COLEMAN HAWKINS - 1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 926 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Covering in detail a timeline from January 1944 to October 1945, this chapter in the Classics Coleman Hawkins chronology presents recordings he made for the Asch, Selmer, Capitol, Super Disc and V-Disc labels during what was an exciting and transitional period in the evolution of jazz. During the '40s Hawkins was deliberately aligning himself with young and innovative players; four of the sessions feature trumpeter Howard McGhee and pianist Sir Charles Thompson; bassist Oscar Pettiford was also an integral part of Hawk's mid-'40s West Coast band. Lush ballads and upbeat jam structures make for excellent listening throughout. Hawk is also heard sitting in with drummer Sid Catlett's all-stars, leading a quintet with the great Art Tatum at the piano, and working up his own extended set of "Variations" for solo tenor saxophone. While some commentators have focused unnecessary attention upon all-too-human drawbacks like Howard McGhee's addictions and occasional bouts of quarreling between Pettiford and Sir Charles, the music contained in this compilation stands squarely in its own light, unsullied by gossip or untoward circumstances.  arwulf arwulf     Tracklist + Credits :

BEN WEBSTER – 1944-1946 | The Chronogical Classics – 1017 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Most Ben Webster albums on the market today seem to be reissues from his magnificent autumnal years, majestically lush or bearishly brusque. It's good to have a chronological sampling of Webster's work from the mid-'40s, in order to appreciate exactly how he developed into the Ben Webster of 1959 and 1969. After popping up on early big band swing records by Bennie Moten and Willie Bryant, Webster came into his own as the first really exceptional tenor saxophonist to be featured with Duke Ellington's Orchestra. What we have here is the post-Ellington Ben Webster. His tone has gotten bigger and wider, grittily sensuous and invariably warm like a pulse in the jugular. The first eight tracks were made for radio broadcast purposes in February of 1944. The combination of Hot Lips Page and Ben Webster is a bitch. There are strolling romps with titles like "Woke Up Clipped," "Dirty Deal" and "'Nuff Said," lively stomps built on to the changes of "Tea for Two" and "I Got Rhythm," and two choice examples of Webster developing his ballad chops. "Perdido," from a quartet session recorded near the end of March 1944, is positively stunning. Webster has definitely tapped into something primal, and no one can hear him without being at least partially transformed by the sounds of his saxophone. April Fool's day, 1944 found Webster in the company of tenors Budd Johnson and Walter "Foots" Thomas, with trumpeter Emmett Berry and a modern rhythm section. "Broke but Happy" is a sweet jaunt, real solid, especially when the saxes take over in unison. But the main reason to get your own copy of Classics 1017 is to have the Savoy session of April 17th, 1944. Gracefully accompanied by Johnny Guarnieri, Oscar Pettiford and David Booth, Webster blows four of the greatest three-minute recordings of his entire career. "Kat's Fur" is a goosed up, improved version of "'Nuff Said." "I Surrender Dear" runs even deeper than the two other versions included on this disc. "Honeysuckle Rose" and especially "Blue Skies" each represent Ben Webster at his toughest and truest. This is a rare blend of musk, and it's not synthetic. It's the real thing. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

BEN WEBSTER – 1946-1951 | The Chronogical Classics – 1253 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This volume in the Chronological Classics Ben Webster series is a fascinating slice during a wildly transitional period for the saxophonist. In the years between 1946-1951, Webster made numerous jumps as evidenced by these tracks, from the glorious jumping big swing of "The Jeep Is Jumpin'" while he was with Bill De Arango to the searing bebop of "Dark Corners" (with some blazing guitar work by De Arango) to the small-combo hard bop of "Randle's Island" to the bluesy, near soul-jazz balladry of "You're My Thrill." In Webster's company are some masters to be sure, including Maynard Ferguson, Al Haig, Big Sid Catlett, Bill Coleman, Benny Carter, Tony Scott, Buster Moten, and Gerald Wiggins, to name a few. This is varied set in terms of style, but these performances (and sound) are consistently fine.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa'<-
Tracklist :
1 The Jeep Is Jumpin'  2:57
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
2 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)  2:56
Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster
3 Dark Corners 3:02
Ben Webster
 4 Mister Brim 3:15
Bill DeArango
 5 Frog and Mule 3:09
Ben Webster
 6 Spang 2:41
Ben Webster
7 Doctor Keets 3:16
Ben Webster
8 Park and Tilford Blues 3:18
Ben Webster
9 As Long As I Live 2:25
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
10 All Alone 2:57
Irving Berlin
11 Blue Belles of Harlem 2:57
Duke Ellington
12 Turn It Over 2:38
Bennie Moten
13 That Dit It 2:47
Bennie Moten
14 Best Friend Blues 3:08
Bennie Moten / Bessie Smith
15 Baby You Messed Up 2:20
Bessie Smith
16 Randle's Island 3:16
Ben Webster
17 Old Folks 2:55
Dedette Lee Hill / Willard Robison
18 King's Riff 3:14
Ben Webster
19 You're My Thrill 3:06
Sidney Clare / Jay Gorney

