DODO MARMAROSA TRIO — Complete Studio Recordings (2004) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Even if comparisons with Lennie Tristano, Al Haig and Bud Powell are inevitable, Dodo Marmarosa's music has a surrealistic imprint essentially unlike that of any other pianist in or out of bop. In honor of this cardinal truth, the Lone Hill Jazz label has come forward with the Complete Studio Recordings of the Dodo Marmarosa Trio (including alternate takes), bringing together three different West Coast sessions from 1946 and 1947, four selections waxed in his home town of Pittsburgh in 1950, and an entire second disc's worth of mature Marmarosa material recorded in Chicago in 1961 and 1962. The instrumentation is well worth scrutinizing; the two earliest tracks, dated January 11, 1946, involved bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jackie Mills. Tracks three through 14, waxed on or after September 23, 1946, had no drummer -- only guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Gene Englund played with the pianist. A rare example of Dodo the vocalist, "I've Got News for You" was originally released on the Atomic record label. The bedrock of this man's musical legacy is a series of sides recorded for the Dial label in Los Angeles on December 3, 1947 (disc one, tracks 15-19 and 24-29). The first cascading bars of "Bopmatism" plunge the listener into an intoxicating groove from which there is no retreat. Here Dodo worked with Harry Babasin, a bassist who doubled on the cello, and once again percussionist Jackie Mills. The Pittsburgh Savoy session found the pianist in the company of bassist Thomas Mandrus and drummer Joe Wallace. More than ten years fraught with personal crises passed before Dodo Marmarosa, by then operating in Chicago, recorded again in a studio with a trio. On May 9 and 10, 1961, the pianist recorded ten tracks with bassist Richard Evans and drummer Marshall Thompson. Almost exactly one year later, on May 4, 1962, seven additional performances were waxed with the great Sam Jones replacing Evans. Both those who are just discovering Marmarosa's music and seasoned jazzheads who are mainly familiar with his earlier work will find this raft of latter-day Dodo a treasure well worth savoring time and again. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist 1 :
1    Mellow Mood 3:12
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
2    Dodo's Blues 3:11
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
3    Raindrops 2:47
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
4    I've Got News For You 2:58
Written-By – L. Easton
5    Compadoo 2:18
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
6    I'm In Love 2:35
Lyrics By – LeBaron / Music By – Kreisler
7    Opus No. 5 1:45
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
8    You Thrill Me So 2:44
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
9    Dodo's Bounce 1:41
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
10    Escape 1:42
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
11    Lover Come Back To Me 2:49
Lyrics By – Hammerstein II / Music By – Romberg
12    Raindrops 2:09
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
13    Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 2:38
Lyrics By – Harbach / Music By – Kern
14    Bopmatism 1:20
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
15    Bopmatism 2:55
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
16    Dodo's Dance 3:06
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
17    Trade Winds 3:08
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
18    Dary Departs 2:35
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
19    Cosmo Street 3:51
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
20    My Foolish Heart 2:36
Lyrics By – Washington / Music By – Young
21    Blue Room 3:04
Written-By – Hart-Rodgers
22    Why Was I Born 3:13
Written-By – Kern-Hammerstein II
23    The Night Is Young 2:48
Written-By – I. Kahal
24    Bopmatism    3:06
25    Dodo's Dance    3:04
26    Trade Winds    3:05
27    Dary Departs    2:45
28    Dary Departs    2:43
29    Cosmo Street    3:25
Tracklist 2 :
1    April Played The Fiddle 4:07
Written-By – Monaco, Burke
2    Why Do I Love You 3:19
Written-By – Kern-Hammerstein II
3    Everything Happens To Me 4:39
