Chris Connor - Chris Connor (Hd Remastered)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956/2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:46
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:54)  1. I Get a Kick out of You
(3:17)  2. Something to Live For
(3:11)  3. Get out of Town
(3:51)  4. Where Are You?
(2:18)  5. Anything Goes
(3:28)  6. When the Wind Was Green
(3:47)  7. He Was Too Good to Me
(2:51)  8. You Make Me Feel so Young
(3:50)  9. Everytime
(2:32) 10. Way out There
(2:47) 11. My April Heart
(2:14) 12. Almost Like Being in Love
(2:04) 13. Circus (Bonus Track)
(2:35) 14. Flying Home (Bonus Track)

Stunningly repackaged, remastered, and featuring new liner notes by leading jazz writers, the Warner Jazz Masters Series includes best sellers as well as rare, sought-after gems. The first jazz vocal LP ever released on Atlantic Records, Chris Connor's self-titled album is one of her best (among considerable competition). Connor's coarse, throaty tone, sweet phrasing, and unerring rhythm were peaking during the late '50s, and the results are delightful tweaks of the standards "Anything Goes" and "Almost Like Being in Love." With similarly excellent results, Connor also transforms a couple of Sinatra's evergreens: "I Get a Kick Out of You," taken at breakneck pace with a small group including pianist John Lewis, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and drummer Connie Kay; "Where Are You"; and "You Make Me Feel So Young," with a ten-piece featuring tenor Zoot Sims and bassist Milt Hinton.
By Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Connor-Chris/dp/B0009QQ6I0

Chris Connor (Hd Remastered)

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Julius Watkins Sextet - Volumes 1 & 2

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:18
Size: 97,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:21) 1. Linda Delia
(5:09) 2. Perpetuation
(4:28) 3. I Have Known
(4:53) 4. Leete
(4:45) 5. Garden Delights
(3:35) 6. Julie Ann
(4:18) 7. Sparkling Burgundy
(5:00) 8. B And B
(4:45) 9. Jor-du

Before the rise of bebop, the French horn was never heard as an improvising instrument in jazz. John Graas, who worked with Stan Kenton and Shorty Rogers, was the first jazz French horn player to lead his own record date, in 1953. However, Julius Watkins soon surpassed him as a major soloist and would be the top jazz French horn player to emerge until the 1990s. He appeared as a soloist on a Thelonious Monk date in 1953 next to Sonny Rollins, and in 1954-1955 recorded music for a pair of very rare Blue Note 10" LPs. All of the latter performances are on this CD reissue.

The 42 minutes of music find Watkins heading sextets with either Frank Foster or Hank Mobley on tenor, guitarist Perry Lopez, George Butcher or Duke Jordan on piano, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and Kenny Clarke or Art Blakey on drums. The French horn/tenor front line is an attractive sound (substitute Watkins for a trombonist, and one has the Jazz Crusaders); when Watkins formed Les Jazz Modes (which lasted for five years) a few years later, he would use Charlie Rouse as his tenor.

The French horn might be a difficult instrument, but Watkins played it with the warmth of a trombone and nearly the fluidity of a trumpet. All nine straight-ahead selections on his CD are group originals, with Duke Jordan's future standard "Jordu" being heard in one of its earliest versions. Overall, the music fits into the modern mainstream of the period. This early effort by Julius Watkins is easily recommended.By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/julius-watkins-sextet-vols-1-2-mw0000601261

Personnel: French Horn – Julius Watkins; Bass – Oscar Pettiford; Drums – Art Blakey (tracks: 5 to 9), Kenny Clarke (tracks: 1 to 4); ; Guitar – Perry Lopez; Piano – Duke Jordan (tracks: 5 to 9), George Butcher (tracks: 1 to 4); Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster (tracks: 1 to 4), Hank Mobley (tracks: 5 to 9)

Sextet Volumes 1 & 2

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Frank Foster & George Wallington - Here Comes

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:07
Size: 156,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:55) 1. Little Red
(5:01) 2. How I Spent The Night
(3:49) 3. Blues for Benny
(3:37) 4. Out Of Nowhere
(4:15) 5. Gracias
(3:48) 6. The Heat's On
(4:19) 7. How I Spent The Night (alt. take)
(4:08) 8. Frankie and Johnnie
(4:03) 9. Baby Grand
(3:39) 10. Christina
(3:55) 11. Summertime
(4:01) 12. Festival
(3:51) 13. Bumpkins
(4:06) 14. Frankie and Johnnie (alt. take)
(3:55) 15. Summertime (alt. take)
(3:53) 16. Festival
(3:43) 17. Bumpkins (alt. take)

This double reissue combines saxophonist Frank Foster's first U.S. recording and a session led by pianist George Wallington that took place one week later with Foster sitting in. Recorded for Blue Note in Hackensack, NJ, on May 5, 1954, Here Comes Frank Foster (also issued as New Faces, New Sounds) was only Foster's second album as a leader. His debut album was recorded one month earlier for the Vogue label in Paris, France. Here Comes Frank Foster fits neatly with other albums from the mid-'50s Blue Note catalog. Foster shares the spotlight with trombonist Benny Powell, and the rhythm section of Gildo Mahones, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke is superb. On tracks eight through 17, Foster is heard as a member of the George Wallington Showcase band, recorded for Blue Note on May 12, 1954. This solid little organization included James Moody's ace trumpeter Dave Burns, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, baritone saxophonist Danny Bank, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and, once again, drummer Kenny "Klook" Clarke. Arrangements were scored by Quincy Jones. This straight-ahead hard bop is tasty and stimulating. Use the four alternate takes for a chaser.

