SONNY STITT — Kaleidoscope (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Deftly handling the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone, bebop giant Sonny Stitt is heard to perfection here on a variety of early-'50s dates. Stitt not only shows off his patented speed throughout, but he goes a long way in dispelling criticisms of him being all fire and no grace. The 16-track disc kicks off with four tight, Latin-tinged swingers featuring an octet that includes trumpeter Joe Newman and timbales player Humberto Morales. Switching to piano quartet mode for the bulk of the disc, Stitt ranges effortlessly from frenetic blasts ("Cherokee") to golden-hued ballads ("Imagination"). Capping off the set with four bonus cuts featuring the likes of Gene Ammons and Junior Mance, Stitt delivers one of the top sets of performances from the late bebop era. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1    Stitt's It 2:35
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
2    Cool Mambo 2:40
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
3    Blue Mambo 2:25
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
4    Sonny Sounds 2:29
Written-By – Massey, Stitt
5    Ain't Misbehavin' 3:02
Written-By – Razaf, Waller, Brooks
6    Later 3:00
Written-By – Sonny Stitt
7    P.S. I Love You 3:00
Written-By – Jenkins, Mercer
8    This Can't Be Love 2:47
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
9    Imagination 3:24
Written-By – Burke-Van Heusen
10    Cherokee 2:33
Written-By – Ray Noble
11    Can't We Be Friends 2:41
Written-By – Swift, James
12    Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away) 2:45
Written-By – Gershwin-Gershwin, Kahn
– BONUS TRACK –
13    To Think You've Chosen Me 3:11
Written-By – Benjamin, Weiss
14    After You've Gone 2:25
Written-By – Creamer, Layton
15    Our Very Own 3:05
Written-By – Elliot, Young
16    'S Wonderful 2:24
Written-By – Gershwin-Gershwin
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Sonny Stitt
Baritone Saxophone – Gene Ammons (tracks: 13 to 16)
Bass – Ernie Sheppard (tracks: 1 to 4), Gene Wright (tracks: 7 to 16), Tommy Potter (tracks: 5, 6)
Drums – Art Blakey (tracks: 5, 6, 9, 10), Shadow Wilson (tracks: 1 to 4), Teddy Stewart (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12), Wesley Landers (tracks: 13 to 16)
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Charlie Bateman (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12), John Houston (tracks: 1 to 4), Junior Mance (tracks: 9, 10, 13 to 16), Kenny Drew (tracks: 5, 6)
Timbales – Humberto Morales (tracks: 2, 3)
Trombone – Matthew Gee (tracks: 13 to 16)
Trumpet – Bill Massey (tracks: 1 to 4, 13 to 16), Joe Newman (tracks: 1 to 4), John Hunt (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals – Larry Townsend (tracks: 13 to 16)
Nota.
Selections #1-4 recorded on March 25, 1952; #5-6 February 17, 1950; #7-8 February 1, 1951; #9-10 December 15, 1950; #11-12 January 31, 1951; #13-16 October 8, 1950. All selections recorded in New York City.
NoNOISE reprocessing by Sonic Solutions.
Audio restoration and digital remastering, 1992 (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley).
Selections #13-16 previously released on Stitt’s Bits (Prestige 7585).

GENE AMMONS' ALL STARS — The Big Sound (1958-1991) RM | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Along with its fellow CD, Groove Blues, this reissue fully documents all of the music recorded by tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons on the busy day of January 3, 1958. Although there were many guest soloists, only one of the four songs on this half of the set (Mal Waldron's "The Real McCoy") has appearances by John Coltrane (on alto) and the tenor of Paul Quinichette. However, baritonist Pepper Adams is aboard for two of the performances, and flutist Jerome Richardson (along with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist George Joyner, and drummer Art Taylor) are on all four. Ammons is easily the main star (he really excelled in this setting) and is in generally fine form on the two standards ("That's All" and "Cheek to Cheek"), his own "Blue Hymn," and the Waldron original. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Blue Hymn 12:37
Written-By – Gene Ammons
2    The Real McCoy 8:33
Written-By – Mal Waldron
3    Cheek To Cheek 14:12
Written-By – Irving Berlin
4    That's All 13:58
Written-By – Bob Haymes
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – John Coltrane (tracks: 3)
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (tracks: 3, 4)
Bass – George Joyner
Drums – Art Taylor
Flute – Jerome Richardson
Piano – Mal Waldron
Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons, Paul Quinichette (tracks: 3)

