ROY ELDRIDGE – 1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1311 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Roy Eldridge visited Stockholm in January of 1951. The first two numbers recorded there were issued on Classics 1259 (1950-1951). These remaining Swedish selections cover a wide range of styles and moods. Eldridge's adaptation of Louis Jordan's "Saturday Night Fish Fry" was issued on two sides of a 78-rpm platter. His approach to "They Raided the Joint" is not quite as rowdy as that of Hot Lips Page. "The Heat's On" and "Estrad Swing" convey powerful currents of what at the time was modern, up-to-date jazz, comparable to what Coleman Hawkins was blowing. "No Rolling Blues" is a slow exercise in artful complaining, the subject being a dishonest woman. Two final Stockholm recordings, spruced up with Charles Norman's harpsichord, resemble the Artie Shaw Gramercy Five at their finest, when the tinkling keyboard was handled by Johnny Guarnieri. Back in Paris during March of 1951, Eldridge pooled his energies with tenor saxophonist Don Byas and a rhythm trio featuring Claude Bolling at the piano. This blowing session, resulting in three pressure cookers and a cool processional, was energized by the inspired drumming of Armand Molinetti. On the following day, Eldridge recorded a fine pair of duets with Claude Bolling as a tribute to Earl Hines and Louis Armstrong. "Wild Man Blues" evokes the original pairing, while "Fireworks" is based on the famous stomp by Armstrong's Hot Five. Back in New York six months later, Eldridge collaborated wonderfully with tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate on a mixed bag of selections recorded for the Mercury label. Tate pours himself into "Baby What's the Matter With You." "Sweet Lorraine" features the trumpet with lots of reverb, and "Yard Dog," initially waxed by Eldridge's big band in May of 1946, whips along at an almost alarmingly rapid pace, with Charlie Smith socking the drums and Buddy Tate booting away on his tenor. Considering the fact that "Jumbo the Elephant" is a novelty singalong, Eldridge's band manages to swing fairly hard with it. In December of 1951 Norman Granz recorded Eldridge backed by a large string ensemble. This was not at all unusual at the time, as Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday made many wonderful records using this sort of instrumentation. Roy Eldridge was such a soulful, pungent player that these orchestral settings come off as honest, reflective, and substantial. arwulf arwulf  
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ERROLL GARNER – 1949, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1182 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of Erroll Garner's very best albums, The Greatest Garner (Atlantic LP 1227), drew heavily upon the pianist's outstanding session of July 20, 1949. This ninth installment in the complete recordings of Erroll Garner on Classics places that session in context by presenting eight titles recorded for Savoy exactly one month earlier, together with four selections gleaned from a Gene Norman Just Jazz concert in Los Angeles. These are enjoyable tidbits, but the previously mentioned Atlantic session is the real treasure. This is chamber jazz of the highest order. While some critics and commentators seem to chafe at Garner's ethereal tendencies during ballads and introspective interludes, it is precisely these graceful moments that contrast so nicely with his familiar rambunctious manner. Maybe that's why this particular compilation feels so wonderfully well balanced. Garner gets his licks in with Rodgers & Hart and Fields & McHugh, floats through a Ravel "Pavanne" and a Debussy "Reverie," answers these mysteries with his own "Impressions" and private visions of "Twilight" and "Turquoise," muses over Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark," and closes with Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight," a beautiful rendering that belongs among his very greatest achievements on record for its theatrical timing, ebullient pacing, and immaculate execution. arwulf arwulf  
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ERROLL GARNER – 1949-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1205 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The four tracks that open this tenth volume in the Classics Erroll Garner chronology represent a sort of distilled essence of Garner. They are a marvelous byproduct of a special sort of artistic chemistry that existed between the diminutive Pittsburgh pianist, bassist John Simmons, and drummer Alvin Stoller. 