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster; Piano – George Wallington, Gildo Mahones; Baritone Saxophone – Danny Bank; Bass – Oscar Pettiford, Percy Heath; Drums – Kenny Clarke; Flute – Danny Bank; Trombone – Benny Powell , Jimmy Cleveland; Trumpet – Dave Burns

Here Comes

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Kenny Burrell - The Artist Selects

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:14
Size: 173,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:59) 1. This Time The Dream's On Me - Remastered 2000
(6:05) 2. Delilah - Remastered 2000
(3:49) 3. But Not For Me - Remastered
(4:42) 4. Phinupi - Remastered
(4:46) 5. Love, Your Spell Is Everywhere
(7:59) 6. Scotch Blues - Remastered
(4:43) 7. Weaver Of Dreams - Remastered 2000
(9:35) 8. Swingin' - Remastered 1987
(5:25) 9. Chitlins Con Carne
(2:43) 10. Soul Lament - Remastered 1999/Rudy Van Gelder Edition
(4:01) 11. Midnight Blue - Remastered
(5:30) 12. These Foolish Things - 20 Bit Mastering; 1998 Digital Remaster
(6:02) 13. Hackensack - Remastered
(4:49) 14. Freedom

Taking a cue from ECM’s: rarum series, Blue Note has initiated their own The Artist Selects series, allowing living legends to hand-pick their own “best-of” compilations and even sequence them. The inaugural portion of the series, launched Oct. 4, features albums from guitarist Kenny Burrell (pictured), also saxophonist Lou Donaldson, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and composer/arranger Gerald Wilson. The musicians cull their Blue Note releases, while Wilson selects from his Pacific Jazz recordings. Emphasizing the “artist selects” title, the liner notes contain first-person testimony from the artist of how the recordings came to be and how the process developed. By Katherine Silkaitis https://jazztimes.com/archives/blue-note-begins-artist-selects-series

Personnel: Guitar – Kenny Burrell (tracks: 1-14); Bass - Ben Tucker (tracks: 5,8,14), Major Holley (tracks: 9,11), Oscar Pettiford (tracks: 4), Paul Chambers (tracks: 1,2,7), Sam Jones (tracks: 6); Congas – Candido Camero (tracks: 1,2), Ray Barretto (tracks: 5,8,11,14); Drums – "Philly" Joe Jones (tracks: 12,13), Art Blakey (tracks: 6,8), Bill English (tracks: 5,9,11,14), Kenny Clarke (tracks: 1,2,7), Shadow Wilson (tracks: 4); Organ – Jimmy Smith (tracks: 13); Piano – Bobby Timmons (tracks: 8), Duke Jordan (tracks: 5), Herbie Hancock (tracks: 5,14), Tommy Flanagan (tracks: 1,2,4,7); Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster (tracks: 4), Junior Cook (tracks: 5), Stanley Turrentine (tracks: 9,14), Tina Brooks (tracks: 5,8); Trumpet – Louis Smith (tracks: 6)

The Artist Selects

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Helen Merrill - Dream Of You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:41
Size: 92,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:35)  1. People Will Say We're In Love
(3:24)  2. By Myself
(4:11)  3. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is My Home
(3:34)  4. I've Never Seen
(3:02)  5. He Was Too Good To Me
(3:10)  6. A New Town Is A Blue Town
(3:26)  7. You're Lucky To Me
(2:46)  8. Where Flamingos Fly
(2:55)  9. Dream Of You
(4:08) 10. I'm A Fool To Want You
(3:09) 11. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
(3:16) 12. Troubled Waters

One thing that set Helen Merrill apart from other '50s jazz singers was her acutely dramatic vocal style. Her earnest phrasing, elongated notes, and incandescent tone might even strike the contemporary listener as qualities more appropriate for the Broadway stage than a jazz club. On 1955's Dream of You, though, Merrill found reconciliation, sounding both melodramatic and swinging within Gil Evans' darkly spacious, yet economical arrangements. Suitably, torchy ballads are prominent. On the somewhat grandiose side there's "Where Flamingos Fly" and "I'm a Fool to Want You," which find Merrill in a pensive mood amidst a variety of tempo and timbre shifts. More subdued ground is covered on "I've Never Seen" and "He Was Too Good to Me." Briskly swinging numbers like "People Will Say We're in Love," "By Myself," and "You're Lucky to Me" balance the program and feature the demure, yet fluid delivery Merrill favored on fast numbers. What is most impressive on this date is a group of sultry, medium tempo numbers including "Anyplace I Lay My Hat Is Home," "Just a Lucky So and So," and in particular "A New Town Is a Blue Town." The programmatic quality of Merrill's coyly sensual voice and Evans' slightly askew, bubbling reeds and languid rhythm conjure up dramatic, balmy southern scenes á la Tennessee Williams. In the picturesque arrangements one also hears the seeds of Evans' own future collaborations with Miles Davis. Even though her collaborations with Clifford Brown and others are great recordings, this one with Gil Evans shows off more of Merrill's expressive vocal talents, due in no small part to the sympathetic and urbane arrangements. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/dream-of-you-mw0000090446

Personnel: Helen Merrill - vocals;  Gil Evans - arranger, conductor;  John LaPorta - clarinet, alto saxophone;  Jerome Richardson - flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone;  Danny Bank - baritone saxophone;  Art Farmer, Louis Mucci - trumpet;  Jimmy Cleveland, Joe Bennett - trombone;  Hank Jones - piano;  Janet Putnam - harp; Barry Galbraith - guitar; Oscar Pettiford - double bass;  Joe Morello - drums