TEDDY WILSON – 1947-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1224 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The eleventh volume in the extensive Classics Teddy Wilson chronology combines the last of his Musicraft recordings, cut in December 1947, with a pair of trio dates for Columbia that took place during the summer of 1950. As all of this excellent music has languished in obscurity for years, the producers of this series have once again done the world a gracious favor by taking the time to compile and reissue it for 21st century ears. The first four tracks, waxed on December 3, 1947, feature trumpeter Buck Clayton in perfect accord with Wilson, bassist Billy Taylor, Jr. and drummer Denzil Best. Between December 15 and 18, Wilson and Taylor returned to the studio with drummer William "Keg" Purnell to cut eight more sides, four of them garlanded with sweet vocals by Kay Penton. Because of his teaching duties at Juilliard, steady work as house pianist on the air at WNEW and periodic live performances with Benny Goodman, there are sizeable gaps in Teddy Wilson's discography during the period between 1946 and 1952. The largest of these -- two-and-a-half years -- separate the Musicraft and Columbia recordings heard on this compilation. On June 29, 1950 Teddy Wilson resumed recording as a leader for Columbia records, cutting seven relatively brief tracks with bassist Arvell Shaw and drummer "J.C. Heard." This leg of the chronology closes with four titles recorded on August 25, 1950 with bassist Al McKibbon and drummer Kansas Fields. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

TEDDY WILSON – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1364 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Between the years 1946 and 1952, pianist Teddy Wilson made few recordings as a leader, spending most of his time and energy teaching music at Juilliard, working as an all-purpose utility pianist at radio station WNEW, and gigging occasionally with Benny Goodman. On October 6, 1952, Wilson cut eight tracks for the Metronome label in Stockholm, Sweden with excellent support from bassist Yngve Akerberg and a feisty drummer by the name of Jack Noren. In keeping with personal artistic patterns established over his first 20 years of professional musicianship, Wilson concentrated upon jazz standards, breathing new life into each melody. Volume 12 in the Classics Teddy Wilson chronology also contains the excellent recordings Wilson made for the Mercury and Clef labels from December 1952 through early September 1953 under the auspices of producer Norman Granz. At each session, Wilson found himself grouped with his musical peers: bassists John Simmons, Aaron Bell, and Arvell Shaw as well as drummers Buddy Rich, Denzil Best, and J.C. Heard. With ingredients like these, it's no wonder the music came out so well. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

BOBBY HACKETT – 1948-1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1403 (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The third installment in the Classics Bobby Hackett chronology examines the recordings he made between June 22, 1948, and November 7, 1954. The compilation opens with two superb five-minute V-Disc jams introduced by Hackett and Eddie Condon, who organized this and dozens of other traditional jazz get-togethers during the 1940s. The front line of Hackett, Cutty Cutshall, Peanuts Hucko, and Ernie Caceres worked wonders. "You Do Something to Me" is a marvelous trumpet/piano duet with Joe Bushkin recorded during the second AFM recording ban; in their spoken introduction they even mention the organization's president, a Mr. Petrillo. Two quintet sessions for Columbia dating from the late summer and early autumn of 1950 combine Dixieland repertoire with relaxed swing standards; Hackett's rendering of "A Room with a View" is particularly beautiful. An unattributed vocal choir intrudes upon an unissued recording of "Sleepy Head"; this turns out to have been a premonition of production values yet to come, as Hackett's next date as a leader (Capitol Records, May 11,1953) would find him accompanied by a rhythm section augmented with four violas and a cello. This combination actually worked rather well; the fact that Hackett had Lou Stein, Billy Bauer, Arnold Fishkin, and Denzil Best in the group helped to temper the effect of the strings, which in any case were all low key, literally speaking. Hackett sounds as relaxed and sophisticated as ever on the concluding tracks, which were recorded on November 7, 1954. By this time the Capitol studios and conductor Glenn Osser were backing him with French horns, woodwinds (including flute and oboe), and a classical harp wafting away next to the rhythm section. Fortunately, the ensemble is kept under control and Hackett sounds just as happy here as he did with his old cohorts from the Condon Mob. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits : 

