DEXTER GORDON — Go (1962) Two Version | 1986, BLUE NOTE SUPER 50 – 48 + 1999, RM | Serie RVG Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

From the first moments when Dexter Gordon sails into the opening song full of brightness and confidence, it is obvious that Go is going to be one of those albums where everything just seems to come together magically. A stellar quartet including the stylish pianist Sonny Clark, the agile drummer Billy Higgins, and the solid yet flexible bassist Butch Warren are absolutely crucial in making this album work, but it is still Gordon who shines. Whether he is dropping quotes into "Three O'Clock in the Morning" or running around with spritely bop phrases in "Cheese Cake," the album pops and crackles with energy and exuberance. Beautiful ballads like "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" metamorphosize that energy into emotion and passion, but you can still see it there nonetheless. Gordon had many high points in his five decade-long career, but this is certainly the peak of it all.Stacia Proefrock

Tracklist :

1 Cheese Cake 6:34
Dexter Gordon
2 I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry 5:23
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
3 Second Balcony Jump 7:06
Billy Eckstine / G. Valentine / Gerald Valentine
4 Love for Sale 7:37
Cole Porter
5 Where Are You? 5:20
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
6 Three O'Clock in the Morning 5:42
Julián Robledo / Dorothy Terriss
Credits:
Bass – Butch Warren
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – Sonny Clark
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Dexter Gordon

DIZZY GILLESPIE – 1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 888 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Here's a case where strict adherence to a chronology bears fascinating fruit. Classics 888 focuses only upon January and February of 1945, a small chunk of time during which Dizzy sat in with certain wild bands and made his very first recordings as a leader. On January 9th, a number of musicians from different stylistic backgrounds showed up late to record with Oscar Pettiford, who eventually admitted that he hadn't any idea of what they were going to use for material. Pianist Clyde Hart offered to slap a few charts together on the spot. "Something for You," known elsewhere as "Max Is Making Wax," came out brisk and boppish with powerful blowing from Don Byas, Diz and swing trombonist Benny Morton, who seems to have worked extra hard to fit in with this fast crowd. "Worried Life Blues," composed by blues and boogie-woogie pianist Big Maceo Merriweather, featured vocalist Rubberlegs Williams, who growled, howled and occasionally barked in a way that brings to mind one of Fats Waller's favorite habitual exclamations: "Get away from here!" "Empty Bed Blues," while attributed to Oscar Pettiford, is clearly a Bessie Smith cover. Diz growls ominously with his horn behind the vocal. Retaining some of the players from the Pettiford group, Dizzy's Sextet sounded very well-organized by comparison. The trumpeter's handling of "I Can't Get Started" is breathtakingly beautiful. Tadd Dameron's irresistible "Good Bait" sounds as solid and immediate as the day it was made. In his autobiography, To Be or Not to Bop, Gillespie said he had "composed a fast thing, and just named it ""Be Bop"" later on...it didn't have a name before the record date." "Be Bop" is one brilliant and bracing piece of work, surprisingly put together. After ripping through a whole lot of wild changes, each player contributes a brief note or two for a composite coda. Before the month of January had ended, a famously weird session came together and then blew apart at the seams. Nominally led by Clyde Hart, it began with several vocals by a louder-than-ever Rubberlegs Williams. Apparently seeking to maintain his edge, the blues shouter consumed many cups of coffee, unaware of the fact that the caffeine in question had been steeply fortified with Benzedrine by the ever-resourceful Charlie Parker. At first, Legs sounded only marginally manic, humorously gruff in the throes of his boisterous R&B showmanship. By the time they got around to recording "That's the Blues," the singer must have been completely geeked, as he began his vocal at full intensity, with nowhere left to build to. Halfway through the record, his voice started to disintegrate as Legs approached the vocal intensity of Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Dizzy swears that Legs never drank or smoked, while Trummy Young insisted the singer was also full of whiskey, which would have mixed horribly with the amphetamine. In any case, after he passed into a state of chemically induced psychosis, Williams was led away and the ensemble magically re-grouped itself as James "Trummy" Young's All-Stars. The mood changed to a very hip level of calmness as Trummy sang pleasant melodies in a soft and friendly voice. The contrast between this and the previously hard-hitting rhythm and blues material -- recorded by all but one of the same musicians on the same day -- is astonishing, as is the interplay between Sarah Vaughan and Ben Webster on "All Too Soon," between Diz and Dexter Gordon on "Blue 'n Boogie" and most of all, between Bird and Diz. Cherish every nuance of these early recordings of "Groovin' High" and "All the Things You Are"; they are intimate works of great poetic depth, existing at the heart of these amazing collaborative friendships. arwulf arwulf         Tracklist + Credits :