Dream Of You

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Coleman Hawkins - Hollywood Stampede

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:42
Size: 114,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:57)  1. April In Paris
(2:56)  2. Rifftide
(3:16)  3. Stardust
(3:03)  4. Stuffy
(3:11)  5. Hollywood Stampede
(3:15)  6. I'm Thru With Love
(3:21)  7. What Is There To Say?
(3:08)  8. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
(2:54)  9. Too Much Of A Good Thing
(3:07) 10. Bean Soup
(2:51) 11. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:07) 12. It's The Talk Of The Town
(3:06) 13. Isn't It Romantic?
(2:36) 14. Bean-A-Re-Bop
(2:50) 15. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:56) 16. Phantomesque

Hawkins led one of his finest bands in 1945, a sextet with the fiery trumpeter Howard McGhee that fell somewhere between small-group swing and bebop. This CD contains all of that group's 12 recordings, including memorable versions of "Rifftide" and "Stuffy"; trombonist Vic Dickenson guests on four tracks. 

This CD concludes with one of Hawkins' rarest sessions, an Aladdin date from 1947 that finds the veteran tenor leading a septet that includes 20-year-old trumpeter Miles Davis. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/hollywood-stampede-mw0000203302

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins; Alto Saxophone – Howard Johnson (6) (tracks: 13 to 16); Bass – John Simmons (tracks: 9 to 12), Oscar Pettiford (tracks: 1 to 8); Bass [Probably] – Curley Russell (tracks: 13 to 16); Drums – Denzil Best (tracks: 1 to 12); Drums [Probably] – Max Roach (tracks: 13 to 16); Guitar – Allan Reuss (tracks: 1 to 12); Piano – Hank Jones (tracks: 13 to 16), Sir Charles Thompson (tracks: 1 to 12); Trombone – Kai Winding (tracks: 13 to 16), Vic Dickenson (tracks: 5 to 8); Trumpet – Howard McGhee (tracks: 1 to 12), Miles Davis (tracks: 13 to 16)

Hollywood Stampede

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Oscar Pettiford - The Manhattan Jazz Septette

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:13
Size: 167,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. King Porter Stomp
(2:59)  2. Never Never Land
(2:51)  3. Like Listen
(2:54)  4. Since When
(2:25)  5. Love of My Live
(2:34)  6. Rapid Transit
(3:23)  7. Flute Cocktail
(3:41)  8. At Bat for K.C.
(3:15)  9. Do You Know What It Means to Miss new orleans ?
(3:10) 10. My Shining Hour
(3:17) 11. Thou Svelt
(2:13) 12. There'll Never Be Another You
(2:47) 13. Bull Market
(3:12) 14. Portrait of Jennie
(2:32) 15. Judy's Jaunt
(2:51) 16. Nina Never Knew
(3:15) 17. Walking Down
(3:13) 18. Gal in Calico
(2:59) 19. I Like to Recognise the Tune
(3:10) 20. Any Place I Hang My Hat
(2:51) 21. Love Is for the Very Young
(2:54) 22. Holiday
(3:14) 23. Ya' Gotta Have Rhythm
(2:37) 24. What Am I Here For

An impressive album presented here for the first time on CD, which combines great soloists with sophisticated arrangements by Manny Albam. As a bonus, we present another complete album, Guitar and the Wind, including many of the same musicians as our primary recording (Urbie Green, Eddie Costa, Osie Johnson and Barry Galbraith, who was the leader), and bearing a similar musical concept. This album was recorded exactly two years after the Manhattan Jazz Septette session and also includes brilliant saxophonist Bobby Jaspar and bassist Milt Hinton instead of Pettiford. 24 tracks total. Lonehill Jazz. 2006. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Jazz-Septette-Oscar-Pettiford/dp/B000HIVPK4

Personnel: Oscar Pettiford (b), Urbie Green (tb), Hal McKusick (as), Herbie Mann (fl, ts), Eddie Costa (p, vib), Barry Galbraith (g), Osie Johnson (d), Manny Albam (arr).

The Manhattan Jazz Septette

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Bernard Peiffer - Bernie's Tune

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:10
Size: 99,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:14)  1. Lover Come Back to Me
(3:37)  2. You Took Advantage of Me
(2:33)  3. Rhumblues
(3:38)  4. S Wonderful
(5:18)  5. Black Moon
(4:19)  6. Ah-Leu-Cha
(6:32)  7. Blues on the Wing
(3:15)  8. Bernie's Tune
(3:19)  9. Lullaby of the Leaves
(4:21) 10. Blues for Slobs

A rare American session by French pianist Bernard Peiffer one of the stronger stars of the Paris scene of the 50s, working here with US players that include Ed Thigpen, Joe Puma, and Oscar Pettiford. Tracks are short and playful, in keeping with Peiffer's style and titles include "Bernie's Tune", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Rhumblues", "Black Moon", "Ah Leu Cha", and "S Wonderful".© 1996-2019, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/730076?filterfield=veryrecent&sort_order=date_added

Personnel:  Piano – Bernard Peiffer; Bass – Chuck Andrus, Oscar Pettiford; Drums – Edmund Thigpen; Guitar – Joe Puma

Bernie's Tune

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Duke Jordan - Do it Yourself Jazz Vol.1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:50
Size: 120,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:55)  1. Sometimes I'm Happy
(7:30)  2. Embraceable You
(4:57)  3. Jordu
(4:31)  4. Oh Yeah
(7:14)  5. Pennies from Heaven
(7:51)  6. Yesterdays
(5:20)  7. It's Only a Paper Moon
(5:28)  8. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To

