PHIL WOODS | MICHEL LEGRAND AND ORCHESTRA — Images (1975- 2014) RM | Serie Jazz Collection 1000 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For this orchestra date, Phil Woods is backed by strings, brass, woodwinds and a rhythm section arranged and conducted by Michel Legrand (who also contributed three pieces). Altoist Woods is showcased throughout on some then-current pop tunes (including "The Windmills of Your Mind," "A Song for You" and a nice version of "We've Only Just Begun"), plus Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and Legrand's lengthy "Images." The overall results are not as essential as Woods' typical combo dates, but the altoist's tone does sound quite passionate at times. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    The Windmills Of Your Mind 4:15
Written-By – M. & A. Bergman, Legrand
2    A Song For You 4:01
Written-By – Russell
3    Nicole 3:30
Written-By – Woods
4    The Summer Knows 2:57
Written-By – M. & A. Bergman, Legrand
5    We've Only Just Begun 2:48
Written-By – Williams, Nichols
6    I Was Born In Love With You 3:23
Written-By – M. & A. Bergman, Legrand
7    Clair De Lune 4:47
Arranged By – Michel Legrand
Written-By – Debussy
8    Images 14:46
Written-By – Legrand
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Liner Notes – Phil Woods
Arranged By, Conductor, Piano – Michel Legrand
Bass – Ron Mathewson
Bass Saxophone – Armand Migiani
Concertmaster – Jack Rothstein
Contractor [Orchestra Assembled By] – Nat Peck
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Lead Guitar – Jud Proctor
Trombone [Lead] – Don Lusher
Trumpet [Lead] – Derek Watkins
Woodwind [Principal Woodwinds] – Roy Willox

THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET — The Complete Modern Jazz Quartet Prestige & Pablo Recordings (2003) 4CD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless|