DEXTER GORDON – 1943-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 999 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This magnificent album of progressive jazz from the mid-'40s contains the earliest recordings released under Dexter Gordon's name. The opening session finds him in the company of Nat King Cole and Harry "Sweets" Edison. While Cole based much of his piano style on the creative accomplishments of Earl Hines, Gordon named Roy Eldridge and Lester Young as primary influences. The inspiration to emulate Prez, said Dex, "...came like a bolt out of the blue to me...I readily identified with his ideas and concepts...." This is superbly demonstrated in the relaxed jamming atmosphere of the first four tracks, particularly "I Blowed and Gone." Gordon said that by the time he joined the Lionel Hampton band in December of 1940, he'd been listening carefully to Prez "for three or four years." By 1943 Gordon's saxophone voice had ripened under that influence to the point where he was beginning to tell his own story. Then one night in 1944 at Minton's Playhouse, Gordon sat in literally between Lester Young and Ben Webster. Recording for Savoy in October of 1945, Gordon was teamed with adventurous pianist Sadik Hakim, backed by Gene Ramey and Ed Nicholson. These performances resemble Lester Young's Aladdin and early Clef recordings. The second Savoy session from January 1946 has Leonard Hawkins blowing trumpet and a wicked rhythm section in Bud Powell, Curly Russell, and Max Roach. As is the case with most of the groups heard on this collection, the combination of creative minds is stunning. And here Gordon establishes his wonderful personal regimen of delivering slow, full-feature tenor ballads. Back in 1943, "Sweet Lorraine" was shared with Nat Cole, who soon became closely identified with that melody. "I Can't Escape from You" is the first real example listeners have of Gordon the three-minute balladeer. Other forthcoming offerings in this vein are "Talk of the Town" and "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You." His next session as a leader took place in Hollywood on June 5, 1947, with trombonist Melba Liston, who was soloing with and writing arrangements for Gerald Wilson's orchestra during this period (see Classics 976, the 1945-1946 volume of the label's Wilson chronology). "Mischievous Lady" and "Lullabye in Rhythm" contain what seem to be Liston's first solos recorded in a small-band environment. It's a shame that this group didn't cut a dozen more sides together. One week later, Gordon and Wardell Gray cut their famous two-part tenor blowout, "The Chase." Since Charlie Parker's "Klactoveedsedstene," with its distinctive opening clause, was recorded on October 28, 1947, it is interesting to hear the same lick used to open and close "The Chase," recorded nearly five months earlier. Which came first, the Bird or the egg? As "The Chase" proceeds, another riff emerges, forming the basis for the theme and the beginning of the first solo. It is based on Alphonse Picou's famous clarinet passage from "High Society," the old New Orleans jazz anthem. Here is the great multi-generational span dance, the new thing firmly grounded in the old. Every single record reissued here is worth its weight in gold. Gordon's Dial recordings, especially "Chromatic Aberration" and "Bikini," are full-blooded mature statements from a 24-year-old master improviser wise beyond his years. Even in the face of all the great records he would make in the years to come, this stash of Dexter Gordon's early work should be cherished among his very best. arwulf arwulf               Tracklist + Credits :

DEXTER GORDON – 1947-1952 | The Chronogical Classics – 1295 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A Classics collection of tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, 1947-1952 features some of the mellow jazzman's most identifiable recordings from that period. Beginning with an extended version of "The Duel," the disc also includes Gordon's epic tenor battle with Wardell Gray on "The Chase." Matt Collar
Tracklist :