Duke Jordan was a pianist whose work with the saxophonist Charlie Parker endures in the jazz pantheon. Jordan was regarded as one of the great early bebop pianists, the sound that he helped to create in the postwar era was something new, and it remains a cornerstone of jazz. Irving Sydney Jordan was born in New York in 1922, and began his formal piano studies at the age of eight.He continued to study piano until he was 16, playing in the school band at Brooklyn Automotive High. After graduation in 1939 he joined the septet of trombonist Steve Pulliam. This combo, appearing in an amateur contest at the New York World's Fair that summer, won a prize and earned the attention of John Hammond, who was impressed by the teen-aged efforts of young Duke. The unit stayed together for a year or two, after which Duke entered what, was almost certainly the most important formative phase of his career. Jazz was undergoing a quiet but vital upheaval in 1941. Around the time when Duke Jordan went to work at a club in Harlem, the experiments that were to crystallize in the form of bebop had gotten underway at several uptown clubs. The group was under the nominal leadership of Clark Monroe, the veteran night club host who was involved in the operation of a series of clubs, including his own Uptown House where Charlie Parker first worked in New York. Thus, though Duke gained his first experience in jazz through the records of Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum and their contemporaries, he was exposed early to the work of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, as well as to Gillespie and Parker. Duke was one of the very first to play in what was then a revolutionary new style; in fact the only other bop pianists of any note on the 52nd Street horizon, aside from Powell himself, were Al Haig, Billy Taylor and George Wallington. For a while Duke played with Coleman Hawkins at Kelly's Stable, in a combo similar to the one that had been organized by Clark Monroe. 

After this he returned to the uptown front, working for a year with a “jump band” called the Savoy Sultans, which functioned as a part-time house band at the late lamented Savoy Ballroom. Charlie Parker was sufficiently impressed by Duke to hire him for his quintet. Duke worked intermittently for Bird during this period (1946-48), the other members of the group being Miles Davis, Max Roach and Tommy Potter. A handful of recordings from 1947 and 1948 featuring Parker, along with Miles Davis on trumpet, Jordan on piano and Max Roach on drums, are considered masterpieces. They include “Embraceable You,” “Crazeology,” and “Scrapple From the Apple.” During the Bird years Duke played for a few months with Roy Eldridge, recording on a big band date with Roy. Later, after leaving Bird, he worked with the Stan Getz combo in 1949. During the 1950s he free-lanced around New York, gigging with Oscar Pettiford, with off-night groups at Birdland, and also spending some time with Gene Ammons' band. His work in the 1950’s sometimes embraced more of a blues and gospel feeling but never left the fundamentals of the bebop sound.It was about 1954 that Duke began to develop as a composer. His first and best known original, “Jordu,” was recorded first by the Max Roach-Clifford Brown quintet; soon after, Duke cut it as a sideman with a Julius Watkins group for a ten-inch LP on Blue Note. In 1958 he was in Europe for a time with Kenny Dorham, Don Byas and Kenny Clarke. Jordan's career drifted for a while in the late 60s, during which period he worked as a New York cab driver. In the 1970’s, he began a new life as a leader of trios and quartets in Copenhagen, where he settled permanently in 1978. He recorded more than 30 albums for the Danish label SteepleChase Records, but his 1960 date for Blue Note “Flight to Jordan,” remains his most recognized album endeavor. Duke Jordan remained in Denmark until his passing in August of 2006. Parts of this bio by Leonard Feather. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/dukejordan

Personnel: Duke Jordan - piano;  Oscar Pettiford - bass;  Kenny Clarke - drums

Do it Yourself Jazz  Vol.1

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Woody Herman - Keeper Of The Flame

Styles: Clarinet, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:21
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:04)  1. That's Right
(2:52)  2. Lemon Drop
(3:14)  3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(3:07)  4. I Ain't Gettin' Any Younger
(3:12)  5. Early Autumn
(3:05)  6. More Than You Know
(3:03)  7. Keeper Of The Flame
(3:14)  8. The Crickets
(3:13)  9. More Moon
(3:11) 10. Detour Ahead
(3:12) 11. Jamaica Rhumba
(2:53) 12. Not Really The Blues
(2:57) 13. Tenderly
(2:42) 14. Lollipop
(2:37) 15. I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You
(3:13) 16. You've Got A Date with The Blues
(3:10) 17. Rhapsody In wood
(2:57) 18. The Great Lie
(3:14) 19. In The Beginning

Subtitled The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Four Brothers Band, this CD contains 19 selections from Herman's Second Herd, including three songs never before released. Top-heavy with major soloists (including trumpeters Red Rodney and Shorty Rogers; trombonist Bill Harris; tenors Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Gene Ammons; and vibraphonist Terry Gibbs; not to mention Herman himself), this boppish band may have cost the leader a small fortune but they created timeless music. Highlights include "Early Autumn" (a ballad performance that made Stan Getz a star), the riotous "Lemon Drop," and Gene Ammons' strong solo on "More Moon." 