In typical Fantasy Records aplomb, this four-CD set collects the eight albums which the Modern Jazz Quartet either mentored or collaborated on during their tenure at the commencement and nadir of their reign as jazz's premier chamber ensemble. Beginning with the 1952 issue of Modern Jazz Quartet/Milt Jackson Quintet recording (the earlier Milt Jackson Quartet sides are not here for obvious reasons, as the band did not commence its fully developed form on them) featuring original drummer Kenny Clarke before Connie Kay replaced him, and ending with This One's For Basie in 1985; the association the MJQ had with Prestige was a monumental one. Signified on the band's first full-length outing included here, Django, were the quiet power and majesty the group would later showcase on its Atlantic recordings, MJQ, Fontessa, and the soundtrack for No Sun In Venice. More importantly, the band's run on Prestige showcased not only the roots of the chamber jazz sound, but a harder-edged swing than was displayed on the more expansive recordings on Atlantic. From the almost novel and humorous asides of "The Queen's Fancy," to the funkier, grittier side of the band displayed with Sonny Rollins as a guest on "No Moe," MJQ were always about swing and blues. Discs One and Two showcase the early days of the band on their debut, Django, with Sonny Rollins and Concorde recordings. Concorde is a pinnacle, and reveals John Lewis' writing and arranging to have opened up and embraced all of classical music's dynamic spectrum, while keeping the restraint of swing and the expressionism of the blues in full view. The more regal sound is the one that informed virtually all of the group's Atlantic sides in the years to come. But Concorde and Django are simply two of the first recordings that the label issued during the early 1950s. Discs Three and Four represent four Pablo albums: The Reunion at Budokan in 1981, Together Again at Montreux Jazz in 1982, Echoes from 1984, and finally, This One's For Basie. These sides offer a much more mannered and ritualistic side of MJQ, one that had its critics but nonetheless swung hard and took chances, particularly in their live encounters. There is a caveat, however, as has become typical of the Fantasy boxed sets: Perhaps they should be titled the complete "released" recordings, since there is only one unreleased track in the bunch, the deep sixed 16th alternate take of "Rockin' In Rhythm," from Topsy: This One's For Basie. Really, what is the label waiting for? Fans, no doubt, have most if not all of this material anyway, and there needs to be -- besides an excellent package, sets of liner notes by Eugene Holley and Chris Sheridan -- a definitive edition that includes the process-takes this band recorded to get to the final version: MJQ were nothing if not perfectionists. Still, it's a somewhat small complaint to have all of this material in one place and juxtaposed so brilliantly between the young jazz rebels and the celebrated masters.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist 1 :
1 All The Things You Are 3:15
 Kern, Hammerstein
2 La Ronde 3:08
 John Lewis
3 Vendome 3:12
 John Lewis
4 Rose Of The Rio Grande 2:12
 Leslie, Warren, Gorman
5 The Queen's Fancy 3:12
 John Lewis
6 Delaunay's Dilemma 3:57
 John Lewis
7 Autumn In New York 3:38
 Vernon Duke
8 But Not For Me 3:44
 Gershwin Gershwin
9 In A Sentimental Mood 3:16
 Duke Ellington
10 The Stopper 2:55
 Sonny Rollins
11 Almost Like Being In Love 3:21
 Lerner Loewe
12 No Moe 3:27
 Sonny Rollins
13 Django 7:03
 John Lewis
14 One Bass Hit 2:59
 Gillespie, Fuller, Brown
15 Milano 4:21
 John Lewis
16 La Ronde Suite 9:25
 John Lewis
17 Ralph's New Blues 7:09
 Milt Jackson
18 All Of You 4:26
 Cole Porter
Tracklist 2 :
1 I'll Remember April 5:07
 Raye, De Paul, Johnston
2 Gershwin Medley (Soon/For You, For Me, For Evermore/Love Walked In/love Is Here To Stay) 7:55
 Gershwin Gershwin
3 Concorde 3:38
 John Lewis
4 Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise 7:57
 Hammerstein, Romberg
5 Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise 5:53
 Hammerstein, Romberg
6 The Cylinder 5:01
 Milt Jackson
7 Really True Blues 5:19
 Milt Jackson
8 The Golden Striker 5:47
 John Lewis
9 Odds Against Tomorrow 8:29
 John Lewis
10 The Jasmine Tree 3:29
 John Lewis
11 Bags' Groove 5:19
 Milt Jackson
12 Django 5:12
 John Lewis
13 Django 5:25
 John Lewis
Tracklist 3 :
1 The Jasmine Tree 4:42
 John Lewis
2 Odds Against Tomorrow 8:53
 John Lewis
3 The Cylinder 5:12
 Milt Jackson
4 The Martyr 8:43
 Milt Jackson
5 Really True Blues 5:39
 Milt Jackson
6 Monterey Mist 4:05
 Milt Jackson
7 Bags' New Groove 4:15
 Milt Jackson
8 Woody'n You 3:47
 Dizzy Gillespie
9 Echoes 7:08
 Milt Jackson
10 The Watergate Blues 6:04
 Percy Heath
11 The Hornpipe 8:16
 John Lewis
12 Connie's Blues 7:21
 Milt Jackson
Tracklist 4 :
1 Sacha's March 7:54
 John Lewis
2 That Slavic Smile 8:00
 John Lewis
3 Reunion Blues 4:09
 Milt Jackson / John Lewis
4 D And E (Take 5) 9:43
 John Lewis
5 Rockin' In Rhythm (Take 16) 7:30
 Ellington, Carney, Mills
6 Valeria 6:46
 John Lewis
7 Le Cannet 8:16
 John Lewis
8 Nature Boy 5:03
 Eden Ahbez
9 Milano 5:50
 John Lewis
10 Topsy 4:40
 Durham, Battle
11 D And E (Re-take 1) 8:27
 John Lewis
Credits :
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Connie Kay (tracks: 1-17 to 4-11), Kenny Clarke (tracks: 1-01 to 1-16)
Piano – John Lewis
Tenor Saxophone – Sonny Rollins (tracks: 1-09 to 1-12)
Vibraphone – Milt Jackson