BILLY ECKSTINE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1944-1945 | The Chronogical Classics – 914 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of the most glaring gaps in the jazz reissue boom is a thorough chronicle of Billy Eckstine's bop era work with both Earl Hines' group and his own innovative outfits. A veritable workshop for the era's teaming bop talent, Eckstine's big bands captured Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's advances in a swing framework, which provided a challenging yet ultimately perfect setting for the singer's luxurious baritone. So, considering what's to be missed, listeners shouldn't hesitate in checking out this Classics collection of Eckstine's 1944-1945 sides, especially since Savoy's chronicle of the same material is in dire need of an audio upgrade. Effortlessly ranging between ballads, blues, and swingers, Eckstine delivers both hit covers ("Prisoner of Love," "Cottage for Sale") and indelible originals ("I Want to Talk About You," "Blowin' the Blues Away"). And with the likes of Fats Navarro, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, and Art Blakey on hand -- not to mention Tadd Dameron and Budd Johnson handling the charts and a young Sarah Vaughan contributing vocals -- the high standards are maintained throughout. A perfect companion collection to both Classics' followup disc of 1946-1947 tracks and Xanadu's roundup of Eckstine sides form the first half of the '40s. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist + Credits : 

LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940-1941 | The Chronogical Classics – 624 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In the period covered by this disc, Lionel Hampton led the last of his swing-era all-star sessions, left Benny Goodman's orchestra, and formed his own exciting big band. "Flying Home" was still in the near future, but there are a fair number of exciting selections on this transitional disc. Hampton's vibes are heard featured with the Nat King Cole Trio on four numbers (two of which also have the Hampton River Boys taking vocals) and the vibraphonist also jams with the 1941 version of the Spirits of Rhythm. After leaving Goodman, Hampton at first led a few small-group dates that included musicians drawn from his orchestra, including altoist/clarinetist Marshall Royal, pianist Sir Charles Thompson, and trumpeter Karl George. The big band's first, mostly uneventful session concludes this interesting disc. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :

LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1942-1944 | The Chronogical Classics – 803 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Lionel Hampton Big Band made it big during the period covered by this CD. "Flying Home," which Hampton had recorded at least twice earlier with combos, became a sensation thanks to Illinois Jacquet's honking tenor (which largely launched R&B) and the excitement generated by Hampton and his band (including the screaming trumpet section). This disc covers most of the war years, has a few V-discs (including the hit version of "Flying Home" and a two-part remake), and such numbers as "Loose Wig," "Hamp's Boogie-Woogie," "Overtime," and "Tempo's Boogie." Jacquet was actually with Hampton for a relatively brief period of time, but Arnett Cobb proved to be a perfect replacement. Also quite notable in the band is pianist Milt Buckner (whose block chords became influential) and such high-note trumpeters as Ernie Royal, Cat Anderson, and Snooky Young. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :

RED NORVO AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1386 (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Volume eight in the Classics Red Norvo chronology opens with two extended jams from Timme Rosenkrantz's Town Hall Jazz Concert of June 9, 1945. A wild romp on "Seven Come Eleven" runs for ten-and-a-half minutes while "In a Mellotone" lasts more than a quarter-of-an-hour. This particular Town Hall event was audio-documented by Milt Gabler and the recordings eventually appeared on his Commodore record label. Unlike most of the concerts held at Town Hall during the '40s and organized by staunch traditionalist Eddie Condon, this gig resounded with music of a slightly more modern and bop-informed nature, with Specs Powell, Slam Stewart, Remo Palmieri, Teddy Wilson, and Red Norvo providing steamy support for trumpeter Shorty Rogers, trombonist Eddie Bert, clarinetist Aaron Sachs, and tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips, who cuts loose in ways that anticipate his behavior at JATP concerts a few years later. The inclusion of these two precious live jams makes this installment in the Norvo chronology extra special. Most of the rest of the material was recorded for the Capitol label in Los Angeles between October 13 and December 18, 1947. For the October 13 session the band, billed as "Ten Cats and a Mouse," engaged in a peculiar experiment, as everybody swapped instruments. This meant, for example, that Red Norvo played piano, Paul Weston blew the clarinet, Benny Carter played tenor sax, and Peggy Lee (the "Mouse") played drums! On the following day, the instruments all returned to their rightful owners and Kansas City legend Jesse Price was behind the drum kit. On November 28, 1947, Norvo's Septet included cool guitarist Barney Kessel and young saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Jimmy Giuffre, as well as visionary pianist Dodo Marmarosa. Both "I'll Follow You" and "Bop!" are more modern-sounding than anything Norvo had previously presented to the public. The fascinating overlap between bop and R&B is evident on the other two tracks from this date, issued as by Jesse Price and his Blues Band, with shout blues vocals by Price. For the two ultra-modern sessions from mid-December 1947, Norvo switched back to the drier sound of the xylophone in front of smooth ensembles playing arrangements (suitable for film noir soundtrack purposes) written by Johnny Thompson. Even the old "Twelfth Street Rag," handled here by an ensemble equipped with a pair of French horns, comes across as bracingly futuristic. One expects Art Pepper and Warned Marsh to come in at any moment. This excellent compilation closes with two previously omitted V-Disc jams from November 1944 and February 1945, originally issued under Paul Baron's name but featuring the vibraphone of Red Norvo. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