MARY LOU WILLIAMS – 1944-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1021 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One thing about chronologically arranged reissues -- you never know exactly what you're going to bump into. The third volume of the complete recordings of Mary Lou Williams, for example, opens with a pair of tunes sung by Josh White. It's good to hear the lyrics to Williams' cool, bluesy "Froggy Bottom," but "The Minute Man" is one of those obligatory, rhetorical patriotic numbers that cropped up everywhere during WWII and are relevant today only as historical curiosities. Most of the music reissued in this compilation originally appeared on scratchy 78-rpm records bearing the Asch label. Tenor sax archetype Coleman Hawkins is featured on the lush "Song in My Soul" and trumpeter Bill Coleman presides over a laid-back strolling blues with the worrisome title "Carcinoma." Clarinetist Claude Greene composed "This and That," a lively, bop-like romp that sounds a bit like "Epistrophy." As for "Oh, Lady Be Good," this septet's brisk and inventive set of variations based upon those Gershwin chord progressions would soon be rechristened "Rifftide" by Hawkins, who had a way of gobbling up harmonic advancements in jazz as soon as they appeared on the scene during the 1940s. With drummer Denzil Best driving the band, this is an exciting example of jazz in transition and should be studied by all who seek to better understand how the music evolved as quickly as it did in 1944. Speaking of modernity, in 1945 Mary Lou Williams composed and recorded "The Zodiac Suite," an astrologically inspired cycle of sketches for piano, bass, and drums. Each movement was dedicated to a specific set of musicians, including Ben Webster, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Ellis Larkins, and Leonard Feather. There also exists a three-piano arrangement of the "Scorpio" movement that the composer had intended to perform with Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. The music is at times wonderfully abstract and ethereal, regularly returning to the root system of blues and boogie as if to nourish itself with the lifeblood of tradition even as the composer pursued a course of harmonic exploration in ways that variously recall Ellington, Strayhorn, Satie, and Debussy. Incredibly, some critics and historians, like bored toddlers, have complained of a "lack of variety" in this work. This sort of ungracious mentality has also engendered shortsighted criticism of James P. Johnson's "Yamekraw." Williams expressed herself beautifully here, and listeners are advised to relax and proceed with patience and an open mind. This interesting album of rare treats closes with two piano solos that are cousins of "The Zodiac Suite," entitled "Stars" and "Moon," and "Timmie Time," a wonderful swinging bop study performed by an all-female quintet. In addition to Mary Lou Williams at the piano the ensemble was composed of guitarist Mary Osborne, vibraphonist Marjorie Hyams, upright bassist Bea Taylor, and smart shuffle drummer Bridget O'Flynn. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    The Minute Man    2:03
Vocals – Josh White
2    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Froggy Bottom     2:52
3    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Carcinoma     3:38
4    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Song Is My Soul     3:00
5    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    This And That     2:38
6    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Lady Be Good     3:45
7    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Taurus     2:32
8    Mary Lou Williams–    Pisces     2:30
9    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Gemini     2:05
10    Mary Lou Williams–    Capricorn     2:52
11    Mary Lou Williams–    Sagittarius     1:48
12    Mary Lou Williams–    Aquarius    2:40
13    Mary Lou Williams–    Libra     2:08
14    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Virgo     2:43
15    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Aries     2:16
16    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Scorpio     3:09
17    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Cancer     2:35
18    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Leo     1:42
19    Mary Lou Williams–    Stars     2:44
20    Mary Lou Williams–    Moon     2:24
21    Mary Lou Williams–    Timmie Time     2:48
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Joe Evans (tracks: 3 to 6)
Bass – Al Lucas (tracks: 7, 9, 14 to 18), Bea Taylor (tracks: 21), Eddie Robinson (tracks: 3 to 6), Jimmy Butts (tracks: 1, 2)
Clarinet – Claude Greene (tracks: 3 to 6)
Drums – Bridget O'Flynn (tracks: 21), Denzil Best (tracks: 3 to 6), Eddie Dougherty (tracks: 1, 2), Jack Parker (tracks: 7, 9, 14 to 18)
Guitar – Mary Osborne (tracks: 21)
Piano – Mary Lou Williams
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins (tracks: 3 to 6)
Trumpet – Bill Coleman (tracks: 1 to 6)
Vibraphone – Marjorie Hyams (tracks: 21) 

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)

LENNIE TRISTANO - 1947-1951 (2003) CC, 1290 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

This second volume in the chronological Classics anthology of Lennie Tristano from his Capitol and Prestige recordings is where the mature composer and improviser appears from his former skeleton. Beginning with the original version of "Dissonance," featuring guitarist Billy Bauer and bassist Arnold Fishkin, the set concentrates on Tristano's emerging and very complex ideas about melodic improvisation. The masters for early tracks here come from a session cut on New Year's Eve in 1947, and include clarinetist John LaPorta on such visionary compositions as "Through These Portals," with its dual melodic front line playing an extrapolated harmonic counterpoint via the piano and guitar, then being bridged by a common third line played by LaPorta, whose solo is almost a tag upon the two entwining solo lines played throughout. "Speculation" is pure chordal genius, with rhythms cascading in two directions against a nearly expressionistic melodic integration of variously shaded harmonics. The first sessions of both the quintet and quartet with Lee Konitz are here, too, with Konitz's unique phrasing on the shimmering bop of "Progression," "Tautology," and, of course, "Subconscious-Lee." Tristano was a giant of the intellect, and his knotty approach to deconstructing harmonics and creating new melodies from the ruins appealed to Konitz, who was, and remains, a melodist. Later that same year, in 1949, Tristano added second saxophonist Warne Marsh to the mix, and that magical pairing found its voice on the front lines of "Crosscurrent," "Intuition," and the stellar "Marionette." Finally, the 1951 trio sides with Roy Haynes and Peter Ind make clear that these new architectures Tristano was building could be erected by himself and a rhythm section, and in some ways were even bigger as a result of that. These ideas have never been fully integrated into the jazz canon as they should be, but nonetheless, with recordings like this abounding now, it cannot be long before they are
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Dissonance 2:40
Lennie Tristano
2     Through These Portals 2:18
John LaPorta
3     Speculation (Ear, Eyes) 2:2
Horace Silver / Lennie Tristano
4     New Sound 2:19
Lennie Tristano
5     Resemblance 2:24
Lennie Tristano
6     Progression 3:01
Lee Konitz
7     Tautology 2:46
Lee Konitz
8     Retrospection 3:10
Duke Ellington / Lennie Tristano
9     Subconscious-Lee 2:50
Lee Konitz
10     Judy 2:56
Lennie Tristano
11     Wow 3:22
Lennie Tristano
12     Crosscurrent 2:52
Lennie Tristano
13     Yesterdays 2:49
Jerome Kern / Lennie Tristano
14     Marionette 3:06
Billy Bauer
15     Sax of a Kind 3:02
Lee Konitz / Warne Marsh
16     Intuition 2:29
Lennie Tristano
17     Digression (Intuition II) 3:05
Lennie Tristano
18     Ju-Ju 2:16
Lennie Tristano
19     Passtime 3:39
Lennie Tristano

