LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940-1941 | The Chronogical Classics – 624 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In the period covered by this disc, Lionel Hampton led the last of his swing-era all-star sessions, left Benny Goodman's orchestra, and formed his own exciting big band. "Flying Home" was still in the near future, but there are a fair number of exciting selections on this transitional disc. Hampton's vibes are heard featured with the Nat King Cole Trio on four numbers (two of which also have the Hampton River Boys taking vocals) and the vibraphonist also jams with the 1941 version of the Spirits of Rhythm. After leaving Goodman, Hampton at first led a few small-group dates that included musicians drawn from his orchestra, including altoist/clarinetist Marshall Royal, pianist Sir Charles Thompson, and trumpeter Karl George. The big band's first, mostly uneventful session concludes this interesting disc. Scott Yanow
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BUDDY TATE – 1945-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1207 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Buddy Tate gained his initial fame as one of the tenor saxophonists with Count Basie's Orchestra during 1938-1948, replacing Herschel Evans. All of his early dates as a leader are on this CD, and most of the sessions were formerly quite rare. Tate is heard as a sideman in 1945 with trumpeter Karl George's swing-to-bop octet (which also starred trombonist J.J. Johnson), with pianist Skip Hall's combo in 1949 (four instrumentals featuring trumpeter Buck Clayton), and on four sessions of his own. Thirteen songs are from two dates near the end of 1947 and feature some excellent Emmett Berry trumpet, pianist Bill Doggett's arrangements, and a couple of early vocals by Jimmy Witherspoon; Tate comes across effectively in an Illinois Jacquet jump/jazz role. His other two dates (from 1949-1950) are in a similar vein, with Buck Clayton and trombonist Tyree Glenn helping out. A few songs along the way have vocals (a pair by Eddie Fullylove are essentially middle-of-the-road pop), but most of the music is quite worthwhile and swinging. Recommended. Scott Yanow
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LUCKY THOMPSON – 1944-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1113 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tenor saxophonist Eli "Lucky" Thompson came up in Detroit but made all of his earliest recordings in the Los Angeles area during the 1940s. This fascinating album of rare jazz opens with a mind-blowing Timme Rosenkrantz-sponsored jam session recorded on December 26, 1944. Thompson leads an ensemble combining violinist Stuff Smith, trombonist Bobby Pratt, pianist Erroll Garner, and drummer George Wettling. "Test Pilots" appears to be a collective improvisation during which, like many Stuff Smith dates, the mood is wonderfully relaxed and informal. Recording for the Excelsior label in September of 1945, Lucky Thompson's All-Stars consisted of trumpeter Karl George, trombonist J.J. Johnson, bop clarinetist Rudy Rutherford and a tough rhythm section in Bill Doggett, Freddie Green, Rodney Richardson, and Shadow Wilson. In August, 1946, Thompson appeared in a live performance with fellow tenor Jack McVea and trumpeter Howard McGhee, along with pianist Jimmy Bunn, guitarist Irving Ashby, bassist Red Callender and drummer Jackie Mills. The proceedings were recorded and issued on the Black and White label under the heading of "Ralph Bass' Junior Jazz Series." The five-minute "Oodle Coo Bop" is really "Ornithology." It is followed by a gutsy jam titled "Bopin' Bop," and a 12-minute blowout simply called "Big Noise." This begins with a detailed introduction by producer Ralph Bass, who speaks like a 1940s high school principal or camp counselor. "Body and Soul," a feature for Hilton Jefferson-styled alto saxophonist Les Robinson, was included for the sake of completeness even though Thompson is not heard on this track. His next date as a leader occurred on September 13, 1946 and is noteworthy for the presence of piano genius Dodo Marmarosa. Red Callender and Jackie Mills acted as the perfect "other half" of this smart little quartet. Dodo and Red were present at the "Lucky Moments" session on April 22, 1947, where Thompson delivered a masterpiece in tenor sax ballad artistry, "Just One More Chance." This inventive octet included Benny Carter, Neal Hefti, baritone saxophonist Bob Lawson, guitarist Barney Kessel, and Lester Young's brother Lee on the drums. It forms one rousing conclusion for this excellent collection of Lucky Thompson's earliest recordings. arwulf arwulf  
