BASIE | BENNETT — Count Basie And His Orchestra Swings, Tony Bennett Sings (1959-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Roulette half of the two Bennett/Basie sessions is a band singer's paradise, with the Basie band caught at a robust and swinging peak and Bennett never sounding happier or looser in front of a microphone. The Count himself, alas, appears on piano only on two numbers ("Life Is a Song" and "Jeepers Creepers"), while Bennett's perennial pianist Ralph Sharon takes over on the remaining ten tracks and does all the charts. Yet Sharon writes idiomatically for the Count's style, whether on frantic rave-ups like "With Plenty of Money and You" and "Strike Up the Band" or relaxed swingers like "Chicago." Though not a jazz singer per se, the flavor of jazz is everywhere in Bennett's voice, which in those days soared like a trumpet. The 1990 CD included an atmospheric unissued Neal Hefti ballad "After Supper," but even this bonus track does little to extend the skimpy playing time (about 31 minutes) of what is still a great, desirable snapshot from American showbiz of the late 1950s. Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    Life Is A Song 2:55
Written By – Fred Ahlert, Joe Young
2    Plenty Of Money 1:35
Written By – Al Dubin, Harry Warren
3    Jeepers Creepers 2:09
Written By – Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer
4    Are You Havin' Any Fun 2:48
Written By – Jack Yellen, Sammy Fain
5    Anything Goes 2:21
Written By – Cole Porter
6    Strike Up The Band 1:34
Written By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
7    Chicago 2:08
Written By – Fred Fisher
8    I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face 3:04
Written By – Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Lowe
9    Poor Little Rich Girl 3:33
Written By – Noel Coward
10    Growing Pains 3:36
Written By – Arthur Schwartz, Dorothy Fields
11    I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans 1:45
Written By – Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
12    After Supper 3:36
Written By – Neil Hefti
Credits :
Arranged By – Ralph Sharon
Baritone Saxophone – Charlie Fowlkes
Bass – Eddie Jones
Drums – Sonny Payne
Guitar – Freddie Green
Piano – Count Basie (tracks: 1, 3), Ralph Sharon (tracks: 2, 4 to 12)
Tenor Saxophone – Billy Mitchell
Trombone – Al Grey, Benny Powell, Henry Coker
Trumpet – Joe Newman, Snooky Young, Thad Jones, Wendell Culley
Vocals – Tony Bennett

SIR CHARLES THOMPSON AND THE HAWK - For the Ears (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although Vanguard gives Coleman Hawkins co-billing on this 1999 reissue, the tenor titan is actually heard on only five of its12 John Hammond-produced selections (which were recorded in 1954, 1955 and 1956). But with or without the mighty Hawk, the material finds Sir Charles Thompson in good to excellent form. In the 1950s, Thompson fluctuated between swing and bop, and For The Ears reflects his passion for both. The CD also reflects Thompson's love of Count Basie. Although the pianist was quite recognizable himself, Basie was always his primary influence--and the Count's influence comes through on hard-swinging uptempo numbers like "Dynaflow" and "Ready for Freddie" as well as the ballads "Under the Sweetheart Tree" and "It's the Talk of the Town" (both of which remind us how seductive and alluring Hawkins' ballad playing could be). Four of the songs, including "Love for Sale" and "Stompin' at the Savoy, " come from a drumless 1956 trio date with guitarist Skeeter Best and bassist Aaron Bell. Opting for variety, For The Ears paints an appealing picture of Thompson's Vanguard output. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1    Fore! 6'55
Alto Saxophone – Earl Warren
Bass – Aaron Bell
Drums – Osie Johnson
Guitar – Steve Jordan
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Benny Morton
Trumpet – Emmett Berry
2    Ready For Freddie 2:57
Alto Saxophone – Earl Warren
Bass – Aaron Bell
Drums – Osie Johnson
Guitar – Steve Jordan
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Benny Morton
Trumpet – Emmett Berry
3    It's The Talk Of The Town 4:36
Alto Saxophone – Earl Warren
Bass – Aaron Bell
Drums – Osie Johnson
Guitar – Steve Jordan
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Benny Morton
Trumpet – Emmett Berry
4    Dynaflow 4:51
Alto Saxophone – Earl Warren
Bass – Aaron Bell
Drums – Osie Johnson
Guitar – Steve Jordan (3)
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Benny Morton
Trumpet – Emmett Berry
5    Oh Joe! 6:21
Alto Saxophone – Pete Brown
Bass – Gene Ramey
Drums – Osie Johnson
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Trombone – Benny Powell
Trumpet – Joe Newman
6    Best By Test 2:50
Bass – Aaron Bell
Guitar – Skeeter Best
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
7    Love For Sale 6:24
Bass – Aaron Bell
Guitar – Skeeter Best
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
8    Stompin' At The Savoy 3:14
Bass – Aaron Bell
Guitar – Skeeter Best
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
9    Hey There 5:13
Bass – Aaron Bell
Guitar – Skeeter Best
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
10    For The Ears 11:17
Alto Saxophone – Pete Brown
Bass – Gene Ramey
Drums – Osie Johnson
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Trombone – Benny Powell
Trumpet – Joe Newman
11    Bop This 3:45
Alto Saxophone – Pete Brown
Bass – Gene Ramey
Drums – Osie Johnson
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Trombone – Benny Powell
Trumpet – Joe Newman
12    Under The Sweetheart Tree 5:23
Alto Saxophone – Earl Warren
Bass – Aaron Bell
Drums – Osie Johnson
Guitar – Steve Jordan
Piano – Sir Charles Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Benny Morton
Trumpet – Emmett Berry

