SONNY STITT ANS BENNIE GREEN — My Main Man (1956-2004) RM | Serie Argo Cadet Jazz Collection 2004 – 6 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The four and half stars this has from six people stems mainly from the fabulous interplay between the two nominal leaders. It's a sunny sounding affair throughout, with the Organ (Bobby, brother of Eddie Buster, who plays on two other Stitt albums) guitar and drums (Dorel Anderson) rhythm section never being allowed, or not choosing to slip in to the predictable chitlin' circuit groove of so many mid sixties sessions with this instrumentation. Guitarist Joe Diorio deserves commendation for lovely single note runs in intros and solos. Stitt switches between alto and tenor on this date, and as with the Coltrane and Getz versions, the excursion away from the tune in The Night Has A Thousand Eyes is so far as to make it unrecognisable without the track listing. A special mention also to engineer Ron Malo, at Ter Mar studio in Chicago for the clean, full sound to this. Mark Harrington

Tracklist :
1. Flame and Frost (Edwards) - 4:35
2. Let's Play Chess (Stitt) - 4:54
3. Double Dip (Stitt-Green) - 4:46
4. Our Day Will Come (Gorson-Hilliard) - 5:22
5. May Main Man (Stitt-Green) - 6:01
6. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Mizzy-Taylor) - 5:19
7. Broilin' (Stitt-Green) - 4:27
Credits :
Sonny Stitt - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Bennie Green - Trombone
Bobby Buster - Organ
Joe Diorio - Guitar
Dorel Anderson - Drums

BOB BROOKMEYER | JIMMY CLEVELAND | FRANK ROSOLINO — The Trombones Inc. (1958-2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Each of the selections on this set has between seven and a dozen trombonists along with a rhythm section. The first five selections were recorded with East Coast musicians and the next six with players from the West Coast but, truth be told, there is no real difference in the style of music. The arrangements of J.J. Johnson, Warren Barker and Marty Paich are strictly straight-ahead with an emphasis on the sound of the trombone sections. There are many concise solos along the way but the only standouts are Frank Rosolino and Jimmy Cleveland, as most of the other individual spots are brief. The final number, "I Found a New Baby," was not on the original LP and was apparently recorded half on the East Coast and half on the West, a discographer's nightmare but pointing to the unity of this project. The music is fun and very much in the idiom of 1950s J.J. Johnson although Johnson does not actually play a note on this project. Scott Yanow   Tracklist & Credits :

GENE AMMONS – 1949-1950 | The Chronogical Classics – 1329 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This leg of the Gene Ammons chronology begins with two pretty vocals by Christine Chapman. Jug is in the background, offering emotional support through the tenor sax. These tidbits are soon forgotten as several powerful blowing sessions unfold. The lush, theatrical renditions of "Ev'rything Depends on You" and "When You're Gone" are thrilling examples of where the jazz ballad was at in 1949. The elegant boppish swing of "Hot Springs" is liberating. "Little Slam" eventually reveals itself as a reconstituted "King Porter Stomp." The next session is even better: "Pennies From Heaven" is all delicacy and beatitude. "The Last Mile," also known as "Rockin' Rocker," does an impressive slow grind on simple blues changes. "Cha-Bootie" is definitive swaggering Gene Ammons, full of soul. During "Full Moon" the band bursts all restraints and lunges forward with horns blazing. On March 5th 1960, Ammons started laying down thunder tracks for the Prestige label. "Bye Bye" sounds like "Soft Winds" with salt and Tabasco. Ammons leads a hand-clapping moralistic singalong called "Let It Be." That's Sonny Stitt blowing down a baritone sax. He comes round front, switches to tenor and duels with Ammons on "Blues Up and Down," a showpiece that would be revived by Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis during the early 1960s. How cool it is to hear the original version of this two-sax workout, followed by a brisk "You Can Depend On Me"? Great rhythm section in Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter and "Kansas City" Jo Jones. Teddy Williams must have opened his mouth abnormally wide when he sang with this band. It's kind of outrageous, like he's doing Billy Eckstine impressions. On "Dumb Woman Blues" his chortling makes a bit more sense but he's still really loud and overbearing. For this kind of singing, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson would be preferable. The Prestige rendering of "Chabootie" is a marvel of precision. Stitt was a capable baritone player, and Art Blakey has appeared as a worthy successor for Jones. "Who Put the Sleeping Pills in Rip Van Winkle's Coffee?" is surprisingly stupid, and no amount of hot blowing can rescue the song from itself after Gene leads the band in a stilted singalong. The melody is a turkey, which explains why this track rarely appears on reissues. "Gravy" is immediately recognizable as "Walkin'," that great durable anthem of hard bop. Once again, Stitt's baritone is a bitch. "Easy Glide" sparkles with a vintage early-'50s show time arrangement, very theatrical. The disc closes out with four sides issued on the Chess label. While "Tenor Eleven" is pleasantly stimulating, Jug really finds himself in the ballad groove with the help of primitive reverb and maybe something else to steady the nerves and enhance his mood. Three ballads and you're out. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

