ART PEPPER — Art Pepper + Eleven (1959-1986) APE (image+.cue), lossless

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. Highlights of this highly enjoyable set include "Move," "Four Brothers," "Shaw Nuff," "Anthropology," and "Donna Lee," but there is not a single throwaway track to be heard. Essential music for all serious jazz collections. [Some reissues add two additional versions of "Walkin'" and one of "Donna Lee" to the original program.] Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits :

BUDDY DeFRANCO – 1949-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1445 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Hep Records' issue of Buddy DeFranco's recordings as a leader of both a quintet and an orchestra between 1949 and 1952 is a welcome one. The material on these 26 cuts is standard fare from the swing era, which was way over by 1949, but it proves that DeFranco knew how to lead a big band and swing hard as a soloist in a quintet setting -- especially with the company he kept. Some of his crew on these sides include Serge Chaloff, Teddy Charles, Teddy Kotick, Lee Konitz, Max Roach, Jimmy Raney, and Al Cohn, just to name a few. Arrangements for these tunes were done by DeFranco, George Russell, and Manny Albam, which gives the listener a taste of the varied sonic interests of the great clarinetist. The sound on these sides is a tiny bit thin, but that's a minor complaint. The material swings no matter the arrangement or the size of the band. This is an intimate look at an often overlooked jazz great.
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CHARLIE PARKER – 1951-1952 | The Chronogical Classics – 1314 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's a lot to be said for this kind of chronological survey when it's applied to someone like Charlie Parker. It forces you to take into account not only the critically accepted material but everything that Bird accomplished in his professional life -- that is, every commercially released studio recording from this time period. The music resulting from the sessions of January 17 and August 8, 1951, is universally regarded as substantial and masterful. Critics have been "legitimating" these wonderful recordings for decades. They've also complained ad nauseum about the rest of the material on this album. Time after time, issue after reissue, album liner notes hint wryly at Bird's "artistically unsuccessful" experiments with both Latin American percussion and a big band augmented by a chamber string ensemble. It is possible, after all, for listeners to honor Parker by saying to themselves, "This is what the artist felt compelled to do, and we are capable of being receptive to -- appreciative of -- his ideas and the recordings he has left behind." Forget all notions of what belongs or doesn't belong on a jazz record -- specifically on a Charlie Parker record. The South of the Border stuff is fun -- thrilling, even -- and at times beautiful. The selections from Bird with Strings are fascinating and rewarding for those who are not uptight or prejudicial. The wonderful truth is this: music invariably legitimates itself, and ultimately no critics are necessary provided the listener has ears and a heart through which to listen. arwulf arwulf          Tracklist + Credits :

CHARLIE PARKER – 1952-1954 | The Chronogical Classics – 1408 (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Sadly, this is the sixth and last volume in the Classics Charlie Parker chronology. It assembles all of his studio recordings made between March 25, 1952 and December 10, 1954, only three months before his death at the age of 35. On the session that opens the compilation, producer Norman Granz placed Bird in front of a brassy big band, using punchy arrangements by Joe Lippman. The quartet session of December 30, 1952 resulted in four beautiful tracks that are greatly enhanced by the rhythm section of Hank Jones, Teddy Kotick and Max Roach. Bird's highly evolved musicality, coupled with the fact that he was beginning to come up with titles like "Cosmic Rays" might invite speculation as to where he would have been at had he lived through the late '50s and into the '60s. Jazz purists have been bitching about the Gil Evans-arranged "chamber jazz" session of May 22, 1953 ever since the records first came out on Granz's Clef label. But Charlie Parker sounded marvelous in any company. He transformed everything he came into contact with, even these stylized vocals by Dave Lambert & His Singers, a carefully collared mini-choir that included Lambert's future partner in crime Annie Ross. Having Charles Mingus and Max Roach in the band didn't hurt, either. Roach was also on hand for a superb quartet date on August 4, 1953 with Al Haig and Percy Heath. (For a good time, chase Bird's rendition of "I Remember You" with all five takes of the same piece recorded in 1961 by Lee Konitz. Finish with the version presented live at Yoshi's in 1994 by the Anthony Braxton Piano Quartet, rinse, and repeat.) Charlie Parker's final two studio recording sessions took place in the early spring and winter of 1954 with quintets featuring Walter Bishop, Jr. at the piano, and first Roy Haynes then Art Taylor behind the drums. The material was entirely derived from the Cole Porter songbook; Bird's studio swan song, "I Love Paris" has an ominous quality that haunts the listener long after the five-minute record has ended. arwulf arwulf      Tracklist + Credits :

GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1945-1946 | The Chronogical Classics – 1231 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although there are some moments of interest on this set of 25 performances, the Gene Krupa Orchestra's studio recordings are mostly weighed down by vocals. Bop trumpeter Red Rodney was with Krupa for part of 1946, but the band just recorded a dozen numbers during this period, with all but "How High the Moon" (which has an early swinging arrangement from Gerry Mulligan) featuring so-so vocals from Buddy Stewart and Carola Grey. Rodney sneaks in a few boppish licks here and there, but overall these are disappointing, particularly compared to the orchestra's radio transcriptions of the era. There are five cuts from 1945: three Anita O'Day vocals (including a fine "Tea for Two"), a good instrumental version of "Lover," and a bombastic Charlie Ventura tenor feature on "Yesterdays." In addition, there are also eight slightly later tracks. Charlie Kennedy gets in some boppish alto solos that sound similar to Charlie Parker, but vocals dominate five numbers, while the other three are not that essential. So this is a lesser release overall, mostly recommended to Gene Krupa completists. Scott Yanow  
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LOUIS PRIMA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940-1944 | The Chronogical Classics – 1201 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During 1940-1941, Louis Prima led a medium-size (ten-piece) combo, which by 1944 had expanded to a full big band. Although a popular figure during this era, Prima was not quite a star and his big band never really caught on. The 23 numbers on this good-natured CD include a couple instrumentals ("To You, Sweetheart, Aloha" and the swinging "Look Out"), novelties, vocal numbers for Lily Ann Carroll, and the debut versions of "Robin Hood," "Angelina," and "Oh Marie" (which hints at Prima's 1950s rendition). The leader is the main star throughout the historic release. Scott Yanow
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LOUIS PRIMA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1944-1945 | The Chronogical Classics – 1273 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Like a Sargasso Sea of commercial challenges lying fallow between his hot traditional jazz of the mid-'30s, and his well-known success as a pop star in the 1950s and '60s, Louis Prima's big band recordings from the mid-'40s reveal this man's relentless scuffle to find a sustainable niche in the overall scheme of things. Most of the selections date from the middle of 1944, the presentation positively sweating with beefy or sweet arrangements behind Prima's handsome vocals. "The Very Thought of You" was clearly patterned after Billie Holiday's version, and even conveys some of the same gorgeous sentimentality. Lily Ann Carol had an attractive voice, and some listeners might deliberately succumb to the prescribed lushness of prettiness and stylized form. The Majestic and Hit labels were designated showcases for cheap popular entertainment, and the material speaks volumes about American culture, like it or not. Hearing a team of grown men chanting "Hitsum Kitsum" is one thing, but "I Want to Get to Tokio" burrows quickly to a nadir of jingoistic racism, with Prima loudly comparing "dirty Japs" to "monkeys in a bamboo tree." While this sort of abusiveness was fairly common in U.S. media during WWII, ethnicity in general seems to have been regarded as a reliable sounding board for Prima's far-from-subtle sense of humor. "What's the Matter Marie?" at least focuses upon the singer's own Italian background, as does the minestrone-spattered "Angelina" and a remarkable performance bearing the title "Please No Squeeza da Banana," which might be the most useful recording Prima ever made. During "Rum and Coca-Cola" the band attempts to invade Trinidad with Lily Ann Carol perched atop the bogus Caribbean arrangement like a tin hood ornament. But the primary ethnic touchstone for Prima was always Afro-American, as he flagrantly imitated Louis Armstrong, Hot Lips Page and Louis Jordan over the span of several decades. Prima's handling of "Caldonia" is pretty stupid. The best tune here is "The Blizzard," a hot instrumental boogie woogie stoked with hot solos by sax and trumpet, building to a nearly caustic level of intensity before collapsing with a flourish into a heap. arwulf arwulf  