GENE AMMONS – 1947-1949 | The Chronogical Classics – 1251 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Gene Ammons, son of Albert, was a warm, approachable tenor saxophonist who existed at the fulcrum of several genres, and styles within genres. He swung, bopped, rocked, rolled, preached, and dished out sensuous songs of love and heartbreak. These are his first recordings as a leader. "Red Top," a portrait of Gene's wife Mildred (who was also T-Bone Walker's niece), was to be the inspiration for a milestone vocalese rendition recorded six years later by King Pleasure and Betty Carter, who sang words based upon Gail Brockman's trumpet solo. Here on the original track, Ammons quotes "Alice Blue Gown" at the beginning of his solo. This would become "Alice Rosetta" in King Pleasure's translation. Even if there weren't any vocals for comparison, "Red Top" is a masterpiece and "Idaho" the perfect flip side. These are object lessons in bop groove logic. Repeated exposure to jazz of this sort will permanently alter your brain in all of the hippest ways. "Concentration" does everything modern jazz was supposed to do. It's intricate, fresh and inventive. We're lucky to have contrasting versions from two different ensembles. "Blowing Red's Bop" should have been called "Blowing Red's Top," as it is clearly a remake of "Red Top." Twelve sides from October and December 1947 paint a picture of Chicago's jazz scene in rapid transition. "Shermanski" contains a wild ensemble vamp behind the sax that might rile your blood. "Jeet Jet" is a ferocious bop line that includes a swift succession of nine hammer strokes. The magnificently titled "Blowing the Family Jewels" rolls at about 65 mph. Earl Coleman sings like Billy Eckstine on "Hold That Money." Contrary to what the discography says, Coleman is not heard on "Dues in Blues," a sultry cooker that walks its way into "Night Train" territory. The session from February 1949 is a good example of bebop you could dance to if you felt like it. "Brother Jug's Sermon" has a spoken intro and handclaps behind a "preaching" tenor sax. Two sentimental vocals, one by pianist Christine Chatman and the other by Mary F. Graham, are included in the package to place Ammons' music in context for the year 1949. But the instrumentals are the gravy. "Stuffy," a percolator by Coleman Hawkins, comes across nice and solid. Ammons' handling of "Once in a While" is gorgeous, honest, personable and very, very cool. arwulf arwulf         Tracklist + Credits :

GENE AMMONS – 1949-1950 | The Chronogical Classics – 1329 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This leg of the Gene Ammons chronology begins with two pretty vocals by Christine Chapman. Jug is in the background, offering emotional support through the tenor sax. These tidbits are soon forgotten as several powerful blowing sessions unfold. The lush, theatrical renditions of "Ev'rything Depends on You" and "When You're Gone" are thrilling examples of where the jazz ballad was at in 1949. The elegant boppish swing of "Hot Springs" is liberating. "Little Slam" eventually reveals itself as a reconstituted "King Porter Stomp." The next session is even better: "Pennies From Heaven" is all delicacy and beatitude. "The Last Mile," also known as "Rockin' Rocker," does an impressive slow grind on simple blues changes. "Cha-Bootie" is definitive swaggering Gene Ammons, full of soul. During "Full Moon" the band bursts all restraints and lunges forward with horns blazing. On March 5th 1960, Ammons started laying down thunder tracks for the Prestige label. "Bye Bye" sounds like "Soft Winds" with salt and Tabasco. Ammons leads a hand-clapping moralistic singalong called "Let It Be." That's Sonny Stitt blowing down a baritone sax. He comes round front, switches to tenor and duels with Ammons on "Blues Up and Down," a showpiece that would be revived by Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis during the early 1960s. How cool it is to hear the original version of this two-sax workout, followed by a brisk "You Can Depend On Me"? Great rhythm section in Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter and "Kansas City" Jo Jones. Teddy Williams must have opened his mouth abnormally wide when he sang with this band. It's kind of outrageous, like he's doing Billy Eckstine impressions. On "Dumb Woman Blues" his chortling makes a bit more sense but he's still really loud and overbearing. For this kind of singing, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson would be preferable. The Prestige rendering of "Chabootie" is a marvel of precision. Stitt was a capable baritone player, and Art Blakey has appeared as a worthy successor for Jones. "Who Put the Sleeping Pills in Rip Van Winkle's Coffee?" is surprisingly stupid, and no amount of hot blowing can rescue the song from itself after Gene leads the band in a stilted singalong. The melody is a turkey, which explains why this track rarely appears on reissues. "Gravy" is immediately recognizable as "Walkin'," that great durable anthem of hard bop. Once again, Stitt's baritone is a bitch. "Easy Glide" sparkles with a vintage early-'50s show time arrangement, very theatrical. The disc closes out with four sides issued on the Chess label. While "Tenor Eleven" is pleasantly stimulating, Jug really finds himself in the ballad groove with the help of primitive reverb and maybe something else to steady the nerves and enhance his mood. Three ballads and you're out. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