EARL HINES AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1041 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a very interesting CD full of rarities. Part of Classics' "complete" series, the disc features the Earl Hines big band after Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie had come and gone. Tenor-saxophonist Wardell Gray was still part of the band and has quite a few solos on their selections from 1945-46. The arrangements are sometimes uncomfortably boppish (they do not really mesh with the leader's piano and the repertoire) and in other spots swinging. Lord Essex has a few high-toned vocals that sound ten years out of date but singers Dorothy Parker and Hines himself (who is heard on "Ain't Gonna Give None Of This Jelly Roll" and the novelty "Oh My Aching Back") are much better. Fortunately there are quite a few instrumentals. While the first 14 numbers are from 1945-46, there is also a small group romp on "Sweet Honey Babe" from 1947 (featuring clarinetist Scoops Cary) and six big band selections from late in the year with four vocals from Johnny Hartman who is heard at the beginning of his career. Other than a few more numbers recorded in Dec. 1947, these were the last recordings of the Earl Hines Orchestra. The music (originally released by the ARA, French Jazz Selection, MGM, Sunrise and Bravo labels) had formerly been mostly quite scarce. Worth exploring. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist + Credits :

CHARLIE VENTURA – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1111 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tenor saxophonist Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo) was a byproduct of the Chu Berry/Coleman Hawkins methodology of gutsy swing and early bop improvisation. The Classics Chronological Series did the world an enormous favor when they reissued Ventura's earliest recordings as a leader and followed suit with this fascinating second volume of rare material. Back in Los Angeles during the spring of 1946, Ventura -- still billed on record as "Charlie Venturo" -- paired up with master clarinetist Barney Bigard in front of a rhythm quartet anchored by bassist Red Callender. Two of the four sides waxed on this occasion feature an unidentified male vocalist who sings wistful ballads without doing too much damage. Four sides recorded for the Black & White label in May of 1946 are particularly satisfying for the exchange of ideas between "Venturo," alto saxophonist Charlie Kennedy, trumpeter Red Rodney, pianist Teddy Napoleon, guitarist Allan Reuss, drummer Nick Fatool, and once again bassist Red Callender, who is sometimes called upon to introduce the melody by himself. On September 6, 1946, "Venturo" began a 13-month engagement with the National record label in New York. This was a turning point in several ways: the spelling of the leader's name was altered for the first time to read "Ventura"; the ensemble was expanded to an unprecedented 18 pieces; and Lily Ann Carol, a smooth vocalist with bop touches, was added on two ballads, "Either It's Love or It Isn't" and "Please Be Kind," backed by two instrumentals, a captivating "Misirlou" and a brassy treatment of "How High the Moon." On Ventura's next session for National, more vocals, both cute and romantic and decorated with little bits of bop-flavored scat, were inserted. The rest of the material from this second big-band date features the leader's mellifluous saxophone and, on "Annie, Annie Over," trombonist Bennie Green and the marvelous bop clarinet of Aaron Sachs. This segment of the Ventura chronology closes with a smart bop session featuring Charlie Ventura's American Sextet. After Buddy Stewart sings a sweet ballad and executes a briskly bopped scat routine very closely patterned after the records being made at that time by Babs Gonzales, Ventura slowly pours out "Blue Champagne" and tears into a fiery jam called "Stop and Go." This one track is worth the cost of the entire CD, as Ventura wails along with trumpeter Charlie Shavers, trombonist Bill Harris, and an explosive rhythm section driven by bassist Chubby Jackson and drummer Dave Tough, who was living out the final months of a very turbulent life. It's worth having the entire album just to hear how Tough handles his cymbals on this last cut. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