~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/keeper-of-the-flame-the-complete-capitol-recordings-mw0000075785

Personnel:  Clarinet – Woody Herman;  Alto Saxophone – Sam Marowitz, Woody Herman;  Baritone Saxophone – Serge Chaloff;  Bass – Chubby Jackson (tracks: 1 to 7), Joe Mondragon (tracks: 13 to 19), Oscar Pettiford (tracks: 8 to 12);  Drums – Don Lamond (tracks: 1 to 7), Shelly Manne (tracks: 8 to 19);  Piano – Lou Levy;  Tenor Saxophone – Al Cohn (tracks: 1 to 7), Buddy Savitt (tracks: 8 to 19), Gene Ammons (tracks: 8 to 19), Jimmy Giuffre (tracks: 8 to 19), Stan Getz (tracks: 1 to 7), Zoot Sims (tracks: 1 to 7);  Trombone – Bart Varsalona (tracks: 8 to 19), Bill Harris, Bob Swift (tracks: 1 to 7), Earl Swope, Ollie Wilson ; Trumpet – Al Porcino (tracks: 8 to 19), Bernie Glow (tracks: 1 to 7), Charlie Walp (tracks: 8 to 19), Ernie Royal, Red Rodney (tracks: 1 to 7), Shorty Rogers, Stan Fishelson;  Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs (tracks: 1 to 7, 10 to 19);  Vocals – Mary Ann McCall (tracks: 1 to 9), Woody Herman

Keeper Of The Flame

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Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:24
Size: 100,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:50)  1. Brilliant Corners
(13:19)  2. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
( 8:56)  3. Pannonica
( 5:31)  4. I Surrender, Dea
( 7:46)  5. Bemsha Swing

Although Brilliant Corners is Thelonious Monk's third disc for Riverside, it's the first on the label to weigh in with such heavy original material. Enthusiasts who become jaded to the idiosyncratic nature of Monk's playing or his practically arithmetical chord progressions should occasionally revisit Brilliant Corners. There is an inescapable freshness and vitality saturated into every measure of every song. The passage of time makes it all the more difficult to imagine any other musicians bearing the capacity to support Monk with such ironic precision. The assembled quartet for the lion's share of the sessions included Max Roach (percussion), Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Oscar Pettiford (bass), and Ernie Henry (alto sax). Although a compromise, the selection of Miles Davis' bassist, Paul Chambers, and Clark Terry (trumpet) on "Bemsha Swing" reveals what might be considered an accident of ecstasy, as they provide a timeless balance between support and being able to further the cause musically. Likewise, Roach's timpani interjections supply an off-balanced sonic surrealism while progressing the rhythm in and out of the holes provided by Monk's jackrabbit leads. It's easy to write Monk's ferocity and Forrest Gump-esque ingenuity off as gimmick or quirkiness. What cannot be dismissed is Monk's ability to translate emotions into the language of music, as in the freedom and abandon he allows through Sonny Rollins' and Max Roach's mesmerizing solos in "Brilliant Corners." 

The childlike innocence evoked by Monk's incorporation of the celeste during the achingly beautiful ode "Pannonica" raises the emotional bar several degrees. Perhaps more pointed, however, is the impassioned "I Surrender, Dear" the only solo performance on the album. Brilliant Corners may well be considered the alpha and omega of post-World War II American jazz. No serious jazz collection should be without it. ~ Lindsay Planer https://www.allmusic.com/album/brilliant-corners-mw0000188572

Personnel:  Thelonious Monk – piano; piano and celeste on "Pannonica", solo piano on I Surrender Dear;  Ernie Henry – alto saxophone on "Brilliant Corners", "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are" and in ensemble on "Pannonica";  Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone (except "I Surrender Dear");  Oscar Pettiford – double bass on "Brilliant Corners", "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are" and "Pannonica";  Max Roach – drums (except "I Surrender Dear"); timpani on "Bemsha Swing";  Clark Terry – trumpet on "Bemsha Swing";  Paul Chambers – double bass on "Bemsha Swing"

Brilliant Corners

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Teddy Wilson - Interaction

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:17
Size: 83.1 MB
Styles: Swing, Piano jazz
Year: 1995/2017
Art: Front

[2:03] 1. If Dreams Came True
[3:07] 2. Untitled
[2:52] 3. After You've Gone
[2:25] 4. Sweet Lorraine
[3:06] 5. Red Bank Boogie
[3:02] 6. How High The Moon
[3:12] 7. Tea For Two
[4:19] 8. The Way You Look Tonight
[3:47] 9. Stompin' At The Savoy
[3:19] 10. You're My Favorite Melody
[4:58] 11. The Sheik Of Araby

Bass – Oscar Pettiford; Clarinet – Edmond Hall; Drums – Morey Feld, Big Sid Catlett, Specs Powell; Guitar – Remo Palmieri; Piano – Teddy Wilson; Trombone – Benny Morton; Trumpet – Charlie Shavers, Cootie Williams, Roy Eldridge; Vibraphone – Red Norvo. Recorded June 15 & December 22, 1944, these recording were made for broadcasts.

The tracks on this album were recorded between June 15 and December 22, 1944. Featured in these great sessions are Teddy Wilson on piano; Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers and Cootie Williams on trumpet; Benny Morton on trombone; Edmund Hall on clarinet; Red Norvo on vibraphone; Remo Palmieri on guitar; Al Hall, Oscar Pettitford and Slam Stewart on bass; and Big Sid Catlett, Morey Feld and Specs Powell on drums. What all-star swinging lineups.

