It is June 1950. Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge is in Paris, making records with a small band of younger musicians. Easily adapting to rapidly evolving styles in music, the trumpeter eases himself into a steadily developing tide of modernity. The music forms a wonderful and comparatively elegant sequel to his rip-snorting big-band recordings of the 1940s. It is a pleasure to hear young tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims relaxing with Eldridge, and the pianist is 23-year-old Dick Hyman, already a strikingly facile and inventive performer. Pierre Michelot and Eddie Shaughnessy form the rest of the rhythm section in this tight little group. Continuing his personal tradition of great ballad interpretations, Eldridge delivers "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" with an open horn. "King David," "Undecided," and "The Man I Love" are each cooked at brisk velocities. Anita Love joins with Eldridge in energetic scat singing throughout Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing." Yet the very funny, effortlessly hip, and decidedly cool "Ain't No Flies On Me" allows the two singers to relax and interact more deliciously than ever. The next session in the Eldridge chronology scales the band down to a quartet, with Gerald Wiggins, Pierre Michelot, and the great Kenny "Klook" Clarke. Eldridge ambles through Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" -- which sounds a bit like "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" -- and renders up two more gorgeous ballads. "Goliath Bounce" is a smooth walk and "Wild Driver" a rolling boil, but the hottest number from this date, simply titled "Nuts," opens with a sort of Caribbean brushfire percussion maneuver by Clarke. As the tune unfolds its many intricate bop ideas, Clarke rides his cymbals most excitingly. The session of October 28, 1950, touched upon a wide range of styles and moods. "I Remember Harlem" is a deep study in reflective blue impressions, chamber jazz with bowed bass and haunted horn. Fats Waller's sobering "Black and Blue" gets a slight adjustment in the lyric, "Baby, Don't Do Me Like that" is more or less patterned after Louis Jordan's R&B act, and "L'Isle Adam" is a burner for muted trumpet on the fast track. Eldridge also sang two of his original songs with French lyrics, including a cheerful ode to lettuce and mayonnaise. The great surprise in this package is the inclusion of three long-forgotten piano solos from the same session. "Boogie Eldridge" is the veritable spark plug, as our man growls and even howls while massaging the keys. The last two tracks find Eldridge in Stockholm, sitting in with musicians well schooled in every style of jazz and popular music of the day. Duke Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem" is deep and ominous, while "School Days" plays off of the novelty antics of Joe Carroll and Dizzy Gillespie. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :
19.7.23
ROY ELDRIDGE – 1950-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1259 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
9.7.23
ELLA FITZGERALD – 1954-1955 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1457 (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
The 15th installment in the complete studio recordings of Ella Fitzgerald as reissued in the Classics Chronological Series contains 22 titles cut between March 30, 1954, and August 5, 1955, marking the tail end of her contractual obligations as a Decca recording artist. Ella's involvement with Decca extended a full 20 years back to her initial recording session with the Chick Webb Orchestra in June 1935; by January of 1956 she would be working with Norman Granz (who had already been recording her in live performance with his Jazz at the Philharmonic package), inaugurating one of the great longstanding singer/producer collaborations in the entire history of recorded jazz. Drawing upon material originally made available on the LPs Sweet and Hot, Songs in a Mellow Mood, The First Lady of Song, Lullabies of Birdland and Songs from "Pete Kelly's Blues" (a motion picture in which Ella appeared cast as a jazz singer), this patchwork compilation opens with three songs that close out one of the delightful sessions that she shared with pianist Ellis Larkins during the spring of 1954. The next two titles come from a date that was typical of Decca's approach to artists and repertoire, for here Ella and a sextet including tenor saxophonist Sam Taylor, pianist Hank Jones, and organist Bill Doggett were pitted against a standard issue '50s pop vocal choir. Other ensembles heard on this disc were conducted or supervised by Benny Carter, Sy Oliver, André Previn, Dick Hyman, and Toots Camarata. Altogether, it's a fine portrait of Ella Fitzgerald in one of her primes, and an effective appetizer for the next chapter in her musical biography. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :
1.5.23
SLIM GAILLARD – 1947-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1221 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Multi-instrumentalist and gloriously irrational vocalist Slim Gaillard marked 1947 as his last year of steady activity on the West Coast. Popular with the public but rather notorious among record company executives and nosy narks, Gaillard managed to squeeze out a series of records for MGM before relocating to New York City where three more titles apparently fulfilled his contractual obligations with that company in 1949. Gaillard also landed a small piece of work with Mercury in March 1951 and even managed to line up a session with Norman Granz for the Clef label two months later. The first 13 tracks on this peculiar compilation represent the Slim Gaillard/Bam Brown L.A. hipster novelty routine taken to its inevitable extreme. On one session someone named Jim Hawthorne even barks like a dog ("Serenade to a Poodle") and keeps up an irritating refrain of "Hoo-hoo-hoo-Hogan!" ("The Hogan Song"). Discographical rumors persist that the pianist on October 1, 1947, might have been Dodo Marmarosa, but this is almost certainly not the case. The session that took place on December 22, 1947, yielded a surprisingly palatable version of "Down by the Station" and "Communications," a very hip paean to various 20th century modes of keeping in touch. With "Puerto Vootie," Gaillard continued his ongoing tendency to tap into Caribbean and Latin American traditions as fuel for his seemingly endless slaphappy shenanigans. "Money, Money, Money" is one of the best "Cuban" numbers Gaillard ever recorded. The 1949 MGM session brought in bongos, congas, and a very gutsy tenor sax to fortify the old vaudeville standby "When Banana Skins Are Falling." This group dishes out a fiery Cubano bop ritual in "Bongo Cito" and tears up with the brisk "Organ-Oreenie," a vehicle for Gaillard's maniacal manhandling of the electric organ. The Mercury date, with the band billed as Slim Gaillard's Peruvians, had the very versatile Dick Hyman at the piano and bassist Ernie Shepard, fated to become an important ingredient in the Duke Ellington ensemble. "Genius," a previously unissued third title from this obscure date, has a lot more going on in it than the discography discloses, with trombone, saxophone, vibraphone, and tap dancing all clearly audible over the organ and "vout"-infested vocals. On May 25th, Slim Gaillard & His Internationally Famous Orchestra were in the recording studio, singing "Oh, Lady Be Good" in well-rehearsed harmony and diving back into the Gulf of Mexico with "Sabroso," "Babalu," and "Yo Yo Yo." The real gem in this ensemble was none other than Count Basie's star tenor saxophonist, Buddy Tate. Anyone searching for songs inspired by the trials and tribulations of a unionized musician should check out the previously unreleased "Federation Blues," peppered with pointed references to James C. Petrillo and his American Federation of Musicians. Small wonder Granz decided not to issue this one. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Boip! Boip! 2:50
2 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– The Bartender's Just Like A Mother 2:49
3 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Arabian Boogie 2:47
4 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Tip Light 2:51
5 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Momma's In The Kitchen 2:38
6 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– A Ghost Of A Chance With You 3:02
7 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Little Red Riding Woods 2:55
8 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Puerto Vootie 2:37