BABS GONZALES – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1124 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Confronted with a new, harmonically advanced music filled with rhythmic complexities, white audiences and entertainers were only able to cope with bebop by treating it as though it were a novel alternative to pig Latin. If anyone supplied the fuel for this trivialization it was Slim Gaillard and Babs Gonzales, great musicians who were also bizarre characters who invented their own forms of funny scat language. In these vintage Blue Note sides by Babs' Three Bips and a Bop, you can hear exactly where Charlie Barnet got the idea for "Bebop Spoken Here." The originals, of course, sound much better than the silly attempts of bop imitators. Babs' Blue Note vocal arrangements were by pianist Tadd Dameron, and Rudy Williams poured a whole lot of soul into his alto saxophone. "Play Dem Blues" seems to have a little bit of "Ornithology" built into its opening line. "Running Around" is a sudden switch to straight vocal ballad style. Babs sings about heartbreak. The band has been reduced to piano, bass, and guitar. With "Bab's Dream," listeners are back in full bop language mode, with reams of scat unfolding in every direction. Dameron takes fascinating solos during this easygoing minor romp, and on his own "Dob Bla Bli." Special mention should also be made of the exceptionally solid bassist Art Phipps. "Weird Lullaby" stretches out Babs' bop scat lingo to the point where listeners seem to be hearing a serenade sung by a character actor imitating a visitor from Mars. Moving over to the Apollo label, Tony Scott blows an authentic bop clarinet, Phipps continues to act as an upright axis, and Roy Haynes carries the entire band on his back. In December of 1948, Babs lined up a session with Manor, an important label in the development of early modern jazz. With a front line of James Moody, Dave Burns, and Bennie Green, this is a steamy little band. Precision arrangements make for surprisingly intricate runs. Moody sounds particularly stoked. If anyone comes looking for vestigial Fats Waller in "Honeysuckle Bop," forget about it. The reference seems to have been purely poetic. If this bop workout was somehow based upon the changes to Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," the camouflage is so successful that nobody could ever sort it out. Jumping to Capitol Records in 1949, Babs is once again surrounded by awesome musicians: J.J. Johnson, a well-oiled Sonny Rollins, Erroll Garner's brother Linton, and Jack "The Bear" Parker. Art Pepper really cooks on "The Continental," which is one of Gonzales' most successful performances. Gonzales' voice has deepened and he seems to be growing tougher by the minute. "St. Louis Blues" is masterfully restructured and augmented with fluent bop embellishments. Hearing Don Redman and Sonny Rollins side by side with Wynton Kelly and Roy Haynes in back is a treat not to be missed. A fascinating slice of vintage bop culture, packed with restless creative energy. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