Music By – Carmichael / Words By – Mercer
4    Me And My Shadow 4:04
Lyrics By – Rose / Music By – Dreyer / Written-By – Jolson
5    On Green Dolphin Street 3:15
Lyrics By – Washington / Music By – Kaper
6    Tracy's Blues 3:36
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
7    You Call It Madness 3:56
Written-By – Conrad, DuBois, Gregory, Columbo
8    Mellow Mood 3:57
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
9    I Thought About You 5:29
Lyrics By – Mercer / Music By – VanHeusen
10    A Cottage For Sale 4:56
Lyrics By – Conley / Music By – Robison
11    The Song Is You 7:31
Written-By – Kern-Hammerstein II
12    Just Friends 5:17
Lyrics By – Klenner / Music By – Lewis
13    Yardbird Suite 4:18
Written-By – C. Parker
14    I Remember You 3:41
Lyrics By – Mercer / Music By – Schertzinger
15    The Moody Blues 4:09
Written-By – D. Marmarosa
16    The Very Thought Of You 4:02
Written-By – R. Noble
17    Yardbird Suite 3:50
Written-By – C. Parker
Credits :
Bass – Gene Englund (tracks: 1-3 to 1-14), Ray Brown (tracks: 1-1, 1-2), Richard Evans (tracks: 2-1 to 2-10), Sam Jones (tracks: 2-1 to 2-10), Thomas Mandrus (tracks: 1-20 to 1-23)
Bass, Cello – Harry Babasin (tracks: 1-15 to 1-19, 1-24 to 1-29)
Drums – Jackie Mills (tracks: 1-1, 1-2, 1-15 to 1-19, 1-24 to 1-29), Joe Wallace  (tracks: 1-20 to 1-23), Marshall Thompson (tracks: 2-1 to 2-17)
Guitar – Barney Kessel (tracks: 1-3 to 1-14)
Piano – Dodo Marmarosa
Vocals – Dodo Marmarosa (tracks: 1-4)

NAT "KING" COLE – 1943-1944 | The Chronogical Classics – 804 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume Four in the Classics Nat King Cole chronology opens with his very first recordings for Capitol, a small West Coast record company established in April 1942 by Johnny Mercer. Although at the time Capitol must have seemed like yet another two-bit enterprise, it was destined to become a major label with which Cole would be associated for the rest of his life. This segment of the chronology, covering a timeline from November 30, 1943 to March 6, 1944, mingles relatively obscure recordings with some of the King Cole Trio's early hits. Certainly Cole's own "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's "It's Only a Paper Moon" are still among the most famous performances ever recorded by this group. "Straighten Up" placed them in the same league with Slim Gaillard & His Flat Foot Floogee Boys and The Cats and the Fiddle. It's hard to fathom why Capitol initially rejected Cole's updated treatment of Irving Berlin's amusing opus, "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It"; this number dates back to the '20s and was originally interpreted by vaudeville acts such as Van and Schenck. The version of "Sweet Lorraine" heard here compares favorably with Cole's initial rendition of December 1940. Those who wish to concentrate upon his amazing abilities as a pianist will appreciate a half-dozen excellent Capitol instrumentals including "Jumpin' at Capitol" (an extension of Fats Waller's frantic stride piano opus "Zonky") and four rare selections recorded for the Disc label in February 1944 by the King Cole Quintette, a one-time-only ensemble comprised of bassist Gene Englund, drummer J.C. Heard, trumpeter Shad Collins and tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet. These extended jams, which were issued on 12" 78 rpm platters allowing for playback time between four and five minutes, are exceptionally satisfying. On the level, this compilation is one of the better installments in the complete recordings of Nat King Cole. It is highly recommended for newcomers and seasoned jazz heads alike. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :

DODO MARMAROSA – 1945-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1165 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa was a marvelous, flexible pianist. He could cook passionately in the middle of a steaming hot band or ease into an ethereal mood with hardly anybody else in the room. Classically trained, Dodo hung out with young Erroll Garner when they were still figuring themselves out back home in Pittsburgh. He made great records with Artie Shaw, Slim Gaillard, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, and Howard McGhee. What you have here is a chronological grab bag of recordings from Dodo's most promising years. The Barney