9 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Money, Money, Money 2:45
10 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– The Hogan Song 2:35
11 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Serenade To A Poodle 2:16
12 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Down By The Station 2:20
13 Slim Gaillard And His Trio– Communications 2:27
14 Slim Gaillard Sextet– When Banana Skins Are Falling 2:49
15 Slim Gaillard Sextet– Bongo Cito 2:43
16 Slim Gaillard Sextet– Organ-Oreenie 2:40
17 Slim Gaillard And His Peruvians– Laughing In Rhythm 2:57
18 Slim Gaillard And His Peruvians– Soony-Roony 2:04
19 Slim Gaillard And His Peruvians– Genius (Ride, Slim, Ride) 2:49
20 Slim Gaillard And His Internationally Famous Orchestra– Oh, Lady Be Good 2:30
21 Slim Gaillard And His Internationally Famous Orchestra– Sabroso 2:30
22 Slim Gaillard And His Internationally Famous Orchestra– Babalu 3:36
23 Slim Gaillard And His Internationally Famous Orchestra– Yo Yo Yo 2:46
24 Slim Gaillard And His Internationally Famous Orchestra– Federation Blues 3:40
Credits :
Bass – Clyde Lombardi (tracks: 20 to 24)
Bass Guitar – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 14 to 16)
Bass, Vocals – Ernie Shepherd (tracks: 17 to 19), Bam Brown (tracks: 1 to 13)
Bongos – Pepe Benque (tracks: 17 to 24)
Congas, Percussion – Armando Peraza (tracks: 14 to 16)
Drums – Charlie Smith (tracks: 20 to 24), Herbie Lovelle (tracks: 17 to 19), Bam Brown (tracks: 5 to 8, 12, 13)
Guitar – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 1 to 13, 17 to 24)
Organ – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 16)
Piano – Cyril Haynes (tracks: 14 to 16), Dick Hyman (tracks: 17 to 19), Maceo Williams (tracks: 20 to 24), Slim Gaillard (tracks: 1 to 4, 9 to 11)
Piano [probably] – Dodo Marmarosa (tracks: 5 to 8)
Speech [barks] – Jim Hawthorne (tracks: 11)
Tenor Saxophone – Buddy Tate (tracks: 20 to 24)
Vocals – Slim Gaillard
15.10.22
JOE VENUTI | ZOOT SIMS - Joe Venuti and Zoot Sims (1975-1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Violinist Joe Venuti's three recordings with tenorman Zoot Sims are all quite joyful and exciting. This Chiaroscuro recording matches the pair with pianist John Bunch, bassist Milt Hinton, drummer Bobby Rosengarden and, on "Don't Take Your Love from Me," trombonist Spiegel Willcox who was then 73. The small-group swing performances have plenty of life and more often than not are hard-swinging. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 My Honey's Lovin' Arms 3:43
Joseph Meyer / Herman Ruby
2 Deep Night 3:50
Charles Henderson / Rudy Vallée
3 Remember 5:03
Irving Berlin
4 I Got Rhythm 3:36
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
5 Avalon 3:43
Buddy DeSylva / Al Jolson / Vincent Rose
6 I Surrender, Dear 5:08
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
7 Wait Till You See Her 4:29
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
8 Russian Lullaby 4:23
Irving Berlin
9 Lady of the Evening 3:58
Irving Berlin
10 Where or When 4:23
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
11 Lover, Come Back to Me 6:37
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
12 I'll See You in My Dreams 4:42
Isham Jones / Gus Kahn
13 Don't Take Your Love from Me 3:04
Henry Nemo
14 Shine 3:19
Lew Brown / Ford Dabney / Cecil Mack
Credits :
Bass – Milt Hinton (pistas: 5 to 14)
Drums – Bobby Rosengarden (pistas: 5 to 14), Cliff Leeman (pistas: 1 to 4)
Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli (pistas: 1 to 4)
Piano – Dick Hyman (pistas: 1 to 4), John Bunch (pistas: 5 to 14)
Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims (pistas: 1 to 8, 10 to 14)
Trombone – Spiegle Wilcox (pistas: 13)
Violin – Joe Venuti 
12.10.22
