HELEN HUMES – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1036 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This second installment in the excellent Classics Helen Humes chronology covers the exciting material she recorded for the Philo (soon to become Aladdin), Black & White, and Mercury labels, first with her All-Stars in Los Angeles during 1945-1946 and then with Buck Clayton's band in New York in 1946 and 1947. Alternating between ballads, blues, and boogie-woogie, the singer exudes a wonderful passionate glow that sometimes borders on the sensual. The front lines of her West Coast bands were richly staffed with excellent players in trumpeter Snooky Young and saxophonists Willie Smith, Tom Archia, Corky Corcoran, Maxwell Davis, Wild Bill Moore, and -- fresh out of the Army -- Lester Young! Dig his beautiful solo on "Pleasing Man Blues." Note also the presence of some of the top rhythm section men in the Los Angeles area at that time: guitarists Allan Reuss, Dave Barbour, and Irving Ashby; bassist Red Callender; drummers Chico Hamilton and Henry Tucker Green; and pianists Arnold Ross, Eddie Beal, and the great Meade "Lux" Lewis, who adds a little mustard to the singer's sequel to her earlier hit record, "Be-Baba-Leba." Over on the East Coast, the Buck Clayton-led ensembles had equally strong support in tenor saxophonist John Hardee (his velvety introduction to "Blue and Sentimental" is nothing less than a tribute to Herschel Evans), pianists Ram Ramirez and Teddy Wilson, and the winning Kansas City combination of bassist Walter Page and drummer Jo Jones. Is this the best of Helen Humes? Pretty close to it; she's in the prime of her early maturity and the musicians are uniformly excellent. arwulf arwulf  
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BILLY TAYLOR – 1945-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1137 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Many jazz fans don't realize how long ago Billy Taylor began his career; this French anthology assembles five separate sessions that he led as a young man between 1945 and 1949, as well as one date as a sideman. In 1945 he shows the influence of both Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson in the lightly swinging take of "Night and Day," while his campy approach to "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is rather refreshing. His lyrical solo interpretation of "The Very Thought of You" from 1946 demonstrates his considerable growth as a pianist. Taylor also wrote seven of the songs, which include two versions of his easygoing "Stridin' Down the Champs-Elysees," the flashy blues "Well Taylor-Ed," and two rare vocals by Taylor on the Nat King Cole-like "I Don't Ask Questions, I Just Have Fun" and "So You Think You're Cute." The four tracks featuring Taylor as a sideman in the Walter Thomas Orchestra find him pretty much relegated to a supporting role, although the presence of Doc Cheatham, Eddie Barefield, and Hilton Jefferson makes the music of interest. But Taylor's quintet session with the infrequently recorded tenor saxophonist John Hardee (who is in great form) is hampered somewhat by the unnecessary addition of organist Milt Page, who proves to be more of a distraction with his uninspired playing. Because so much of the valuable material within this collection has been next to impossible to find, it will be of significant interest to fans of Billy Taylor. Ken Dryden  
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LUCKY MILLINDER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1947-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1173 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This third volume of Lucky Millinder's complete works in chronological order brings together for the first time three Deccas from October 1947, 12 sides recorded for Victor between January and November 1949, and 12 titles waxed for the King label during the year 1950. Millinder is remembered as a shrewd bandleader who accurately assessed the prevailing trends in popular entertainment during the late '40s. His strategy seems to