LENNIE TRISTANO - Trio, Quartet, Quintet & Sextet : 1946-1949 (1996) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

Giants of Jazz presents an exciting tour of Lennie Tristano's three-, four-, five- and six-piece ensemble recordings dating from the mid- to late 1940s. True to the unspoken policy of this label, the material is chronologically scrambled in an apparent attempt to avoid replicating other, tidier Tristano reissues. Six titles were harvested from Tristano's two groundbreaking Keynote sessions of 1946 and 1947; these were trio affairs involving guitarist Billy Bauer and bassists Bob Leininger or Clyde Lombardi. A lesser-known trio session from December 1947 resulted in "Parallel," "Abstraction" "Freedom" and "Dissonance," which were originally released on the Baronet record label. Regarding the quartets: saxophonist John LaPorta recorded "New Sound" with Tristano, Bauer and bassist Arnold Fishkin on the last day of 1947 (this was also issued on Baronet) and the rhythm section from this date reconvened in March 1949 with drummer Harold Granowsky to record "Yesterdays," which was issued by Capitol. A superb session for Prestige New Jazz took place on November 11, 1949, with Tristano, Bauer and Fishkin forming a marvelous quintet with saxophonist Lee Konitz and drummer Shelly Manne. The titles from this date are "Progression," "Retrospection," "Subconscious-Lee" and "Judy." As for the sextets: three choice cuts from a May 1949 Capitol session ("Intuition," "Digression" and Bauer's "Marionette") find the pianist surrounded by saxophonists Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz, Bauer, Fishkin and drummer Denzil Best. This dazzling package closes with a live rendition of "You Go to My Head" culled from a Voice of America radio broadcast from Carnegie Hall on December 24, 1949, with Konitz, Marsh, Bauer, bassist Joe Shulman and drummer Jeff Morton. Altogether an excellent sampler of early modern jazz that is creative, inspired, accessible and very enjoyable. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     Intuition 2:27
Lennie Tristano
2     Digression 3:04
Lennie Tristano
3     Marionette 3:06
Billy Bauer
4     Yesterday 2:47
Lennie Tristano
5     Crosscurrent 2:50
Lennie Tristano
6     Interlude 3:06
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
7     Freedom 3:36
Lennie Tristano
8     Atonement 2:28
Lennie Tristano
9     Coolin' off with Ulanov 2:49
Lennie Tristano
10     I Can't Get Started 2:56
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
11     Out on a Limb 2:40
Lennie Tristano
12     I Surrender, Dear 3:06
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
13     Progression 2:44
Lee Konitz
14     Retrospection 3:08
Lennie Tristano
15     Subconscious-Lee 2:48
Lee Konitz
16     Judy 2:53
Lennie Tristano
17     Parallel 2:28
Lennie Tristano
18     Abstraction 2:38
Lennie Tristano
19     Dissonance 2:38
Lennie Tristano
20     New Sound 2:16
Lennie Tristano
21     You Go to My Head 4:31
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 13 to 16, 21)
Bass – Arnold Fishkin (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 13 to 20), Bob Leininger (tracks: 8, 9), Clyde Lombardi (tracks: 6, 10 to 12), Joe Shulman (tracks: 21)
Clarinet – John LaPorta (tracks: 20)
Drums – Denzil Best (tracks: 1 to 3), Harold Granowsky (tracks: 4, 5), Jeff Morton (tracks: 21), Shelly Manne (tracks: 13, 15)
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 21)