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GEORGE AULD – 1945-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1351 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This second volume in the Classics Georgie Auld chronology presents all of his studio recordings made between May 24, 1945 and April 30, 1946. Auld's big band shared some stylistic qualities with Billy Eckstine's orchestra; both groups handled the innovations of bop with intelligence and creative precision. The first two tracks on this collection were originally issued on the Guild record label; the rest appeared on Musicraft. Georgie Auld, whose career at times paralleled that of Charlie Barnet, played soprano and alto in addition to his customary tenor saxophone; also like Barnet he was a capable vocalist. There are three examples of Auld's singing voice in this part of the chronology: he delivers a fine rendering of "I Don't Know Why" (once closely associated with Russ Columbo), a tidy take on "Route 66" that closely mimics the version recorded only six weeks earlier by Nat King Cole, and a boppish `big band update of "Honey," an attractive Richard Whiting melody dating from 1928. Nine tracks feature vocalist Lynne Stevens -- she is at her best on Ellington and Strayhorn's "Just A-Settin' and A-Rockin'" -- but the truly substantial element here is the band itself, a 17-piece ensemble working with arrangements penned by Budd Johnson, Tadd Dameron, Al Cohn, Franz Jackson and Neal Hefti. Auld also used Hugo Winterhalter's excellent arrangement of "Time on My Hands," apparently the same chart used by Count Basie in 1942. Note the presence of baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff alongside Cohn and Auld in the reeds; that's Joe Albany and Stan Levey in the rhythm section. The vocal highlight of the whole album is Sarah Vaughan's lovely interpretation of "100 Years from Today," a Victor Young melody with words by Ned Washington published in 1933. Georgie Auld had a really fine big band from 1943-1946, and led an exceptional group during the year 1949. His early-'50s recordings sometimes involve group vocals or lounge atmosphere; by 1955 and 1956 he fronted a group known as the Hollywood All Stars, using arrangements by Billy May. Most of his music is worth the effort it takes to chase it down and soak it up. arwulf arwulf
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GEORGE AULD – 1946-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1371 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume three in the Classics Georgie Auld chronology opens with the last four sides he cut for the Musicraft label on June 14, 1946. The 16-piece big band had Neal Hefti in the trumpet section, Auld, Al Cohn and Serge Chaloff in the reeds, and vocalist Sarah Vaughan featured on "You're Blasé." While Hefti's two original compositions are pleasantly modern sounding, the true gem from this date was Budd Johnson's rock-solid "Canyon Passage." Changes in the postwar entertainment industry resulted in the dissolution and dispersal of many big bands. Auld threw in the towel and waited about two-and-a-half years before resuming his recording career on January 17, 1949. His new band had ten pieces, including trombonist Billy Byers, pianist Jimmy Rowles and drummer Alvin Stoller. Eight sides cut for the Discovery record label on this date and on March 21 used mostly Hal Vernon arrangements; Byers scored the charts for "Hollywood Bazaar" and "Mild and Mellow." (For a 100-percent satisfying example of Auld leading a ten-piece band similar to this one, seek out You Got Me Jumpin' (Sounds of Yesteryear 6680), recorded live at the Empire in Hollywood, CA, 1949.) The next leg of the chronology consists of nine titles recorded for the Royal Roost record label on January 24, 1951 by the Georgie Auld Quintet, with trombonist Frank Rosolino, pianist Lou Levy, bassist Max Bennett and drummer Tiny Kahn, whose eccentric opus "Seh! Seh!" is group participation bop; the band shouts the song's title at regular intervals as part of the melodic line. This little-known session hatched a veritable goldmine of cruising cookers and luscious ballads; "Taps Miller" and "New Airmail Special" are particularly piquant. arwulf arwulf
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STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - 1947, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1039 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Like its immediate predecessor, volume five in the Classics Stan Kenton chronology contains a substantial amount of material composed and/or arranged by Sicilian-American Pete Rugolo, a student of Darius Milhaud and Kenton's right-hand man during the mid- to late '40s. It was Rugolo who assisted Kenton during his experiments with modernized, "progressive" big band jazz. (Speaking of modern jazz, note the return of alto saxophonist Art Pepper on the session of October 22, 1947, which opened with Rugolo's "Unison Riff.") Following the example of Dizzy Gillespie, Kenton was now incorporating more Latin percussion and Caribbean rhythms than ever into his music, and even hired Cuban bandleader Machito to play maracas on the sessions which took place during the latter part of December 1947. Smug, contentious and successful, Kenton attracted controversy like a lightning rod. Part of the reason for this was the unusual and at times startling nature of his brand of musical futurism.
