OLIVER NELSON ORCHESTRA — Afro-American Sketches (1961-1993) RM | Original Jazz Classics Limited Edition Series | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Oliver Nelson merged the rhythmic fervor of Africa and Black America with the organizational flair of Europe on this release. The often spectacular work features the orchestra sometimes whooping and clashing in the backdrop and other times giving soulful statements or converging in a blues setting. While Nelson combined Afro-Latin rhythmic support from Ray Barretto with crisp jazz drumming from Ed Shaughnessy, he also contributed his own soaring alto and tenor sax solos and conducted the orchestra. It was a monumental job, and Nelson exceeded it. Ron Wynn   Tracklist & Credits :

OLIVER NELSON — Sound Pieces (1966-1991) RM | GRP Presents The Legendary Masters Of Jazz | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Sound Pieces features Oliver Nelson in two very different settings. Although best-known as an altoist and a tenor saxophonist, Nelson sticks exclusively to soprano throughout the set. He leads a 20-piece big band on three of his compositions which, although interesting, are not overly memorable. Best are five other numbers (two of which were originally issued on the record Three Dimensions) that showcase Nelson's soprano playing with a quartet that includes pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate. Although one would not think of Nelson as a soprano stylist, his strong playing actually put him near the top of his field on such numbers as "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Straight No Chaser," and his own "Patterns."  Scott Yanow
Tracklist & Credits :

BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1949-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1436 (2007) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is the 34th volume in the Classics Benny Goodman chronology. It combines four titles from the Capitol records session of October 27, 1949 (Goodman's last for that label) with seven tunes recorded for Columbia on October 10 and November 24, 1950 and ten previously hard-to-find selections from a broadcast that aired April 1, 1951. Although the band on the Capitol date had Zoot Sims in the reed section, slick vocals by Dolly Houston, Buddy Greco and the Heathertones seem to use up all the air in the room. The Columbia sessions employed the Goodman Sextet, featuring pianist Teddy Wilson, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs and guitarist Johnny Smith, these last two helping to emphasize a contemporary bop-to-cool stylistic emphasis that was still playing a prominent role in Goodman's approach to music during this period. Vocalists on this leg of the journey include Nancy Reed, a carefully rehearsed, mixed vocal group known as the Pastels, and a deep-voiced male singer billed as "Rickey." This was none other than Jimmy Ricks, bass singer for the Ravens. Issued as Columbia 39121, the two instrumentals -- "Lullaby of the Leaves" b/w "Temptation Rag" -- are stunning examples of the Goodman/Gibbs collaboration at its finest. Yet the real gold in this compilation lies in the ten more traditional jazz melodies that were performed on the air, recorded and sold on a limited-edition LP in order to raise funds to benefit Fletcher Henderson, Goodman's greatest arranger as well as a pioneer of big-band jazz, who made his first jazz recordings in 1923. Henderson was ill and in serious need of cash. The fact that Goodman held this exciting jam session as a benefit for him adds considerable ethical ballast to an already superb bundle of live jazz. Teaming with Goodman in various combinations throughout the session were pianist Teddy Wilson, drummer Gene Krupa, bassist Eddie Safranski, guitarist Johnny Smith, trombonist Lou McGarity and trumpeter Buck Clayton. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :

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
Tracklist + Credits :

BILL EVANS & LEE KONITZ - Play The Arrangements Of Jimmy Giuffre (1959-2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Lone Hill Jazz compilation presents the contents of two separate releases Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre and You and Lee featuring Lee Konitz and Jimmy Giuffre (the latter playing baritone sax and contributing the arrangements) together, with pianist Bill Evans being the prominent sideman, though the ensemble includes tenor saxophonists Warne Marsh and Ted Brown (both of whom studied with Lennie Tristano alongside Konitz), and alto saxophonist Hal McKusick, though it is Konitz that is featured throughout the sessions from Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre. Konitz contributed the quirky blues "Cork 'N' Bib," which features an unusually bluesy solo by Evans, plus an atonal offering by Marsh and Giuffre's robust single chorus. The breezy setting of "The Song Is You" is an excellent wrap to this spring session. Later the same year the musicians returned to the studio while adding guitarist Jim Hall to record the Verve LP You and Lee, which had not been reissued on CD until appearing in this anthology. Play the Arrangements of Jimmy Giuffre concentrates exclusively on Giuffre's arrangements of standards and while it isn't quite as wide-ranging as the earlier effort, Konitz is obviously inspired by the arrangements and excellent ensemble behind him. Ken Dryden  
Tracklist :
1    Palo Alto    3:08
 Konitz
2    When Your Lover Has Gone    5:02
 Swan
3    Cork 'N Bib    9:50
Konitz
4    Somp'm Outa' Nothin'    4:29
Giuffre
5    Someone To Watch Over Me    3:36
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
6    Uncharted    3:55
Giuffre
7    Moonlight In Vermont    3:59
Suessdorf / Blackburn
8    The Song Is You    5:08
 Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
9    Darn That Dream    1:58
De Lange / Van Heusen
10    Ev'rything I've Got (Belongs To You)    4:48
Rodgers / Hart
11    You Don't Know What Love Is    4:19
Raye / De Paul
12    I Didn't Know About You    4:00
Ellington / Russell
13    I'm Getting Sentimental Over You    3:57
 George Bassman / Ned Washington
14    You're Driving Me Crazy    4:11
Donaldson
15    You're Clear Out Of This World    4:08
Arlen / Mercer
16    The More I See You    3:39
Warren / Gordon
17    You Are Too Beautiful    4:12
Rodgers / Hart
Credits :   
Alto Saxophone – Hal McKusick (tracks: 1 to 9), Lee Konitz (tracks: 1 to 9)
Baritone Saxophone, Arranged By – Jimmy Giuffre (tracks: 1 to 17)
Bass – Buddy Clark (tracks: 1 to 8), Sonny Dallas (tracks: 10 to 17)
Drums – Ronnie Free (tracks: 1 to 8), Roy Haynes (tracks: 10 to 17)
Guitar – Jim Hall (tracks: 14 to 17)
Piano – Bill Evans (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 13)
Tenor Saxophone – Ted Brown (tracks: 1 to 9), Warne Marsh (tracks: 1 to 9)
Trombone – Bill Byers, Eddie Bert
Trumpet – Ernie Royal, Marky Markowitz, Phil Sunkel  

