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Anderson, Ernestine - Ernestine Anderson
(Mercury SR-60074 US-58 EX 600:-)
This is singer Ernestine Anderson's first full-length U.S. recording session. The program only clocks in at 31 1/2 minutes and some of the performances are remarkably brief (including a 59-second version of "There Will Never Be Another You"). Backed by an orchestra arranged by Pete Rugolo, Anderson (who was at the time influenced by Dinah Washington) is in good voice and swings without getting very far from the melodies. The highlights are "Stardust," "Social Call," "A Sleepin' Bee" and particularly a touching "My Ship." | ![]() | Austin, Sil - Everything's Shakin'
(Mercury MG-20320 US-58 VG+ 400:-)
Though jazz remained his first love, tenor saxophonist Sil Austin recorded in a variety of genres over the course of his long career, including R&B, jump blues, country, pop, and even (on one occasion) disco-ish funk. His biggest breaks came in 1949, when he joined up first with Roy Eldridge and then with Cootie Williams' Birdland house band, where he stayed for three years. After spending 1953-1954 with Tiny Bradshaw (who helped him write the song that Ella Fitzgerald later turned into his nickname, "Ping Pong"), Austin struck out on his own and signed with Mercury, scoring a Top Five R&B/Top 20 pop hit with 1956's "Slow Walk." | ![]() | Bailey, Mildred - Me and the Blues
(Regent MG-6032 US-57 EX 400:-)
Mildred Bailey was quite popular for a time, being married to vibraphonist Red Norvo; the couple was referred to as "Mr. & Mrs. Swing." After their divorce, the swinging vocalist continued to record until diabetes sidelined her not long before her premature death in 1951. This album contains recordings that she made with the Eddie Sauter Orchestra and the Ellis Larkins Orchestra, along with a small group date with a rhythm section led by Larkins. Bailey's sweet voice and clear enunciation give her a little girl quality at times. Her moving take of Mel Tormé's "Born to be Blue" and softly swinging "Lover, Come Back to Me" are among the highlights. | ![]() | Baker, Chet - Chet Baker Sextet
(Vogue LDE-159 UK-55 VG+ 300:-)
Chet Baker Sextet features tracks recorded by trumpeter Chet Baker in 1954 and 1957 for the Pacific Jazz label and released over the years on various albums. While there are far more influential Baker albums from the '50s, Sextet is a beautiful album and a must-hear for Baker aficionados. | ![]() | Bechet, Sidney - Giant of Jazz, vol 1
(Blue Note BLP-1203 US-55 VG+ 600:-)
Sidney Bechet was the first important jazz soloist on records in history (beating Louis Armstrong by a few months). A brilliant soprano saxophonist and clarinetist with a wide vibrato that listeners either loved or hated, Bechet's style did not evolve much through the years but he never lost his enthusiasm or creativity. A master at both individual and collective improvisation within the genre of New Orleans jazz, Bechet was such a dominant player that trumpeters found it very difficult to play with him. Bechet wanted to play lead and it was up to the other horns to stay out of his way. "Lexington Ave" labels. | ![]() | Bechet, Sidney - Giant of Jazz, vol 2
(Blue Note BLP-1204 US-58 VG+ 500:-)
Sidney Bechet was the first important jazz soloist on records in history (beating Louis Armstrong by a few months). A brilliant soprano saxophonist and clarinetist with a wide vibrato that listeners either loved or hated, Bechet's style did not evolve much through the years but he never lost his enthusiasm or creativity. A master at both individual and collective improvisation within the genre of New Orleans jazz, Bechet was such a dominant player that trumpeters found it very difficult to play with him. Bechet wanted to play lead and it was up to the other horns to stay out of his way. "W.63rd St" labels. | ![]() | Bobo, Willie - Juicy
(Verve V6-8685 US-67 EX 300:-)