have involved a wide range of musical styles, a spectrum reflected in this grab bag compilation. Millinder clearly tailored the material to fit each record label and its assumed audience. Of course, Victor was selling to a more generalized public while King's clientele was predominately Afro-American. Listening through all 25 tracks is quite an experience. There is coy, bluesy jazz and there is jazzy blues sung by saucy, soulful Annisteen Allen. There's a surprise appearance by rowdy Myra Johnson, famous for her work with Fats Waller during the early '40s. There are crooners who exude oily sentimental ballads. There are several jump tunes on which Millinder himself sings boisterously along with the band. And there are just three instrumentals, groovy as can be but only three. "Bersark [sic] Boogie" is a progressively structured, pleasantly manic woogie set in a minor mode. The rocking, rolling "D Natural Blues" is really "Do the Hucklebuck," itself a pilfering of Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time." By January of 1949 half of the white bands in the country were making money off of this tune, so Mr. Lucky decided to get himself a piece of the action. (Naturally, nobody was paying Bird any royalties.) "Awful Natural" is a very cool piece of blues featuring the elegant clarinet of Tony Scott. Lucky Millinder's orchestra, in fact, was peppered with outstanding players like trumpeter Lamar Wright, trombonist Tyree Glenn, guitarist Danny Barker, drummer Art Blakey, and a formidable team of saxophonists including Rudy Powell (Musheed Karween), Bull Moose Jackson, Ike Quebec, Frank Wess, Paul Quinichette, Seldon Powell, John Hardee, and Numa "Pee Wee" Moore. While more uniformly satisfying Millinder retrospectives surely exist, the Classics Chronological Series provides an overview that is necessary for an accurate appraisal of this amazing all-purpose jazz/pop/R&B orchestra and the individuals who kept it going during a transitional time when many other big bands fell apart at the seams. arwulf arwulf  
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BILLY KYLE – 1939-1946 (1997) The Classics Chronological Series – 941 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The second of two Classics Billy Kyle CDs has all of the remaining titles the superior swing pianist led during his life (although he lived until 1966). Ten of the 23 numbers are lesser performances, with four featuring the dated organist Bob Hamilton and the vocals of O'Neil Spencer; two are jivey numbers by singer Jack Sneed and his Sneezers, and four others also emphasize O'Neil Spencer's singing along with the organ of Milt Herth. However, the other 13 selections are full of classic swing-oriented performances. The talented British trumpeter Nat Gonella is heard fronting a hot septet also including Kyle, clarinetist Buster Bailey and altoist Benny Carter (their version of "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" is a highlight); Kyle leads a couple of high-quality trio sets from 1939 and 1946, and he also heads a 1946 octet also featuring trumpeter Dick Vance, trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Bailey and tenor saxophonist John Hardee. The better half of this CD is so strong that it makes the entire set well worth acquiring despite the organists. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Nat Gonella With John Kirby's Orchestra–    You Must Have Been A Beautiful Day    3:03
2    Nat Gonella With John Kirby's Orchestra–    Just A Kid Named Joe    3:15
3    Nat Gonella With John Kirby's Orchestra–    Jeepers Creepers    2:58
4    Nat Gonella With John Kirby's Orchestra–    I Must See Annie Tonight    2:49
5    The Ramblers–    Honey In The Bee Ball    3:11
6    The Ramblers–    'Tain't What You Do (It's The Way That Cha Do It)    2:47
7    The Ramblers–    Money Is Honey    3:10
8    The Ramblers–    Lonesome Railroad    2:36
9    Billy Kyle–    Finishing Up A Date    2:40
10    Billy Kyle–    Between Sets    2:34
11    Jack Sneed And His Sneezers–    Paul Revere    2:48
12    Jack Sneed And His Sneezers–    Ole Chris (Christafo Colombo)    2:58