GENE AMMONS – 1950-1951 | The Chronogical Classics – 1367 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits :

GENE AMMONS – 1951-1953 | The Chronogical Classics – 1406 (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This fourth installment in the Classics Gene Ammons chronology sews together everything recorded and released under his name for the Prestige, Decca, and United record labels between June 1951 and June 1953. Instrumental highlights, in addition to Ammons' sensually charged tenor saxophone, include Sonny Stitt on supporting tenor (on tracks 13-16, Stitt plays baritone sax); trombonist J.J. Johnson (tracks 13-16); and trumpeter supreme Johnny Coles, who was destined to make outstanding records with James Moody and Charles Mingus (tracks 17-24). This particular slice of Gene Ammons' career is delightfully gutsy and easy to relate to. The Prestige material is classic Jug; his brief involvement with Decca is a thrilling sideshow, and those sanguine, sultry, scruffy sides for Chicago's tiny United record label are precious artifacts of inestimable worth. Note that the rocking "Jim Dawgs" is an entirely different entity from a similarly titled bop exercise recorded by Ike Quebec for Savoy Records in August of 1945. During his heyday, Gene Ammons represented the perfect blend of swing, bop, and R&B. This wonderful compilation presents a healthy stripe of vivid material from his label-hopping period during the years immediately preceding the Eisenhower era. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

BILLY ECKSTINE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1944-1945 | The Chronogical Classics – 914 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of the most glaring gaps in the jazz reissue boom is a thorough chronicle of Billy Eckstine's bop era work with both Earl Hines' group and his own innovative outfits. A veritable workshop for the era's teaming bop talent, Eckstine's big bands captured Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's advances in a swing framework, which provided a challenging yet ultimately perfect setting for the singer's luxurious baritone. So, considering what's to be missed, listeners shouldn't hesitate in checking out this Classics collection of Eckstine's 1944-1945 sides, especially since Savoy's chronicle of the same material is in dire need of an audio upgrade. Effortlessly ranging between ballads, blues, and swingers, Eckstine delivers both hit covers ("Prisoner of Love," "Cottage for Sale") and indelible originals ("I Want to Talk About You," "Blowin' the Blues Away"). And with the likes of Fats Navarro, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, and Art Blakey on hand -- not to mention Tadd Dameron and Budd Johnson handling the charts and a young Sarah Vaughan contributing vocals -- the high standards are maintained throughout. A perfect companion collection to both Classics' followup disc of 1946-1947 tracks and Xanadu's roundup of Eckstine sides form the first half of the '40s. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist + Credits : 

BILLY ECKSTINE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1946-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1022 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Following up their excellent set of Billy Eckstine's 1944-1945 sides, Classics' has now brought together more of the bandleader's prime bebop-era material on this disc of 1946-1947 material. Once again, Eckstine is backed by some of the day's top players, namely Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, and Art Blakey. The highlights abound, including an update of Eckstine's early-'40s hit with the Earl Hines band, "The Jitney Man"; excellent readings of "Without a Song" and "In the Still of the Night"; and a riveting go at Dizzy Gillespie's bop classic, "Oo Bop Sh'bam." Presaging his subsequent fame as a grand ballad singer, the collection also features early orchestra cuts like "My Silent Love" and "All the Things You Are," all featuring the singer's lush baritone against some slightly cloying string charts. Finally, the show ends in intimate fashion, as Eckstine takes up the trombone -- don't worry, he sings too -- in a small combo featuring tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray. A pure delight. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist + Credits :