SLIM GAILLARD – 1951-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1437 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During the early 1950s, producer Norman Granz managed quite a number of seasoned jazz musicians with challenging personalities; these included Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Lester Young and Bulee "Slim" Gaillard. Each of these individuals struggled with tendencies, habits and addictions; Gaillard would outlive Bird, Pres and Lady Day but his career was beginning to unravel and he wouldn't fully regain his popularity until his London-based comeback during the '80s. Volume eight in the Classics Slim Gaillard chronology presents 19 recordings made between August 1951 and December 1953, and issued by Granz on the Mercury, Clef and Norgran labels. Although adept as both pianist and vibraphonist, Gaillard excelled primarily as a singing guitarist during the '50s. His wild sense of humor extends even unto the names of the groups represented here. They are Slim Gaillard & His Middle Europeans, Slim Gaillard & His Atomic Engineers, Slim Gaillard & His Southern Fried Orchestra, Slim Gaillard & His Bakers Dozen, Slim Gaillard & His Shintoists and Slim Gaillard & His Musical Aggregation, Wherever He May Be. Although some of the personnel remain anonymous, Granz made sure to include several master musicians in some of Gaillard's groups; these included bassist Ray Brown and trombonist Benny Green as well as Kansas City-trained saxophonists Ben Webster and Buddy Tate. The December 1952 session that resulted in "Gomen Nasai (Forgive Me)" and a cheery paean to snack food titled "Patato Chips" documents a rare occasion when vibraphonist Milt Jackson sat in at the drums. On this compilation, Gaillard presents two distinctive aspects of his public persona: the squirrelly novelty performer who was a borderline surrealist ("Yip Roc Heresy," "The Hip Cowboy," "Chicken Rhythm") and the well-oiled crooner who reinvented Billy Eckstine's romantic chortling aesthetic. Slim Gaillard obviously loved to ladle on the Grenadine, even if Mr. Hyde was invariably present, softly giggling behind a debonair layer of polished veneer. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Slim Gaillard And His Middle Europeans–    For You 2:57
2    Slim Gaillard And His Middle Europeans–    Yip Roc Heresy 2:33
3    Slim Gaillard And His Atomic Engineers–    The Hip Cowboy 2:45
4    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Chicken Rhythm 2:31
5    Slim Gaillard–    I Only Have Eyes For You 2:36
6    Slim Gaillard–    As You Are 2:31
7    Bulee Gaillard And His Southern Fried Orchestra–    St. Louis Blues 2:21
8    Bulee Gaillard And His Southern Fried Orchestra–    I Know What To Do 2:34
9    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Taxpayers Blues 2:28
10    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Eatin' With The Boogie 2:31
11    Slim Gaillard And His Musical Aggregations, Wherever He May Be–    Make It Do 2:51
12    Slim Gaillard And His Musical Aggregations, Wherever He May Be–    You Goofed 2:47
13    Slim Gaillard And His Musical Aggregations, Wherever He May Be–    I Can't Give You Anything But Love 2:40
14    Slim Gaillard And His Musical Aggregations, Wherever He May Be–    This Is My Love 2:34
15    Slim Gaillard And His Shintoists–    Gomen Nasai (Forgive Me) 2:35
16    Slim Gaillard And His Bakers Dozen–    Potato Chips 3:07
17    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    I'm In The Mood For Love 2:41
18    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Mishugana Mambo 2:22
19    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Go, Man, Go 2:43
Credits :    
Bass – Clyde Lombardi (tracks: 1 to 4), Ray Brown (tracks: 15, 16), Unknown Artist (tracks: 17 to 19)
Brass – Unknown Artist (tracks: 17 to 19)
Chorus – Unknown Artist (tracks: 5)
Drums – Charlie Smith (tracks: 1 to 4), Milt Jackson (tracks: 15, 16), Unknown Artist (tracks: 17 to 19)
Orchestra – Unknown Artist (tracks: 5 to 14)
Piano – Cyril Haynes (tracks: 15, 16), Maceo Williams (tracks: 1 to 4), Unknown Artist (tracks: 17 to 19)
Strings – Unknown Artist (tracks: 5, 6)
Tenor Saxophone – Ben Webster (tracks: 15, 16), Buddy Tate (tracks: 1 to 4)
Trombone, Alto Saxophone – Benny Green (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals, Guitar – Slim Gaillard

