STAN GETZ – 1946-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1126 (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

These are the first recordings ever released under the name of Stan Getz. Four Savoy sides from July 1946 constitute one hell of a debut as Getz gets off with the expert backing of Hank Jones, Curly Russell, and Max Roach. "Opus de Bop" and "Running Water" are dazzlers, while "And the Angels Swing" and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" reveal Getz's often-noted Lester Young influence. Six sides cut for Bob Shad's Sittin' in With record label in October 1948 are especially satisfying on account of pianist Al Haig, electric guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Clyde Lombardi, and drummer Charles Perry. All six tunes were composed by Getz and demonstrate an obsession with bop formulae. "Frosty," also known as "Flugelbird," was recorded about a month later for Shad's other label, Jax. The same rhythm section backs trumpeter Norman Faye and a tenor sax quartet of Getz, Zoot Sims, Allen Eager, and Al Epstein. Garnished with a bit of primitive vibrato, this record has a strange but not unpleasant quality. The Stan Getz Tenor All Stars put down four sides for the New Jazz label in April 1949, lining up Al Cohn, Allen Eager, Brew Moore, and Zoot Sims in a smooth bop experiment landing somewhere between Woody Herman's Herd and Coleman Hawkins' Keynote Sax Ensemble. Walter Bishop laid a lot of block chords while sax after sax took a shot at running the changes, and Getz even blew baritone on "Five Brothers." A Savoy session from just a few weeks later placed trombonist Earl Swope amid Getz, Cohn, and Sims, with Duke Jordan on piano. Both of these octets came across as cool and well-organized. The Stan Getz Quartet, with Al Haig, Gene Ramey, and Stan Levey, made five excellent sides for the Prestige and New Jazz labels on June 21, 1949. Their rendition of Victor Herbert's "Indian Summer" is superbly mellow. It is easy to draw a line directly from this whimsical record directly to the cool bossa novas that would make Stan Getz so famous years later, even among a record-buying public who never heard any of these marvelous early recordings by this suede-toned tenor man. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist + Credits :

STAN GETZ – 1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1172 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

After a pair of taffy ballads sung in imitation Billy Eckstine baby talk by Junior Parker -- not the Memphis blues singer but a pseudonym for Arthur Daniels -- the 21 tracks that follow demonstrate exactly why Stan Getz went over so well with the listening public. His soft tone and gently inventive phraseology, a direct outgrowth of the Lester Young archetype, make each of these performances an ideal choice for relaxation. Getz regularly recorded with exceptional musicians. The rhythm sections of Al Haig, Tommy Potter, and Roy Haynes or Tony Aless, Percy Heath, and Don Lamond were perfectly suited to his softly searching essays in cool improvisation. On December 10, 1950, Horace Silver, Joe Calloway, and Walter Bolden kindled a hotter fire under the saxophonist, resulting in music of elevated intensity. At this point in his career, Getz sometimes engaged in bubbly noodling, which in its wilder moments sounds like a premonition of Lee Konitz as heard on his fabulous Motion sessions of 1961. This equation would also lead to Warne Marsh and Anthony Braxton, if you want to go there. As for material choices, the 1950 Getz repertoire is full of delightful surprises, from an almost calypso "The Lady in Red" to "Sweetie Pie," a cheerful number barbecued by Fats Waller & His Rhythm back in 1934. Anyone familiar with Waller's version will most likely thrill at hearing this brisk modern expansion of the old Tin Pan Alley come-on. Excellent music, good for the nerves and stimulating for the imagination. arwulf arwulf         Tracklist + Credits :