A more unsavory aspect of Kenton's reputation was his annoying habit of making what appeared to be arrogantly racist statements. The most famous example of this regrettable tendency was remembered by several eyewitnesses who claimed that Kenton, after participating in a "battle of the bands" at the Savoy Ballroom, got drunk and staggered up to Dizzy Gillespie saying "We can play your music better than you can." Diz -- to his credit -- simply shrugged, said "yeah" and walked away. Walter Gilbert Fuller adds: "He was juiced. But he was saying while he was juiced what he really meant." Here's how Gillespie assessed the overall situation: "Stan Kenton was the copyist. Stan Kenton went out and got a conga drummer after he saw me with one. He hired Carlos Vidal, lured him away from Machito, and put him along with another Latin drummer, Jack Costanzo, in his band. But Stan didn't know what to do with it. He just left it there and they made up their own minds what to play. All this happened after he came up to the Savoy and heard us while Chano Pozo was in the band. Now, I don't just take what they do and leave it there. I don't pass myself off as an expert on Latin music, but the guys who play it respect me for knowing how to take what they do, put it in with my music, and make it right. I never take nothing from nobody without delivering something in return. I think when people figured we might make a lot of money -- that started the controversy about who would get credit for creating modern jazz. My viewpoint was always that the credit should go to the ones who developed and played it best."
Interestingly, Dizzy Gillespie is heard on this disc alongside Buddy DeFranco, Bill Harris and Flip Phillips as members of the Metronome All Stars in combination with Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (a total of 28 players!) on Pete Rugolo's "Metronome Riff," which was recorded on December 21, 1947. Gillespie even toured with Kenton, sometimes leading the band. Later in life, Gillespie bluntly asserted that Kenton "left out the fundamentals," unlike Miles Davis whose music, said Diz, "is based on rhythm and also the blues." Whether or not you agree with that assessment, and while many of Kenton's recordings, including some of the examples heard on this compilation, had plenty of artistic merit, music does not exist in a social vacuum. As a member of the dominant social group, Kenton could and should have shown more respect and gratitude to the African-American artists from whom he borrowed (or swiped) ideas, textures, rhythms and inspiration. That would have been honorable. arwulf arwulf
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BENNY CARTER - Aspects (1958-1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD reissues an enjoyable obscurity. Although originally associated with big bands, the set has what was Benny Carter's only big-band recording as a playing leader during 1947-86. While the song titles are a bit gimmicky, saluting the 12 months of the year (including "June in January," "I'll Remember April," "June Is Busting Out All Over," etc.), the music (which includes four alternate takes) is solid, mainstream big-band swing. The less familiar titles include four Carter originals written for the date, plus Hal Schaefer's "February Fiesta." The leader/altoist solos on every selection, and among the other top West Coast studio players featured are trumpeters Shorty Sherock, Pete Candoli and Joe Gordon, trombonists Frank Rosolino and Herbie Harper, vibraphonist Larry Bunker, pianists Arnold Ross and Gerry Wiggins, and guitarist Barney Kessel. Two overlapping big bands were utilized, and the music alternates between being forceful and lyrical. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     June in January 3:12
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin    
2     February Fiesta 1:54
Hal Schaefer    
3     March Wind 3:16
Benny Carter    
4     I'll Remember April 3:21
Gene DePaul / Pat Johnston / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye
5     One Morning in May 2:49
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish    
6     June Is Bustin' Out All Over 2:59
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
7     Sleigh Ride in July 2:50
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen    
8     August Moon 3:39
Benny Carter / Ottmar Liebert    
9     September Song 2:39
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill    
10     Something for October 2:52
Benny Carter    
11     Swingin' in November 3:02
Benny Carter    
12     Roses in December 2:36
George Jessel / Herbert Magidson / Ben Oakland
13     February Fiesta 1:55
Hal Schaefer    
14     June Is Bustin' Out All Over 3:00
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers    
15     August Moon 3:33
Benny Carter / Ottmar Liebert    
16     Swingin' in November 3:05
Benny Carter
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Leader, Arranged By – Benny Carter
Bass – Joe Comfort
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Barney Kessel (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Bobby Gibbons (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9)
Mastered By – Ron McMaster
Piano – Arnold Ross (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Gerry Wiggins (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12)
Reeds – Buddy Collette, Chuck Gentry (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Jewell Grant (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Justin Gordon (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Plas Johnson (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Bill Green
Trombone – Frank Rosolino (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), George Roberts (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Herbie Harper (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Russ Brown (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Tommy Pederson
Trumpet – Al Porcino (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Conrad Gozzo (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Joe Gordon (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Pete Candoli (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Ray Triscari (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Shorty Sherock (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), Stu Williamson (pistas: 3, 6, 7, 10 to 12), Uan Rasey (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9)
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Larry Bunker (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9)