JOE GORDON — Lookin' Good! (1961-2001) RM | Original Jazz Classics Limited Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Joe Gordon did not live long, only making it to 35. His second of two recordings as a leader (originally released by Contemporary) finds him on the verge of leading his own group. Gordon wrote all eight of the selections and is joined by adventurous but obscure altoist Jimmy Woods, pianist Dick Whittington, bassist Jimmy Bond, and drummer Milt Turner. Although the solos are generally more memorable than the tunes, this is an excellent effort that hints at what might have been had Joe Gordon lived. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Terra Firma Irma    7:42
Written-By – Joe Gordon
2    A Song For Richard    5:00
Written-By – Joe Gordon
3    Non-Viennese Waltz Blues    4:11
Written-By – Joe Gordon
4    You're The Only Girl In The Next World For Me    4:01
Written-By – Joe Gordon
5    Co-op Blues    5:55
Written-By – Joe Gordon
6    Marianna    4:08
Written-By – Joe Gordon
7    Heleen    4:01
Written-By – Joe Gordon
8    Diminishing    5:05
Written-By – Joe Gordon
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Woods
Bass – Jimmy Bond
Drums – Milt Turner
Piano – Dick Whittington
Trumpet – Joe Gordon

ART PEPPER QUINTET — Smack Up (1960-2001) RM | Serie Heritage Of Jazz By Digital K2 Contemporary 40 – 3 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The title of this recording, Smack Up is ironic and inadvertently truthful. Within a short period, Art Pepper would begin spending many years in jail due to his heroin addiction; this was his next-to-last album from that period. Despite the bleak future, the great altoist (who never seemed to make an uninspired record during his unstable life) is in excellent form in a quintet with trumpeter Jack Sheldon, pianist Pete Jolly, bassist Jimmy Bond, and drummer Frank Butler. Highlights of this fine album include Harold Land's title cut, the five/four blues "Las Cuevas de Mario," and Ornette Coleman's "Tears Inside." [Some reissues add two takes of the otherwise unknown "Solid Citizens."] Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Smack Up 4:18
Harold Land
2 Las Cuevas de Mario 7:11
Art Pepper
3 A Bit of Basie 7:26
Buddy Collette
4 How Can You Lose 6:57
Benny Carter
5 Maybe Next Year 4:24
Duane Tatro
6 Tears Inside 7:47
Ornette Coleman
7 Solid Citizens 6:32
Jack Montrose
8 Solid Citizens 6:29
Jack Montrose
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Art Pepper
Bass – Jimmy Bond
Drums – Frank Butler
Piano – Pete Jolly
Trumpet – Jack Sheldon

JOHNNY GRIFFIN - Grab This! (1963-2000) RM | Original Jazz Classics Limited Edition Series | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Grab This! finds tenor Johnny Griffin in a soul-jazz mood, which is greatly aided by the organ of Paul Bryant. They are joined by guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Jimmy Bond, and drummer Doug Sides for nice workouts on several originals and a couple of standards. The band seems confident and relaxed throughout this recording, injecting everything it touches with a healthy dose of the blues. Griffin's tone is rich and full throughout, but is most striking on Ellington and Russell's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and the self-penned original "Grab This!" Bryant has been given special guest status, and his style is perfectly matched with Griffin's. He also wrote the wonderful "Offering Time," a slow blues piece with a strong groove. While Pass' role here is more supportive, he turns in several fine solos, as on "63rd Street Theme" and "Offering Time." What is perhaps most striking about Pass' role here is his versatility: he appears as comfortable playing soul-jazz as he would playing hard bop or swing. Bond and Sides supply the steady rhythm needed to keep this soul-jazz moving along. It's amazing that five guys were able to get together and cut this album for Riverside in one day during the summer of 1962. Like Carmell Jones, Griffin moved to Europe in the '60s, lowering his profile in the United States. Grab This! is a fine album, and serves as a reminder of Griffin's lovely tenor sound. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.  
Tracklist :
1     Grab This! 6'06
Johnny Griffin
2     63rd Street Theme 5'34
Johnny Griffin
3     Don't Get Around Much Anymore 8'37
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
4     Offering Time 6'16
Paul Bryant
5     These Foolish Things 6'39
Harry Link / Holt Marvell / Jack Strachey
6     Cherry Float 5'29
Johnny Griffin
Credits :
Bass – Jimmy Bond
Drums – Doug Sides
Guitar – Joe Pass
Organ – Paul Bryant
Producer – Orrin Keepnews
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin

CHET BAKER QUARTET – Plays Standards (1955-2001) Jazz In Paris 53 | RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Summertime 4:15
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
2     You Go to My Head 5:54
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie
3     Tenderly 6:39
Walter Gross / Jack Lawrence
4     Lover Man 4:52
Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman
5     There's a Small Hotel 3:47
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
6     Autumn in New York 7:07
Vernon Duke
7     These Foolish Things 4:44
Harry Link / Holt Marvell / Jack Strachey
8     I'll Remember April 5:52
Gene DePaul / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye
Credits :
Double Bass – Jimmy Bond
Drums – Bert Dahlander
Piano – Gérard Gustin
Trumpet – Chet Baker
Nota :
Recorded October 24, 1955 at the Pathé-Magellan studio, Paris.
Reissue of the Barclay LP Chet Baker Quartet.