SARAH VAUGHAN – 1944-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 958 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This first installment in the complete chronological recordings of Sarah Vaughan is a gold mine of great jazz dating from turbulent and transitional times. It's also one of the very best Sarah Vaughan retrospectives ever made available to the public. Vaughan positively glows in front of every ensemble lucky enough to back her, as she performs in an almost bewildering series of outstanding recordings on the De Luxe, Continental, Guild, Crown, Gotham, H.R.S., and Musicraft labels. She appears as a 20-year-old featured with Billy Eckstine's Orchestra, then sitting in with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, with violinist Stuff Smith's Trio, and with the amazing John Kirby Sextet (here billed as his orchestra). She rubs shoulders with Trummy Young, Dicky Wells, Tony Scott, Ben Webster, Freddy Webster, Al Cohn, Serge Chaloff, Flip Phillips, Tadd Dameron, Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker, Georgie Auld, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Sid Catlett, Max Roach, and pianist Jimmy Jones, destined to accompany Vaughan intermittently until 1958. The jazz talent assembled on this one disc is nothing short of formidable. Sarah Vaughan began her recording career in the eye of the hurricane of jazz in New York during the mid-'40s. This incredible compilation documents exactly how she went about it. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :

HELEN HUMES – 1948-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1333 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The last two years of the '40s saw Helen Humes growing considerably as a performer. While still showing her mastery of classic blues ("Married Man Blues") and high-octane swing (a frenetic live version of her previous hit, "Be-Baba-Leba"), she continued refining the type of blue-and-sentimental ballads she'd made famous during her Count Basie years (also the type of song that would carry her through the '50s). "Time Out for Tears" and "Don't Fall in Love With Me" find Humes reaching out to the trad-pop audience, and her version of "Somebody Loves Me" shows her finding the blues even in a Gershwin standard. As if her range wasn't stunning already, 1948-1950 also includes a splendid one-shot, a title called "I Ain't in the Mood" that sounds like it came straight from the Sun studio. John Bush
Tracklist + Credits :

TADD DAMERON – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1106 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although Tadd Dameron was a talented pianist, he never considered piano playing his strong point -- the bebopper was best known for his writing and arranging, and when he recorded as a leader (which wasn't all that often), Dameron was quite happy to let his sidemen take most of the solos. Dameron can hardly be accused of hogging the solo space on 1947-1949, a collection of small-group and big-band sides he recorded as a leader for Blue Note and Savoy, among others, from August 1947-April 1949. The material, most of it superb, falls into two main categories: hard-swinging bop instrumentals and romantic ballads featuring vocalists. On the instrumentals (which include "Our Delight," "Dameronia," "The Squirrel," "Lady Bird," and other Dameron originals), he features some of early bop's heavy-hitting soloists, including trumpeter Fats Navarro (a major influence on Clifford Brown), tenor saxman Wardell Gray, and alto saxman Ernie Henry (who, like Sonny Stitt, was a Charlie Parker disciple but not a clone). And Dameron's romantic side takes over when he features Kay Penton (a delightful though underexposed vocalist) on several ballads (including "What's New" and "Gone With the Wind") and employs the Billy Eckstine-influenced Kenny Hagood on "I Think I'll Go Away." Meanwhile, singer Rae Pearl (who later went by Rae Harrison) provides a wordless vocal on Dameron's dreamy "Casbah." Boasting some of Dameron's most essential work, this French release is recommended without hesitation to lovers of early bop. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist + Credits :

