STAN GETZ – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1338 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In response to shortsighted comments implying that Stan Getz and Zoot Sims sounded too much like each other and too similar to Lester Young, Ira Gitler liked to use the analogy of "...a friend calling you on the telephone. You know who it is immediately. It's the same thing when you hear a musician play." The secret, of course, is to listen so carefully and consistently that you feel as though you have become a friend of the artist. This sort of empathy is a vital ingredient in jazz -- the empathy between composers, players, and listeners. Hearing Stan Getz recorded live in performance at Boston's Storyville club on October 28, 1951, spells it out marvelously. Backed by pianist Al Haig, guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Tiny Kahn, Getz sounds as though he has arrived at a hard-won maturity. One great aspect of this music lies within the comparative nature of every sound. In Getz listeners can hear Jimmy Giuffre, Lee Konitz, even Charles Lloyd -- but best of all, Getz himself. By this time his artistry had evolved well beyond where he had been only a couple of years earlier. In some of these bands there's something of the marvelous complexity of Lennie Tristano's fascinating ensembles. Eight 1952 recordings originally released on 78-rpm singles bearing the baby-blue Roost label appeared under the heading of the Johnny Smith Quintet. Smith's quicksilver guitar, heard most dynamically on the rapid Tristano-like "Jaguar" and a fantastic cruising theme called "Tabu," acts as a stunning foil for the tenor. The slower numbers are positively intoxicating. Even with the guitar predominating, "Moonlight in Vermont" stands among the loveliest ballad recordings this saxophonist ever participated in. The band's next session took place in November of 1952, and resulted in music of comparable excellence. On December 12, Getz collaborated for the very first time with producer Norman Granz. Backed by a rhythm section including pianist Duke Jordan, the saxophonist had clearly found his own voice. "The Way You Look Tonight" is a powerful closer for this outstanding album of vintage early modern jazz. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist :

CHARLIE VENTURA – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1149 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The main reasons to investigate the recordings of Charlie Ventura are of course his wonderful handling of the tenor saxophone and the excellent ensembles he led. Ventura's recordings were predominately instrumental in 1945 and 1946. As the decade drew to a close, singers dominated the recording industry and many bandleaders chose to feature more and more of them. The third volume of the complete recordings of Charlie Ventura illustrates this process in high relief. Four sides recorded for the National label in September of 1947 spotlight the vocal talents of Buddy Stewart, an able crooner who sounded best when bop scatting like a third horn alongside Ventura and trombonist Kai Winding on "East of Suez" and the dynamic "Eleven Sixty," a masterpiece of high-energy bop that Ventura had recorded in March of 1947 as "Stop and Go." A stack of sides recorded in Chicago during October of 1948 packs a few surprises. Ventura switches to baritone sax on "If I Had You" and begins to feature vocalist Jackie Cain as a lone balladeer and in bop scat tandem with pianist Roy Kral. Their cutely hip, wordless passages closely emulate a widely imitated style of singing perfected by Babs Gonzales. As nice as the vocals are, one begins to relish the sax and trombone breaks, while the increasingly rare instrumental tracks ("Oh, Lady Be Good," "Sweet Georgia Brown," and a gorgeous treatment of "Once in a While") begin to feel like precious nuggets of unaffected inspiration. Three of the four titles recorded for Victor on January 6, 1949, showcase the increasingly popular Jackie & Roy in highly charged bop scat mode. The instrumental "Body and Soul" was Ventura's second recorded outing on baritone sax. A smoky, apparently live nightclub recording of "Fine and Dandy" captures the sound of Ventura's sextet at its most unrestrained and inspired, including fine solos by Bennie Green and trumpeter Conte Candoli. Contrary to what the enclosed discography says, Jackie & Roy do not sing on "Fine and Dandy." By April of 1949, Ventura's act had practically become the Jackie & Roy show, albeit with excellent instrumentation behind the singers. "Flamingo" achieves an interesting balance as the vocalists are mainly heard in the background during the introduction, as if to pave the way for the leader's passionate, sophisticated saxophone. arwulf arwulf  
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CHARLIE VENTURA – 1951-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1363 (2004) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is the sixth volume of the complete recordings of Charlie Ventura reissued in chronological order. Four out of the five sessions represented here are strictly instrumental. This gives fans of Jackie Cain and Roy Kral a taste of that duo's kicky vocal routine without detracting from the overall instrumental jazz content. On August 8, 1951, the saxophonist made his only recordings under the banner of Charlie Ventura's Big Four, with pianist Teddy Napoleon, bassist Chubby Jackson, and drummer Buddy Rich, whose megalomania accelerated the speedy dissolution of this tight little group. In a bizarre turn of events, Rich sang "Love Is Just Around the Corner" while Mel Tormé sat in at the drums. On December 22, 1952, Ventura waxed seven beautiful sides using alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones in front of a rhythm trio for producer Norman Granz. Ventura's baritone work is particularly attractive on "Blue Prelude." A second date for Norgran Records took place on January 5, 1953, with Hank Jones at the piano and the great Jo Jones behind the drums. Ventura opens on tenor but switches to baritone on "Blues for Two" and sticks with the basement horn on "Somebody Loves Me." These are some radically advanced improvisations, signaling a profound ongoing artistic evolution. Moving over to Coral Records for most of the remainder of 1953, Ventura first chose to collaborate once again with Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. The band behind their vocals is superb, and Ventura hauls out his baritone for extra emphasis. Four romantic sax solos with orchestral accompaniment close out this segment of the Ventura chronology with all the subtlety of a sugary dessert wine garnished with a blood-red maraschino cherry. arwulf arwulf  
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