 9. Jordu
[3:41] 10. It Could Happen To You
[3:37] 11. Easy To Love
[5:09] 12. A Message From Boysie

Lem Winchester (vib), Ray Santisi, Ramsey Lewis (p), John Neves, Eldee Young (b), Jimmy Zitano, Issac Redd Holt (d). Tracks #1-4 originally released on Side B of the album "New Faces at Newport" (Metrojazz E 1005); Recorded in Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I., on July 6, 1958. Tracks #5-12, from the Lem Winchester-Ramsey Lewis Trio LP "Perform a Tribute to Clifford Brown" (Argo LP(S) 642); Recorded in Chicago, on October 8, 1958.

Active for some years as a semi-professional jazz vibist, Lem Winchester, a police officer in Wilmington, Del., was largely unknown when jazz critic Leonard Feather first heard him in 1958 and brought him to the Newport Jazz festival that year. There, his stellar performance astounded audiences, musicians and critics alike. Issued as part of the album New Faces at Newport, it opened up for him the prospect of a career in jazz. Backed by Ramsey Lewiss well integrated trio, he made his first record as leader a few months later, working beautifully with Lewis on the tribute album to the late trumpeter, Clifford Brown, a boyhood friend of the vibist, included here.

As a cop, however, Winchester was violating police regulations by working as a weekend musician in his home town and in Philadelphia jazz spots. So, having recorded few highly praised albums, after eleven years of trying to decide between pounding a beat and keeping one, he turned in his badge and gun in the summer of 1960 and joined the jazz fraternity full time. Unfortunatelyand ironicallya few months later he shot himself in a tragic bit of pistol horseplay in an Indianapolis club.

New Faces At Newport/A Tribute To Clifford Brown

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Etta Jones - Hollar!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:05
Size: 75.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[2:33] 1. And The Angels Sing
[4:08] 2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[2:50] 3. Give Me The Simple Life
[4:10] 4. The More I See You
[3:44] 5. Love Is Here To Stay
[2:55] 6. Reverse The Charges
[2:49] 7. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[3:17] 8. Answer Me My Love
[3:41] 9. Looking Back
[2:52] 10. Nature Boy

Etta Jones had the spark that made each of her vocals special, though she was never acknowledged properly during a long career. Following her hit "Don't Go to Strangers," she continued to record first-rate songs. Many of her albums were unjustly out of print for decades, though Hollar! was finally reissued by Fantasy as part of their Original Jazz Classics series in 2001. Jones is backed by three separate groups on this release. Guitarist Wally Richardson provides the driving rhythm to back her swinging take of "And the Angels Sing," while vibraphonist Lem Winchester and pianist Richard Wyands support Jones in her emotional rendition of "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)." Jones would eventually return to the brisk bop gem "Reverse the Charges" decades after this recording, but this early version is preferable, with a nice interlude by pianist Jimmy Neely. There's a bit of friendly conversation in the studio as Jones gets underway with another swinger, "Our Love Is Here to Stay," adding a boisterous tenor sax solo by Oliver Nelson. This is easily one of Etta Jones' best recordings. ~Ken Dryden

Hollar!

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Johnny 'Hammond' Smith - Talk That Talk

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:55
Size: 162.4 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul jazz, Hammond organ jazz
Year: 1960/1995
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Talk That Talk
[2:32] 2. An Affair To Remember
[5:19] 3. The End Of A Love Affair
[5:43] 4. Minors Allowed
[4:46] 5. Rip Tide
[3:59] 6. Misty
[4:57] 7. Bennie's Diggin'
[2:20] 8. A Portrait Of Jennie
[8:53] 9. Swanee River
[3:59] 10. Just Say So Long
[5:14] 11. Lid Flippin'
[7:11] 12. Gettin' The Message
[5:27] 13. Princess
[5:17] 14. Dementia