CHARLIE PARKER – 1951-1952 | The Chronogical Classics – 1314 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's a lot to be said for this kind of chronological survey when it's applied to someone like Charlie Parker. It forces you to take into account not only the critically accepted material but everything that Bird accomplished in his professional life -- that is, every commercially released studio recording from this time period. The music resulting from the sessions of January 17 and August 8, 1951, is universally regarded as substantial and masterful. Critics have been "legitimating" these wonderful recordings for decades. They've also complained ad nauseum about the rest of the material on this album. Time after time, issue after reissue, album liner notes hint wryly at Bird's "artistically unsuccessful" experiments with both Latin American percussion and a big band augmented by a chamber string ensemble. It is possible, after all, for listeners to honor Parker by saying to themselves, "This is what the artist felt compelled to do, and we are capable of being receptive to -- appreciative of -- his ideas and the recordings he has left behind." Forget all notions of what belongs or doesn't belong on a jazz record -- specifically on a Charlie Parker record. The South of the Border stuff is fun -- thrilling, even -- and at times beautiful. The selections from Bird with Strings are fascinating and rewarding for those who are not uptight or prejudicial. The wonderful truth is this: music invariably legitimates itself, and ultimately no critics are necessary provided the listener has ears and a heart through which to listen. arwulf arwulf          Tracklist + Credits :

CHARLIE PARKER – 1952-1954 | The Chronogical Classics – 1408 (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Sadly, this is the sixth and last volume in the Classics Charlie Parker chronology. It assembles all of his studio recordings made between March 25, 1952 and December 10, 1954, only three months before his death at the age of 35. On the session that opens the compilation, producer Norman Granz placed Bird in front of a brassy big band, using punchy arrangements by Joe Lippman. The quartet session of December 30, 1952 resulted in four beautiful tracks that are greatly enhanced by the rhythm section of Hank Jones, Teddy Kotick and Max Roach. Bird's highly evolved musicality, coupled with the fact that he was beginning to come up with titles like "Cosmic Rays" might invite speculation as to where he would have been at had he lived through the late '50s and into the '60s. Jazz purists have been bitching about the Gil Evans-arranged "chamber jazz" session of May 22, 1953 ever since the records first came out on Granz's Clef label. But Charlie Parker sounded marvelous in any company. He transformed everything he came into contact with, even these stylized vocals by Dave Lambert & His Singers, a carefully collared mini-choir that included Lambert's future partner in crime Annie Ross. Having Charles Mingus and Max Roach in the band didn't hurt, either. Roach was also on hand for a superb quartet date on August 4, 1953 with Al Haig and Percy Heath. (For a good time, chase Bird's rendition of "I Remember You" with all five takes of the same piece recorded in 1961 by Lee Konitz. Finish with the version presented live at Yoshi's in 1994 by the Anthony Braxton Piano Quartet, rinse, and repeat.) Charlie Parker's final two studio recording sessions took place in the early spring and winter of 1954 with quintets featuring Walter Bishop, Jr. at the piano, and first Roy Haynes then Art Taylor behind the drums. The material was entirely derived from the Cole Porter songbook; Bird's studio swan song, "I Love Paris" has an ominous quality that haunts the listener long after the five-minute record has ended. arwulf arwulf      Tracklist + Credits :

ANITA O'DAY – 1950-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1336 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Compilations abound that center on Anita O'Day's work of the '40s and early '50s, before she set about recording one of the liveliest string of LPs ever seen on the planet (from 1955's This Is Anita to 1962's That Is Anita). With 1950-1952, the seminal Classics label reissued a string of titles that haven't seen light very often, a selection of her recordings for labels including London, Clef, and Norgran (the last two were Verve-associated labels). While they stand nowhere near the twin pinnacles of her career -- her big-band heyday and her solo revival yet to come -- O'Day recorded much wonderful music during these two years. In 1952 alone, she recorded three excellent sessions (the final two-thirds of the program), including a swinging date with her Krupa bandmate Roy Eldridge in New York and a sublime Chicago appearance with Roy Kral. John Bush
Tracklist + Credits : 