LEO PARKER – 1947-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1203 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's something about the purling, snarling and booting of a baritone sax that can create pleasant disturbances in the listener's spine and rib cage. Leo Parker came up during the simultaneous explosions of bebop and rhythm & blues. Everything he touched turned into a groove. Recording for Savoy in Detroit during the autumn of 1947, Leo was flanked by Howard McGhee and Gene Ammons, who at this point seems to have been operating under the influence of Lester Young. Leo does his own share of Prez-like one-note vamping, bringing to mind some of Lester's Aladdin recordings made during this same time period. Leo's Savoys originally appeared on 78 rpm platters, then on 10" long-playing records. Anyone who has ever heard one of these relics played on period equipment can testify to the sensation of hearing an old-fashioned phonograph wrestling with the extra fidelity contained in the voice of that king-sized sax. The next session happened in New York two months later. J.J. Johnson was on hand to supervise a smart recording of his own soon-to-be-famous "Wee Dot." Dexter Gordon is in fine form and it's nice to hear Joe Newman blowing so much gutsy bebop through his trumpet. Everything smoothes out for a gorgeous rendition of Duke Ellington's "Solitude," a lush feature for the baritone. The rhythm section of Curly Russell, Hank Jones and Shadow Wilson makes this particular session even more solid than usual. Leading his "Quintette" in Detroit on March 23rd, 1948, Leo races into "Dinky" with a run straight out of Herschel Evans' "Doggin' Around." Sir Charles Thompson tosses off some of his most fragmented playing, splattering the walls with abrupt block chords and tiny whirlpools of truncated riffs. "Señor Leo" cruises at a very cool, almost subterranean Latin tempo, a mood that brings to mind Bud Powell's hypnotic opus "Comin' Up." You get to hear the voices of Parker and Thompson at the beginning of "Chase 'n' the Lion," a fine bit of updated boogie-woogie. Apparently, Sir Charles was also known at that time as "Chase." A second session recorded on the same day adds Charlie Rouse to an already steaming band. Leo gnaws his way through four tunes of his own devising. Nothing brilliant here, just good hot jamming. The people at Prestige Records were smart enough to line up a date with the Leo Parker Quartet in July of 1950, resulting in what has got to be the hippest version of "Mona Lisa" ever put on record. The quartet hatched two other handsome ballads and a pair of kickers. "Who's Mad" is a sort of sequel to the famous "Mad Lad," made when Leo was recording for the Apollo label under Sir Charles' leadership. That makes "Mad Lad Returns" a sequel to the sequel. Unable or unwilling to shake this particular thematic, Leo called his next recording band "the Mad Lads." Two out of four sides were issued on the little Gotham label. Meet the all-but-forgotten Henri Durant, a bop tenor who made all the right moves and promptly split the scene. Good thing he at least made it on to this blowing session. Finally, get a load of Leo's creatively reconstituted "Solitude," rejected by Gotham but included by Classics at the tail-end of this mother lode of vintage recordings by the amazing Leo Parker. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :

WARDELL GRAY – 1950-1955 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1463 (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The sum of Wardell Gray's output from late in the summer of 1950 through mid-January 1955 amounts to 23 tracks, nine of them drawn from a live blowing session and the rest from three different studio dates. While Classics 1463 is not a painstakingly complete overview of Gray's performing history during the last five years of his short life, it does contain his primary work from a period which is notably lacking in recorded evidence. Captured live at the Hula Hut Club in Los Angeles on August 27 1950, "Jazz on Sunset" (recognizable as Denzil Best's "Move") and "Kiddo" (also known as Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple") were each recorded in four segments representing flip sides of 78 rpm platters cut on a portable recording apparatus. The ensemble, which had a front line that included Clark Terry, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Criss, was billed as the Wardell Gray Jazz Concept. "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" makes for a wild capper as the words to the old tune are sung by Damita Jo Du Blanc, a Texas-born R&B vocalist whose Discovery records release, "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," would achieve the status of a hit single a few months later. Surrounded by wildly improvising beboppers, she rides the lyrics to a more or less logical conclusion under conditions which must have been pleasantly challenging for her.
The next ten titles are examples of early modern West Coast jazz at its most intriguing. In January 1952 the Wardell Gray Sextet worked up six sides for Prestige, including "Jackie" and "Farmer's Market," attractive compositions which achieved national recognition after vocalist Annie Ross set quirky words to the melodies and intricately woven improvisations. Also recorded for Prestige in February 1953, "The Man I Love," "Lavonne," "So Long Broadway," and "Paul's Cause" are less well known as they were issued under the name of vibraphonist Teddy Charles & His West Coasters. The combination of minds is intriguing as Gray's session mates included alto saxophonist Frank Morgan and pianist Sonny Clark. Wardell's final studio recording session took place in Chicago in January 1955 with a group anchored by baritone saxophonist Tate Houston and a playlist that included Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet." Theories abound as to the circumstances surrounding Gray's sudden death, which shocked the jazz community four months later. When it occurred, he was scheduled to appear with Benny Carter's band at the African American-owned and operated Moulin Rouge, a short-lived venture remembered as the first racially integrated casino ever to open in Las Vegas. Hours after he failed to appear for the gig, Gray's corpse was found by the side of a road in the desert. Although his neck had been broken and foul play was clearly indicated, no autopsy was performed. The idea that he suffered a bad tumble during or after a heroin overdose seems unlikely given his well-documented stand against narcotics abuse. More plausible explanations include unresolved gambling debts or a simple straightforward hate crime. arwulf arwulf
All Tracks & Credits :

WYNONIE HARRIS – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1139 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third in the Classics label's series of the recordings of Wynonie Harris traces the blues/early R&B singer's career from just before the recording strike of 1948 up until the end of 1949. The seven sessions (all originally recorded for King) are not as well-known as Harris' earlier material, but they definitely have their moments of interest. Harris is typically exuberant throughout, and the highlights include "Wynonie's Boogie," "Good Morning Mr. Blues," "Crazy Love," "Good Rockin' Tonight" (a major hit), "Grandma Plays the Numbers," "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," and "All She Wants to Do Is Rock." Heard from in the impressive backup groups are trumpeters "Hot Lips" Page, Jesse Drakes, Cat Anderson, and Joe Morris, along with tenors Hal Singer, Tom Archia, and Johnny Griffin. Highly recommended, as are the first two Harris Classics CDs. Fun music. Scott Yanow
All Tracks & Credits :

BENNY CARTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1943-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 923 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pursuing a similar path to one taken by Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter followed up a bountiful start during the early jazz and nascent big band years with an ex-pat stay in Europe. In addition to heading up the BBC Dance Orchestra, Carter recorded several big band and combo sides throughout the continent. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1938, he formed another big band in New York, eventually moved to the West Coast, and continued leading both large and small groups. This Classics disc takes up the story upon Carter's L.A. arrival in 1943 and covers the first three years of his still-ongoing residency in the south land. Standing out amongst some enjoyable vocals from Maxine Sullivan and a clutch of Carter originals, the collection's high point comes with the many tracks Carter cut with a bebop-heavy band featuring the likes of Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Don Byas, Max Roach, Gerald Wilson, and J.J. Johnson (his recording debut), among many others. And while Davis is not actually heard here (check out Classics' 1946-1948 title), these performances are still chock full of energy and wit, with notably fine contributions coming from Gordon and Johnson. All of Carter's Classics discs are highly recommended, but this mid-'40s sampler should especially please those bebop lovers wanting to explore the world of swing. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     Poinciana 3:00
Buddy Bernier / Nat Simon    
2     Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight 3:01
Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young
3     Hurry, Hurry! 2:49
Richard Larkin    
4     Love for Sale 3:01
Cole Porter    
5     I Can't Escape from You 3:20
Leo Robin / Richard A. Whiting    
6     I'm Lost 3:08
Otis Rene    
7     I Can't Get Started 2:50
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin    
8     I Surrender, Dear 3:02
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford    
9     Daddy-O 2:53
Gene DePaul / Don Raye    
10     A Good Deal 3:14
Irving Berlin    
11     All Alone 2:57
Irving Berlin    
12     Daddy Daddy 2:42
Richard Berry / Joe Josea    
13     Malibu 3:03
Benny Carter    
14     Forever Blue 2:36
Benny Carter    
15     Prelude to a Kiss 3:15
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills    
16     Just You, Just Me 2:54
Jesse Greer / Raymond Klages    
17     Jump Call 2:56
Benny Carter    
18     Patience and Fortitude 2:39
Billy Moore / Blackie Warren    
19     Diga Diga Doo 2:51
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh    
20     Who's Sorry Now? 2:56
Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby / Ted Snyder    
21     Some of These Days 2:45
Shelton Brooks    
22     I'm the Caring Kind 2:45
Benny Carter
23     Looking for a Boy 2:51
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
24     Rose Room 2:54
Art Hickman / Harry Williams