HANK MOBLEY - Newark 1953 (2012) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While major jazz record labels chase the latest crossover fad with borderline jazz content and ignore historical, significant, unissued jazz performances in their vaults, smaller labels like Uptown regularly surprise jazz fans with live recordings that few knew existed at all, such as this evening taped by jazz industry veteran Ozzie Cadena. Hank Mobley is heard leading a house band with pianist Walter Davis, Jr., drummer Charlie Persip, and the obscure bassist Jimmy Schenck, with trombonist Bennie Green as the guest for the week. These two sets recorded at The Piccadilly in Newark come from a single night in 1953, making them among Mobley's earliest known recordings. Green was the senior man on the date and likely the one calling the tunes, though the house band matches him throughout the evening with their potent solos and strong rhythm. The extended workout of "Ow" is marked by a number of humorous quotes in the solos of Green and Davis, while the ballad medley (a regular feature in Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts and numerous club dates) showcases each man in turn save Persip. The extended rendition of "All the Things You Are" incorporates Dizzy Gillespie's famous B-flat introductory vamp, with Green's languid playing swinging, in addition to Mobley's mellow choruses and fine work by Davis as well. Green is showcased in a rhapsodic setting of "Embraceable You" and his own uptempo "Blues Is Green," with the band providing plenty of fire on the latter song. Though Mobley was only 23 at the time of these performances, he is already showing plenty of confidence on the bandstand and is hardly overshadowed by the more widely known Green. The fidelity is typical for night club recordings, giving the listener the feeling of being near the stage, though without excessive crowd noise. Like earlier historical recordings on the label, this two-CD set has detailed liner notes (by Bob Blumenthal) and lots of period photographs. These recordings are the first of several made at The Piccadilly by Cadena to be issued commercially, so hopefully more will follow this valuable release on Uptown. Ken Dryden  
Tracklist 1 :
1     Ow 12:59
John Birks Gillespie    
2     There's a Small Hotel 13:09
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
3     Ballad Medley: Darn That Dream/Where or When/In Love in Vain/Stardust 10:04
Hoagy Carmichael / Eddie DeLange / Lorenz Hart / James Van Heusen / Jerome Kern / Mitchell Parish / Leo Robin / Richard Rodgers    
4     All the Things You Are 9:10
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern    
5     Jumpin' with Symphony Sid 9:36
Lester Young
Tracklist 2 :
1     Announcement 0:19     
2     Lullaby of Birdland 3:51
George Shearing    
3     Embraceable You 4:23
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
4     Keen and Peachy 10:25     
Ralph Burns / Shorty Rogers    
5     Pennies from Heaven 16:21
Johnny Burke / Arthur Johnston    
6     Blues Is Green 8:39
Bennie Green    
7     'S Wonderful 8:20
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
Credits :
Bass – Jimmy Schenck
Drums – Charli Persip
Piano – Walter Davis, Jr.
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trombone – Bennie Green

BENNIE GREEN - Blows His Horn [1955] Prestige /OJC / FLAC

Bennie Green, one of the few trombonists of the 1950s not to sound somewhat like a J.J. Johnson clone, always had a likable and humorous style. He blends in well with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse on these standards, blues, and jump tunes, two of which have group vocals. With a fine rhythm section (pianist Cliff Smalls, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Osie Johnson, and Candido on congas), Green and his band show that there is no reason that swinging jazz has to be viewed as overly intellectual and esoteric. This CD (a reissue of the original LP) is a fine example of Bennie Green's talents and winning musical personality. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

1. Sometimes I'm Happy 

2. Laura 

3. Body And Soul 

4. Say Jack 

5. One Track

6. Groovin' The Blues (Take 1)

7. Groovin' The Blues (Take 2)

8. Travelin' Light

9. Hi Yo Silver 

Credits:

Bennie Green-trombone

Paul Chambers-bass

Candido-congas

Osie Johnson-drums

Cliff Smalls-piano

Charlie Rouse-tenor saxophone

BENNIE GREEN - Blows His Horn [1955]
(1991) Prestige /OJC / FLAC 

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