KING PLEASURE | ANNIE ROSS — King Pleasure Sings | Annie Ross Sings (1958-1987) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The brief life span of classic jazz vocalese singing found its first inspiration in these King Pleasure sides. Pleasure vocalized many bebop solos by the likes of James Moody, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young, often adding his own hip and witty lyrics to the mix. Initially issued on his debut, Moody's Mood for Love, the first eight sides here include solid senders like "Parker's Mood," "Red Top" (based on a Gene Ammons solo and featuring singer Betty Carter), and "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid" (Lester Young). Balancing out the boppish fare, Pleasure also delivers ballads like "This Is Always" (featuring the Dave Lambert Singers) and his own composition, "Don't Be Scared" (up-and-coming vocalese star Jon Hendriks guests). Future Hendriks cohort Annie Ross co-headlines this LP, matching Pleasure's best with hits like "Twisted" (Wardell Gray) and "Farmer's Market" (Art Farmer). Her wordless scat feature, "Annie's Lament," is a highlight as well. A must for bop and vocal jazz fans. Stephen Cook 
Tracklist :
King Pleasure Sings
King Pleasure - Red Top 3:12
Bass – Peck Morrison
Drums – Herbie Lovelle
Piano – Ed Swanston
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ferguson
Trumpet – Eddie Lewis
Vocals – Betty Carter
King Pleasure - Jumpin' With Symphony Sid 2:34
Bass – Peck Morrison
Drums – Herbie Lovelle
Piano – Ed Swanston
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ferguson
Trumpet – Eddie Lewis
King Pleasure - Sometimes I'm Happy 2:55
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – John Lewis 
Vocals – Dave Lambert Singers
King Pleasure - This Is Always 3:12
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – John Lewis 
Vocals – Dave Lambert Singers
King Pleasure - What Can I Say Dear 3:09
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – John Lewis 
King Pleasure - Don't Get Scared 3:18
Baritone Saxophone – Danny Bank
Bass – Paul Chambers 
Drums – Joe Harris 
Piano – Jimmy Jones 
Tenor Saxophone – Lucky Thompson
Trombone – J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding
Vocals – Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks
King Pleasure - Parker's Mood 2:55
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – John Lewis 
King Pleasure - I'm Gone 3:27
Baritone Saxophone – Danny Bank
Bass – Paul Chambers 
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – Jimmy Jones 
Tenor Saxophone – Lucky Thompson
Trombone – J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding
Vocals – Eddie Jefferson, The Three Riffs
Annie Ross Sings
Annie Ross - Twisted 2:37
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Art Blakey
Organ – Ram Ramirez
Piano – Teacho Wiltshire
Annie Ross - Farmer's Market 2:43
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Art Blakey
Organ – Ram Ramirez
Piano – Teacho Wiltshire
Annie Ross - The Time Was Right 3:16
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Art Blakey
Organ – Ram Ramirez
Piano – George Wallington
Annie Ross - Annie's Lament 2:58
Bass – Percy Heath
Drums – Art Blakey
Organ – Ram Ramirez
Piano – George Wallington

J.J. JOHNSON — The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 1 (1956-2001) RM | MONO | RVG Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The CD reissue of the two volumes titled The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson straighten out his three Blue Note sessions of 1953-55 and add alternate takes. This particular CD concentrates exclusively on the trombonist's 1953 sextet date with the great trumpeter Clifford Brown, Jimmy Heath (who doubles on tenor and baritone), pianist John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Kenny Clarke. The six titles (plus three alternates) are highlighted by "It Could Happen to You," "Turnpike" and a classic rendition of "Get Happy." Although Johnson has a couple of features, Clifford Brown largely steals the show. This CD is well worth getting by listeners who do not have the music on Brownie's own Complete Blue Note set. Scott Yanow   Tracklist & Credits :

J.J. JOHNSON — The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 2 (1956-2001) RM | Modern Jazz Series, RVG Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist & Credits :

MILT JACKSON — Ballads & Blues (1956-2012) RM | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series | MONO | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Comes with a mini description. Ballads & Blues is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Atlantic label. The unassuming title of this compilation understates the fact that Milt Jackson is a master of ballad and blues forms, and an inspired collaborator when working flautists.
The small group settings for these performances allow the players – some of the very best in jazz and all in top form – to be heard to full advantage. The guitarists are particularly effective, the crisp, cool tones of Skeeter Best, Barry Galbraith, Barney Kessel, and Kenny Burrell complementing the rich, ringing cascade from Jackson's vibes. Of note from 1956's Ballads and Blues are two performances with tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson. These will be appreciated by anyone who has enjoyed Jackson's work with Thompson on the Savoy label. The 1956 date also has three Ralph Burns arrangements that augment the players with a woodwind quintet. While neither overly lush or cloying, the oboes, etc., still don't add a lot to what the core group has to say.
Tracklist :
1    So In Love 3:11