JIMMY HEATH - New Picture (1985) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Ten years after his most recent set as a leader, Jimmy Heath (heard here on tenor and soprano) finally had another opportunity to lead an album of his own. This date, reissued on CD, finds Heath playing in a largely unchanged style from his earlier days, although some of his freer flights hint slightly at the avant-garde. With strong support given by pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Tony Purrone (an alumnus of the Heath Brothers), bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Al Foster, Heath performs four originals, "Lush Life," and Charlie Parker's "Dewey Square," and "Sophisticated Lady." Three numbers add two French horns, a trombone and a tuba to the ensembles for color; Heath provided the arrangements. A tasteful and swinging effort. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     New Picture 5'00
Jimmy Heath
2     Lush Life 8'06
Billy Strayhorn
3     Changes 5'59
Jimmy Heath
4     Keep Love Alive 5'21
Jimmy Heath
5     Dewey Square 4'05
Charlie Parker
6     Sophisticated Lady 6'44
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish
7     Togetherness 5'10
Jimmy Heath
Credits :
Bass – Rufus Reid
Drums – Al Foster
Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Tommy Flanagan (pistas: 3, 4)
French Horn – Bob Routch (pistas: 2, 4, 6), John Clark (pistas: 2, 4, 6)
Guitar – Tony Purrone
Piano [Acoustic] – Tommy Flanagan (pistas: 1, 2, 6, 7 , 8)
Producer – Jimmy Heath, Orrin Keepnews
Recorded By, Engineer [Remix] – Rudy Van Gelder
Soprano Saxophone – Jimmy Heath (pistas: 4 to 7)
Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath (pistas: 1 to 3, 5)
Trombone – Benny Powell (pistas: 2, 4, 6)
Tuba – Howard Johnson (pistas: 2, 4, 6)

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1953-1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1446 (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The 15th installment in the complete commercially issued studio recordings of Count Basie was released as a new segment of the Classics Chronological Series in 2007. The time line represented here begins on December 12, 1953, and ends either in June or August 1954, depending upon which discographical session index you opt for. The bright, snappy Basie big-band sound of the mid-'50s was largely the result of compositions and arrangements by Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti, and Manny Albam. Four of these men also operated as crucial performers in the band, along with Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Benny Powell, and Marshall Royal. In addition to Green's "Right On" (a title that anticipates that phrase's rhetorical ubiquity among young Afro-Americans by at least ten years), noteworthy numbers include Hefti's "Two for the Blues," Foster's "Blues Backstage" and "Down for the Count," and Wilkins' "Sixteen Men Swinging," "Stereophonic," "The Blues Done Come Back," and "She's Just My Size." The Basie orchestra's rendition of Juan Tizol's "Perdido" comes as a pleasant surprise and registers as a tip of the hat to that other decisively influential bandleader who with Basie essentially defined the idiom during the 1950s, Duke Ellington. arwulf arwulf