Willie Bobo's music is triangulated between Latin jazz, what by the mid-'60s had come to be called soul-jazz, and good old-fashioned lounge-act kitsch. None of the three influences overwhelms the others on 1967's Juicy, although from the lubricious title and cover photo on down, there's a certain "swingin' at Hef's pad" vibe to the proceedings that makes this album of particular interest to latter-day hipsters. Most of the song selection consists of soul-jazz covers of popular hits of the day, from a funky take on Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood" to a bossa nova-fied version of Bob Crewe's "Music to Watch Girls By," but the real standouts are the small handful of band originals, particularly the fiery groove of the title track, on which Bobo's timbales get their hardest workout. | ![]() | Carter, Benny - Swingin' the 20's
(Contemporary S-7561 US-58 EX 400:-)
Combining altoist Benny Carter with pianist Earl Hines in a quartet is an idea with plenty of potential, but the results of this 1958 session are relaxed rather than explosive. Carter and Hines explore a dozen tunes (standards as well as forgotten songs like "All Alone" and "Mary Lou") with respect and light swing, but one wishes that there were a bit more competitiveness to replace some of the mutual respect. | ![]() | Coltrane, John - Kulu sé Mama
(Impulse AS-9106 US-66 EX 800:-)
This LP features John Coltrane in two different settings. "Vigil" and the spiritual ballad "Welcome" showcase tenor saxophonist Coltrane with his classic quartet (pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones) in June 1965. Dating from October 14, 1965, it adds tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, Donald Garrett on bass clarinet and second bass, second drummer Frank Butler, and percussionist-vocalist Juno Lewis to the quartet and is a bit of an oddity. Lewis' chanting and colorful percussion make this a unique if not essential entry in Coltrane's discography. | ![]() | Davis, Miles - Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings
(Prestige/Fantasy P-012 US-80 EX 1500:-)
Rare Mono 94-track Limited Edition (#3946 of only 10 000 copies made). Beautiful designed cover, looks like a book, incl. a long essay written by Dan Morgenstern. Plus a discography and extensive information about the recorded tracks. This is the entire output of Miles Davis for Prestige Records between 1951 and late 1956. A Gem for every serious collector! | ![]() | Davis, Miles - Early Miles
(Prestige PRLP-7168 US-59 EX 800:-)
This album compiles early Miles Davis sides from two different Prestige sessions of the early 50s. One features Miles with a sextet that includes Sonny Rollins, Bennie Green, John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Roy Haynes – on the tracks "Morpheus", "Down", "Blue Room", and "Whispering". The other session features a septet, with Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Leonard Gaskin, and Sonny Truitt. Titles include "Tasty Pudding", "Floppy", "Willie The Wailer", and "For Adults Only". | ![]() | Davis, Miles - The Legendary Masters / Unissued or Rare 1948-60
(RARE LP-08/10 Ita-8? EX 375:-)
Rare Italian 25-track triple LP box set featuring digitally remastered live recordings on three LPs, 1948-52, 1956-59 & 1960, each in their own gold embossed picture sleeve, all housedin a gold embossed slipcase picture box. | ![]() | de Paris, Wilbur - Wilber de Paris plays Cole Porter
(Atlantic 1288 US-58 EX 350:-)
De Paris shines in a selection of Cole Porter tunes he plays with Dixieland zest. | ![]() | Getz & Charlie Byrd, Stan - Jazz Samba
(DCC Compact Classics LPZ-2011 US-95 EX 275:-)
A pivotal album in the development of the bossa nova, and a landmark recording that has Getz and Byrd doing a pretty darn good job of jazzing things up. The rest of the group's American, but the whole thing comes off pretty darn nicely, and the result is an icy cool album filled with dreamy bossa tracks like "Desafinado", "O Pato", "Samba De Uma Nota So", and "Baia".