SARAH VAUGHAN – 1944-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 958 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This first installment in the complete chronological recordings of Sarah Vaughan is a gold mine of great jazz dating from turbulent and transitional times. It's also one of the very best Sarah Vaughan retrospectives ever made available to the public. Vaughan positively glows in front of every ensemble lucky enough to back her, as she performs in an almost bewildering series of outstanding recordings on the De Luxe, Continental, Guild, Crown, Gotham, H.R.S., and Musicraft labels. She appears as a 20-year-old featured with Billy Eckstine's Orchestra, then sitting in with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, with violinist Stuff Smith's Trio, and with the amazing John Kirby Sextet (here billed as his orchestra). She rubs shoulders with Trummy Young, Dicky Wells, Tony Scott, Ben Webster, Freddy Webster, Al Cohn, Serge Chaloff, Flip Phillips, Tadd Dameron, Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker, Georgie Auld, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Sid Catlett, Max Roach, and pianist Jimmy Jones, destined to accompany Vaughan intermittently until 1958. The jazz talent assembled on this one disc is nothing short of formidable. Sarah Vaughan began her recording career in the eye of the hurricane of jazz in New York during the mid-'40s. This incredible compilation documents exactly how she went about it. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :

LEO PARKER – 1947-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1203 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's something about the purling, snarling and booting of a baritone sax that can create pleasant disturbances in the listener's spine and rib cage. Leo Parker came up during the simultaneous explosions of bebop and rhythm & blues. Everything he touched turned into a groove. Recording for Savoy in Detroit during the autumn of 1947, Leo was flanked by Howard McGhee and Gene Ammons, who at this point seems to have been operating under the influence of Lester Young. Leo does his own share of Prez-like one-note vamping, bringing to mind some of Lester's Aladdin recordings made during this same time period. Leo's Savoys originally appeared on 78 rpm platters, then on 10" long-playing records. Anyone who has ever heard one of these relics played on period equipment can testify to the sensation of hearing an old-fashioned phonograph wrestling with the extra fidelity contained in the voice of that king-sized sax. The next session happened in New York two months later. J.J. Johnson was on hand to supervise a smart recording of his own soon-to-be-famous "Wee Dot." Dexter Gordon is in fine form and it's nice to hear Joe Newman blowing so much gutsy bebop through his trumpet. Everything smoothes out for a gorgeous rendition of Duke Ellington's "Solitude," a lush feature for the baritone. The rhythm section of Curly Russell, Hank Jones and Shadow Wilson makes this particular session even more solid than usual. Leading his "Quintette" in Detroit on March 23rd, 1948, Leo races into "Dinky" with a run straight out of Herschel Evans' "Doggin' Around." Sir Charles Thompson tosses off some of his most fragmented playing, splattering the walls with abrupt block chords and tiny whirlpools of truncated riffs. "Señor Leo" cruises at a very cool, almost subterranean Latin tempo, a mood that brings to mind Bud Powell's hypnotic opus "Comin' Up." You get to hear the voices of Parker and Thompson at the beginning of "Chase 'n' the Lion," a fine bit of updated boogie-woogie. Apparently, Sir Charles was also known at that time as "Chase." A second session recorded on the same day adds Charlie Rouse to an already steaming band. Leo gnaws his way through four tunes of his own devising. Nothing brilliant here, just good hot jamming. The people at Prestige Records were smart enough to line up a date with the Leo Parker Quartet in July of 1950, resulting in what has got to be the hippest version of "Mona Lisa" ever put on record. The quartet hatched two other handsome ballads and a pair of kickers. "Who's Mad" is a sort of sequel to the famous "Mad Lad," made when Leo was recording for the Apollo label under Sir Charles' leadership. That makes "Mad Lad Returns" a sequel to the sequel. Unable or unwilling to shake this particular thematic, Leo called his next recording band "the Mad Lads." Two out of four sides were issued on the little Gotham label. Meet the all-but-forgotten Henri Durant, a bop tenor who made all the right moves and promptly split the scene. Good thing he at least made it on to this blowing session. Finally, get a load of Leo's creatively reconstituted "Solitude," rejected by Gotham but included by Classics at the tail-end of this mother lode of vintage recordings by the amazing Leo Parker. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :

ALBERT AMMONS – 1946-1948 (2000) The Classics Chronological Series – 1100 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Here's vibrant proof that virtually any melody could be heated up and hammered out into an enjoyable boogie-woogie stomp. "Deep in the Heart of Texas," "Margie," "Roses of Picardy," "You Are My Sunshine," "Sheik of Araby," "When You And I Were Young, Maggie," and "Twelfth Street Rag" were all fair game for Albert Ammons' eight-to-the-bar gyrations. The twangy electrified guitar of Ike Perkins maintained rhythmic velocity with well-timed kicks and struts. On August 6, 1947, Ammons' Rhythm Kings quartet was fortified by the presence of Albert's son -- tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons -- and trumpeter Marvin Randolph. The pianist sounds deliberately old-fashioned during the introduction to W.C. Handy's hit of 1914, "St. Louis Blues." When the horns chime in during the bridge, everyone's rolling in a solid groove. Then Gene takes over, sounding majestically hip. This mood is continued and expanded on the flip side, "Shufflin' the Boogie," which is a rocker. "S.P. Blues" cooks just a bit hotter, and Gene wails up a storm. "Hiroshima" is this band's version of "Nagasaki," another goofy 1930s pop song turned jazz jam standard. Given what had happened to both cities in August of 1945, the retitling seems grimly playful. This session is perfectly symmetrical, with two steamy up-to-date boogies sandwiched between old standards. The Albert-and-Gene father-and-son combination is very exciting, and should be better known than it seems to be, even among seasoned jazz heads. "In a Little Spanish Town" sounds like a premonition of Professor Longhair's own Louisiana approach to the boogie-woogie, and compares well with Lester Young's version recorded in March of 1951. "Tuxedo Boogie" begins with a guitar lick that would eventually surface as "Shake Your Money Maker." Israel Crosby plays his upright bass on all six sessions, and the final date introduces a fine alto sax player by the name of Riley Hampton. These are the final sessions of Albert Ammons, preserved for posterity on Mercury Records. He passed away in Chicago on December 2, 1949, at the age of 42. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     Kilroy Boogie 2:44
Hattie Young
2     Deep in the Heart of Texas Boogie 2:58
June Hershey / Don Swander
3     Sweet Patootie Boogie 2:57
Hattie Young
4     Twelfth Street Boogie 2:48
Euday L. Bowman / Andy Razaf
5     St. Louis Blues 2:57
W.C. Handy
6     Shufflin' the Boogie 3:04
Hattie Young
7     S.P. Blues 2:36
Hattie Young
8     Hiroshima 2:46
Hattie Young
9     Roses of Picardy 2:56
Frederick Edward Weatherly / Hayden Wood
10     Sheik of Araby 2:47
Harry Beasley Smith / Ted Snyder / Francis Wheeler
11     You Are My Sunshine 2:50
Jimmie Davis / Charles Mitchell
12     In a Little Spanish Town 2:49
Sam M. Lewis / Mabel Wayne / Joe Young
13     Margie 2:38
Con Conrad / Benny Davis / J. Russel Robinson
14     Tuxedo Boogie 2:43
Hattie Young
15     Mr. Bell Boogie 2:58
Hattie Young
16     Bear Den Boogie 2:21
Hattie Young
17     Rhythm Boogie 3:04
Albert Ammons
18     Ammons Stomp 2:56
Albert Ammons
19     Baltimore Breakdown 3:04
Hattie Young
20     When You and I Were Young, Maggie 3:07
James Austin Butterfield / George Washington Johnson
21     The Clipper 3:02
Hattie Young
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Riley Hampton (faixas: 18 to 21)
Bass – Israel Crosby
Drums – Alvin Burroughs (faixas: 5 to 8), Armand "Jump" Jackson (faixas: 13 to 21), Jack Cooley (faixas: 1 to 4), Unknown Artist (faixas: 9 to 12)
Guitar – Ike Perkins (faixas: 1 to 13)
Piano – Albert Ammons
Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons (faixas: 5 to 8)
Trumpet – Marvin Randolph (faixas: 5 to 8)

Gene Ammons - Boss Tenor [1960] OJM / Prestige/Fantasy / 1987 / FLAC

The great tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons was of the generation of swing-era players that easily adapted to bop. But though he was a modernist, Ammons maintained that breathy, old-school romantic approach to the tenor. Boss Tenor, a quintet session from 1960, is one of Ammons' very best albums. Ray Barretto's congas subtly add a bit of Latin spice, but otherwise this is a collection of standards rendered with a gorgeous late-night bluesy feel. Accompaniment by Tommy Flanagan, one of the best mainstream pianists ever, certainly doesn't hurt, either. A gem.

Track list:

1. Hittin' the Jug

2. Close Your Eyes

3. My Romance

4. Canadian Sunset

5. Blue Ammons 

6. Confirmation

7. Savoy

Personnel:

Gene Ammons (ts) 

Tommy Flanagan (p) 

Doug Watkins (b) 

Art Taylor (d) 

Ray Barretto (cga)

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 16, 1960.

Digital remastering: Kirk Felton, 1987

First issue: Prestige PRLP 7180 (1960)

O Púbis da Rosa