MARY LOU WILLIAMS – 1951-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1346 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While the Asch recordings of Mary Lou Williams, recorded during the mid-'40s, are wrapped in a veil of pleasant 78-rpm surface noise, her Circle recordings of 1951 are presented here as direct transfers from early 33-and-one-third-rpm platters. This creates a different listening experience, for while sustained 78-rpm "scratchiness" acts as a constant texture through which the music may usually be heard, the inconsistent wandering hiss of the primitive acetate "long-playing" record creates at times a slightly distracting rhythmic pattern that is most noticeable on the slower numbers. This is emphasized by the otherwise "clean" sound of the recording. With Willie Guerra's bongos and Billy Taylor's upright bass backing the leader's excellent piano, the intrusive little hisses sound at times as though someone might be carelessly handling a shekere, or possibly teasing a pet snake. All phonographic pickiness aside, the music heard on the opening session is exquisite, particularly "Handy Eyes," a grooved-up rendition of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues." Two further Circle sides from 1952 feature the pianist supported by an unidentified bassist and drummer. After a marvelous passage through Ellington and Tizol's "Caravan," the men open "Yes, We Have No Bananas" by shouting the title in a bizarre and surprising manner. On July 11, 1952, Mary Lou Williams performed in front of a loudly appreciative audience with a band including her second ex-husband, trumpeter Harold "Shorty" Baker, trombonist Vic Dickenson, and tenor saxophonist Morris Lane. The ten-minute "Down Beat" is a warm, swinging jam during which the players are able to stretch out and cook nicely. A lovely take on "Out of Nowhere" leads into eight and a half smoky minutes of "C Jam Blues." The remaining 12 tracks were recorded during Mary Lou Williams' visit to England during the first half of 1953. Backed by guitar, bass, and either the regular drum kit or bongos, she delivers her customary blend of original compositions, jazz standards, classic ragtime, and contemporary tropes from innovators such as Tadd Dameron and Thelonious Monk. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Lover, Come Back To Me    3:30
2    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    S'Posin'    3:16
3    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Handy Eyes    3:20
4    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Tisherome    4:03
5    Mary Lou Williams And Her Modern Music*–    Caravan    2:35
6    Mary Lou Williams And Her Modern Music*–    Yes, We Have No Bananas    2:08
7    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Down Beat    9:57
8    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Out Of Nowhere    4:06
9    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    C Jam Blues    8:25
10    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Titoros    2:55
11    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Lady Bird    3:00
12    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Don't Blame Me    3:24
13    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    They Can't Take That Away From Me    2:39
14    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Koolbongo    2:52
15    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Perdido    2:33
16    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    For You    2:54
17    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Round About Midnight    4:05
18    Mary Lou Williams And Her Rhythm–    Laughing Rag    1:49
19    Mary Lou Williams And Her Rhythm–    Rag Of Rags    1:51
20    Mary Lou Williams Quartet–    Melody Maker    2:30
21    Mary Lou Williams Quartet–    Musical Express    2:16
Credits :    
Bass – Billy Taylor Sr. (tracks: 1 to 4), Eddie Safranski (tracks: 7 to 9), Jack Fallon (tracks: 18, 19), Ken Napper (tracks: 10 to 17), Rupert Nurse (tracks: 20, 21), Unknown Artist (tracks: 5, 6)
Bongos – Tony Scott (tracks: 10 to 17), Willie Guerra (tracks: 1 to 4)
Drums – Don Lamond (tracks: 7 to 9), Gerry McLaughlin (tracks: 18, 19), Tony Kinsey (tracks: 20, 21), Unknown Artist (tracks: 5, 6)
Guitar – Allan Ganley (tracks: 10 to 17), Nevell John (tracks: 7 to 9), Ray Dempsey (tracks: 20, 21)
Piano – Mary Lou Williams
Tenor Saxophone – Morris Lane (tracks: 7 to 9)
Trombone – Vic Dickenson (tracks: 7 to 9)
Trumpet – Harold Baker (tracks: 7 to 9)

LENNIE TRISTANO - Intuition (2003) 4CD | BOX - SET | Serie : Proper Box | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Anyone seeking a solid introduction to the music of Lennie Tristano should make a beeline for Proper Box 64, appropriately titled Intuition. This reasonably priced four-CD set is also sure to please even the most seasoned Tristano enthusiasts, for as one of the finest Tristano collections in existence, it rates with the juiciest entries in the Proper catalog. A brilliant musical innovator who was greatly admired by Charlie Parker, Tristano acted as a sort of modern jazz professor, philosopher, and mentor to aspiring young improvisers. In many ways, his music sounds better and makes more sense today than ever before. Prior to the appearance of this set in 2003, the records he cut in May 1945 with a sextet led by tenor saxophonist Emmett Carls had only been reissued on Tristano's portion of the exhaustively complete chronological Masters of Jazz series in 1999. In an unfortunate replication of a discographical error which has cropped up elsewhere, Proper's session data incorrectly names Shorty Rogers as the trumpeter on this date. Rogers had entered the armed forces in 1943 and wouldn't return to the scene until September of 1945. The individual heard with Carls was Irwin "Markie" Markowitz, a member of Boyd Raeburn's orchestra who would cross over to Woody Herman's Herd in 1946.