Limited Numbered Edition (#3526), 180g Pure Virgin Vinyl, Analogue Pressing, Mastered by Steve Hoffman. | ![]() | Gillespie, Dizzy - A Portrait of Duke Ellington
(Verve MGV-8386 US-60 EX 500:-)
A portrait of Duke, done by Dizzy -- and one that's got a whole different feel than you might think! Gillespie's working here with arrangements by a young Clare Fischer -- who takes Ellington's themes and recasts them with an even deeper sense of color and tone -- one that pushes the already-modern themes of the numbers into a whole new realm of sound, and uses the horn passages to carve things out a lot differently than Duke might have done! The result is a wonderfully striking session -- one with familiar melodies that unfold in a whole new way -- and which showcases some great phrasing from Dizzy, over rhythms by a combo that features Hank Jones, George Duvivier, and Charlie Persip -- playing alongside a group of larger horns. Titles include "Perdido", "Caravan", "Upper Manhattan Medical Group", and "Chelsea Bridge". | ![]() | Gillespie, Dizzy - Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Christian 1941
(Esoteric ESJ-4 US-53 VG+ 500:-)
Four Charley Christian Tunes from Minton's 1941; Up on Teddy's Hill, Guy's got to Go, On with Charlie Christian and Down on Teddy's Hill. The Dizzy Gillespie side features Don Byas, Kenny Kersey and Nick Flinton; Stardust and Kerouac. The sleeve is split on top and bottom of the opening - otherwise all in Very Good+ condition. | ![]() | Gillespie, Dizzy - The Dizzy Gillespie Story
(Savoy MG-12110 US-57 EX 400:-)
This set features eight tracks of famed trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie sitting in with Johnny Richards' orchestra at a session that was recorded for the West Coast label Discovery Records (and released under the title Dizzy Gillespie Plays, Johnny Richards Conducts) and four tracks cut with the so-called BeBop Boys from a session held in 1946. Savoy combined the tracks for its 1957 release titled The Dizzy Gillespie Story. | ![]() | Hallberg, Bengt - Bengt Hallberg
(Philips P-08201-L Hol-6? VG+ 350:-)
One of Sweden's top jazz pianists, Bengt Hallberg made his first trio recordings when he was 17. In the 1950s, he recorded with Lars Gullin, Arne Domnérus, and such traveling Americans as Clifford Brown, Stan Gets, and Quincy Jones. He worked as a member of the Swedish Radio Big Band (1956-1963), and, although in demand as a writer for films and television, Hallberg has continued playing jazz on a part-time basis (often with Domnérus and Karin Krog), mostly recording for Swedish labels such as Metronome, Sonet, and Phontastic. | ![]() | Holiday, Billie - Music for Torching
(Clef MG-C-669 US-55 VG+ 500:-)
This album was the first 12" Billie Long-Play and it contains only tracks never previously released. Music For Torching was recorded on the west coast in August of 1955 with the tasteful, relaxed backing of Jimmy Rowles (piano), Harry Edison (trumpet), Benny Carter (saxophone), Larry Bunker (drums) and John Simmons (bass). As for the singing, this is a Billie who has experienced a lot of pain and some joy in the pastt years. She sings more reflectively and less hopefully but with no less depth and warmth. When she's right - and she's absorbingly right on these sides - no one yet is able to touch Billie as the most emotionally striking singer in jazz, 50 years ago or today. Totally recommended." | ![]() | Holiday, Billie - Solitude
(Clef MG-C-690 US-56 EX 800:-)
Classic Billie Holiday – sad, blue-tinged, and recorded with great small combo backing – in a mode that really updates the sound of her initial recordings while still keeping the best elements intact! Players include Oscar Peterson, Alvin Stoller, Barney Kessell, and Ray Brown on the core group – plus bits of added solo work from Flip Phillips on tenor and Charlie Shavers on trumpet. Titles include "Solitude", "Moonglow", "Tenderly", "Everything I Have Is Yours", "East Of The Sun", "You Turned The Tables On Me", and "Easy To Love". | ![]() | Holiday, Billie - Stay with Me
(Verve MGV-8302 US-59 EX 400:-)
Classic Verve material. Billie sings in a warm relaxed setting, with great small combo backing. The record is one of the best we could recommend on the label – and it includes lots of nice tracks like "Everything Happens To Me", "I Wished On The Moon", and "Say It Isn't So". | ![]() | Johnson, Ella & Buddy - Swing Me
(Mercury MG-20347 US-58 EX 500:-)
Ella Johnson made her mark as the vocalist with her brother Buddy Johnson's big band during the '40s and '50s, and that is the context where she really shines. Her later solo sides for Mercury are pale imitations of her work with the band. Although many of Ella's hits are uptempo (e.g., "I Don't Want Nobody"), it is on ballads and torchy blues that she really brings it together. In fact, her earliest work for Decca during the mid-'40s (much of which has not been reissued) is uncannily good. At her best, Ella sounds pouty, vulnerable, and very sexy. Like so much of her life, it was no affectation. The comparison to Billie Holiday is inevitable, but Ella was her own singer. Ella Johnson passed away February 16, 2004, in New York City. | ![]() | Lambert ,Hendricks & Ross - Sing a Song of Basie
(ABC Paramount ABC-223 US-58 EX 400:-)
The premiere vocal jazz group, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross made their recording debut on this classic album. After unsuccessfully searching for a dozen singers in 1957 who could sing vocalese in a re-creation of some famous records by the Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross decided to overdub their voices several times instead. Utilizing just a rhythm section, the vocalists sing the witty and inventive lyrics of Hendricks in note-for-note reproductions of ten Basie records. Highlights include "It's Sand, Man!," "One O'Clock Jump," the up-tempo "Little Pony," and "Avenue C." This record was a sensation when it was released and it is still quite enjoyable and unique. | ![]() | Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - The Swingers!