Written-By – Cole Porter
2    These Foolish Things 4:26
Written-By – Harry Link, Holt Marvell
3    Solitude 4:39
Written-By – Duke Ellington, Eddie de Lange, Irving Mills
4    The Song Is Ended 4:39
Written-By – Irving Berlin
5    They Didn't Believe Me 3:44
Written-By – Jerome Kern, M. E. Rourke
6    How High The Moon 6:12
Written-By – M. Lewis, Nancy Hamilton
7    Gerry's Blues 5:00
Written-By – Milt Jackson
8    Hello 3:44
Written-By – Milt Jackson
9    Bright Blues 6:11
Written-By – Milt Jackson
Personnel :
Milt Jackson – Vibes
Lucky Thompson - Tenor Saxophone (tracks 6, 8 & 9)
John Lewis - Piano (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 9)
Skeeter Best (tracks 6, 8 & 9), Barry Galbraith (tracks 1, 3 & 5), Barney Kessel (tracks 2, 4 & 7) – Guitar
Percy Heath (tracks 2, 4 & 7), Oscar Pettiford (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 9) - Bass
Kenny Clarke (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 9), Lawrence Marable (tracks 2, 4 & 7) – Drums

DIZZY GILLESPIE + MAX ROACH — Dizzy Gillespie Pleyel Concert 1948 + Max Roach Quintet 1949 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits :

DIZZY GILLESPIE & THE DOUBLE SIX — Dizzy Gillespie & The Double Six of Paris (1963-1986) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This odd but successful pairing finds the Double Six of Paris singing vocalese in French to a dozen bebop classics associated with Dizzy Gillespie. Gillespie, with pianist Bud Powell and a rhythm section, take solos that uplift this date; two songs feature his quintet (with James Moody on alto). Not for all tastes, but this is a unique and colorful addition to Gillespie's discography. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :

HOWARD McGHEE – 1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1058 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This excellent album of vintage bop opens with seven tracks recorded in Chicago during February 1948, using members of the band that Howard McGhee was leading at Chicago's Argyle Lounge at the time. Milt Jackson and Percy Heath are heard on the first three tunes, along with an unnamed baritone saxophonist. For the second session McGhee used an entirely different band, with a tenor player who is believed to have been Kenny Mann and a rhythm section of Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and the great J.C. Heard. Billy Eckstine, who by this time had dissolved his own band and was busily pulling in an unprecedented amount of cash by making vocal pop records for MGM, blows his valve trombone alongside McGhee on this date. No vocalist is mentioned in the enclosed discography, even though someone scats up a storm from time to time. Whoever it was, he didn't sound like Eckstine. McGhee's next recording dates as a leader took place in Paris, where 13 sides were cut for the Vogue and Blue Star labels on May 15th and 18th. This band really cooked, with Jimmy Heath and Jesse Powell joining the trumpeter's front line and a rhythm section of Vernon Biddle, Percy Heath, and Specs Wright. The upbeat numbers are exceptionally well-crafted studies in modern jazz. "Denise" and "Etoile," slow and reflective, sound like the poetically charged "Portrait" studies that young Charles Mingus was already beginning to formulate on his own. The closing selections, recorded for Blue Note in New York on October 11, 1948, pair McGhee with Fats Navarro alongside alto saxophonist Ernie Henry and Milt Jackson playing both vibes and piano. Curly Russell and Kenny Clarke round off this amazing six-piece Howard McGhee Boptet. arwulf arwulf          Tracklist + Credits :

DIZZY GILLESPIE – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 986 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For bop fans inclined to thorough chronicles of their favorite stars, Classics' Chronological series might be the best place to start. Dizzy Gillespie gets the royal treatment this time out, with his 1946-1947 edition and 21 slices of rarefied and powerfully swinging work. And besides loads of the maestro's incendiary solos, the disc also spotlights other young bop talent like James Moody, Sonny Stitt, and Kenny Clarke. Beware, though: In between top-flight solo work and crack material like "Emanon" and "One Bass Hit," there are some razzy vocals and sundry hijinks, too. Still, the material all has the magic Gillespie touch and that's certainly not a bad thing. Stephen Cook     Tracklist :

