RAY BROWN | MILT JACKSON — Much In Common + All-Star Big Band (1996) 2xCD | Serie Verve Take 2 | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

DIZZY GILLESPIE — Birks Works : The Verve Big Band Sessions (1995) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits :

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1281 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This solid entry in the Classics Chronological Series contains all of the titles recorded by Count Basie and his orchestra between January 17 and July 25, 1952, a period during which this band was signed to Norman Granz's Clef record label. Basie, who had been forced to scale his group down to septet and octet dimensions for more than a year beginning in 1950, had begun recording with a powerful new 16-piece unit in April of 1951. Nine months on, this ensemble was well on the way to virtually redefining the art of big-band jazz. Input from arranger/composers Sy Oliver, Buster Harding, and Neal Hefti add a luster to the proceedings that cannot be diminished by the passage of time. Key participants include trumpeters Joe Newman and Charlie Shavers, trombonist Jimmy Wilkins, and reedmen Marshall Royal, Ernie Wilkins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Paul Quinichette, whose Lester Young impersonations were positively uncanny. Small wonder that Pres suffered from an identity crisis on hearing his style replicated so deliberately right there in the reed section of an orchestra led by the same man in whose band he, Lester Young, had developed that style 15 years earlier. Quinichette sounds wonderful. He sounds like Lester Young.  arwulf arwulf   Tracklist :

AL COHN, JOE NEWMAN & FREDDIE GREEN - Mosaic Select 27 (2007) 3xCD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Mosaic compilation draws from material that comprised five separate RCA Victor LPs of the 1950: Al Cohn's The Natural Seven and The Jazz Workshop: Four Brass, One Tenor, Freddie Green's Mr. Rhythm, plus two Joe Newman records, All I Wanna Do Is Swing and I'm Still Swinging. Cohn, Green, and Newman are the common element to all of the recording sessions, leading bands ranging from septets to nonets.The Natural Seven was inspired by the Kansas City Seven drawn from the Count Basie band of the 1930s, and while the arrangements by Cohn and Manny Albam swing lightly in the style of Basie's septet, the focus is more on originals written for the session rather than simply recreating earlier recordings. Joining them are pianist Nat Pierce, trombonist Frank Rehak, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Osie Johnson, highlighted by the upbeat unison horn line in Cohn's "Pick a Dilly" and Albam's swinging "Jump the Blues Away." Johnson even adds a vocal on his fun-filled "Osie's Blues." Cohn's other session as a leader includes Thad Jones with either Joe Wilder, Bernie Glow, or Phil Sunkel on third trumpet, with Dick Katz doubling on valve trombone and trumpet, pianist Dick Katz, and bassist Buddy Jones subbing for the previous personnel. Once more, Cohn and Albam split up the arrangements, with the tenor saxophonist benefiting from the quartet of brass players accompanying him. "Rosetta" and the leader's "Cohn Not Cohen" are among the highlights. Freddie Green was known for his superb timekeeping in the Basie band, a tenure which lasted a half-century until his passing in 1987, just a few years after the leader. Mr. Rhythm marked the first issued under his own name, plus eight of the dozen songs are Green's compositions, with Green sticking to playing rhythm throughout the date. Cohn, Albam, and Ernie Wilkins provide the swinging arrangements of the mostly blues-oriented material, while Cohn doubles on both clarinet and bass clarinet in addition to playing tenor sax. Two dates led by Newman in 1955 also fit in nicely, with either Frank Rehak or Urbie Green on trombone, Wilkins or Gene Quill on alto sax, and Pierce or Dick Katz on piano. Newman, who tended to be overshadowed by many of the other swing and bop trumpeters active at the time, shines on both open and muted horn, while featuring his musicians prominently throughout both dates. Green's "Corner Pocket" and a buoyant treatment of the standard "Exactly Like You" especially stand out. Most of this music was reissued on CD during the '80s and '90s, though none of it remained in print for long. Ken Dryden  
All Tracks & Credits

EDDIE 'LOCKJAW' DAVIS BIG BAND - Trane Whistle (1961-1990) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

This CD reissue brings back an Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis session in which the distinctive tenor saxophonist is joined by a 13-piece big band arranged by Oliver Nelson. Most significant is the inclusion of the original version of "Stolen Moments" (here called "The Stolen Moment" and predating the more famous Oliver Nelson recording by several months). Eric Dolphy is in the backup group but is not heard from in a solo capacity. There are some spots for trumpeters Richard Williams, Clark Terry and Bobby Bryant along with Nelson on alto but this is primarily Davis' showcase. On a set comprised of four Oliver Nelson originals, the ballad "You Are Too Beautiful" and the leader's "Jaws," Lockjaw as usual shows plenty of emotion during his driving solos. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Trane Whistle 6'19
Oliver Nelson
2     Whole Nelson 3'35
Oliver Nelson
3     You Are Too Beautiful 5'11
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
4     The Stolen Moments 7'54
Oliver Nelson
5     Walk Away 5'27
Oliver Nelson
6     Jaws 4'36
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Credits:
Bass – Wendell Marshall
Drums – Roy Haynes
Mastered By – Phil De Lancie
Piano – Richard Wyands
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Reeds – Eric Dolphy, George Barrow, Jerome Richardson, Oliver Nelson, Bob Ashron
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Melba Liston
Trumpet – Clark Terry, Richard Williams