(World Pacific ST-1025 US-59 EX 350:-)
One of the lesser-known sets by the classic jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, this LP holds its own with their more famous recordings. Assisted by tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, pianist Russ Freeman, and guitarist Jim Hall, among others, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross sound at their best on such numbers as "Airegin," "Jackie" (a feature for Ross), "Swingin' 'Til the Girls Come Home," "Four," and "Now's the Time." This album is recommended to fans of this unique and influential vocal trio. | ![]() | Lawson-Haggart Rockin' Band - Boppin' at the Hop
(Brunswick STA-3010 UK-60 EX 800:-)
These great instrumentals are arranged and played especially for dancing... Nobody sits when the Lawson-Haggart group starts rockin'! | ![]() | Lewis, George - Jazz at Vespers
(London LTZ-U-15112 UK-58 EX 400:-)
This album celebrates what is surely a unique event in both jazz and church history. It was recorded during the regular Sunday evening vesper service at an Espiscopal church in an Ohio college town, a service that was entirely turned over to a programme of spirituals played by the foremost current New Orleans band. | ![]() | McGriff, Jimmy - All about my Girl
(Sue 423.002 Fra-6? EX 500:-)
One of the all-time giants of the Hammond B-3, Jimmy McGriff sometimes gets lost amid all the great soul-jazz organists from his hometown of Philadelphia. He was almost certainly the bluesiest of the major soul-jazz pioneers, and indeed, he often insisted that he was more of a blues musician than a jazz artist; nonetheless, he remained eclectic enough to blur the lines of classification. His sound — deep, down-to-earth grooves drenched in blues and gospel feeling — made him quite popular with R&B audiences, even more so than some of his peers; what was more, he was able to condense those charms into concise, funky, jukebox-ready singles that often did surprisingly well on the R&B charts. | ![]() | Menzies, Ian - Have Tartan...will Trad
(Pye NJL-23 UK-60 EX 400:-)
Everybody loved the Clyde Valley Stompers! Led by trombonist Ian Menzies, they enjoyed a great deal of success and worldwide acclaim including chart hits. They first came to the fore in the 1950s and 60s when there was a great revival for traditional jazz. Scotland produced many excellent musicians during this period and a significant number of them passed through this much loved band! | ![]() | Moody, James - James Moody with Strings
(Blue Note LP-5005 US-52 VG+ 1500:-)
James Moody has been an institution in jazz since the late '40s, whether on tenor, flute, occasional alto, or yodelling his way through his "Moody's Mood for Love." After serving in the Air Force (1943-1946), he joined Dizzy Gillespie's bebop orchestra and began a lifelong friendship with the trumpeter. Moody toured Europe with Gillespie and then stayed overseas for several years, working with Miles Davis, Max Roach, and top European players. After returning to the U.S., Moody formed a septet that lasted for five years, recorded extensively for Prestige and Argo, took up the flute, and then from 1963-1968, was a member of Dizzy Gillespie's quintet. This is the original 1952 10" issue. | ![]() | Mulligan, Gerry - California Concerts
(Pacific Jazz PJ-1201 US-55 EX 500:-)
The California Concerts features the quartet of Mulligan, Jon Eardley, Red Mitchell and original quartet drummer Chico Hamilton. The occasion was a concert on November 12, 1954 at Stockton High School in Stockton, California. The merits of the rhythm section are quite evident. Jon Eardley is a wonderful surprise for those not familiar with him or those who have not listened to his work with Mulligan in years. A well-rounded and distinctive player, he has a great sense of swing and is a thoughtful, fresh improviser. | ![]() | Mulligan, Gerry - Chet Baker / Gerry Mulligan / Buddy de Franco
(Gene Norman GNP-26 US-57 EX 400:-)