Proper's overview of Tristano's first seven years of recording activity is positively exhilarating. In addition to various early piano solos, it contains his complete 1946 - 1947 Keynote recordings, along with a sampling of records he cut in 1947 for Savoy and Baronet with small groups that included guitarist Billy Bauer and John La Porta, a reed player who would collaborate with Charles Mingus in the mid-'50s. The year 1949 was an important one for Tristano and is well represented by material from seven different sessions. These include the long take of "Victory Ball" as played by the Metronome All-Stars, selections from a Prestige date with Lee Konitz, a Birdland gig featuring Warne Marsh, and two segments of a Carnegie Hall engagement involving both saxophonists. Seven dazzlingly creative sides cut for Capitol during the spring of 1949 with Marsh and Konitz constitute milestones of modernity, complete with authentic instances of intuitively coordinated group improvisation. Apparently, the recording engineers at Capitol were so intolerant and closed-minded that they made faces, gestured impatiently, and even erased two of the tracks. Small wonder then that Tristano soon established his own Jazz Records label. By October of 1951, he would be exercising his artistic autonomy by overdubbing the piano on recordings he made with a trio that included drummer Roy Haynes. This wonderful set closes with six extended jams from a concert at the UGPO Hall in Toronto on July 17, 1952, sponsored by the New Jazz Society of Toronto and the Canadian Ministry of Culture.