LENNIE TRISTANO and WARNE MARSH - Intuition (1996) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 This CD brings back a formerly rare set by Warne Marsh, plus seven classic performances that serve as the high point of Lennie Tristano's career. Oddly enough, the Tristano date is programmed second. First is a full-length album which matches Warne Marsh with the cooler but complementary tone of fellow tenor Ted Brown (plus pianist Ronnie Ball, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Jeff Morton). The original eight selections are joined by four alternate takes recorded in mono. Marsh and Brown blend together well, Ball has several creative solos, and most of the "originals" are based closely on familiar standards. However, the main reason to acquire this CD is for the seven remarkable Tristano tracks which feature his finest group (consisting of the pianist/leader, altoist Lee Konitz, Marsh on tenor, guitarist Billy Bauer, bassist Arnold Fishkin, and either Harold Granowsky or Denzil Best on drums). Tristano's music was unique and even more advanced than most bop of the late '40s. While he confined the rhythm section to very quiet timekeeping, the vibrato-less horns and Tristano himself played very long melodic lines, constantly improvising. The stunning unisons performed by Konitz and Marsh (particularly on "Wow") still sound remarkable today, as does the interplay of the two horns on "Sax of a Kind." "Intuition" and "Digression" were the first recorded free improvisations in jazz, but are quite coherent due to the musicians' familiarity with each other. Due to the Lennie Tristano performances, this CD reissue (which has over 75 minutes of music) is essential for all jazz collections. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1    Warne Marsh–    Smog Eyes 3:32
Written-By – Ted Brown
2    Warne Marsh–    Ear Conditioning 5:13
Written-By – Ronnie Ball
3    Warne Marsh–    Lover Man 4:28
Written-By – Davis, Sherman, Ramirez
4    Warne Marsh–    Quintessence 4:14
Written-By – Ronnie Ball
5    Warne Marsh–    Jazz Of Two Cities 4:32
Written-By – Ted Brown
6    Warne Marsh–    Dixie's Dilemma 4:20
Written-By – Warne Marsh
7    Warne Marsh–    Tschaikovsky's Opus #42, Third Movement 3:59
Traditional
8    Warne Marsh–    I Never Knew 5:00
Written-By – G. Khan, T. FioRita
9    Warne Marsh–    Ear Conditioning (Mono Master) 5:14
Written-By – Ronnie Ball
10    Warne Marsh–    Lover Man (Mono Master) 4:29
Written-By – Davis, Sherman, Ramirez
11    Warne Marsh–    Jazz Of Two Cities (Mono Take) 4:39
Written-By – Ted Brown
12    Warne Marsh–    I Never Knew (Mono Take) 5:09
Written-By – Kahn, T. FioRita
13    Lennie Tristano–    Wow 3:19
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
14    Lennie Tristano–    Crosscurrent 2:48
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
15    Lennie Tristano–    Yesterdays 2:45
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
16    Lennie Tristano–    Marionette 3:04
Written-By – Billy Bauer
17    Lennie Tristano–    Sax Of A Kind 2:59
Written-By – L. Tristano, W. Marsh
18    Lennie Tristano–    Intuition 2:27
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
19    Lennie Tristano–    Digression 3:04
Written-By – Lennie Tristano     
Credits :
1-12
Bass – Ben Tucker
Drums – Jeff Morton
Piano – Ronnie Ball
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
13-19
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best (tracks: 16 to 19), Harold Granowsky (tracks: 13, 14),
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Notas.
Tracks 1 to 8 are stereo, all other selections are mono.
The Warne Marsh album that begins this CD was issued in mono as "Jazz Of Two Cities" (Imperial LP 9027) and in stereo as "Winds Of Marsh" (Imperial LP 12013). The mono and stereo takes of "Jazz Of Two Cities" and "I Never Knew" are completely different. The second saxophone solo on "Ear Conditioning" and the piano solo on "Lover Man" differ on the stereo and mono masters. Both versions of these four tunes are therefore included here.
Tracks 1 to 4, 9 & 10 recorded on October 3, 1956 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles.
Tracks 5 to 8, 11 & 12 recorded on October 11, 1956 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles.
Tracks 13 & 14 recorded on March 4, 1949 in New York.
Tracks 15 recorded on March 14, 1949 in New York.
Tracks 16 to 19 recorded on May 16, 1949 in New York.

LENNIE TRISTANO ALL STARS - Live at the Café Bohemia (2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This exciting compilation (which might more accurately have been called "Live at the Pied Piper and the Half Note") should come as a pleasant surprise to early modern jazz lovers, especially those who admire the work of pianist and philosopher Lennie Tristano. Tracks 1-5, credited to trombonist Bill Harris & His All Stars, were recorded in live performance on August 22, 1947 inside the Pied Piper at 15 Barrow Street in New York City's West Village. These tracks were released on LP in the '70s as Jazz Showcase 5001, A Knight in the Village. The Pied Piper mainly featured old-school jazz players like Wilbur De Paris and James P. Johnson, and wouldn't become the Café Bohemia until 1949 when it was purchased by one James Garofolo, who didn't adopt a rigorously progressive jazz policy until six years later. Bill Harris was a modernist associated with the bop-addled Woody Herman and Charlie Ventura bands. Tristano and tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips received feature billing, with the rest of the All-Stars, consisting of guitarist Billy Bauer, bassist Chubby Jackson, and drummer Denzil Best. On "Flip Meets Bill," Tristano was replaced by Argonne Thornton, who was on the verge of changing his name to Sadik Hakim. He is remembered for his work with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, and Lester Young, a master improviser who was one of Tristano's personal heroes.
The rest of the material presented here was recorded inside the Half Note at 289 Hudson Street on June 6, 1964 for use in a Look Up & Live television broadcast narrated by Dr. William Hamilton. Originally released on Tristano's Jazz Records label, tracks 6-8 feature saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh with bassist Sonny Dallas and drummer Nick Stabulas. If part of this lineup rings a few bells, note that in 1961, Konitz, Dallas, and Stabulas (as well as Elvin Jones) made a bunch of studio recordings for Verve which were released in 2007 on Universal's deluxe three-CD "Elite Edition" of Motion. That package, which fairly bristles with alternate takes, is recommended as a vibrant counterpart to this double reissue of uncommon location recordings which feature the predictably unpredictable Lennie Tristano. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     What Is This Thing Called Love? 13:48
Cole Porter
2     Just You, Just Me 10:37
Jesse Greer / Raymond Klages
3     A Knight in the Village 9:40
Bill Harris
4     Medley: Body and Soul/Sweet Lorraine 4:02
Cliff Burwell / Mitchell Parish
5     Flip Meets Bill 10:35
Bill Harris / Flip Phillips
6     Subconscious-Lee ["Look Up & Live" TV Broadcast, Half Note, NY, June 6, 1964] 6:17
Lennie Tristano
7     317 East 32nd ["Look Up & Live" TV Broadcast, Half Note, NY, June 6, 1964] 9:53
Lennie Tristano
8     Background Music ["Look Up & Live" TV Broadcast, Half Note, NY, June 6, 1964] 9:59
Lennie Tristano
Credits :    
1-5
Ensemble – Lennie Tristano Sextet
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Tenor Saxophone – Flip Phillips
Trombone – Bill Harris
Piano – Lennie Tristano (tracks: 1 to 4)
6-8
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – , Sonny Dallas
Drums – Nick Stabulas
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Notas.
Tracks 1-5: Live at the Café Bohemia, August 22, 1947.
Bonus tracks 6-8: "Look Up & Live" TV Broadcast, live from the Half Note, New York, June 6, 1964.