A natural extension of Tadd Dameron's bop arranging for big band/big band arranging for small group concept, this album features one of Dameron's compositions ("Lady Bird"), along with a handful of standards: a Miles Davis original and eight Mulligan compositions that truly represent the West Coast style in both sound and spirit. A young but exciting Chet Baker is heard throughout on trumpet; other West Coast notables include Bud Shank, Pete Dancoli and Chico Hamilton, and the entire ensemble performs admirably. Side 2 features the Buddy de Franco Quartet with Kenny Drew and Art Blakey. | ![]() | Mulligan, Gerry - Gerry Mulligan/Paul Desmond
(Fantasy 3-220 US-56 EX 500:-)
Side 1 features the Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker and Chico Hamilton; side 2 features the Paul Desmond Quintet with Dick Collins and Bob Bates. Original issue on Red Vinyl. | ![]() | Mulligan, Gerry - What is there to Say?
(Columbia CL-1307 US-59 EX 300:-)
The last of the pianoless quartet albums that Gerry Mulligan recorded in the 1950s is one of the best, featuring the complementary trumpet of Art Farmer, bassist Bill Crow, and drummer Dave Bailey along with the baritonist/leader. Virtually every selection is memorable, with "What Is There to Say," "Just in Time," "Festive Minor," "My Funny Valentine," and "Utter Chaos" being the high points. Highly recommended both to Mulligan collectors and to jazz listeners who are just discovering the great baritonist. | ![]() | Mulligan, Gerry - A Profile of Gerry Mulligan
(Mercury MG-20453 US-59 EX 450:-)
"A Profile..." was recorded in New York City after Mulligan had returned to his hometown following the 1954 drug bust that ended his starmaking Los Angeles group with Chet Baker. As a result, some call these sessions the first flowering of "West Coast" cool jazz on the Eastern Seaboard, but in point of fact, these tracks can be traced directly back to Mulligan's work with Miles Davis and Gil Evans on the "Birth of the Cool" sessions in 1949. | ![]() | Nichols, Herbie - The Third World
(Blue Note BN-LA-485-H2 US-75 EX 350:-)
One of jazz's most tragically overlooked geniuses, Herbie Nichols was a highly original piano stylist and a composer of tremendous imagination and eclecticism. He wasn't known widely enough to exert much influence in either department, but his music eventually attracted a rabid cult following, though not quite the wide exposure it deserved. | ![]() | Novi Singers - Five, Four, Three
(Polskie Nagrania SX-1120 Pol-74 VG+ 300:-)
With their absolute technical perfection and their musical approach, the vocal jazz ensemble Novi Singers were at the time often compared to Lambert-Ross-Hendricks or Les Double Six. The vast artistic output of the group for the state-owned Polish record label Polskie Nagrania remained a well-kept secret for the Western-European countries and the rest of the world. | ![]() | Pepper, Art - Art Pepper + Eleven
(King/Contemporary GXC-3102 Jap-79 EX 225:-)
This is a true classic. Altoist Art Pepper is joined by an 11-piece band playing Marty Paich arrangements of a dozen jazz standards from the bop and cool jazz era. Trumpeter Jack Sheldon has a few solos, but the focus is very much on the altoist who is in peak form for this period. Throughout, Pepper sounds quite inspired by Paich's charts which feature the band as an active part of the music rather than just in the background. Essential music for all serious jazz collections. | ![]() | Pettiford, Oscar - OP's Jazz Men
(ABC Paramount ABC-227 US-58 VG 500:-)
Oscar Pettiford was an jazz double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in BeBop. Pettiford is considered the pioneer of the cello as a solo instrument in jazz music. He first played the cello as a practical joke on his band leader [Woody Herman] when he walked off stage during his solo spot and came back, unexpectedly with a cello and played on that. In 1949, after suffering a broken arm, Pettiford found it impossible to play his bass, so he experimented with a cello a friend had lent him. Tuning it in fourths, like a double bass, but one octave higher, Pettiford found it possible to perform during his rehabilitation (during which time his arm was in a sling) and made his first recordings with the instrument in 1950. The cello thus became his secondary instrument, and he continued to perform and record with it throughout the remainder of his career. Aong with his contemporary, Charles Mingus, Pettiford stands out as one of the most-recorded bass-playing bandleader/composers in jazz. | ![]() | Rumsey, Howard - In the Solo Spotlight!
