NAT "KING" COLE – 1946-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1005 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Volume Eight in the Classics Nat King Cole chronology follows his career from August 19, 1946 to July 2, 1947. By the summer of 1946 Cole was an exclusive Capitol recording artist and would remain so until his cigarette-induced death in 1965. As the postwar entertainment industry became increasingly obsessed with star vocalists, Nat King Cole's marvelously mellow voice proved to be intensely marketable. Echoes of Artie Shaw's sweet arrangements and a premonition of '50s production values occurred on what was actually Nat King Cole's second rendition of Mel Tormé's "Christmas Song" (recorded during a blistering August heat wave) with a string quartet plus harp added to a "trio" already enlarged to a quartet by the presence of drummer Jack "The Bear" Parker. Everything else on this compilation is played by the King Cole Trio, now serving more than ever as a backdrop for the voice of the leader. The only instrumentals are Cole's own "In the Cool of the Evening" (which sounds like a cousin to "Poinciana"), a gorgeous rumination on Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and a thrilling jam on Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," presented as a sequel to the King Cole Trio's earlier version recorded for Decca on December 6, 1940. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

DON BYAS – 1944-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 882 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Don Byas was one of the great tenor saxophonists of the 1940s, a Coleman Hawkins-influenced improviser who developed a complex style of his own. His permanent move to Europe in 1946 cut short any chance he had of fame, but Byas recorded many worthy performances during the two years before his departure. On Classics' first Don Byas CD (which contains his first 21 numbers as a leader), Byas matches wits and power with trumpeter Charlie Shavers on two heated sessions that include pianist Clyde Hart and bassist Slam Stewart. He also plays swing with trumpeter Joe Thomas and pianist Johnny Guarnieri in a 1945 quintet and leads a quartet that, on four of its eight numbers, welcomes the great blues guitarist/singer Big Bill Broonzy. Highlights include "Riffin' and Jivin'," "Don's Idea," the two-part "Savoy Jam Party," "1944 Stomp" (which has been adopted by 1990s saxophonist James Carter), "Pennies From Heaven," "Jamboree Jump," and "Just a Dream." This music was originally put out by Savoy, Jamboree, and Hub. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow  

Tracklist + Credits :

EDDIE HEYWOOD – 1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 947 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist :

MARY LOU WILLIAMS – 1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 814 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded at a time when Mary Lou Williams was performing regularly at Café Society downtown and sitting in at Minton's uptown, these two dozen tracks represent the heart of her 1944 artistic output as documented by Moses Asch on the record label bearing his own name. The opening piano solos are exceptionally fine and the Chosen Five sides are exquisitely rendered using a front line of trumpeter Frankie Newton, trombonist Vic Dickenson, and clarinetist Edmond Hall. With Al Lucas and Jack Parker working alongside her, Mary Lou Williams presided over this little band in the creation of a beautiful ballad, two boogies, and "Satchel Mouth Baby," a novelty bounce with group vocal. One additional track from this session, involving only the rhythm section, was issued under the same heading as the Chosen Five. Three more piano solos -- a boogie, a slow drag, and a delicious treatment of "St. Louis Blues" -- were recorded in April of this fruitful year. A few weeks later, Williams accompanied vocalist Nora Lee King as she sang a domestic blues embellished with scat syllables. Four tracks recorded on June 5, 1944, were released by Mary Lou Williams & Her Orchestra. This was a slightly expanded, reconstituted septet now featuring tenor saxophonist Don Byas and trumpeter Dick Vance. The mood established by the Williams/Byas composition "Man o' Mine" exquisitely conveys the sense of a wartime society in transition so peculiar to the mid-'40s. This ethereal tide also flows into an oddly bifurcated version of "Stardust," its halves weirdly separated here by an upbeat swing stomp called "Gjon Mili Jam Session." The only rationale for reissuing the tracks in this order -- with "Pt. 2" placed first and "Gjon Mili" interrupting the mood before "Pt. 1" -- is that the effect is something like a film soundtrack laid over contrasting scenes, with maybe a reprise of the earlier theme bringing the "plot" full circle. In any case, the music is excellent. Williams waxed six sides with bassist Al Hall and trumpeter Bill Coleman in August of 1944, beginning with solid renditions of two of Irving Berlin's most enduring melodies, "Russian Lullaby" and "Blue Skies." Both "Persian Rug" and "Night and Day" are delightful and Coleman sings "You Know Baby," a plea in a minor key for "a kiss and a hug." This wonderful trio session wraps up most inventively with an experimental version of "I Found a New Baby." And the disc itself closes with two comparatively brassy V-Discs (with a much different sound quality than those rusty old Asch sides!) featuring trumpeter Charlie Shavers, trombonist Trummy Young, guitarist Remo Palmieri, bassist Hall, and shuffle/bop drummer Gordon "Specs" Powell. It is an exhilarating finish for this outstanding album of vintage jazz recordings by our lady of the fine piano and solid arrangements, Mary Lou Williams. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Mary Lou Williams–    Blue Skies 2:20
Written-By – Berlin
2    Mary Lou Williams–    Caravan 2:30
Written-By – Tizol
3    Mary Lou Williams–    Yesterdays 2:14
Written-By – Kern, Harbach
4    Mary Lou And Her Chosen Five–    Lullaby Of The Leaves 3:42
Written-By – Petkere
5    Mary Lou And Her Chosen Five–    Little Joe From Chicago 2:51
Written-By – Wells, Williams
6    Mary Lou And Her Chosen Five–    Roll 'Em 2:47
Written-By – Williams
7    Mary Lou And Her Chosen Five–    Satchel Mouth Baby 2:51
Written-By – Williams
8    Mary Lou Williams' Chosen Five–    Yesterday's Kisses 2:43
Written-By – Williams
9    Mary Lou Williams–    Mary's Boogie 2:33
Written-By – Williams
10    Mary Lou Williams–    Drag 'Em 3:45
Written-By – Williams
11    Mary Lou Williams–    St. Louis Blues 3:11
Written-By – Hnady
12    Nora Lee King–    Until My Baby Comes Back Home 2:49
Vocals – Nora Lee King
Written-By – Unknown Artist
13    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Man O' Mine 4:07
Written-By – Byas, Williams
14    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Stardust - Part 2 3:49
Written-By – Carmichael
15    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Gjon Mili Jam Session 3:13
Written-By – Williams
16    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Stardust - Part 1 3:23
Written-By – Carmichael
17    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Russian Lullaby 2:49
Written-By – Berlin
18    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Blue Skies 2:39
Written-By – Berlin
19    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Persian Rug 2:37
Written-By – Moret
20    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Night And Day 2:44
Written-By – Porter
21    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    You Know Baby 2:38
Written-By – Lewis, Williams
22    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    I Found A New Baby 2:56
Written-By – Palmer, Williams
23    Mary Lou Williams–    Roll 'Em 2:40
Written-By – Williams
24    Mary Lou Williams–    Gjon Mili Jam Session 2:53
Written-By – Williams
Credits :    
Bass – Al Hall (tracks: 17 to 24), Al Lucas (tracks: 4 to 8, 13 to 16)
Clarinet – Claude Greene (tracks: 13 to 16), Edmond Hall (tracks: 4 to 8)
Drums – Jack Parker (tracks: 4 to 7, 13 to 16), Gordon "Specs" Powell (tracks: 23, 24)
Guitar – Remo Palmieri (tracks: 23, 24)
Piano – Mary Lou Williams
Tenor Saxophone – Don Byas (tracks: 13 to 16)
Trombone – Trummy Young (tracks: 23 to 24), Vic Dickenson (tracks: 4 to 7, 13 to 16)
Trumpet – Charlie Shavers (tracks: 23, 24), Dick Vance (tracks: 13 to 16), Frankie Newton (tracks: 4 to 7)
Trumpet, Vocals – Bill Coleman (tracks: 17 to 22)