LEE KONITZ - Subconscious-Lee (1955-1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A debut for both Lee Konitz and the Prestige label, Subconscious-Lee brings together many of the students who came through Lennie Tristano's idiosyncratic "school" of jazz during the immediate postwar years. Forging a heady approach to Charlie Parker's innovations, full of lithe and at times super fast solo lines, Tristano and his favorite pupil Konitz in particular nurtured an introverted, wan, yet still swinging alternative to the frenetic muscle of bebop. Other students like tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, pianist Sal Mosca, and bassist Arnold Fishkin staked claims as well and show up prominently here. And while Tristano's "Judy" and "Retrospection" get mired in somewhat tired contemplation, Konitz' "Subconscious-Lee" and Marsh's "Marshmallow" stand out with brisk tempos, cascading horn lines, and fetching head statements. Avoiding the meandering course of his originals, Tristano shines at the piano with a bevy of exciting and substantial solos; Mosca and guitarist Billy Bauer keep up the good work with fine contributions of their own. Good for both mind and feet and chock-full of groundbreaking work by Konitz and Marsh especially, this 1949-1950 recording makes for essential jazz listening. [One bonus track, "Progression," is added to this version of Subconscious-Lee.] Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     Progression 3:02
Lee Konitz
2     Tautology 2:45
Lee Konitz
3     Retrospection 3:09
Lennie Tristano
4     Subconcious-Lee 2:49
Lee Konitz
5     Judy 2:56
Lennie Tristano
6     Marshmallow 2:55
Warne Marsh
7     Fishin' Around 3:47
Warne Marsh
8    Tautology 2:56
Lee Konitz
9     Sound-Lee 4:08
Lee Konitz
10     Rebecca 3:05
Lee Konitz
11     You Go to My Head 2:38
J. Fred Coots
12     Ice Cream Konitz 2:45
Lee Konitz
13     Palo Alto 2:31
Lee Konitz
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin (tracks: 1 to 9, 11 to 13)
Drums – Denzil Best (tracks: 6, 7), Jeff Morton (tracks: 8, 9, 11 to 13), Shelly Manne (tracks: 1 to 4)
Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 1 to 5, 10 to 13)
Piano – Lennie Tristano (tracks: 1 to 5), Sal Mosca (tracks: 6 to 9, 12, 13)
Remastered By [Digital Remastering, 1991] – Phil De Lancie
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh (tracks: 6 to 9)
Notas.
Selections #1-5 recorded January 11, 1949; #6-7 June 28, 1949; #8-9: September 27, 1949; #10-13: April 7, 1950. All selections recorded in New York.
The "Progression" originally issued on Subconscious-Lee was mistitled; it was in fact "Tautology." The real "Progression," which is included in this CD as a bonus track, was previously released in the twofer 25 Years of Prestige (P-24046).

COLEMAN HAWKINS – 1944-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 863 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Some of Hawkins' best combo work was cut during the '40s. Having returned from an extended European stay, Hawkins fell in with his old swing pals and also headed up quite a few outfits with emerging beboppers. This Classics disc reveals the contrasting mix with 23 sides featuring the tenor great with the likes of both swing trumpeter Charlie Shavers and bop iconoclast Thelonious Monk. The four Monk tracks, while not especially revealing, do contain some fine playing, especially on "Recollections" and "Drifting on a Reed." In addition to several quality performances with Shavers, the program also includes four excellent bluesy ballads featuring Hawkins with Buck Clayton, Teddy Wilson, Slam Stewart, and Denzil Best. And for early jump blues fans, there's even a clutch of numbers by Hawkins and Walter Thomas & His Jump Cats ("Lookout Jack!"). Lookout, indeed. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     All the Things You Are 2:58
Jerome Kern    
2     Step on It 3:08     
Unknown Artist    
3     Riding on 52nd Street 2:51    
Unknown Artist    
4     Memories of You 2:57
Eubie Blake / Andy Razaf    
5     Out to Lunch 2:54
Jimmy Davis / Joe Davis / Walter Thomas    
6     In the Hush of the Night 2:57
Dorsey, Davis, Dorsey
7     Look Out Jack! 2:47
Jimmy Davis / Irene Higginbotham    
8     Every Man for Himself 2:52
Jimmy Davis / Walter Thomas    
9     I'm Yours 3:29
Johnny Green / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg    
10     Under a Blanket of Blue 3:10
Jerry Livingston / Al J. Neiburg / Marty Symes    
11     Beyond the Blue Horizon 2:58
W. Frank Harling / Richard A. Whiting    
12     A Shanty in Old Shanty Town 2:58
Jack Little / Little Jack Little / John Siras / Joe Young / Joseph Young    
13     My Man 3:14
Jacques Charles / Channing Pollack / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain    
14     El Salon de Gutbucket 2:59
Charlie Shavers    
15     Embraceable You 3:02
George Gershwin    
16     Undecided 3:05     
Sydney Robin / Charlie Shavers    
17     Recollections 2:54
Walter Thomas    
18     Drifiting on a Reed 3:04
Charlie Parker    
19     Flyin' Hawk 2:50
Walter Thomas    
20     On the Bean 2:41
Walter Thomas    
21     Sportsman's Hop 3:00     
Sir Charles Thompson    
22     Bean Stalking 3:08
Coleman Hawkins / Erskine Hawkins    
23     Ready for Love 2:59
Howard McGhee   