CLARK TERRY - The Chicago Sessions 1995•96 (2007) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Recorded during the mid-'90s, The Chicago Sessions features legendary trumpeter Clark Terry performing with the Depaul University Big Band under the direction of trumpeter Bob Lark. Compiled out of two hard--to-find recordings, this is '50s and '60s style big-band bop that should appeal to fans of straight-ahead jazz. Terry sounds in fine form throughout and it is a joy to hear him showcased within such a large and crisply swinging ensemble. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1     Just Squeeze Me 4'20
Duke Ellington / Lee Gaines
2     C.T.'s Express 5'33
David Slonaker
3     The Star-Crossed Lovers 6'48
Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn
4     Jessica's Day 4'16
Quincy Jones
5     Harlem Airshaft 3'28
Duke Ellington
6     Swinging the Blues 4'58
Count Basie / Eddie Durham
7     Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me 4'52
Duke Ellington
8     I Want a Little Girl 4'34
Billy Moll
9     Easy Does It 4'47
David Slonaker
10     Launching Pad 4'37
Duke Ellington / Clark Terry
11     Cotton Tail 3'22
Duke Ellington
12     Moten Swing 4'30
Eddie Durham
13     Something to Live For 6'22
Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn
Credits :
Arranged By – Ernie Wilkins (pistas: 1, 12), Thomas Matta (pistas: 3, 13)
Band – DePaul University Big Band
Bass – Sharay Reed (pistas: 9, 10)
Flute – Frank Wess (pistas: 4, 6)
Music Director [Director] – Bob Lark
Piano – Michael Stryker (pistas: 3, 6, 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Rob Denty (pistas: 2, 8)
Trombone – Troy Anderson (pistas: 2, 9)

LURLEAN HUNTER - Night Life (1956) lp / Mp3

Tracklist :
A1. Georgia On My Mind
Arranged By – Al Cohn
Written By – Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell
A2. What A Difference A Day Made
Arranged By – Al Cohn
Written By – Maria Greuer, Stanley Adams
A3. Have You Met Miss Jones
Arranged By – Al Cohn
Written By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
A4. That Old Feeling
Arranged By – Ernie Wilkins
Written By – Lew Brown, Sammy Fain
A5. It's The Talk Of The Town
Arranged By – Manny Albam
Written By – Levinson-Symes-Neiburg
A6.  Gentleman Friend
Arranged By – Ernie Wilkins
Written By – Arnold Horwitt, Richard Lewin
B1. Night Life
Arranged By – Manny Albam
Written By – Gratien Ouellette, Jack Murray
B2. It Could Happen To You
Arranged By – Manny Albam
Written By – Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
B3. Moondrift
Arranged By – Ernie Wilkins
Written By – Bela Malcsiner, Sammy Cahn
B4. Sunday
Arranged By – Ernie Wilkins
Written By – Miller-Cohn-Stein
B5. Like Someone in Love
Arranged By – Al Cohn
Written By – Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
B6. This Time the Dream's on Me
Arranged By – Manny Albam
Written By – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Credits :
Conductor, Accompanied By – Manny Albam And His Orchestra
Arranged By – Al Cohn (faixas: A1-A3, B5), Ernie Wilkins (faixas: A4, A6, B3, B4), Manny Albam (faixas: A5, B1, B2, B6)
Piano – Hank Jones
Tenor Saxophone – Al Cohn
Trumpet – Joe Newman

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1387 (2005) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

From July 26, 1952 to December 12, 1953, Count Basie continued to record for Norman Granz's Clef label, variously utilizing a quintet, sextet, nonet, and 16-piece big band. Released in 2005, this volume in the Classics Chronological Series documents all of the issued studio titles from this time period, neatly omitting no less than 15 Birdland radio broadcasts so as to focus upon the Count's protean adventures within the intimate confines of recording studios in New York and Los Angeles. Basie's excellent instrumentalists include trumpeter Joe Newman, trombonist Henry Coker, reedmen Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Paul Quinichette, Marshall Royal, Ernie Wilkins, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Charlie Fowlkes. This album also features guest appearances by Oscar Peterson (he and Basie take turns playing organ and piano), vocalist Al Hibbler, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Buddy Rich. arwulf arwulf

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1953-1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1446 (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The 15th installment in the complete commercially issued studio recordings of Count Basie was released as a new segment of the Classics Chronological Series in 2007. The time line represented here begins on December 12, 1953, and ends either in June or August 1954, depending upon which discographical session index you opt for. The bright, snappy Basie big-band sound of the mid-'50s was largely the result of compositions and arrangements by Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti, and Manny Albam. Four of these men also operated as crucial performers in the band, along with Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Benny Powell, and Marshall Royal. In addition to Green's "Right On" (a title that anticipates that phrase's rhetorical ubiquity among young Afro-Americans by at least ten years), noteworthy numbers include Hefti's "Two for the Blues," Foster's "Blues Backstage" and "Down for the Count," and Wilkins' "Sixteen Men Swinging," "Stereophonic," "The Blues Done Come Back," and "She's Just My Size." The Basie orchestra's rendition of Juan Tizol's "Perdido" comes as a pleasant surprise and registers as a tip of the hat to that other decisively influential bandleader who with Basie essentially defined the idiom during the 1950s, Duke Ellington. arwulf arwulf