MARY LOU WILLIAMS – 1949-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1260 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Always in sync with progressive developments in jazz music, pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Mary Lou Williams turns out to have made more records during the 1940s and '50s than most people ever realized. Thanks to the Classics Chronological Series, listeners are now able to follow her career session by session throughout these eventful and transitional years. The fifth installment of her complete recorded works in chronological order opens with a fascinating pair of angular studies in chamber bop. Recorded for the King label on March 18, 1949, these tracks feature the most dramatically modern-sounding band that Mary Lou Williams had ever assembled. With a front line of trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, Alan Feldman on clarinet and alto sax, and pre-Eric Dolphy bass clarinetist Martin Glaser backed by Williams, guitarist Mundell Lowe, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Denzil de Costa Best, "Tisherome" and "Knowledge" are bracing examples of a bop logic that is strikingly adventuresome. The flip sides are topical bop scat novelties featuring vocalist Kenny "Pancho" Hagood. On January 3, 1950, the rhythm section met again to wax four more sides for King. Here the material consisted of jazz standards with Williams at times playing organ or piano or both instruments simultaneously -- during "Bye Bye Blues" she operates the organ with her left hand, piano with her right. On March 7, 1951, the Mary Lou Williams Trio cut ten sides for the Atlantic record company for release on the new LP format. This session turned out to be decidedly cool and nonchalant -- even old "Pagliacci" becomes irresistibly hip. This excellent survey of vintage early modern jazz concludes with five sides cut for the Circle label in June of 1951. The first of these, a carefully devised bop love song sung by the Dave Lambert Singers, features Elbert "Skippy" Williams on bass clarinet. The remaining tracks, recorded four days later, are delightfully cool studies for Billy Taylor's string bass, Willie "Bobo" Correa's conga drums, and the creatively inspired piano of Mary Lou Williams. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Mary Lou Williams With Orchestra–    Tisherome    2:49
2    Mary Lou Williams With Orchestra–    Knowledge    2:26
3    Mary Lou Williams With Orchestra–    Oo-Bla-Dee    2:44
Vocals – Kenny Hagood
4    Mary Lou Williams With Orchestra–    Shorty Boo    2:53
Vocals – Kenny Hagood
5    Mary Lou Williams–    Bye Bye Blues    2:48
6    Mary Lou Williams–    Moonglow    2:29
7    Mary Lou Williams–    Willow Weep For Me    2:56
8    Mary Lou Williams–    I'm In The Mood For Love    2:33
9    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Opus Z    2:54
10    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    The Surrey With The Fringe On Top    2:28
11    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    My First Date With You    3:12
12    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Pagliacci    2:44
13    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    'S Wonderful    2:51
14    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    From This Moment On    3:39
15    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    You're The Cream In My Coffee    2:52
16    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Mary's Waltz    3:25
17    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Would I Love You    3:04
18    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    In The Purple Grotto    3:04
19    Mary Lou Williams–    Walking 2:37
Vocals – Dave Lambert Singers
20    Mary Lou Williams And Her Modern Music–    The Sheik Of Araby    2:45
21    Mary Lou Williams–    When Dreams Come True    2:51
22    Mary Lou Williams–    Bobo    2:50
23    Mary Lou Williams–    Kool    2:24
Credits :    
Bass – Billy Taylor Sr. (tracks: 19 to 23), Carl Pruitt (tracks: 9 to 18), George Duvivier (tracks: 1 to 8)
Bass Clarinet – Elbert "Skippy" Williams (tracks: 19), Martin Glaser (tracks: 1 to 4)
Bongos – Willie "Bobo" Correa (tracks: 20 to 23)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Allan Feldman (tracks: 1 to 4)
Drums – Al Walker (tracks: 19), Bill Clark (tracks: 9 to 18), Denzil Best (tracks: 1 to 8)
Guitar – Mundell Lowe (tracks: 1 to 8)
Organ – Mary Lou Williams (tracks: 5, 6)
Piano – Mary Lou Williams (tracks: 1 to 4, 7 to 23)
Trumpet – Idrees Sulieman (tracks: 1 to 4)

(RAHSAAN) ROLAND KIRK - Early Roots (1956-2001) RM | Bethlehem Archives | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Rahsaan Roland Kirk's first recording predated his second by four years and would be a real obscurity until its reissue in the mid-'70s. Kirk at 20 already had a recognizable sound on tenor and, although he had not yet mastered the art of playing two or three horns at once, he did overdub his manzello and stritch on three of the selections released on his debut, hinting at the exciting innovations to come. The music is mostly blues and ballads with a touch of R&B thrown in, a good beginning to a unique career. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Roland's Theme 2'51
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2     Slow Groove 6'52
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
3     Stormy Weather 4'38
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
4     The Nearness of You 5'33
Hoagy Carmichael / Ned Washington
5     A La Carte 2'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6     Easy Living 4'40
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
7     Triple Threat 2'24
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Credits :
Bass – Carl Pruitt
Drums – Henry Duncan
Piano – James Madison
Tenor Saxophone – (Rahsaan) Roland Kirk