This budget two-fer in Impulse's 2011 reissue series offers trombonist Curtis Fuller's first two releases for the label, both recorded in 1961; they are his 18th and 19th overall. The first, Soul Trombone, recorded in November, is aptly titled and places Fuller as the leader of a stellar band that includes pianist Cedar Walton, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, Granville T. Hogan on drums, and either Jimmy Cobb or Jymie Merritt on bass. Of the six track on the set, three are originals, and they include the stellar hard bop offering "The Clan," the swinging "Newdles," and the breezy "Ladies Night." Two standard ballads here, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and Stan Getz's arrangement of "Dear Old Stockholm," are also beautifully delivered. On this date, Fuller allowed all of his sidemen to stretch out and engage with one another generously. Cabin in the Sky is an entirely different kind of outing, and almost experimental -- though not in the avant-garde sense -- with Fuller leading a pair of different large bands that include a full string section arranged by Harry Lookofsky and conducted by Manny Albam. This date relies heavily (but not exclusively) on the tunes of Vernon Duke and John Latouche. The emphasis here is on texture, color, and harmony, but as a result, some of Fuller's authority is overshadowed by the elaborate and restrictive arrangements. That said, this set is far from uninteresting, and given the price tag, irresistible. Some of the players on this date include Bob Brookmeyer, Kai Winding, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, and Osie Johnson. Standouts include non string-arranged tracks such as "Honey in the Honeycomb" and "Savannah."
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Tracklist & Credits : 
Although this album (reissued on CD) proudly states that it is by the Gil Evans Orchestra and has Evans' picture on the cover, the arranger actually had nothing to do with the music. Three songs have the nucleus of his big band performing numbers composed, arranged, and conducted by John Carisi (who also plays one of the trumpets). Those selections by the composer of "Israel" are disappointingly forgettable. The other three performances are even further away from Evans for they are actually selections by avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor's septet! Taylor's music features trumpeter Ted Curson, trombonist Roswell Rudd, altoist Jimmy Lyons, tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp, bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Sunny Murray and is quite adventurous and exciting, the main reason to acquire this somewhat misleading set. Scott Yanow Tracklist & Credits :
In the mid-'50s, guitarist Tal Farlow led one of his finest groups, a
drumless trio with pianist Eddie Costa and bassist Vinnie Burke. The
same band would record the album Tal a week or two later. With Burke
contributing a constant walking bass, the interplay between Farlow and
Costa is always exciting, whether they are playing unisons or trading
off. This 1999 CD reissue not only has the original seven selections but
"Gone With the Wind" (which was left off of the original LP due to lack
of space) plus three full-length alternate takes that are basically on
the same level as the masters. Among the highpoints are "Taking a Chance
on Love," "Yardbird Suite," "Like Someone in Love," and Farlow's lone
original, "Meteor," which utilizes the chord changes of "Confirmation."
Hot bebop that is easily recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Taking A Chance On Love 4:47
Written-By – Latouche, Fetter, Duke
2 Yardbird Suite 5:19
Written-By – Parker
3 You Stepped Out Of A Dream 5:43
Written-By – Kahn, Brown
4 They Can't Take That Away From Me 5:46
Written-By – George & Ira Gershwin
5 Like Someone In Love 6:42
Written-By – Jimmy Van Heusen And Johnny Burke
6 Meteor 6:39
Written-By – Farlow
7 I Love You 5:48
Written-By – Porter
8 Gone With Wind 6:48
Written-By – Allie Wrubel, Herbert Magidson
9 Taking A Chance On Love (Alternative Take) 5:10
Written-By – John Latouche, Ted Fetter, Vernon Duke
10 Yardbird Suite (Alternative Take) 5:04
Written-By – Charlie Parker
11 Gone With Wind (Alternative Take) 5:26
Written-By – Allie Wrubel, Herbert Magidson
Credits:
Bass – Vinnie Burke
Guitar – Tal Farlow
Piano – Eddie Costa
In 1962 Benny Goodman had a historic visit to the Soviet Union, touring with a big band full of young all-stars. After the orchestra returned to the U.S., tenor saxophonist Al Cohn (who had not made the trip but did write some of Goodman's charts) put together an album (also released by Colpix) using many of the sidemen and paying tribute to the event. Strangely enough none of the six numbers are Cohn originals and he does not play on the record although he arranged all of the music. Of the six songs, "Mission to Moscow," "Let's Dance" and "Russian Lullaby" were part of Goodman's repertoire. Altoist Phil Woods effectively doubles on clarinet and other soloists include tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, trumpeter Marky Markowitz and trombonist Willie Dennis. An interesting set of modern swing but this LP has been unfortunately long out-of-print. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Mission To Moscow 4:20