DIZZY GILLESPIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1102 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Classics #1102 focuses on the explosive years of 1947-1949 when Dizzy Gillespie created some of the most innovative big band recordings, combining bebop and Afro-Cuban rhythms (courtesy of percussionist Chano Pozo). These sessions, recorded for Victor in December 1947, 1948, and early 1949, include future Dizzy standards "Manteca," "Cubana Be," and "Cubana Bop." The roster of musicians Gillespie employed played an important part in the shaping of modern jazz: Yusef Lateef, John Lewis (in one of his earliest sessions), Kenny Clarke, and Cecil Payne. With arrangements by Tadd Dameron, George Russell, Gil Fuller, Gerald Wilson, and the vocals of Johnny Hartman, Kenny "Pancho" Haygood, and Joe Carroll, volume four of Dizzy's chronological recording career is highly recommended. Al Campbell     Tracklist :

CHARLIE PARKER – 1951-1952 | The Chronogical Classics – 1314 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's a lot to be said for this kind of chronological survey when it's applied to someone like Charlie Parker. It forces you to take into account not only the critically accepted material but everything that Bird accomplished in his professional life -- that is, every commercially released studio recording from this time period. The music resulting from the sessions of January 17 and August 8, 1951, is universally regarded as substantial and masterful. Critics have been "legitimating" these wonderful recordings for decades. They've also complained ad nauseum about the rest of the material on this album. Time after time, issue after reissue, album liner notes hint wryly at Bird's "artistically unsuccessful" experiments with both Latin American percussion and a big band augmented by a chamber string ensemble. It is possible, after all, for listeners to honor Parker by saying to themselves, "This is what the artist felt compelled to do, and we are capable of being receptive to -- appreciative of -- his ideas and the recordings he has left behind." Forget all notions of what belongs or doesn't belong on a jazz record -- specifically on a Charlie Parker record. The South of the Border stuff is fun -- thrilling, even -- and at times beautiful. The selections from Bird with Strings are fascinating and rewarding for those who are not uptight or prejudicial. The wonderful truth is this: music invariably legitimates itself, and ultimately no critics are necessary provided the listener has ears and a heart through which to listen. arwulf arwulf          Tracklist + Credits :

KENNY CLARKE – 1946-1948 | The Chronogical Classics – 1171 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Although issued on the Swing label -- a French enterprise -- the four selections that open this exciting collection are full-force American bebop, recorded in New York during September of 1946. With Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, and Bud Powell in the band, the energy is so powerful that sensitive listeners may experience gooseflesh. "Epistrophy" sounds profoundly modern, far ahead of nearly anything else on the scene in 1946. "52nd Street Theme" is a brave essay in a new form. The trumpets dance circles around each other and the whole session comes off like the grand achievement that it surely was. Although this is considered Vol. 1 of the Kenny Clarke chronology, his discography really begins with pianist and bandleader Edgar Hayes. Clarke's excellent drumming and his work as a skilled vibraphonist are well documented on both Edgar Hayes volumes in the Chronological series (Classics 730 and 1053). In March of 1938 Kenny Clarke's "Kvintet," with Hayes at the piano and Clarke playing vibes, made four records in Stockholm, only one of which -- the instrumental -- was memorable. Almost exactly ten years later Clarke was entrusted with the task of touring Scandinavia with a group composed of players from the Dizzy Gillespie big band. Financial hassles curtailed their plans and they landed instead in Paris, where most of the material on this CD was recorded. The session recorded March 2, 1948, is notable for the presence of trumpeter Benny Bailey and baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne. It also provides an audible glimpse of sadly under-recorded alto saxophonist Joe Brown, an early follower of Charlie Parker. Note also the presence of pianist Ralph Schecroun, who would eventually change his name to Errol Parker and move to the U.S., developing a ferocious, almost chiropractic technique as he forged his own unique style of ultra-percussive modern piano. As Kenny Clarke continued to sow bop ideology among Parisians during the spring of 1948, it is fascinating how quickly and adroitly these young Frenchmen took it up without resorting to base mimicry. The most musically advanced material emerged during the session recorded on May 4, with violinist Andre Hodeir providing a wistful intro for Clarke's intriguing opus "Algerian Cynicism." The title refers to the enigma of French colonialism in North Africa, and reflects a political awareness every bit as progressive as the music itself. The material recorded on the following day is permeated with a Coleman Hawkins flavor, echoing that saxophonist's healthy response to the latest developments in jazz. "Working Eyes" sounds a little like "Raincheck" or any one of Billy Strayhorn's upbeat modern ideas. This outstanding collection of recordings -- rarely heard outside of Europe for many years -- reaffirms Kenny "Klook" Clarke's crucial role as a primal innovator in early modern jazz. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist + Credits :