ZOOT SIMS | AL COHN | TONY SCOTT - East Coast Sounds (1956-1999) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Zoot Sims and Al Cohn made many records together in small-group settings, but this isn't one of their better-known dates, though it is a rewarding one. These 1956 sessions recorded for the Jazzland label and reissued under Fantasy's limited-edition OJC imprint feature tenor saxophonist Sims (who doubles on alto sax) and Cohn (playing baritone sax on most of the selections) with clarinetist Tony Scott (who doubles on tenor), trumpeter Joe Wilder, and trombonist Urbie Green rounding out the front line. Either Marty Paich or Dick Hyman (neither of whom play on these pianoless charts) contributed the arrangements, all of which fall into the cool category. Though they include quite a few pieces by well-known composers, most of them are lesser-known works, such as George Gershwin's "Treat Me Rough," Vernon Duke's "I Like the Likes of You," and Richard Rodgers' "Where's That Rainbow?" Bassist Trigger Alpert gets some solo time as well and contributed one original, the loping "Trigger Fantasy." Recommended. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1 Treat Me Rough 2:50
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
2 Looking at You 4:20
Cole Porter
3 Love Me Tomorrow (But Leave Me Alone Today) 4:51
George Duke / John Latouche
4 Trigger Happy 2:28
Tony Scott
5 Tranquilizer 4:28
Dick Hyman
6 I Like the Likes of You 4:08
Vernon Duke / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
7 I Wish I Were in Love Again 3:35
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
8 I Don't Want to Be Alone Again 3:28
Johnny Mercer / Jimmie Smith
9 Trigger Fantasy 5:24
Trigger Alpert
10 Where's That Rainbow? 3:35
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims
Arranged By – Dick Hyman (pistas: 1, 5, 9, 10), Marty Paich (pistas: 2, 3, 6, 7), Tony Scott (pistas: 4, 8)
Bass – Trigger Alpert
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Tony Scott
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Producer – Orrin Keepnews
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Al Cohn
Trombone – Urbie Green
Trumpet – Joe Wilder
14.8.22
THE CLARK TERRY QUARTET | THE COLEMAN HAWKINS SEXTET - Eddie Costa : Memorial Concert (1963) lp | FLAC (tracks), lossless
A memorial concert was held in 1962 not long after the death of pianist and vibraphonist Eddie Costa in a car wreck; evidently, many musicians volunteered to perform at this Village Gate event but only parts of two sets were recorded and issued. Clark Terry, joined by Dick Hyman, Art Davis, and Osie Johnson, perform on the first side following comments by Willis Conover and Terry. The flügelhornist starts with his delightful "Simple Waltz," showcasing his fat lyrical tone, although the rhythm section is not well-recorded and is a little too much in the background. Trombonist Willie Dennis joins the quartet for a down-and-dirty arrangement of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," which is highlighted by Terry's final solo where he alternates between a flügelhorn in one hand and a muted trumpet in the other. Coleman Hawkins leads off the second side; he's joined by Urbie Green, Markie Markowitz, Sonny Clark, Roy Haynes, and Chuck Israels. Like Terry, he starts off his first number, "I'm Confessin' That I Love You," with just the rhythm section. Hawkins is bursting with energy and imagination in his rendition, ranking this effort equal to or exceeding anything else he recorded in the 1960s; unfortunately, the song is suddenly faded out just after the six-minute mark. The interplay with the added horns on an extended take of "Just You, Just Me" is quite enjoyable, though Markowitz's trumpet seems somewhat off-mike at times. This long unavailable LP will be difficult to find. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1 The Clark Terry Quartet– Introduction 1:40
2 The Clark Terry Quartet– The Simple Waltz 6:32
3 The Clark Terry Quartet– Things Ain't What They Used To Be 11:24
4 The Coleman Hawkins Sextet– I'm Confessin' That I Love You 6:09
5 The Coleman Hawkins Sextet– Just You, Just Me 15:45
Credits :
The Clark Terry Quartet :
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Clark Terry
Bass – Art Davis
Drums – Osie Johnson
Piano – Dick Hyman
The Coleman Hawkins Sextet :
Bass – Chuck Israels
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Sonny Clark
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins
Trombone – Urbie Green
Trumpet – Marky Markowitz 
9.4.17
Ada Lee - Ada Lee Comes On [1961]
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ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — Winter In Venice (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Esbjörn Svensson has stood not only once on stage in Montreux. He was already a guest in the summer of 1998 at the jazz festival on Lake Gen...