13    Milt Herth Trio–    Scatter-Brain    2:40
14    Milt Herth Trio–    The Moneys Have No Tails In Pago-Pago    2:42
15    Milt Herth Trio–    Peach Tree Street (Blues Song)    2:41
16    Milt Herth Trio–    Hezekiah (The Handwriting On The Wall)    2:46
17    Billy Kyle–    I Want You I Need You    3:03
18    Billy Kyle–    All The Things You Are    2:42
19    Billy Kyle–    I Got A Right To Sing The Blues    2:51
20    Billy Kyle's Big Eight–    H.R.S. Bounce    3:02
21    Billy Kyle's Big Eight–    Ooh, Baby, You Knock Me Out    2:50
22    Billy Kyle's Big Eight–    Date For Eight    3:00
23    Billy Kyle's Big Eight–    Contemporary Blues    2:58
Credits
Alto Saxophone – Benny Carter (tracks: 1 to 4), Lem Davis (tracks: 20 to 23)
Bass – John Kirby (tracks: 1 to 4, 11, 12, 17 to 19), John Simmons (tracks: 20 to 23), Marty Kaplan (tracks: 9, 10)
Clarinet – Buster Bailey (tracks: 1 to 4, 20 to 23)
Drums – Buddy Rich (tracks: 20 to 23), Jack Maisel (tracks: 1 to 4), O'Neil Spencer (tracks: 5 to 16)
Guitar – Brick Fleagle (tracks: 1 to 4), Dave Barbour (tracks: 9, 10), Jimmy Shirley (tracks: 17 to 19), Teddy Bunn (tracks: 5 to 8)
Organ – Bob Hamilton (tracks: 5 to 8), Milt Herth (tracks: 13 to 16)
Piano – Billy Kyle
Tenor Saxophone – John Hardee (tracks: 20 to 23)
Trombone – Trummy Young (tracks: 20 to 23)
Trumpet – Charlie Shavers (tracks: 11, 12), Dick Vance (tracks: 20 to 23)
Trumpet, Vocals – Nat Gonella (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals – O'Neil Spencer (tracks: 5 to 8, 13 to 16), Teddy Bunn (tracks: 6)

JOHN HARDEE – 1946-1948 (2000) The Classics Chronological Series – 1136 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

John Hardee was one of the premiere tenor saxophonists of his day, performing with a laid-back style that emphasized the song over flashy playing. 1946-1948 features 24 tracks of Hardee's finest tracks from this period. The slower, moodier tracks are the ones that stick out, especially his cool and crisp rendition of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." It is on this track where his talents are fully showcased, as his gorgeous saxophone rings out over the shuffled beat and sparse accompaniment with pristine sound quality. Not every slow song is that good, but they all revolve around that same playing style. On the faster tracks its easier to lose Hardee in the mix; he is definitely not too proud to let the rest of the band really shine. He is still more than audible, but on tracks like "Boppin' in B Flat he simply supplies the melody line as the other musicians provide a fiery background for his horn. The album does run a little long -- a problem that is not helped by the varying degrees of sound quality. But fans of this era of jazz should probably give this a listen, Hardee's musical voice was a distinct and important one in the genre. Bradley Torreano
Tracklist :
1     Tired 3:17
Doris Fisher / Alan Roberts
2     Blue Skies 2:53
Irving Berlin
3     Hardee's Partee 3:14
John Hardee
4     Idaho 3:12
Jesse Stone
5    What Is This Thing Called Love? 3:12
Cole Porter
6     Nervous from the Service 2:55
John Hardee
7     River Edge Rock 3:09
John Hardee
8     Sweet and Lovely 3:12
Gus Arnheim / Jules LeMare / Harry Tobias
9     Bottle It 2:59
Skip Hall
10     Denzil's Best 2:42
Denzil Best
11     Right Foot Then Left Foot 3:01
Skip Hall
12     Four Wheel Drive 2:56
Skip Hall / Robert Snyder
13     Hand in Hand Blues 3:04
Dickie Thompson
14     Taylor-Made Gal 2:59
Dickie Thompson
15     Swing Song 3:05
Dickie Thompson
16     Stardust 3:08
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
17     Red Man's Bounce 2:46
Parirsh / Carmichael     
18     Lunatic 2:43
John Hardee
19     Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 2;41
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
20     Baby Watch That Stuff 2:42
John Hardee
21     Cobblestones 3:07
Elen     
22     Prelude to a Kiss 2:44
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
23     Boppin' in B Flat 3:03
John Hardee
24     Man With a Horn 2:55
Eddie DeLange / Jack Jenney / Bonnie Lake