COLEMAN HAWKINS - 1945 {CC, 926} (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Covering in detail a timeline from January 1944 to October 1945, this chapter in the Classics Coleman Hawkins chronology presents recordings he made for the Asch, Selmer, Capitol, Super Disc and V-Disc labels during what was an exciting and transitional period in the evolution of jazz. During the '40s Hawkins was deliberately aligning himself with young and innovative players; four of the sessions feature trumpeter Howard McGhee and pianist Sir Charles Thompson; bassist Oscar Pettiford was also an integral part of Hawk's mid-'40s West Coast band. Lush ballads and upbeat jam structures make for excellent listening throughout. Hawk is also heard sitting in with drummer Sid Catlett's all-stars, leading a quintet with the great Art Tatum at the piano, and working up his own extended set of "Variations" for solo tenor saxophone. While some commentators have focused unnecessary attention upon all-too-human drawbacks like Howard McGhee's addictions and occasional bouts of quarreling between Pettiford and Sir Charles, the music contained in this compilation stands squarely in its own light, unsullied by gossip or untoward circumstances. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     All the Things You Are 2:58
Jerome Kern    
2     Step on It 3:08     
Unknown Artist    
3     Riding on 52nd Street 2:51    
Unknown Artist    
4     Memories of You 2:57
Eubie Blake / Andy Razaf    
5     Out to Lunch 2:54
Jimmy Davis / Joe Davis / Walter Thomas    
6     In the Hush of the Night 2:57
Dorsey, Davis, Dorsey
7     Look Out Jack! 2:47
Jimmy Davis / Irene Higginbotham    
8     Every Man for Himself 2:52
Jimmy Davis / Walter Thomas    
9     I'm Yours 3:29
Johnny Green / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg    
10     Under a Blanket of Blue 3:10
Jerry Livingston / Al J. Neiburg / Marty Symes    
11     Beyond the Blue Horizon 2:58
W. Frank Harling / Richard A. Whiting    
12     A Shanty in Old Shanty Town 2:58
Jack Little / Little Jack Little / John Siras / Joe Young / Joseph Young    
13     My Man 3:14
Jacques Charles / Channing Pollack / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain    
14     El Salon de Gutbucket 2:59
Charlie Shavers    
15     Embraceable You 3:02
George Gershwin    
16     Undecided 3:05     
Sydney Robin / Charlie Shavers    
17     Recollections 2:54
Walter Thomas    
18     Drifiting on a Reed 3:04
Charlie Parker    
19     Flyin' Hawk 2:50
Walter Thomas    
20     On the Bean 2:41
Walter Thomas    
21     Sportsman's Hop 3:00     
Sir Charles Thompson    
22     Bean Stalking 3:08
Coleman Hawkins / Erskine Hawkins    
23     Ready for Love 2:59
Howard McGhee    

Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Hilton Jefferson (pistas: 18 to 21)
Bass – Eddie Robinson (pistas: 1 to 3), Johnny Simmons (pistas: 14 to 21), Oscar Pettiford (pistas: 6 to 13)
Drums – Denzil Best (pistas: 1 to 3, 6 to 17), Sid Catlett (pistas: 18 to 21)
Guitar – Allan Reuss (pistas: 6 to 17)
Piano – Billy Taylor (pistas: 18 to 21), Sir Charles Thompson (pistas: 1 to 3, 6 to 17)
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Tyree Glenn (pistas: 18 to 21), Vic Dickenson (pistas: 10 to 13)
Trumpet – Dick Vance (pistas: 18 to 21), Howard McGhee (pistas: 1 to 3, 6 to 17)
Vibraphone [Uncredited] – Tyree Glenn (pistas: 20, 21)
Vocals – Matthew Meredith (pistas: 19)
Written-By – Hawkins (pistas: 2 to 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15)