When traditionalist tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman first heard Tristano's "Out on a Limb," he sought him out and asked to be tutored in jazz theory and harmony. This was an uncommonly progressive move for a long-standing cohort of Eddie Condon's, and prefigures Pee Wee Russell's later excursions into modern jazz. "I never knew how much freer I would feel getting down to the basic principles," remembered Freeman. "I thought it would be instructive to study with a great musician like Lennie; I didn't know it would be so much fun." An excellent companion to this set would be Gambit's unparalleled double-CD Live at the Confucius Restaurant, along with a copy of Eunmi Shim's informative and insightful biography, Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music, which was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2007. arwulf arwulf  
Disc One : Out On A Limb (P1353)    
1-1    Emmett Carls Sextet–    Tea For Two 3:18
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Caesar, Youmans
1-2    Emmett Carls Sextet–    Tea For Two (Take 2) 2:56
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Caesar, Youmans
1-3    Emmett Carls Sextet–    Blue Lou 2:52
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Sampson, Mills
1-4    Emmett Carls Sextet–    These Foolish Things 2:33
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Link, Marvell, Strachey
1-5    Emmett Carls Sextet–    These Foolish Things (Take 2) 2:35
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Link, Marvell, Strachey
1-6    Emmett Carls Sextet–    It's The Talk Of The Town 2:13
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Neiburg, Livingston, Symes
1-7    Emmett Carls Sextet–    It's The Talk Of The Town (Take 2) 3:16
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Neiburg, Livingston, Symes
1-8    Lennie Tristano–    Yesterdays 3:03
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Kern, Harbach
1-9    Lennie Tristano–    What Is This Thing Called Love? 2:47
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Porter
1-10    Lennie Tristano–    Don't Blame Me 2:49
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Fields, McHugh
1-11    Lennie Tristano–    I Found A New Baby 2:46
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Palmer, Williams
1-12    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Can't Get Started 2:53
Bass – Leonard Gaskin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gershwin, Duke
1-13    Lennie Tristano Trio–    A Night In Tunisia 2:21
Bass – Leonard Gaskin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Paparelli
1-14    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Out On A Limb (Take 1) 2:36
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
1-15    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Out On A Limb (Take 2) 2:48
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
1-16    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Out On A Limb (Take 3) 2:39
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
1-17    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Can't Get Started (Take 1) 2:57
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gershwin, Duke
1-18    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Can't Get Started (Take 2) 2:54
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gershwin, Duke
1-19    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Surrender Dear (Take 1) 2:33
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Clifford, Barris
1-20    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Surrender Dear (Take 2) 2:16
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Clifford, Barris
1-21    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Surrender Dear (Take 3) 3:05
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Clifford, Barris
1-22    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 1) 3:04
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-23    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 2) 2:31
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-24    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 3) 2:58
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-25    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 4) 2:53
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-26    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 5) 1:40
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-27    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 6) 3:00
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
Disc Two : New Sound (P1354)    
2-1    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Untitled Blues 3:46
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-2    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Blue Boy 2:47
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Bauer
2-3    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Atonement 2:27
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-4    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Coolin' Off With Ulanov (Take 1) 2:47
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-5    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Coolin' Off With Ulanov (Take 2) 2:28
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-6    Lennie Tristano–    I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You  2:55
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Crosby, Washington, Young
2-7    Lennie Tristano–    Spontaneous Combustion 2:53
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-8    Lennie Tristano–    Just Judy 2:38
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-9    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Supersonic 3:18
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-10    Lennie Tristano Trio–    On A Planet 3:17
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-11    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Air Pocket 2:44
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-12    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Celestia 2:54
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-13    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Freedom 3:37
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-14    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Parallel 2:28
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-15    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Apellation 1:53
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-16    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Abstraction 2:38
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-17    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Palimpsest 2:37
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-18    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Dissonance 2:38
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-19    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Through These Portals 2:16
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – La Porta
2-20    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Speculation 2:24
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-21    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    New Sound 2:16
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-22    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Resemblance 2:22
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
Disc Three : Crosscurrents (P1355)    
3-1    The Metronome All Stars–    Victory Ball 4:12
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Parker
Arranged By, Directed By – Pete Rugolo
Baritone Saxophone – Ernie Caceres
Bass – Eddie Safranski
Clarinet – Buddy de Franco
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ventura
Trombone – J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding
Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis
Written-By – Bauer, Parker, Tristano
3-2    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Tautology 2:44
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Konitz
3-3    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Subconscious Lee 2:48
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Konitz
3-4    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Retrospection 3:07
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
3-5    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Judy 2:54
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
3-6    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Wow 3:21
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Harold Granowsky
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-7    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Crosscurrent 2:50
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Harold Granowsky
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-8    Lennie Tristano–    Yesterdays 2:46
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Harold Granowsky
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
3-9    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Marionette 3:04
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Bauer
3-10    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Sax Of A Kind 2:59
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Konitz, Marsh
3-11    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Intuition 2:26
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-12    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Digression 3:05
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-13    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Remember 7:41
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-14    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Pennies 5:45
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-15    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Foolish Things 4:06
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-16    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Indiana 5:42
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-17    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    I'm No Good Without You 4:19
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
Disc Four : Lennie's Pennies (P1356)    
4-1    Lennie Tristano Sextet–    Sax Of A Kind 5:12
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Joe Shulman
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Konitz, Marsh
4-2    Lennie Tristano Sextet–    You Go To My Head 4:34
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Joe Shulman
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Gillespie, Coots
4-3    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Ju-Ju 2:13
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
4-4    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Passtime 3:38
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
4-5    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Lennie's Pennies 6:12
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
4-6    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    317 East 32nd 9:19
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
4-7    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    You Go To My Head 6:43
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Gillespie, Coots
4-8    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    April 8:42
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
4-9    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Sound-Lee 7:37
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Konitz
4-10    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Back-Home 7:56
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano

LEE KONITZ - From Newport to Nice (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This compilation consists of live tracks from various sources, including festivals, television and radio broadcasts over a quarter century. While the playing of Konitz and his various band mates is first rate, the sound quality ranges from excellent to poor, probably due to the condition of the tapes and the fact that some of the songs likely come from audience tapes. Highlights include "All The Things You Are," heard in a swinging quintet that included guitarist Rene Thomas and pianist Misha Mengleberg; Lennie Tristano's "At Twilight," by a quartet that featured the late guitarist Atilla Zoller; and the lengthy but delightful second version of "Lover Man," in a quartet with Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell and Jimmy Rowles. Konitz fans should not let the sometimes dismal sound quality keep them from acquiring this excellent CD. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1     Two Not One 5:41
Lennie Tristano
2     My Melancholy Baby 3:09
Ernie Burnett / George Norton
3     I'm Getting Sentimental over You 3:38
George Bassman / Ned Washington
4     Easy Living 3:53
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
5     Some of These Days 4:14
Shelton Brooks
6     Lover Man 4:19
Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman
7     Will You Still Be Mine? 4:05
Tom Adair / Matt Dennis
8     'Round Midnight 5:10
Bernie Hanighen / Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
9     All the Things You Are 9:20
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
10     317 East 32nd Street 6:17
Lennie Tristano
11     At Twilight 7:59
Maceo Pinkard
12     Lover Man 10:05
Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman
13     Body and Soul 5:54
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Contrabass – Barre Phillips (pistas: 10, 11), Bob Carter (pistas: 1), Frank Carroll (pistas: 2), Henry Grimes (pistas: 5 to 7), Johnny Fischer (pistas: 3, 4), Red Mitchell (pistas: 12), Rob Langereis (pistas: 8, 9)
Drums – Buzzy Drootin (pistas: 1), Don Lamond (pistas: 2), Ed Levinson (pistas: 5 to 7), Han Bennink (pistas: 8, 9), Rudi Sehring (pistas: 3), Shelly Manne (pistas: 12), Stu Martin (pistas: 10, 11)
Guitar – Attila Zoller (pistas: 10, 11), Jimmy Raney (pistas: 13), Johnny Smith (pistas: 2), René Thomas (pistas: 8, 9)
Piano – Jimmy Rowles (pistas: 12), Misha Mengelberg (pistas: 8, 9), Roland Kovac (pistas: 3), Russ Freeman (pistas: 1)
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh (pistas: 1)

DONNA HIGHTOWER - Take One! + Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You? (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During the mid 1950s she recorded R&B songs, for RPM Records, often accompanied by the Maxwell Davis Orchestra as on her 1955 version of "Hands Off". She toured widely in the US, with Louis Jordan, B. B. King, Johnny Mathis, Della Reese and others. While none of her records made the pop or R&B charts, she received good reviews and her discs did perform well in Decca Record's own sales guides, with her "I Ain't In The Mood" ranking #1 on their Sepia (race) charts. By 1958, her career had slowed and she began working for a music publishing firm in New York City, recording demonstration records of new songs. Her version of "Light of Love" — later recorded by Peggy Lee — was heard by record producer Dave Cavanaugh, and as a result of his interest she was signed to Capitol Records. She recorded two albums for Capitol, including Take One! and Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?, both released in 1959. While noted for her "range and power, [she] was equally compelling doing sentimental, soft ballads."

In 1959, she performed in England, France, Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, later performing with Quincy Jones, The Platters and Johnny Hallyday. She settled in France, then Belgium and finally in the late 1960s, in Madrid. In 1971 she won the Costa del Sol International Song Festival, following which she began recording in Spain for Columbia Records, although her songs were issued in much of Europe by Decca Records. She worked with singer Danny Daniel as a duo, Danny y Donna, and they had a hit in the country with "El Vals de las Mariposas". She also recorded solo, and her most successful record, "This World Today Is A Mess" ("Este Mundo es En Conflicto"), which she co-wrote, was an international hit — though not in the US, where it was not released, or in the UK — in 1972, reportedly selling over one million copies worldwide. She is also known for the song "If You Hold My Hand", which was later sampled for the UK 2007 hit single "Handsfree" by Sonny J.

She returned to the US to live in semi-retirement in Austin, Texas, in 1990. She was active in the Austin Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church, and appeared on local radio programs. Her last performance in Spain was at a jazz festival in 2006. She died in Austin in 2013 at the age of 86.