Kessel All-Stars session, resulting in four sides issued on the Atomic label in 1945, is an exciting discovery, notable for the reeds and vibes of Herbie Steward and Johnny White. Seven months later, the pianist led a pared-down group in concocting another four recordings for Atomic. Dodo has said that he composed "Mellow Mood" when he was only 14 years old. This version, waxed when he was all of 20, exudes a calm sophistication. "Dodo's Blues" is honest and cool, with nice brushwork from Jackie Mills. "How High the Moon" bristles with hot percussion and a wild tenor sax solo by Lucky Thompson. The flip side is a ballad to end all ballads. If you didn't know it was Lucky pouring Alfredo sauce over "I Surrender Dear," you'd think it was Coleman Hawkins himself. The tenth and last side issued by Atomic offers a rare example of Dodo Marmarosa the vocalist. It's worth having as a tasty curiosity, as are two sides cut about a year later with Dodo backing Miss Dana, a singer who really belts out Fats Waller's "Black and Blue." The definitive Dodo is heard on five trio sides recorded for the Dial label in Los Angeles on December 3, 1947. "Bopmatism" has a slightly manic quality that will stay with you long after the piece has ended. "Dodo's Dance" is a giddy, high-velocity workout. "Trade Winds" delivers a much cooler mood, bringing to mind the very beat legend that Dodo once painted the inside of his bathtub green so his bath water would more closely resemble a tropical ocean. Dodo's meditative side is beautifully languid and precious as true love and peace of mind. "Dary Departs," a simple study in relaxed 4/4, is one of his greatest achievements. "Cosmo Street" turns out to be nothing more than a friendly version of Rodgers & Hart's "Lover." The disc ends with four Savoy sides made back home in Pittsburgh during the summer of 1950. Anyone familiar with Marmarosa's discography will be puzzled by the gaps in this picture. Dodo's unaccompanied "Tone Paintings" of 1947 definitely belong in the chronology along with "Deep Purple" and "Tea for Two," fine solos from early 1946. Although other volumes in the Classics series offer plenty of initially "rejected" material, we are told that this volume contains "only those tracks that were actually issued at the time." As for ten additional sides made in collaboration with Barney Kessel and six more with Lucky Thompson, it would be logical to expect them to appear on the Classics label under those artists' names. An excellent survey of Marmarosa's recorded works from 1946 and 1947 was issued in 1991 by Fresh Sound [FSCD-1019], bearing the title Dodo's Bounce. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits : 

MATT DENNIS – Plays and Sings Matt Dennis (1954-1989) 24-96Hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Recorded at the Tally-Ho in Hollywood, Matt Dennis Plays and Sings Matt Dennis is a program of what visitors to his supper-club sets could expect from one of the best lounge singers in an era before the term became a dirty word. Accompanying himself on the piano with bass and drums for backing, Dennis sings 12 of his own tunes, including an avalanche of standards -- "Will You Still Be Mine," "The Night We Called It a Day," "Angel Eyes," "Violets for Your Furs," "Everything Happens to Me," and "Let's Get Away from It All." Though his voice doesn't quite match his notable composing skills, Dennis uses his narrow range and soft, high-tenor tone to craft a sensitive vocal style. His deft sense of humor also comes in handy during several hilarious offsides to the audience and listener, often in the middle of a line. Virgina Maxey duets with him on "We Belong Together" and "When You Love a Fella." John Bush
Tracklist :
1 Will You Still Be Mine 2:36
Lyrics By – Tom Adair
2 Junior And Julie 2:46
Lyrics By – Bob Carson 
3 The Night We Called It A Day 2:17
Lyrics By – Tom Adair
4 Angel Eyes 3:06
Lyrics By – Earl K. Brent
5 Violets For Your Furs 2:19
Lyrics By – Tom Adair
6 Everything Happens To Me 3:10
Lyrics By – Tom Adair
7 Compared To You 3:00
Lyrics By – Paul Herrick
8 That Tired Routine Called Love 2:25
Lyrics By – Ted Steele
9 It Wasn't The Stars That Thrilled Me 2:53
Lyrics By – Dave Gillam
10 Let's Get Away From It All 2:22
Lyrics By – Tom Adair
Credits :
Bass – Gene Englund
Drums – Mark Barnett
Written-By – Matt Dennis