An excellent piece of early soul-jazz, 1960's Talk That Talk isn't as bop-oriented as Shirley Scott's albums with Stanley Turrentine from the same period, as flashy and ornate as the albums Jimmy Smith was starting to make with Creed Taylor and Lalo Schifrin, or as funky and blues-based as the best of Jimmy McGriff or "Brother" Jack McDuff. Smith's playing on this album is low-key almost to the point of being conservative, deeply soulful without resorting to what would soon become tired funk clichés. For the most part, the settings are the standard organ/bass/drums trio, with occasional appearances by tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson, vibraphonist Lem Winchester, and guitarist Eddie McFadden to provide textural variety. Smith is always at the center of the arrangements, taking almost all the solos, which means that less organ-besotted listeners might find the album a bit samey, but on tracks like a loping, gentle version of "An Affair to Remember" and a gorgeously soulful "Misty," Johnny "Hammond" Smith shows exactly why he deserves his nickname. [The 1995 CD reissue of Talk That Talk appends six additional tracks, originally released as Smith's Gettin' the Message LP, also from 1960.] ~Stewart Mason

Talk That Talk

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Lem Winchester - With Feeling... Plus Nocturne And More (2-Disc Set)

Oliver Nelson (as, ts), Lem Winchester (vib), Richard Wyands (p), George Duvivier (b), Roy Haynes (d), Etta Jones (vcl).

Made in October 1960, just a few months before Lem Winchester’s accidental death in early 1961, “With Feeling”, the first of the albums here, was intended to be part of Prestige’s “Moodsville” ballad series. But the results were rather livelier than that suggests, as the vibist, impeccably supported by pianist Richard Wyands, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Roy Haynes, distinguishes himself on an enjoyable date, especially on Why Don’t They Understand, But Beautiful and Skylark.

He joined the same rhythm section that August for “Nocturne”, another Moodsville album, this time led by alto and tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson, on which all involved contributed warmly evocative music. And in between these albums Winchester was reunited with the same rhythm section in September, along with Oliver Nelson, for another swinging and effective session, this time with Etta Jones. A singer influenced by among others, Billie Holiday, she delivers unforced and persuasively engaging interpretations of a set of superior standards, admirably backed by the quintet.

Album: With Feeling... Plus Nocturne And More (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:07

Size: 133.1 MB

Styles: Vibraphone jazz

Year: 2012

[4:32] 1. Why Don't They Understand

[4:33] 2. Butterfly

[4:31] 3. With A Song In My Heart

[4:11] 4. But Beautiful

[6:41] 5. Skylark

[3:50] 6. To Love And Be Loved

[4:00] 7. The Kids

[4:08] 8. My Romance

[3:45] 9. Nocturne

[5:31] 10. Bob's Blues

[6:08] 11. Man With A Horn

[6:12] 12. In A Sentimental Mood

With Feeling... Plus Nocturne And More (Disc 1)

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Album: With Feeling... Plus Nocturne And More (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 53:21

Size: 122.1 MB

Styles: Vibraphone jazz

Year: 2012

Art: Front

[4:49] 1. Early Morning

[5:43] 2. Azur'te

[7:25] 3. Time After Time

[4:12] 4. The More I See You

[3:47] 5. Love Is Here To Stay

[4:55] 6. Easy Living

[2:50] 7. They Can't Take That Away From Me

[2:35] 8. Canadian Sunset

[4:09] 9. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

[4:00] 10. That's All There Is To That

[3:14] 11. I Only Have Eyes For You

[2:43] 12. Almost Like Being In Love

[2:53] 13. Lady Day

With Feeling... Plus Nocturne And More (Disc 2)

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Lem Winchester - Will You Still Be Mine

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 75:31
Size: 172.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[ 7:31] 1. Mysticism
[ 4:11] 2. How Are Things In Glocca Morra
[10:03] 3. Down Fuzz
[ 7:00] 4. Will You Still Be Mine
[ 6:41] 5. The Dude
[ 4:01] 6. If I Were A Bell
[ 5:18] 7. Just Friends
[ 7:59] 8. Lem And Aid
[ 6:52] 9. Your Last Chance
[11:40] 10. Eddy's Dilemma
[ 4:11] 11. Friendly Persuasion

Lem Winchester had great potential as a vibraphonist but it was all cut short by a tragic accident. Influenced by Milt Jackson but developing a sound of his own, Winchester actually played tenor, baritone, and piano before choosing to stick exclusively to vibes. A police officer in Wilmington, Delaware, he made a big impression at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and was soon recording regularly with such major players as Oliver Nelson, Benny Golson, and Tommy Flanagan. Winchester resigned from the police force in 1960 to be a musician full-time, but then on January 13, 1961, he unsuccessfully demonstrated a trick with a revolver. ~bio by Scott Yanow

Will You Still Be Mine

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