Tracklist:

Take One! (1958)

1. Perfidia (02:27)

2. Maybe You'll Be There (02:47)

3. Lover Come Back to Me (01:57)

4. There, I've Said It Again (02:14)

5. Because of You (02:30)

6. Please Don't Take Your Love Away From Me (02:52)

7. C'est La Vie (02:34)

8. Too Young (02:31)

9. Baby, Get Lost (02:39)

10. I Get A Kick Out Of You (02:26)

11. Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere (02:32)

12. Trouble In Mind (02:33)

Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You? (1959)

13. Every Day I Have The Blues (02:46)

14. Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You? (03:06)

15. All Or Nothing At All (01:45)

16. I Laughed To Keep From Crying (02:20)

17. Lonesome And Sorry (01:37)

18. The First To Know (02:31)

19. The Blues Don't Care (02:54)

20. Can't Help It (02:05)

21. Born To Be Blue (02:25)

22. I'll Be Around (02:04)

23. A Cottage For Sale (03:05)

24. I'm Alone Because I Love You (02:32)

Personnel: 

Donna Hightower (vcl), 

Joe Wilder (tp),

 Ben Webster (ts), 

Mundell Lowe (g), 

Hank Jones (p), 

George Duvivier (b), 

Don Lamond (d), 

Sid Feller (dir)

One of the highest tributes to any musician in a recording session is that he or she is a “Take One” artist. Donna Hightower is just that, a singer who delivers perfectly the first time she steps to the mike. In these late Fifties sides she demonstrated the phrasing, taste and skill which marked her as one the brightest new vocalist stars of the time. Backing her are two all-star groups conducted by Sid Feller and featuring some of the greatest soloists of the New York jazz scene, including Joe Wilder, Ben Webster, Hank Jones, Georgie Auld, Mundell Lowe, George Duvivier and Don Lamond.

I was going to say that Donna Hightower "was" - but Ms Hightower was still performing as late as 2006 in her eighties and she doesn't strike me as someone who would take kindly to being placed in the past tense while she's still very much with us, so I'll say "is" - an outstanding jazz, blues and pop singer. All of those talents are on display on "Take One!"

Ms Hightower had an exceptional voice: Big, bold, brassy - with an understated natural vibratto. She could swing, sob, shout, rock-and-roll and burn your house down. Like Sarah Vaughan she could sing almost anything and like the Divine One, she was willing to try. Had it not been for the fact that shortly after she recorded "Gee Baby…." she went to London for a one-week gig at the Stork Club - and then spent the next 31 years in Europe - she might well have been a star in the US. But, we'll never know…. Instead, this CD is, to my knowledge, all that's available today. Fortunately it's an outstanding disc.

The CD is actually two Capitol LPs: "Take One!" recorded in 1958; and, "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," recorded in 1959.

"Take One!" the LP, was recorded in a session that was actually supposed to be for Dakota Staton. Ms Staton canceled at the last minute and producer Dave Cavanaugh, now stuck with Sid Feller's All-Stars, featuring the likes of saxman Ben Webster, trumpeter Joe Wilder, guitarist Mundell Lowe and pianist Hank Jones cooling their heels with nobody to play for, suddenly remembered Ms Hightower, (who was working for a publishing company in Brooklyn). With three hours notice and no rehersal, Ms Hightower stepped in and stepped up - and man-oh-man, did she nail it! "Take One!" is a set of standards, including: "There I've Said It Again," "Please Don't Take Your Love Away From Me," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "Trouble in Mind." This is swinging, rollicking '50's jazz and jazzy pop. Every one of the 12 songs in the set is a gem.

Six months later, Ms Hightower was back in the studio again - and this time it was her session. The musical credits for "Gee Baby…," are a little unclear - it was Sid Feller's Orchestra with saxman George Auld, Chauncey Welsh on trombone, and Mr Jones again at the piano - after that, the credits are hazy. But the music certainly isn't. Some jazz, some blues, some pop - Ms Hightower just cranks it up and lets it fly! The 12 song set includes; "Every Day I Have the Blues," "All or Nothing at All," "I'm Alone Because I Love You," and of course, the title song.

The sonics are excellent: Ms Hightower's voice is clear and clean and there's plenty of instrumental separation.