Soon after these two rosy bounces, each backed with a pair of lush ballads, were brought out on the modest Portrait record label, the masters were snapped up, reissued, and widely disseminated by Savoy. On August 23, 1949, Erroll Garner's trio provided musical accompaniment for mellifluous crooner Johnny Hartman. These four Mercury recordings, rare examples of Garner the accompanist, form a languid bridge between Hartman's formative years with Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie and his magnificent later work with Howard McGhee and John Coltrane. Using the same players, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Charlie Smith, Garner polished off eight delightful sides for the 3 Deuces label on September 8, 1949. "Scatter Brain," made famous by saxophonist and bandleader Freddy Martin, here seems as rambunctious as the personality of the pianist who has gotten a hold of it. His "What Is This Thing Called Love?" is almost as magical as James P. Johnson's groundbreaking version of 1930. Garner's wonderfully slow treatment of "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" carries with it a cloud of blues and soul that might not have materialized at a quicker tempo. This artist's full majesty is in evidence during ruminative readings of Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye" and Thomas Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz." A rare 1950 piano solo, originally issued on the Futurama label, is followed with eight equally uncommon sides from the Royal Roost catalog featuring once again bassist John Simmons and now drummer Harold "Doc" West. "Bonny Boy" is of course Garner's private approach to "Danny Boy," the Irish air from County Derry. In addition to initiating a smart stroll up Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy River," this excellent session enabled the pianist to stretch out and explore several bop-informed improvisation vehicles of his own devising: "Minor with the Trio," "Tippin' Out with Erroll," and "Relaxin' at Sugar Ray's." This volume of vintage mid-20th century piano jazz belongs among the best Erroll Garner compilations in the Classics catalog, or anywhere else for that matter. As an extra treat the CD packaging provides a friendly snapshot of Erroll Garner relaxing in the company of Sarah Vaughan and Mitch Miller. arwulf arwulf  
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BILLY TAYLOR – 1950-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1344 (2004) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This second volume covering Billy Taylor's pre-Prestige recordings opens with four sides cut for Brunswick Records in 1950, followed by eight tracks done for Atlantic, and concluding with an early LP of Cuban-inspired jazz, all of which will be of interest to collectors. Taylor's bop-inflected piano style remains elegant throughout, always with a veneer of swinging brightness, and two of the best pieces here, the self-penned "Double Duty" and "Good Groove," show an acute awareness of both time and space, areas Taylor would go on to explore with his subsequent trios. Steve Leggett
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BILLY TAYLOR – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1383 (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The third volume in the complete recordings of pianist Billy Taylor opens with five selections from a live trio session recorded at the Storyville Club in Boston during the autumn of 1952 and subsequently released on the Roost record label. The powerful presence of bassist Charles Mingus brought out the best in Billy Taylor and his drummer Marquis Foster. Taylor's wonderfully facile improvisations are stunning on this live date. Beginning with the Prestige studio session of November 18, 1952, he alternately bubbles or simmers in the company of bassist Earl May and drummer Charlie Smith. Four mambos recorded on May 7, 1953 find Taylor and May surrounded by congas, bongos, maracas and timbale. Billy Taylor's style owed something to Bud Powell and Art Tatum; he was operating in a set of grooves that paralleled those being used by Al Haig, Erroll Garner, Sir Charles Thompson, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, and, at times, even Lennie Tristano and Herbie Nichols. This excellent compilation is highly recommended, especially on account of the extended bass solos of Charles Mingus. Scott Yanow
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FLETCHER HENDERSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1921-1923 | The Classics Chronological Series – 794 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Classics CD reissues the first 23 recordings of Fletcher Henderson and his orchestra. The music is generally pretty primitive, but historically, it is quite significant, since Henderson's group would develop into the first real jazz big band; also, the 1921-22 sides have rarely ever been reissued. Oddly enough, his only three solo piano recordings date from this period. The earliest orchestra recordings are essentially period dance-band performances, but by the end of this CD, Henderson's big band was already beginning to display a bit of its own musical personality. However, needless to say, the best years were still in the future. Scott Yanow
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BERYL BOOKER – 1946-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1415 (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During a recording career that only spanned about 15 years, Philadelphia-born pianist and vocalizer Beryl Booker recorded some 45 titles. These fit nicely into two volumes released by the Classics label in 2006 and 2007. Recorded between October 8, 1946 and March 13, 1952, the 26 tracks that comprise the first installment elucidate Booker's stylistic solidarity with Erroll Garner. That similarity can clearly be heard in her upbeat playing on "I Wished on the Moon" and "Stay as Sweet as You Are," and on any of this compilation's 12 slow instrumental ballads. Also like Garner, Booker read no music and was almost entirely self-taught. Note that this compilation contains no less than seven examples of Beryl Booker the ballad singer. During the '50s she worked as an accompanist for Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington; their combined influences certainly colored her delivery, although Booker had her own earthily intimate style, which mingles beautifully with the mature Lady Day vibe on "You Better Go Now." As far as instrumentalists went, Booker almost invariably worked with some of the best on the scene. Tracks one through four -- her first session as a leader -- feature Booker in the company of guitarist Mary Osborne and bassist June Rotenberg. Recorded sometime during the year 1948, tracks five through ten bring on guitarist John Collins and bassist Slam Stewart, whose combo Booker joined in 1946 and with whom she would work on a semi-regular basis through 1952. Tracks eleven through fourteen represent recordings so rare as to be entirely absent from several standard discographical session indexes. Fifteen through eighteen showcase tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson and also feature Don Elliott, who blew the mellophonium and doubled on vibraphone. Only two of the last eight selections on this disc are upbeat; the rest are languid examples of Booker's dreamily lyrical approach to the art of the instrumental ballad, which again has a lot in common with the whimsicality of Garner. Perhaps the high point of her entire recording career was to take place in Paris in February 1954 when she had the opportunity to collaborate with tenor saxophonist Don Byas. Those recordings -- and what appears to be the rest of this woman's recorded legacy -- can be found on volume two of her complete works on the Classics Chronological Series. arwulf arwulf  
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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