(Contemporary C-3517 US-56 EX 600:-)
Although a good enough bassist to play with stan Kenton's big band, Howard Rumsey's main importance was as the organizer of the Lighthouse All-Stars and manager of the Lighthouse. Originally a drummer, Rumsey switched to bass while at college. In 1949 Rumsey brought jazz into the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, CA. Within a few years the jam sessions featured some of the top jazz-oriented studio players in the area and the bassist was heading "the Lighthouse All-Stars," which recorded frequently for Contemporary in the 1950s, starring such players as Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper, Bud Shank and Bill Perkins. | ![]() | Shank & Bob Brookmeyer, Bud - same
(Vogue LDE-181 UK-56 EX 400:-)
British issue of the Pacific Jazz 10" album issued in 1955. Bud and Bob are joined by Claude Williamson (piano), Larry Bunker (drums), Joe Mondragon and Buddy Clark (bass). | ![]() | Shank, Bud - Bud Shank and Three Trombones
(Pacific Jazz PJLP-14 US-54 VG+ 400:-)
Bud Shank began his career pigeonholed as a cool-schooler, but those who have listened to the altoist progress over the long haul know that he has become one of the hottest, most original players of the immediate post-Parker generation. Shank's keening, blithely melodic, and tonally expressive style is one of the more genuinely distinctive approaches to have grown out of the bebop idiom. On this 1954 10" album his is joined by the trombones of Bob Enevoldsen, Stu Williamson and Maynard Ferguson.
| ![]() | Sounds: Contemporary Swedish Improvised Music
(Blue Tower BTLP-01/02 Swe-90 VG+ 400:-)
The small Blue Tower label began its documentation of the Swedish free improvisation scene, circa the late '80s, with this monumental double album. Musically, it is a superb collection that shows the country's improvisers operating with the force, precision, and -- most importantly -- overall weirdness of the British improvising scene of the '70s. The lavish packaging and thorough liner notes in the form of a handsome bilingual booklet smartly attached inside make this quite a desirable item to have in one's collection. | ![]() | Staton, Dakota - The Late, Late Show
(Capitol T-876 UK-58 EX 375:-)
Singer Dakota Staton's first full-length album was one of her best. She had a hit with "The Late, Late Show" and performed memorable versions of "Broadway," "A Foggy Day," "What Do You See in Her," "My Funny Valentine" and "Mooney." Backed by a largely unidentified orchestra arranged by Van Alexander (with Hank Jones on piano), Staton sounds both youthful and mature, displaying a highly appealing voice on a near-classic set. | ![]() | Stitt, Sonny - My Mother's Eyes
(Pacific Jazz PJ-71 US-63 EX 500:-)
A rare one for Sonny Stitt – an album for Pacific Jazz recorded on the west coast, but done with some hard-burning organ work by Charles Kynard that easily matches any of Stitt's best soul jazz sides from the east! There's a tightly cooking feel to the entire set that's really great – a style that's slightly different than Sonny's work for Argo or Prestige, but which is equally great – thanks to fluid lines on Hammond from Kynard, and some great guitar from the under-rated Ray Crawford. The group's completed by Doug Sides on drums – and titles include "Blue Skies", "Sitt In Time", "Summer Special", "My Mother's Eyes", and "SOP Blues". | ![]() | Thompson, Lucky - Featuring Oscar Pettiford, vol 2
(ABC Paramount ABC-171 US-57 VG 400:-)
Lucky Thompson has probably been the most underrated tenorist of his generation. Here he blows his heart out in one of the most sustained examples of creative, soulful improvisation ever recorded. It is a hard swinging set powered by Lucky's big tone and beautifully built ideas, featuring the strength and driving pulse of Oscar Pettiford's bass. Both vinyl and sleeve are rated Very Good; the vinyl has some background noise. | ![]() | Travis, Nick - The Panic is On