This is brilliant music. Note that there is actually an untitled Track 2, which is a great tune, bringing the total number of tracks to 11. Highly recommended. ~Jack J. Bieler

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Lucky Thompson - Accent on Tenor Sax

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:00
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:25)  1. Tune For Tex
( 6:24)  2. Where Or When
( 8:05)  3. Mr. E-Z
(13:13)  4. Kamman's A'Comin'
( 7:33)  5. Ever So Easy
( 3:20)  6. Salute To Charlie Parker
( 4:18)  7. Mood Indigo
( 5:02)  8. Easy To Love
( 3:35)  9. Prelude To A Mood

Born in Columbia, SC, on June 16, 1924, tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson bridged the gap between the physical dynamism of swing and the cerebral intricacies of bebop, emerging as one of his instrument's foremost practitioners and a stylist par excellence. Eli Thompson's lifelong nickname the byproduct of a jersey, given him by his father, with the word "lucky" stitched across the chest -- would prove bitterly inappropriate: when he was five, his mother died, and the remainder of his childhood, spent largely in Detroit, was devoted to helping raise his younger siblings. Thompson loved music, but without hope of acquiring an instrument of his own, he ran errands to earn enough money to purchase an instructional book on the saxophone, complete with fingering chart. He then carved imitation lines and keys into a broom handle, teaching himself to read music years before he ever played an actual sax. According to legend, Thompson finally received his own saxophone by accident a delivery company mistakenly dropped one off at his home along with some furniture, and after graduating high school and working briefly as a barber, he signed on with Erskine Hawkins' 'Bama State Collegians, touring with the group until 1943, when he joined Lionel Hampton and settled in New York City. Soon after his arrival in the Big Apple, Thompson was tapped to replace Ben Webster during his regular gig at the 52nd Street club the Three Deuces Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Art Tatum were all in attendance at Thompson's debut gig, and while he deemed the performance a disaster (a notorious perfectionist, he was rarely if ever pleased with his work), he nevertheless quickly earned the respect of his peers and became a club fixture. 

After a stint with bassist Slam Stewart, Thompson again toured with Hampton before joining singer Billy Eckstine's short-lived big band that included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey in other words, the crucible of bebop. But although he played on some of the earliest and most influential bop dates, Thompson never fit squarely within the movement's paradigm his playing boasted an elegance and formal power all his own, with an emotional depth rare among the tenor greats of his generation. He joined the Count Basie Orchestra in late 1944, exiting the following year while in Los Angeles and remaining there until 1946, in the interim playing on and arranging a series of dates for the Exclusive label. Thompson returned to the road when Gillespie hired him to replace Parker in their epochal combo he also played on Parker's landmark March 28, 1946, session for Dial, and that same year was a member of the Charles Mingus and Buddy Collette-led Stars of Swing which, sadly, never recorded. More...Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lucky-thompson-mn0000302799/biography             

Personnel: Lucky Thompson (tenor sax), Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet), Billy Taylor (piano), Sidney Gross (guitar on #1-3), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Osie Johnson (drums).

Accent on Tenor Sax

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Max Roach - Deeds, Not Words

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:50
Size: 102,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:49)  1. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(7:09)  2. Filide
(4:15)  3. It's You Or No One
(4:59)  4. Jodie's Cha-Cha
(4:37)  5. Deeds, Not Words
(5:15)  6. Larry-Larue
(3:51)  7. Conversation
(5:51)  8. There Will Never Be Another You

This Max Roach Riverside date is notable for featuring the great young trumpeter Booker Little and for utilizing Ray Draper's tuba as a melody instrument; tenor saxophonist George Coleman and bassist Art Davis complete the excellent quintet. 

Highlights include "It's You or No One," "You Stepped Out of a Dream," and Roach's unaccompanied drum piece "Conversation." This is fine music from a group that was trying to stretch themselves beyond hard bop.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/deeds-not-words-mw0000651771      

Personnel: Max Roach (drums); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Booker Little (trumpet); Ray Draper (tuba); Art Davis, Oscar Pettiford (bass).

Deeds, Not Words

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Oscar Pettiford Sextet - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:58
Size: 91.5 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1954/2016
Art: Front

[9:43] 1. Burt's Pad
[5:58] 2. Marcel The Furrier
[3:07] 3. Ondine
[5:08] 4. Stardust
[2:32] 5. E-Lag
[4:26] 6. Rhumblues
[6:25] 7. Burt's Pad (Alternate Take)
[2:36] 8. E-Lag (Alternate Take)

Bass – Oscar Pettiford; Cello [In Re-recording] – Oscar Pettiford (tracks: 6); Drum – Max Roach; Guitar – Tal Farlow; Piano – Henri Renaud; Tenor Saxophone – Al Cohn; Trombone – Kai Winding. Recorded in New York City by Vogue Records, March 13th, 1954. Digitally remastered from original master tapes in 24-bit (Le Source Mastering, Paris, France).

The six main selections on this CD were last released as part of a Prestige LP titled The Oscar Pettiford Memorial Album, also including four tunes from a Serge Chaloff set. The CD reissue adds two alternate takes to the excellent session which features Pettiford on occasional bass solos and (on "Rhumblues") overdubbed on cello. The superior set also features tenor saxophonist Al Cohn, trombonist Kai Winding, guitarist Tal Farlow, French pianist Henri Renaud and drummer Max Roach -- quite an all-star group. Renaud contributed two of the songs which also include numbers by Hoagy Carmichael ("Stardust"), Gerry Mulligan and both Leonard and Jane Feather. The music is straight-ahead, with "Burt's Pad" (heard in two versions) going on for over 9½ minutes. A fine CD that is easily recommended to bop collectors. ~Scott Yanow

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Jimmy Cleveland - Introducing Jimmy Cleveland & His All Stars

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:30
Size: 127.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Swing
Year: 1955/2007
Art: Front

[5:46] 1. Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
[4:59] 2. You Don't Know What Love Is
[4:25] 3. Vixen
[4:00] 4. My One And Only Love
[7:39] 5. Little Beaver
[3:29] 6. Love Is Here To Stay
[6:33] 7. Count 'em
[5:38] 8. Bone Brother
[4:11] 9. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[5:15] 10. See Minor
[3:29] 11. Love Is Here To Stay (Alternate Version)

Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne; Bass – Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers (3); Drums – Max Roach, Osie Johnson; Guitar – Barry Galbraith; Piano – Hank Jones, John Williams; Tenor Saxophone – Lucky Thompson; Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland; Trumpet – Ernie Royal. First session August 4, 1955; Second session August 12, 1955; Third session November 22, 1955.