BENNY CARTER - Swinging The Blues (Recordings By The Greatest Musicians Of The Big Band Era 1929-1947) (1998) RM | 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist  1 :
1     Patience and Fortitude 2:40
Billy Moore / Blackie Warren
2     Malibu 3:05     
Benny Carter    
3     Who's Sorry Now? 2:58
Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby / Ted Snyder
4     Poinciana 3:01
Buddy Bernier / Nat Simon     
5     Forever Blue 2:38     
Benny Carter    
6     Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight 3:04
Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young    
7     Jump Call 2:58
Benny Carter        
8     Hurry, Hurry! 2:51     
Benny Carter / Richard Larkin
9     Love for Sale 3:03
Cole Porter    
10     Some of These Days 2:47
Shelton Brooks        
11     Prelude to a Kiss 3:17     
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
12     I Can't Escape from You 3:22     
Sydney Robin / Richard A. Whiting
13     Rose Room 2:57
Art Hickman / Harry Williams
14     I Surrender, Dear 3:04     
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
15     I'm the Caring Kind 2:48
Benny Carter / Irving Gordon
16     I'm Lost 3:11
Otis Rene        
17     A Good Deal 3:14     
Irving Berlin    
18     I Cant Get Started 2:52
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin        
19     Looking for a Boy 2:53
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
20     Daddy-O 2:54
Gene DePaul / Don Raye        
21     Diga Diga Doo 2:53
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
22     Just You, Just Me 2:54
Jesse Greer / Raymond Klages
Tracklist  2 :            
1     Black Bottom 2:54
Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva / Ray Henderson    
2     Nightfall 3:11     
Benny Carter        
3     Swinging the Blues 3:00
Benny Carter    
4     Gloaming 2:47
Thore Ehrling        
5     Carry Me Back to Old Virginia 2:51
James A. Bland    
6     I've Got Two Lips 2:47
Leonard Feather    
7     When Day Is Done 2:56
Buddy DeSylva / Robert Katscher
8     Jingle Bells 3:14
James Pierpont        
9     Gin and Jive 2:57
Benny Carter    
10     New Street Swing 2:32
Jack Bulterman    
11     There'll Be Some Changes Made 2:46
Billy Higgins / W. Benton Overstreet    
12     Nagasaki 2:58
Mort Dixon / Harry Warren    
13     There's a Small Hotel 3:04
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
14     I Gotta Go 3:03
Benny Carter    
15     Bugle Call Rag 2:22     
Billy Meyers / Jack Pettis / Elmer Schoebel
16     I'm in the Mood for Swing 2:34
Benny Carter / Spencer Williams
17     Swingin' at Maida Vale 2:44     
Benny Carter
Notas.Recording period: 1936-1937 and 1943-1946

All Credits :

JOHNNY GRIFFIN & DEXTER GORDON - "Jazz Undulation" (1977-2004) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Body And Soul 7'05
Written-By – Green
2    All The Things You Are 13'48
Written-By – Kern
3    Blues Up And Down 20'44
Written-By – Stitt
Credits :
Bass – Jimmy Woode
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – Hampton Hawes
Tenor Saxophone – Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin

BOOKER ERVIN / DEXTER GORDON - Setting the Pace (1965-1993) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD reissue has the complete contents of two former LPs, both recorded at the same session. With very stimulating playing by pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Alan Dawson, tenors Booker Ervin and Dexter Gordon battle it out on marathon (19 and 22 1/2 minute) versions of "Setting the Pace" and "Dexter's Deck." Although Gordon is in good form, Ervin (who sometimes takes the music outside) wins honors. The other two selections ("The Trance" and "Speak Low") are by the same group without Dexter, and these long (19 1/2- and 15-minute) showcases also find Booker in top form, sounding quite distinctive and completely original playing inside/outside music. An exciting set. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Setting the Pace 19:07
Dexter Gordon
2     Dexter's Deck 22:47
Dexter Gordon
3     The Trance 19:36
Booker Ervin
4     Speak Low 15:07
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
Credits :
Bass – Reggie Workman
Drums – Alan Dawson
Piano – Jaki Byard
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin, Dexter Gordon (# 1 and 2 only)

KARIN KROG & DEXTER GORDON - Some Other Spring, Blues And Ballads (1970-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The talented Norwegian singer Karin Krog sings standards and her own "Blue Eyes" on this enjoyable collaboration with tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Krog, a versatile vocalist, sounds perfectly at home on such tunes as "Some Other Spring," "How Insensitive," "Jelly, Jelly," and "Shiny Stockings." Dexter is in excellent form (he had lived in Europe at that point for eight years) and the group is completed by pianist Kenny Drew (who switches to organ on "Blue Eyes"), bassist Niels Pedersen, and drummer Espen Rud. This is one of the most accessible Karin Krog releases around and is recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist  
1 Some Other Spring 5:02
Composed By – Hertzog, Wilson
2 Blue Monk 3:57
Composed By – Lincoln, Monk
3 How Insensitive 4:37
Composed By – Jobim, Gimbel
4 Blue Eyes 4:53
Composed By – Egerbladh, Krog
5 Jelly Jelly 4:58
Composed By – Eckstein, Hines
Tribute To Jimmy Scott
6 I Wish I Knew 5:25
Composed By – Warren, Gordon
7 Everybody's Somebody's Fool 4:41
Composed By – Adams, Hampton
8 Shiny Stockings 3:49
Composed By – Foster, Hendricks
9 Ode To Billy Joe 8:20
Composed By – Gentry
10 Some Other Spring (Alternate) 4:27
Composed By – Hertzog, Wilson
11 Blue Monk (Alternate) 4:04
Composed By – Lincoln, Monk
12 Shiny Stockings (Alternate) 6:54
Composed By – Foster, Hendricks
Credits
Bass – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Drums – Espen Rud
Piano, Organ – Kenny Drew
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Dexter Gordon
Vocals – Karin Krog

DEXTER GORDON — Go (1962-1986) BLUE NOTE SUPER 50 – 48 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

From the first moments when Dexter Gordon sails into the opening song full of brightness and confidence, it is obvious that Go is going to be one of those albums where everything just seems to come together magically. A stellar quartet including the stylish pianist Sonny Clark, the agile drummer Billy Higgins, and the solid yet flexible bassist Butch Warren are absolutely crucial in making this album work, but it is still Gordon who shines. Whether he is dropping quotes into "Three O'Clock in the Morning" or running around with spritely bop phrases in "Cheese Cake," the album pops and crackles with energy and exuberance. Beautiful ballads like "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" metamorphosize that energy into emotion and passion, but you can still see it there nonetheless. Gordon had many high points in his five decade-long career, but this is certainly the peak of it all.Stacia Proefrock

Tracklist :

1 Cheese Cake 6:34
Dexter Gordon
2 I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry 5:23
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
3 Second Balcony Jump 7:06
Billy Eckstine / G. Valentine / Gerald Valentine
4 Love for Sale 7:37
Cole Porter
5 Where Are You? 5:20
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
6 Three O'Clock in the Morning 5:42
Julián Robledo / Dorothy Terriss
Credits:
Bass – Butch Warren
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – Sonny Clark
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Dexter Gordon