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STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 848 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Stan Kenton's earliest recordings as a leader make this first volume in the Classics Kenton chronology the logical starting point for anyone seeking to comprehend his life and work. Beginning with a long lost "Etude for Saxophones" and plowing through nine Decca sides from late 1941 and early 1942, the producers of this compilation shed light on Kenton's pre-Capitol period. With the exception of "This Love of Mine" (sung by tenor saxophonist Red Dorris), all of the Decca recordings are instrumentals that contain premonitions of Kenton's eventual obsession with stylized modernity. Parallels could be drawn with the music of Claude Thornhill, Larry Clinton and Raymond Scott. Frankly speaking, however, some of these early Kenton routines come across as rather self-consciously put together; the band goes through the motions but the overall approach to rhythm and swing feels rather forced. "Lamento Gitano" transcends these limitations, and the catchy "Concerto for Doghouse" is built around Howard Rumsey's excellent sung-and-plucked bass solo. By the time "El Choclo" was recorded, the band was clearly beginning to find itself and was ready for its next phase of stylistic evolution. The session that took place in Los Angeles on November 19, 1943 was Kenton's inaugural involvement with Capitol Records, an exclusive business arrangement that would continue for many years, superseded only by the occasional date for the United States Armed Forces V-Disc label. Kenton always listened carefully to other bands and learned his best lessons from African-American archetypes and innovators. His signature stamp of originality begins to materialize during the second half of this compilation, betwixt and between various well-chosen covers. Red Dorris does surprisingly well with Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me," and after two years of experimentation the overall sound of the band has improved noticeably. The very first recorded version of "Artistry in Rhythm" signals the true inception of the Kenton sound. Seasoned early modern jazz heads will want to listen carefully to the reed section as Kenton was already beginning to employ great saxophonists like Art Pepper, Boots Mussulli and Stan Getz. Admirers of Anita O'Day will appreciate an opportunity to savor four of the six songs she is known to have recorded with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. arwulf arwulf
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STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 898 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume two in the Classics Stan Kenton chronology presents all of his Capitol and V-Disc recordings made between January 16 and December 26, 1945, with a pair of initially rejected Gene Howard vocal sides from 1944 tossed in as bonus tracks, out of sequence, like an afterthought. Singers would now become an increasingly important ingredient in the postwar entertainment industry. At the beginning of 1945, Kenton's featured female vocalist was sultry Anita O'Day, who later explained with characteristic gut level honesty why she quit after the session of January 16: "The band was great -- but it wasn't a swing band." June Christy began her own recording career with "Tampico" on May 4 after carefully studying the recordings of O'Day, who must have been a tough act to follow. There were occasional bouts of crooning from Gene Howard, and a Roy Eldridge disciple named Ray Wetzel sang and blew his trumpet on "I'm a Shy Guy." Kenton himself was one of four voices used on "I Been Down in Texas," an overbearing, embarrassingly contrived, campy combination of bop caricature and western novelty, grossly cluttered with imitation hepcat vernacular and hyped-up corn. On the more authentically hip side of things, "Around the Town," "Southern Scandal," "Opus in Pastels" and "Painted Rhythm" are among the better instrumental tracks from this part of the Kenton discography. Already the arrangements indicate the influence of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Buster Harding, Earl Hines and the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. With all of the innovations circulating in the air at that time, it was Kenton's steadily expanding ensemble that attracted much of the attention with its "modern" angularities, shrill brass and bop-flavored charts. Kenton's sax section continued to morph during this period; Stan Getz split around the same time as O'Day and Kenton's old running buddy Vido Musso was back with the band on October 15. arwulf arwulf   
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