The first of five albums headed by trombonist Jimmy Cleveland during 1955-1959 (he has not led any since), this out of print LP (which was reissued by Trip in the 1970s) features Cleveland in medium-size groups with trumpeter Ernie Royal; either Lucky Thompson or Jerome Richardson on tenor; baritonist Cecil Payne; Hank Jones, John Williams, or Wade Legge on piano; Barry Galbraith, Paul Chambers, or Oscar Pettiford on bass; and either Max Roach, Osie Johnson, or Joe Harris on drums. The all-star cast interprets a variety of Quincy Jones arrangements, alternating standards with lesser-known originals, and although many of his sidemen get fine spots, Cleveland generally wins solo honors. ~Scott Yanow

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Sam Most - Sam Most Plays Bird, Bud, Monk & Miles

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:16
Size: 92,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:26)  1. Strictly Confidential
(3:42)  2. Half Nelson
(5:31)  3. 'Round Midnight
(3:56)  4. In Walked Bud
(6:04)  5. Serpent's Tooth
(3:45)  6. Celia
(4:12)  7. Confirmation
(7:36)  8. Bluebird

One of the first great jazz flutists, a cool-toned tenor, and a fine (if infrequent) clarinetist, Sam Most was the younger brother of clarinetist Abe Most. He picked up early experience playing with the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey (1948), Boyd Raeburn, and Don Redman. By the time he led his first session (1953), Most was a brilliant flutist (among the first to sing through his flute) and he briefly had the jazz field to himself. 

Most recorded fine sessions for Prestige, Debut (reissued on Xanadu), Vanguard, and Bethlehem during 1953-1958, doubling on clarinet. He also worked in different settings with Chris Connor, Paul Quinichette, and Teddy Wilson. After playing with Buddy Rich's Orchestra (1959-1961), he moved to Los Angeles and became a studio musician. Sam Most worked with Red Norvo and Louie Bellson, gained some new prominence with his Xanadu recordings of 1976-1979, and became a local fixture in Los Angeles, sometimes playing in clubs with his brother. Most died of cancer in June 2013; he was 82 years old. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sam-most-plays-bird-bud-monk-miles-remastered-2013/689372772

Personnel:  Sam Most - Clarinet;  David Schildkraut - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone;  Oscar Pettiford - Bass;  Tommy Potter - Bass;  Paul Motian - Drums;  Bob Dorough - Piano;  Dick Meldonian, Eddie Wasserman, Marty Flax - Tenor Saxophone, Bill Elton, Frank Rehak, Jim Dahl - Trombone;   Al Stewart, Charles Harmon, Don Stratton, Doug Mettome, Ed Reider, III - Trumpet

Sam Most Plays Bird, Bud, Monk & Miles

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Ernie Henry - Last Chorus

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:20
Size: 104,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Autumn Leaves
(6:28)  2. Beauty And The Blues
(7:49)  3. All The Things You Are
(2:41)  4. Melba's Tune
(4:54)  5. S'Posin'
(6:58)  6. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
(4:40)  7. Like Someone In Love
(8:31)  8. Cleo's Chant

Ernie Henry was a promising alto saxophonist who passed away prematurely on December 29, 1957, when he was only 31. He had recorded his album Seven Standards and a Blues on September 30, and four songs for an uncompleted octet date on September 23. This CD reissue has the latter tunes (which feature trumpeter Lee Morgan; trombonist Melba Liston, who contributed "Melba's Tune"; tenor saxophonist Benny Golson; and pianist Wynton Kelly), an alternate take from the Seven Standards set ("Like Someone in Love"), a leftover track from the preceding year ("Cleo's Chant"), the solos of Thelonious Monk and Henry (from the lengthy "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are"), and an alternate version of "S'posin'" taken from the altoist's final recording (a quartet outing with trumpeter Kenny Dorham). Overall, the music is fine and, surprisingly, does not have an unfinished air about it. It does make one wish that Ernie Henry had taken better care of his health, as he was just beginning to develop a sound of his own. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/last-chorus-mw0000036951

Personnel:  Ernie Henry - alto saxophone;  Kenny Dorham,  Lee Morgan – trumpet;  Melba Liston – trombone;  Benny Golson, Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone;  Cecil Payne - baritone saxophone;  Kenny Drew, Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk – piano;  Paul Chambers, Eddie Mathias, Oscar Pettiford, Wilbur Ware – bass;  G. T. Hogan, Philly Joe Jones, Max Roach , Art Taylor - drums

Last Chorus

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Kenny Dorham - Afro-Cuban

Styles: Trumpet Jazz

Year: 1955

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 45:45

Size: 107,0 MB

Art: Front

(5:02)  1. Afrodisia

(4:18)  2. Lotus Flower

(4:26)  3. Minor's Holiday

(5:02)  4. Basheer's Dream

(5:32)  5. K.D.'s Motion

(5:19)  6. La Villa

(5:26)  7. Venita's Dance

(6:07)  8. Echo of Spring (aka K.D.'s Cab Ride)