(His Master's Voice CLP-1036 UK-5? EX 500:-)
A versatile trumpeter with a wide range, an appealing tone and strong technical skills, Nick Travis spent much of his truncated career as a studio musician although he was a fine jazz improviser too. Travis gained some recognition for his work as a key soloist with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra (1953-56) but then he went into the anonymous world of the studios as a member of the NBC staff. Nick Travis emerged now and then, playing section parts with Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Orchestra during 1960-62 and performing at Lincoln Center with Thelonious Monk's medium-size group in late 1963. He died unexpectedly in 1964 (at the age of 38) from ulcers. | ![]() | Tyner, McCoy - Sahara
(Mobile Fidelity MFSL-1-289 US-08 EX 275:-)
McCoy Tyner’s Sahara is a seminal jazz record in more ways than one. Regrouped with a new band featuring reedist Sonny Fortune, bassist Calvin Hill, and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, DownBeat took notice of Tyner’s work and collectively named Sahara the Record of the Year. The badge fit.
Treating the session as a coming-out party, Mouzon rides the drums and cymbals like a jockey while Fortune perfectly plays the role of unselfish foil. But it’s Tyner’s clustered chords and spry two-handed fills that make Sahara a must-have.
Remastered from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s revealing version puts any sonic deficiencies to rest. The acoustic properties and orchestral tones of Tyner’s piano register with full-bodied immediacy, while the invisible cover that had been obscuring the full range of high and low frequencies is removed. The sound is simply astounding.
- Ebony Queen
- A Prayer For My Family
- Valley Of Life
- Rebirth
- Sahara
Numbered (#01756) limited-Edition GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog 180-gram LP. Sourced from Original Master Tapes. Made in USA. | ![]() | Weather Report - Live in Tokyo
(Sony 40AP-942/3 Jap-7? EX 300:-)
While side two of I Sing the Body Electric gives us heavily edited glimpses of Weather Report as heard live in Tokyo, this two-disc Japanese import contains entire group ensembles from that concert -- and as such, it is a revelation. Now we can follow the wild, stream-of-consciousness evolution of early Weather Report workouts, taking the listener into all kinds of stylistic territory -- from Joe Zawinul's lone acoustic piano to dissonant free form and electronic explosions -- with lots of adjustments of tempo and texture.
Mid '70s Japanese CBS Sony label 5-track 2-LP vinyl set recorded live at Shibuya Philharmonic Hall, Tokyo on 13th January 1972, housed in a pasted heavy card gatefold picture sleeve complete with Japanese text biography insert and wide discography obi-strip. | ![]() | Yagi, Masao - Masao Yagi plays Thelonious Monk
(Ariola S-70.737-IU Ger-6? EX 350:-)
A great Japanese take on the sound of Thelonious Monk at the end of the 50s – one that's led by pianist Masao Yagi, and which features some of the same dynamic horn interplay as Monk's best work on Riverside! Yagi's got a really great group here – with Sadao Watanabe on alto sax and Akira Nakano on trumpet – both stepping out in sharp-edged, angular lines at the front of the tunes – then soaring out in beautifully expressive solos on their own. Yagi's piano is strong too – surprisingly sensitive at times – and the record does a great job of nodding towards the original without clearly aping it too much. Titles include "Off Minor", "Evidence", "Monk's Mood", "Straight No Chaser", and "Blue Monk". | ![]() |
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