LEE WILEY WITH BILLY BUTTERFIELD AND HIS ORCHESTRA — A Touch of the Blues (1958-2002) RM | Mono | RCA 100 Years Of Music Series | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The stellar A Touch of the Blues pairs Lee Wiley with an exceptional band led by trumpeter Billy Butterfield, whose warm, beautiful tone proves a sympathetic counterpoint to Al Cohn and Bill Finegan's otherwise dark, melancholy arrangements. While a title like A Touch of the Blues guarantees the listener few surprises, the album consistently avoids the familiar bluesy clichés -- Wiley's sensuality and sophistication suggest emotional depths to make such gestures redundant anyway. And like her more celebrated songbook sessions, the material here is expertly selected, complementing Wiley's inherent strengths while affording her the latitude to stretch out in new directions. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1        The Memphis Blues 3:30
W.C. Handy / George Norton
2    From the Land of the Sky Blue Water 2:47

Charles Wakefield Cadman / Nelle Richmond Eberhart
3    The Ace in the Hole 3:03
James Dempsey / George Mitchell
4    Someday You'll Be Sorry 4:13
Louis Armstrong
5    My Melancholy Baby 3:15
Ernie Burnett / George Norton
6    A Hundred Years from Today 3:12
Ned Washington / Joseph Young / Victor Young
7    Blues in My Heart 3:03
Benny Carter / Irving Mills
8    Maybe You'll Be There 3:17
Rube Bloom / Sammy Gallop
9    Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 3:00
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
10    I Don't Want to Walk Without You 2:46
Frank Loesser / Jule Styne
11    Make Believe 3:19
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
12    A Touch of the Blues 4:13
Don George / Ed Wilcox
Credits :
Arranged By – Bill Finegan
Arranged By, Saxophone – Al Cohn
Bass – Milt Hinton
Guitar – Mundell Lowe, Barry Galbraith
Lead Vocals – Lee Wiley
Piano – Moe Wechsler
Saxophone – Gene Allen
Trumpet, Leader – Billy Butterfield

LOUIS PRIMA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1944-1945 | The Chronogical Classics – 1273 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Like a Sargasso Sea of commercial challenges lying fallow between his hot traditional jazz of the mid-'30s, and his well-known success as a pop star in the 1950s and '60s, Louis Prima's big band recordings from the mid-'40s reveal this man's relentless scuffle to find a sustainable niche in the overall scheme of things. Most of the selections date from the middle of 1944, the presentation positively sweating with beefy or sweet arrangements behind Prima's handsome vocals. "The Very Thought of You" was clearly patterned after Billie Holiday's version, and even conveys some of the same gorgeous sentimentality. Lily Ann Carol had an attractive voice, and some listeners might deliberately succumb to the prescribed lushness of prettiness and stylized form. The Majestic and Hit labels were designated showcases for cheap popular entertainment, and the material speaks volumes about American culture, like it or not. Hearing a team of grown men chanting "Hitsum Kitsum" is one thing, but "I Want to Get to Tokio" burrows quickly to a nadir of jingoistic racism, with Prima loudly comparing "dirty Japs" to "monkeys in a bamboo tree." While this sort of abusiveness was fairly common in U.S. media during WWII, ethnicity in general seems to have been regarded as a reliable sounding board for Prima's far-from-subtle sense of humor. "What's the Matter Marie?" at least focuses upon the singer's own Italian background, as does the minestrone-spattered "Angelina" and a remarkable performance bearing the title "Please No Squeeza da Banana," which might be the most useful recording Prima ever made. During "Rum and Coca-Cola" the band attempts to invade Trinidad with Lily Ann Carol perched atop the bogus Caribbean arrangement like a tin hood ornament. But the primary ethnic touchstone for Prima was always Afro-American, as he flagrantly imitated Louis Armstrong, Hot Lips Page and Louis Jordan over the span of several decades. Prima's handling of "Caldonia" is pretty stupid. The best tune here is "The Blizzard," a hot instrumental boogie woogie stoked with hot solos by sax and trumpet, building to a nearly caustic level of intensity before collapsing with a flourish into a heap. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

AL COHN - Jazz Mission to Moscow (1962-2010) RM | Jazz名盤 999 Best & More | FLAC (tracks), lossless

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

GERRY MULLIGAN AND THE CONCERT JAZZ BAND - At the Village Vanguard (1961-2002) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Of all the recordings made by Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band in the 1960s, this is the definitive one. There are many high points, including "Body and Soul" (which has fine solos from the baritone/leader and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer), "Come Rain or Come Shine," and the swinging "Let My People Be," but "Blueport" takes honors. On the latter, after hot solos by Mulligan, trombonist Willie Dennis, and Jim Reider on tenor, Mulligan and trumpeter Clark Terry have a lengthy trade-off that is quite hilarious with a countless number of quotes from different songs; at one point they trade off cities. This music is essential. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Blueport 11:07
William Crow / Art Farmer
2     Body and Soul 5:45
Frank Eyton / John W. Green / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
3     Black Nightgown 4:10
Johnny Mandel
4     Come Rain or Come Shine 5:35
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
5     Lady Chatterley's Mother 6:14
Al Cohn
6     Let My People Be 8:00
Gerry Mulligan
Piano – Gerry Mulligan
Credits :
Alto Clarinet – Gene Quill
Alto Saxophone – Bob Donovan
Baritone Saxophone – Gene Allen, Gerry Mulligan
Bass – Bill Crow
Bass Clarinet – Gene Allen
Clarinet – Gene Quill
Drums – Mel Lewis
Tenor Saxophone – Jim Reider
Trombone – Alan Ralph, Bob Brookmeyer, Willie Dennis
Trumpet – Clark Terry, Don Ferrara, Nick Travis