EDDIE 'LOCKJAW' DAVIS - 1946-1947 {CC, 1012} (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Now why do you suppose they called him '"Lockjaw"'? Just listen. Eddie Davis based much of his style on the tough extremities of Ben Webster's gritty gutbucket tenor sax. Picking up where Ben left off, Jaws would growl, shriek and rock in ways that landed him on the cusp between bebop and rhythm & blues. Over many years he developed into a mature performer who was capable of great subtleties. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to hear his earliest recordings as a leader. Some of this stuff is startling. "Surgery," a smooth, searching, walking blues, exists in the same harmonic/thematic realm as Boyd Raeburn's quirky study for big band, "Tonsillectomy." The piece called "Lockjaw" is more of a muscle tussle, and "Afternoon in a Doghouse" is a simple finger-pop bop groove. As Gene Ramey rarely took bass solos, it's good to hear him grab a few bars during "Athlete's Foot." By December of 1946 Lockjaw was ready for two full-blown Savoy bebop sessions in the company of Theodore "Fats" Navarro. This pair of characters maintained a stimulating balance as Fats blew long bop lines of exquisite ingenuity while Jaws wrestled with his own funky textural dynamics. Wildly titled, each of these three-minute records hits you hard, right between the ears. "Hollerin' and Screaming" is the most outrageous example of this band's explosive chemistry. The record starts with a hoarse shriek from the tenor sax. The melody erupts like two cans of Sterno knocking around on the hood of an overheated bright red Chevy convertible. A sudden outburst from the trumpet is repeated verbatim on the drums. Fats and Lockjaw bark back and forth, jostling each other in cycles of friendly aggression. It's like listening in on a casual exchange of good-natured insults and creative cussing, the benevolent sort of everyday rudeness that enables trust and cooperation between individuals who exist outside of the dominant social group. In April of 1947, Jaws baked four sides for the Apollo label, sharing the melodic line with guitarist John Collins and blowing an exceptionally extroverted tenor. The extreme grooviness of both the Savoy and Apollo sessions were aided and abetted by the combination of Al Haig, Gene Ramey and Denzil Best. Now for the really rare stuff -- eight sides issued on the Lenox, Plymouth and Remington labels. "Real Gone Guy," a tasty hunk of rhythm and blues, was written by Nellie Lutcher. Lockjaw puts it to the torch, and Butch Ballard's drumming fans the flames. "But Beautiful" is the earliest example we have of Lockjaw Davis the interpreter of slow ballads. He smokes the melody with long puffs, savoring every breath. "Leapin' on Lenox," to use what would have been the correct spelling, is a strut by anybody's definition. Jaws bites his tenor until it begs for mercy. The rowdy "Minton's Madhouse" includes a long sax testimonial accompanied only by handclapping. "Ravin' at the Haven" is largely composed of frantic bop lines. The saxophone howls without restraint. "Music Goes Down Around" is recognizable as a quaint Tin Pan Alley pop tune, fitted with a new set of fangs as this gang of young toughs put new meaning on an old refrain. Gripping the mouthpiece between his chops, Lockjaw squeezes extra hard "and it comes out here." arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Surgery    2:58
2    Lockjaw    2:40
3    Afternoon In A Doghouse    3:03
4    Athlete's Foot    2:51
5    Callin' Dr. Jazz    2:47
6    Fracture    2:50
7    Hollerin And Screaming    2:38
8    Stealin' Trash    2:45
9    Just A Mystery    2:12
10    Red Pepper    3:02
11    Spinal    2:29
12    Maternity    3:00
13    Lover    2:28
14    Licks A Plenty    2:40
15    Foxy    2:49
16    Sheila    3:05
17    Real Gone Guy    3:01
18    But Beautiful    3:05
19    Leapin' On Lenox    3:10
20    Ravin' At The Haven    2:23
21    Minton's Madhouse    2:21
22    Huckle Bug    3:07
23    Music Goes Down Around    2:55
24    Lockjaw's Bounce    2:37

SHEILA JORDAN - Portrait Of Sheila (1963-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sheila Jordan's debut recording was one of the very few vocal records made for Blue Note during Alfred Lion's reign. Accompanied by the subtle guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Denzil Best, Jordan sounds quite distinctive, cool-toned, and adventurous during her classic date. Her interpretations of Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Hum Drum Blues" and 11 standards (including "Falling in Love With Love," "Dat Dere," "Baltimore Oriole," and "I'm a Fool to Want You") are both swinging and haunting. Possibly because of her originality, Sheila Jordan would not record again for over a dozen years, making this highly recommended set quite historic.  by Scott Yanow

Tracklist :

1 Falling In Love With Love 2:28
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
2 If You Could See Me Now 4:28
Tadd Dameron / Carl Sigman
3 Am I Blue 4:09
Harry Akst / Grant Clarke
4 Date Dere 2:40
Bobby Timmons
5 When The World Was Young 4:40
Johnny Mercer / Michel Philippe-Gérard / Angele Vannier
6 Let's Face The Music And Dance 1:12
Irving Berlin
7 Laugh, Clown, Laugh 3:07
Sam M. Lewis / Ted Fio Rito / Joe Young
8 Who Can I Turn To? 3:16
William Engvick / Alec Wilder
9 Baltimore Oriole 2:30
Hoagy Carmichael / Paul Francis Webster
10 I'm A Fool To Want You 2:30
Joel Herron / Frank Sinatra / Jack Wolf
11 Hum Drum Blues 2:10
Oscar Brown, Jr.
12 Willow Weep For Me 3:27
Ann Ronell

Credits :

Bass – Steve Swallow

Drums – Denzil Best

Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder

Guitar – Barry Galbraith

Vocals – Sheila Jordan