JUNIOR MANCE — Sweet and Lovely (2004) WV (image+.cue), lossless

In the ‘60s, the terms "soul-jazz" and "organ combo" went hand-in-hand -- frequently, but not always. Although organ combos dominated soul-jazz in the ‘60s, there is another valuable part of ‘60s soul-jazz that isn't discussed quite as much: piano trios led by funky, soulful players like Ray Bryant, Bobby Timmons, Ramsey Lewis, and Gene Harris. All of those artists demonstrated that earthy down-home soul-jazz didn't have to have an organ, and Junior Mance was also well aware of the piano's possibilities as a soul-jazz instrument. The Chicago native has often made it clear that piano jazz (to borrow Marian McPartland's term) can also be soul-jazz -- a fact that is quite evident on Sweet and Lovely. This 2004 release unites two of Mance's early-‘60s sessions on a single 77-minute CD: The Soulful Piano of Junior Mance and Big Chief (minus the Big Chief track "The Seasons," which Fantasy omitted due to space limitations). Both albums were produced by Orrin Keepnews for Jazzland/Riverside, and both of them find Mance leading cohesive piano trios. Whether Mance is joined by bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Bobby Thomas on Soulful Piano, or bassist Jimmy Rowser and drummer Paul Gusman on Big Chief, the pianist is in fine form throughout Sweet and Lovely. Mance excels on 12-bar blues themes, and he is equally convincing on standards that range from George Gershwin's "Summertime" and Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" to Thelonious Monk's "Ruby, My Dear". Occasionally, Mance ventures into cerebral territory; "Love for Sale" and the original "Swish," for example, underscore the Chicagoan's ability to play tough, complex, demanding bop changes at a fast tempo. But most of these trio performances thrive on groove-oriented accessibility and will easily appeal to those who prefer their jazz on the melodic side. Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
# 1-9 originally released as 'The Soulful Piano of Junior Mance' (Jazzland 930)
1    The Uptown    4:02
Written-By – Julian Mance
2    Ralph's New Blues    4:20
Written-By – Milt Jackson
3    Main Stem    4:21
Written-By – Duke Ellington
4    Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup    3:38
Written-By – Anna Socenko
5    Playhouse    4:14
Written-By – Julian Mance
6    Sweet And Lovely    3:35
Written-By – Daniels, Arnheim, Tobias
7    In The Land Of Oo-Bla-Dee    4:36
Written-By – Mary Lou Williams
8    I Don't Care    4:27
Written-By – Ray Bryant
9    Swingmatism    5:12
Written-By – McShann, Scott
# 10-17 on 'Big Chief!' (Jazzland 953)
10    Big Chief!    4:16
Written-By – Junior Mance
11    Love For Sale    4:55
Written-By – Cole Porter
12    Fillet Of Soul    4:27
Written-By – Larry Gales
13    Swish    3:38
Written-By – Junior Mance
14    Summertime    4:09
Written-By – George And Ira Gershwin
15    Ruby, My Dear    5:55
Written-By – Thelonious Monk
16    Little Miss Gail    4:45
Written-By – Junior Mance
17    Atlanta Blues    5:51
Written-By – W. C. Handy
Credits :
1-9 originally released as 'The Soulful Piano of Junior Mance' (1969, Jazzland 930)
Bass – Ben Tucker
Drums – Bobby Thomas
Piano – Junior Mance
10-17 on 'Big Chief!' (1961, Jazzland 953)
Bass – Jimmy Rowser
Drums – Paul Gusman
Piano – Junior Mance

RED GARLAND TRIO — Red Garland Trio At The Prelude (1959-2006) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Finally. Red Garland at the Prelude appears as it was recorded in 1959 at a bar in Harlem. Originally, the three sets of material from this date -- the very first live club date Prestige ever issued -- were released on four different LPs: Red Garland at the Prelude, Lil' Darlin', Live!, and Satin Doll. There was a CD issue of volume one which included At the Prelude and Live! on one disc, but outside of Japan, the sets had never been assembled together for release on CD. So for American fans unwilling to shell out the big dollars for Japanese imports, this is an historic occasion. In his liner notes, Joe Goldberg makes a case for how misunderstood and under-appreciated Garland was by jazz critics and fans in general. One need only to look at the record to find out what his label, Prestige, thought of him and the many musicians he worked with: Red Garland recorded 19 dates for them. The band here -- with bassist Jimmy Rowser and drummer Charles "Specs" Wright -- was not a working trio and was assembled for the purpose of this recording. As such, Garland kept his program close to the standards and hothouse, barroom jams of the era. And there are some real doozies here, such as Count Basie's "M-Squad Theme" that opens the first set on disc one -- as well as a number of other Basie tunes, including "One O'Clock Jump" and "Let Me See." There is also a lovely reading of "Bye Bye Blackbird" that resembles closely the Miles Davis Quintet version -- of which Garland was a part. There's a great version of "Satin Doll" that has been previously unissued until now, as well as a false start on "Lil' Darlin." "Perdido" kicks off the second set, and the first disc ends at the halfway point of the second set with "Like Someone in Love." The trio clicked from the start here. The tunes were familiar enough to anybody playing in New York at the time that finding a groove was easy, and Garland's wondrously idiosyncratic right-hand moves put an individual spin on them. The second disc offers a gorgeous reading of Irving Berlin's "Marie," and Garland's own smoking "Bohemian Blues." Set three gives us Gershwin's "It's a Foggy Day," another read of "Satin Doll," (the officially issued one), the Ellington nugget "Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)," and a Garland improv called "Prelude Blues." The program ends with two more unissued tunes, a stomping "Cherokee" and another "One O'Clock Jump," making three in total for the night. This is a must for mainstream jazz fans interested in the piano room music of New York at the end of the 1950s, and swinging hard bop in general. For Garland fans it's a treasure trove.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist & Credits :

HANK MOBLEY QUINTET - Curtain Call (1957-1996) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Today we can only speculate as to why so many Blue Note sessions were not originally issued. Blue Note founder/producer Alfred Lion, known to be punctilious in upholding a very high standard for his product, sometimes felt that a particular session was not worthy of public release. While neither the playing nor writing is quite at the level of Mobley's 1960 critically acclaimed Soul Station (Blue Note 4031), "Curtain Call" is nevertheless a fine effort; yet it was only made available in 1984 by Toshiba EMI in Japan. Kenny Dorham, who like Mobley had worked in Max Roach's group, is featured on trumpet. (Dorham and Mobley had also recorded together on an earlier Mobley session for the Prestige label.) Highlights include the ballad "Deep in a Dream," which was to be re-recorded four years later with Ike Quebec for inclusion on Sonny Clark's great Leapin' and Lopin' LP. Hank's originals "Curtain Call" and "The Mobe" are sprightly and likable bop lines. Despite an occasional tendency for Mobley's relaxed articulation to sound a bit languorous, his playing is generally enjoyable, and his writing exhibits character, maturity, and a uniquely rhythmic approach to crafting memorable melodies. Lee Bloom  
Tracklist:
1     Don't Get Too Hip 10:58
Hank Mobley    
2     Curtain Call 5:25
Hank Mobley    
3     Deep In A Dream 5:59
Eddie DeLange / James Van Heusen    
4     The Mobe 6:20
Hank Mobley    
5     My Reverie 5:32
Larry Clinton / Claude Debussy    
6     On The Bright Side 7:14     
Hank Mobley
Credits:
Bass – Jimmy Rowser
Drums – Art Taylor
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Sonny Clark
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Kenny Dorham