LEE KONITZ | ARRANGEMENTS BY JIMMY GIUFFRE - You and Lee (1960-2007) RM | Lee Konitz By Special Requests – 6 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

One of the lesser-known Lee Konitz albums, this LP (which has not been reissued yet on CD) features the altoist joined by six brass and a rhythm section for eight Jimmy Giuffre arrangements. The shouting brass contrasts well with Konitz's cool-toned solos and together they perform eight underplayed standards. Guitarist Jim Hall and pianist Bill Evans (who are on four songs apiece) are major assets behind Konitz on this pleasing set. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     I'm Getting Sentimental over You
George Bassman / Ned Washington
2     You Don't Know What Love Is
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
3     I Didn't Know About You
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
4     Everything I Have Belongs to You
Bob Russell, Duke Ellington
5     You're Clear Out of This World
Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
6     You Are Too Beautiful
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
7     The More I See You
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
8     You're Driving Me Crazy
Walter Donaldson
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Arranged By, Conductor – Jimmy Giuffre
Bass – Sonny Dallas
Drums – Roy Haynes
Guitar – Jim Hall (faixas: 3, 5, 6, 7)
Piano – Bill Evans (faixas: 1, 2, 4, 8)
Trombone – Billy Byers, Bob Brookmeyer
Trumpet – Ernie Royal, Marky Markowitz, Phil Sunkel

AL COHN - Al Cohn And His "Charlie's Tavern" Ensemble (1954-2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Al Cohn was something special, a gem among musicians. Writer, arranger, performer, leaderhe was one of those rare creative artists gifted with unlimited imagination and technical resources, with magnificent taste and an unerring insight into the expressiveness of East Coast jazz. In the 50s, the personnel he assembled for the four sessions that make up this CD often relaxed in Charlies Tavern, a congenial watering hole on Broadway across from Birdland, the jazz corner of the world. Despite slight personnel changes, each group was power-packed and, unlike many such outfits, married outstanding individuality to collective cohesiveness. With them, Cohn emphatically demonstrated the allembracing brilliance of the many-faceted talents that earned him the title Mr. Music. freshsoundrecords
Tracklist :
1     Inside Out 6:48
Al Cohn    
2     Autumn Leaves 6:09     
Al Cohn    
3     Serenade for Kathy 6:58
Al Cohn    
4     Move 7:16
Denzil Best    
5     Never Never Land 5:29
Styne / Conmden / Green    
6     Something for Lisa 6:26
Al Cohn    
7     Count Every Star 3:08
Bruno Coquatrix / Sammy Gallop    
8     La Ronde 2:46     
Cochran / Strauss    
9     Breakfast with Joe 4:07
Johnny Carisi    
10     This Reminds Me of You 3:15
Ralph Burns    
11     Cabin in the Sky 3:05     
Duke / Latouche    
12     Lullaby of Birdland 2:22
George Shearing    
13     Cohn My Way 2:54
Manny Albam
Notas.
Tracks #1-3, from the album "East Coast-West Coast Scene" (RCA Victor LJM-1020)
Tracks #4-11 & 13, from the album "Mr. Music" (RCA Victor LJM-1024)
Track #12, from the album "Lullaby of Birdland" (RCA Victor LJM-1146)
Personnel on #1-3:
Al Cohn (ts); Joe Newman (tp); Billy Byers; Eddie Bert (tb); Hal McKusick; Gene Quill (as); Sol Schlinger (bs); Sanford Gold (p); Billy Bauer (g); Milt Hinton (b); Osie Johnson (d).
Recorded in New York City, October 26, 1954
Personnel on #4-5:
Same personnel, but Frank Rehak, trombone, replaces Eddie Bert.
Recorded in New York City, December 22, 1954
Personnel on #6-8:
Same personnel, but Jimmy Raney, guitar, replaces Billy Bauer.
Recorded in New York City, December 23, 1954
Personnel on #9-13:
Al Cohn (ts); Joe Newman (tp); Billy Byers (tb); Gene Quill (as); Sol Schlinger (bs); Sanford Gold (p); Buddy Jones (b); Osie Johnson (d).
Recorded in New York City, December 23, 1954

