Moving on from its initial Ultraphone sides, the Quintette du Hot Club de France hit a sort of early zenith with two 1936 sessions cut for the HMV label. This volume of Classics' Chronological series features 12 sides from those May and October HMV dates, including such perennial Reinhardt and Grappelli performances as "Shine," "After You've Gone," and "Georgia on My Mind" -- Freddy Taylor, the fine Armstrong-inspired vocalist, only adds to the charm of these and a few other numbers here. The disc also finds the guitar and violin duo on two dates headed up respectively by pianist Garnet Clark and bandleader Michel Warlop (the handful of Warlop numbers also feature the great French clarinetist Alix Combelle). Topped off with some nice trumpet work by American ex-pat Bill Coleman, this Reinhardt disc qualifies as one of a handful of top-notch retrospectives of the guitarist's prime '30s output. Stephen Cook Tracklist :
27.9.23
DJANGO REINHARDT – 1935-1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 739 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
5.6.23
DON BYAS – 1947-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1239 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
The great tenor-saxophonist Don Byas moved permanently to Europe in 1946 and was largely forgotten in the U.S. However he played steadily during his decades overseas and recorded fairly frequently, even if most of the records were quite obscure in the United States. This CD is full of rarities. Byas is heard in Spain with the commercial dance band of Bernard Hilda, playing with some more jazz-oriented combos of Spaniards, and back in France during 1949-51 where his sidemen include pianists Bernard Peiffer, Art Simmons, and trumpeter Guy Longnon. The music on these dates is advanced swing that looks towards bop. Byas really tears apart some of the chord changes when he's not caressing the melodies with his huge tone, playing some miraculous ideas on "Stardust." Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :
18.5.23
JOHN KIRBY AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1941-1943 | The Classics Chronological Series – 792 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
The third John Kirby CD from the European Classics label has 21 performances that trace Kirby's unique sextet from the peak of its popularity in 1941 through the war years. In addition to a dozen songs originally released by Victor, this set has nine rarer numbers that appeared on V-Discs. With trumpeter Charlie Shavers, clarinetist Buster Bailey, and altoist Russell Procope (along with pianist Billy Kyle and drummer O'Neil Spencer), Kirby was able to form an unusual and very distinctive group sound that, although comprised of swing virtuosos, looked toward the cool jazz of the 1950s. The band was starting to come apart a bit by the later tracks of this CD, with first Specs Powell and then Bill Beason replacing the late Spencer, George Johnson ably filling in for Procope, and Shavers departing before the final number; however, the group sound remained intact. Among the many highlights of this CD are "Coquette," "Royal Garden Blues," "Night Whispers," "St. Louis Blues," and "9:20 Special." Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :
11.5.23
TRUMMY YOUNG – 1944-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1037 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Compare Trummy Young's vocal on Jimmie Lunceford's "Easy Street," or the songs he sang in front of his own All-Stars in 1945 (see Classics 888) with the infrequently heard speech and singing voice of Lester Young. Trummy had a high, smooth delivery that sounded quite similar to Lester's speaking tone as heard on live broadcasts and Prez's outrageously naughty improvised singing on his Verve recording of "It Takes Two to Tango." These men had a lot in common. They both hung out with Billie Holiday, not as her boyfriends but as pals, drinking and smoking companions who could be trusted. The fundamental common denominator was: hipness. Trummy and Prez were definitively hip. They both eased into early modern jazz without any problems whatsoever. Trummy's activity during the mid-'40s is outlined in detail by this core sample of rare recordings. Listen to Trummy's passionate singing on "Talk of the Town," a shaming and blaming exercise that could never have been written by a woman. Rather than merely hassling his ex, Trummy seems to be demonstrating the loneliness that all people have in common. "Hollywood" is a jam, but the band on "Good 'n Groovy" is considerably tougher. Ike Quebec, for example, sounds as truculent as a truckload of nails. Buck Clayton's been lifting weights. It's 1945 and the music is changing. There's bop in the air, and R&B is everywhere. The phrase "Rattle and Roll" describes a throw of the dice but the music is about carousing and getting into harmless trouble. "I'm Living for Today" is Trummy's ode to feeling good and refusing to worry about anything. Keynote recording artist Kenny Kersey drives "Behind the Eight Bar" with exceptionally fine boogie piano, and the band rocks out. Just in case you thought "Four or Five Times" was antiquated, check out Trummy's ultra cool version with lyrics describing DTs and military insubordination, a special treat for the V-Disc audience. A fabulous five-minute "Tea for Two" boils over largely because Roy Eldridge puts it in the broiler. Some of the white singers included in this part of the chronology sound terribly square. The hip antidote to the white vocal group billed as the Holidays can be found on "Tidal Wave" (no relation to the Fletcher Henderson tune), which is a big-band boppish feature for Herbie Fields, who disturbs the peace using both alto and tenor saxophones. The Hot Record Society proceedings of Trummy Young's Big Seven, like most of the material brought out on HRS, have plenty of solid solos based upon original compositions of inconsistent creative merit. George Johnson's "Frutie Cutie" and "Johnson Rock" are simple melodies designed for uncomplicated jamming. On the other hand, "Blues Triste" and "Lucky Draw," composed by pianist Jimmy Jones, are beautiful, elegant mood pieces, every bit cool as Trummy and Prez and Lady Day. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist & Credits : 
12.4.23
WILLIE LEWIS AND HIS ENTERTAINERS – 1936-1938 (1995) The Classics Chronological Series – 847 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
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ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — Winter In Venice (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Esbjörn Svensson has stood not only once on stage in Montreux. He was already a guest in the summer of 1998 at the jazz festival on Lake Gen...