Written-By – Mel Powell
2 The Sochi Boatman 5:17
Adapted By – A. Gilbert
Arranged By – Al Cohn
3 Midnight In Moscow 5:59
Written-By – Ball, Soloviev-Sedoy, Matusovsky
4 Let's Dance 4:32
Written-By – Baldridge, Stone, Bonime
5 Russian Lullaby 5:39
Written-By – Irving Berlin
6 Red, White And Blue Eyes 4:53
Adapted By – A. Gilbert
Arranged By – Al Cohn
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Phil Woods
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Jerry Dodgion
Baritone Saxophone – Gene Allen
Bass – Bill Crow
Drums – Mel Lewis
Piano – Eddie Costa
Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims
Trombone – Willie Dennis
Trumpet – Jimmy Maxwell, Markie Markowitz
Tubby Hayes was a superior tenor saxophonist from England who played in the tradition of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, with just a dash of Johnny Griffin and early John Coltrane. This CD finds Tubby holding his own with a top-notch swinging rhythm section (pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Duvivier, and Dave Bailey) along with guests Clark Terry (on four of the ten selections) and vibraphonist Eddie Costa (on three songs). Whether it be an up-tempo rendition of "Airegin" or a tender "You're My Everything," Tubby Hayes shows that he is an underrated legend. The original six selections are joined by four equally rewarding unreleased performances. Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 You For Me 4:38
Written-By – B. Haymes
2 A Pint Of Bitter 7:00
Written-By – C. Terry
3 Airegin 8:53
Written-By – S. Rollins
4 Opus Ocean 7:31
Written-By – C. Terry
5 Soon 7:33
Written-By – G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin
6 Doxy 9:11
Written-By – S. Rollins
7 Soho Soul 8:02
Written-By – T. Hayes
8 The Simple Waltz 8:57
Written-By – C. Terry
9 Half A Sawbuck 7:13
Written-By – T. Hayes
10 You're My Everything 5'06
Written-By – H. Warren, J. Young, M. Dixon
Credits
Bass – George Duvivier
Drums – Dave Bailey
Piano – Horace Parlan
Tenor Saxophone – Tubby Hayes
Trumpet – Clark Terry
Vibraphone – Eddie Costa
This LP combines together two former LPs by flugelhornist Clark Terry: Everything's Mellow and All American. Since those two sessions were cut for the Moodsville label (where all of the sets were supposed to be emphasizing quiet ballads) and the second date has songs from a forgotten musical, this release wouldn't seem to have much potential. However, Terry is highly expressive on the former date (a quartet outing with pianist Junior Mance, bassist Joe Benjamin, and drummer Charlie Persip) and does not stick only to ballads, throwing in some blues and obscure melodies. As for the All American score, Oliver Nelson was enlisted to write arrangements for Terry's septet (which is comprised of Budd Johnson on tenor, trombonist Lester Robertson, baritonist George Barrow, pianist Eddie Costa in one of his final recordings, bassist Art Davis, and drummer Ed Shaughnessy) and, except for a couple of purposely corny moments, the music is greatly uplifted; in fact, a few of the songs deserve to be revived. Terry and Johnson are in great form throughout. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Out in the Cold Again 4'29
Bobby Bloom / Rube Bloom / Ted Koehler
2 The Simple Waltz 5'10
Bob Brookmeyer / Clark Terry
3 This Is Always 4'53
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
4 Lullaby 3'40
Johannes Brahms
5 Among My Souvenirs 4'48
Edgar Leslie / Horatio Nicholls
6 In the Alley 3'46
Clark Terry
7 Michelle 4'33
John Lennon / Paul McCartney / Clark Terry
8 As You Desire Me 3'26
Allie Wrubel
9 What a Country 4'22
Lee Adams / Charles Strouse
10 Same Language 4'05
Lee Adams / Charles Strouse
11 If I Were You 5'00
Lee Adams / Charles Strouse
12 I've Just Seen Her 3'50
Lee Adams / Charles Strouse
13 Once upon a Time 2'20
Lee Adams / Benny Carter / Charles Strouse
14 Nightlife 4'34
Lee Adams / Lou Gramm / Mick Jones / Charles Strouse
15 It's Fun to Think 5'06
Lee Adams / Charles Strouse
16 The Fight Song 3'45
Lee Adams / Charles Strouse
Credits :
Arranged By – Oliver Nelson (pistas: 9 to 16)
Baritone Saxophone – George Barrow (pistas: 9 to 16)
Bass – Art Davis (pistas: 9 to 16), Joe Benjamin (pistas: 1 to 8)
Drums – Charlie Persip (pistas: 1 to 8), Ed Shaughnessy (pistas: 9 to 16)
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Junior Mance (pistas: 1 to 8)
Piano, Vibraphone – Eddie Costa (pistas: 9 to 16)
Remastered By [Digital Remastering, 1993] – Phil De Lancie
Tenor Saxophone – Budd Johnson (pistas: 9 to 16)
Trombone – Lester Robertson (pistas: 9 to 16)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Clark Terry
One of the greatest slide guitarists of the early blues era, and a man with an odd fascination with the kazoo, Tampa Red also fancied himsel...