COLEMAN HAWKINS WITH BILLY BYERS AND HIS ORCHESTRA - The Hawk in Hi-Fi (1956-2001) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

 In January 1956, veteran tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins recorded a dozen songs, eight with a string orchestra and four accompanied by a big band, all arranged by Billy Byers. Hawkins is the main soloist throughout, and he was still very much in his prime 33 years after he first joined Fletcher Henderson's orchestra; in fact, the upcoming year of 1957 would be one of his finest. However, Byers' arrangements are more functional than inspired, and some of these selections are more easy listening than they are swinging. Still, there are some strong moments (particularly on "The Bean Stalks Again" and "His Very Own Blues") and, although not classic, this is a pleasing release. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :
1     Body and Soul 5:00
Frank Eyton / John Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
2     Little Girl Blue [Take 3] 3:04
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3     I Never Knew [Take 5] 3:07
Raymond B. Egan / Roy Marsh / Tom Pitts
4     Dinner for One Please, James [Take 3] 3:12     
Michael Carr
5    The Bean Stalks Again 3:25
Coleman Hawkins
6     His Very Own Blues 3:03
Coleman Hawkins    
7     The Day You Came Along 4:10
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnson
8     Have You Met Miss Jones [Take 7] 3:06
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
9     The Essence of You 3:30
Coleman Hawkins
10     There Will Never Be Another You 3:00
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
11     I'm Shooting High 2:36
Ted Koehler / Jimmy McHugh
12     Bean and the Boys [Issued As "39-25-39"] 2:52
Coleman Hawkins
13     There Will Never Be Another You 3:23
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
14     There Will Never Be Another You 3:26
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
15     Little Girl Blue [Take 1] 3:09
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
16     Dinner for One Please, James [Take 2] 3:17
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
17     I Never Knew [Take 2] 3:18
Raymond B. Egan / Roy Marsh / Tom Pitts
18    Have You Met Miss Jones [Take 1] 3:10
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
19     Have You Met Miss Jones? 3:20
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
20     Have You Met Miss Jones? 2:38
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
21     The Day You Came Along 3:15
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnson
All Credits

COLEMAN HAWKINS - "The Bean" (1993) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Coleman Hawkins Quintet–    The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise    3:49
2    Coleman Hawkins Quintet–    Ill Wind    5:34
3    Coleman Hawkins Quintet–    My Melancholy Baby    4:08
4    Coleman Hawkins Quintet–    In A Mellotone    4:45
5    Coleman Hawkins' Band–    Ain't Misbehavin'    7:34
6    Coleman Hawkins' Band–    Stompin' At The Savoy    6:18
7    Coleman Hawkins–    Midnight Sun    2:51
8    Coleman Hawkins Acc By Billy Byers And His Orchestra–    The Bean Stalks Again    3:25
9    Coleman Hawkins' Band–    Out Of Nowhere    6:46
10    Coleman Hawkins Acc By Neal Hefti's Orchestra–    Lucky Duck    2:44
11    Coleman Hawkins Quintet–    I Can't Get Started    2:52
12    Coleman Hawkins Acc By Neal Hefti's Orchestra–    Ruby    2:24
13    Coleman Hawkins And His Orchestra–    And So To Sleep Again    2:52
14    Coleman Hawkins' Band–    Get Happy    5:34
15    Coleman Hawkins–    Foolin' Around    1:20
16    Coleman Hawkins Quartet–    The Man I Love    6:48
Credits :
Bass – Ray Brown, Wendell Marshall
Drums – Alvin Stoller, Art Blakey, Jo Jones
Electric Guitar – Herb Ellis
Piano – Hank Jones, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins, Zoot Sims
Trombone – Billy Byers, Eddie Bert, Urbie Green
Trumpet – Emmett Berry, Howard McGhee, Neal Hefti
Notas.
Track 5,6,9,14 New York, November 8, 1954
Track 1,2,3,4 Los Angeles, October 24, 1957
Track 7 New York, February 26, 1952
Track 8 New York, January 18, 1956
Track 10,12 New York, April 27, 1953
Track 11 New York, Birdland, September 6, 1952
Track 13 New York, October 19, 1951
Track 15,16 New York, Phytian Temple, November 7, 1955