(4:28)  9. Minor's Holiday (Alternate Take)

The fabled Spanish tinge has hovered on the fringes of jazz a lot longer ago that it was known to have been introduced into that idiom. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton may have been the first to “claim” to have introduced it into the music, but in reality it is neither a proven but for Alan Lomax’s 1938 wax masters in the Library of Congress nor is necessary. Suffice it to say that the phrase Spanish tinge is a reference to the belief that an Afro-Latin rhythmic touch offers a reliable method of spicing the more conventional 4/4 rhythms commonly used in jazz music. The rhythm adaptation came from mimicking the sensuously quick step of the tresillo and shuffling skip of the habanera from Cuba of the day into the 4/4 rhythmic intervals of jazz. This is what is known today as clave, and once Dizzy Gillespie got a hold of it in the 1940s it has been in much greater use and thanks to the plethora of Afro-Caribbean folk forms has been almost completely embraced by musicians playing in the jazz idiom. However, those priceless recordings from the 1940s and 1950s, most precious among them being a 1993 compilation featuring selections by Machito and his orchestra entitled The Original Mambo Kings An Introduction to Afro-Cubop 1948-1954, which seduced such luminaries as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Flip Phillips and Howard McGhee and the ineffable Mario Bauzá as well. Another classic recording was the 1955 recording Afro-Cuban featuring by Kenny Dorham and spotlighting the percussionist Carlos “Patato” Valdés.

Mr. Dorham had a sensationally pristine tone; husky and sensuous and full of forthright humility. His best work bespoke the rapid fire rhythm of bebop coloured in golden bronze. On Afro-Cuban he doffs his proverbial hat to the rhythms of the Afro-Caribbean part of the southern continent with full-blooded and messianic fervour. The album combines five tracks played in this vein and five tracks without the Carlos “Patato” Valdés. The Afro-Cuban music rumbles with the gravitas of the great bassist, Oscar Pettiford and baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne. Mr. Dorham soars over them like a majestic condor, howling on the wing as he mashes triplets with hot arpeggios and buttery glissandi. The group also features the dry warmth of tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and the legendary trombonist J. J. Johnson. Carlos “Patato” Valdés is not the only crowning glory. That honour also belongs to Art Blakey, who trades “fourths” with Mr. Valdés. All of this makes for memorable charts such as “Afrodisia” the bolero-melded-into-a ballad, “Lotus Blossom.” Mr. Dorham’s playing is absolutely celestial here. The racy “Minor’s Holiday” provides a welcome change of pace for the rhythmists, but Mr. Dorham is utterly cool in his solo. Horace Silver, the pianist on this date is almost too self-effacing as he plays quietly tempered soli whenever he is called upon to do so, both here as well as on the beguiling “Basheer’s Dream.”

The rest of the album features alumni from this session without Mr. Pettiford, who is replaced by Percy Heath. This session begins with the medium fast blues, “K.D’s Motion” in which Mr. Dorham ad-libs for four glorious choruses before handing over to Hank Mobley. Horace Silver also displays splendid form in his solo. “La Villa” features a twisting melody played at great speed. Mr. Dorham solos beautifully and yammers almost endlessly and Mr. Silver chops up a fine solo here too before the song returns to its erudite and gravity-defying unison setting. “Venita’s Dance” features a skipping rhythm swathed in a pensive melodic line. Mr. Dorham is once again brilliant and Hank Mobley is sinewy; but he is matched muscle for muscle by Cecil Payne and Horace Silver. “K.D’s Cab Ride,” another scorching bebop chart completes this unforgettable album, one that ought to make into every true enthusiast’s collection.https://latinjazznet.com/reviews/cds/essential-albums/kenny-dorham-afro-cuban/

Personnel: Kenny Dorham: trumpet; J.J. Johnson: trombone; Hank Mobley: tenor saxophone; Cecil Payne: baritone saxophone; Horace Silver: piano; Oscar Pettiford: bass (1 – 4, 9); Art Blakey: drums; Carlos “Patato” Valdes: congas (1 – 4, 9); Ritchie Goldberg: cowbell (1 – 4, 9); Percy Heath: bass (5 – 8).

Afro-Cuban

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Gil Mellé - Patterns In Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:00
Size: 84,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:50)  1. The Set Break
(5:15)  2. Weird Valley
(9:07)  3. The Arab Barber Blues
(8:18)  4. Nice Question
(4:55)  5. Moonlight In Vermont
(4:33)  6. Long Ago And Far Away

Like the modern art that stormed the art world in the '50s, Patterns in Jazz is filled with bright, bold colors and identifiable patterns that camouflage how adventurous the work actually is. On the surface, the music is cool and laid-back, but close listening reveals the invention in Melle's compositions and arrangements of the standards "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Long Ago and Far Away." Part of the charm of Patterns in Jazz is the unusual instrumental balance of Melle's bari sax, Eddie Bert's trombone, Joe Cinderella's guitar, and Oscar Pettiford's bass. These low, throaty instruments sound surprisingly light and swinging. Compared to the two standards, Melle's original compositions are a little short on melody, but they give the musicians room to improvise, resulting in some dynamic music. Ultimately, Patterns in Jazz is cerebral music that swings it's entertaining, but stimulating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/patterns-in-jazz-mw0000463220

Personnel:  Gil Mellé - tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone;  Eddie Bert – trombone;  Joe Cinderella – guitar;  Oscar Pettiford – bass;  Ed Thigpen - drums

Patterns In Jazz

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