KENNY CLARKE – 1948-1950 | The Chronogical Classics – 1214 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Bebop thrived on both sides of the Atlantic during the late '40s. While some Americans treated bop as nothing more than affected "hep talk" and a way of dressing up funny, there were profound artistic innovations at the heart of this new music. Kenny Clarke helped to establish bop in Europe, and the recordings he made in Paris document a wonderful flowering of early modern jazz that would have a decisive impact on the next half century of musical evolution worldwide. Trumpeter Howard McGhee was the prime focus of a session that came at the end of a full season of recording activity during the spring of 1948. This was quite an octet in that John Lewis was the pianist, Hubert Fol and Jimmy Heath played alto saxophones, and Jesse Powell -- featured on "I'm in the Mood for Love" -- played tenor sax. Anyone who's fond of bassist Percy Heath should hear him carrying the melodic line on "Out of Nowhere." Six sides waxed for the small-time Century label in New York on January 25, 1949, resound with Milt Jackson's vibraphone -- he also doubled on piano -- and Kenny Dorham's fine trumpeting combined with the unusual tonalities of a French horn played by Julius Watkins. Furthermore, Joe Harris expanded Clarke's percussion section by handling congas and timbale. The results are something like chamber bop, dignified and progressive. "You Go to My Head" features the vibes -- Jackson makes the ballad feel like a blues -- and "Roll 'Em Bags" sounds something like "Billie's Bounce." Back in Paris, Clarke's next recording date involved Hubert Fol and a facile trombonist by the name of Nat Peck. "Iambic Pentameter," a wild feature for the drums, closely resembles "Epistrophy," while famously opinionated jazz critic Hugo Panassie's name is sent up in an adventurous bop study called "Assy Pan Assy." On March 3, 1950, Clarke participated in a remarkable session with the brothers Hubert and Raymond Fol and bassist Pierre Michelot. Their version of "Out of Nowhere" is a gem. The first version of "These Foolish Things" is so bopped up it's hard to recognize. Version number two, a feature for the bassist, is similarly veiled through harmonic reconstruction. "Those Fol-ish Things" at last reveals the melody, played on alto by Hubert Fol. These variations survive as a pleasant example of the quirkiness of the boppers. The CD closes with two excellent tracks from the spring of 1950, with Gerald Wiggins, Nat Peck, and world-class saxophonist James Moody joining the pack. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

JAMES MOODY – 1949-1950 | The Chronogical Classics – 1169 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Whether you think you're already hip to James Moody, or if you aren't hip to him at all, be sure and check this stuff out! It's rare, it's beautiful and the solos are extraordinary. What you have here is essentially Moody's European tour journal. This phonographic diary takes us through Stockholm towards the end of 1949 and then to Paris in February and April of 1950. Moody is hanging with the French and the Swedes. They have been carefully studying the twists and turns of American bop. The arrangements are intricate and very contemporary. Don't worry about the goofy titles. "Three Bop Mice" and "Flight of the Bopple Bee" are actually fine pieces of work, hot and busy, composed and executed by this formidable sax and flute man from Georgia who got his start working with Dizzy Gillespie. Much of what we know about Moody comes from a stream of American records issued and reissued over a span of more than 50 years. His early European recordings are of inestimable value in their own light and as context for the rest of his work. "Three Bop Mice" seems to refer to the front line of three wicked tenor saxophones. Good thing this jam runs for nearly six minutes! It gives the guys kicking room. When Moody approaches a ballad, the results are often stunning. "Laura" is exquisite and "Body and Soul" pulsates with Moody's personal blend of languid urgency. "I'm in the Mood for Love" is the divine original take of a set of variations that would help to spawn the entire vocalese tradition, bearing forever the altered title "Moody's Mood for Love." Some will involuntarily detect echo-premonitions of Eddie Jefferson as the improvisations effortlessly unwind. Who would have guessed that the lovely upper register chorus, which Eddie would always sing in a disarming falsetto, was originally devised by the Swedish pianist Thore Swanerud? "Lester Leaps In" turns out to be the blueprint for Jefferson's wonderful vocalese outing "I Got The Blues." He obviously owned each of these Swedish records and learned them by heart. A pity he didn't get a chance to devise note-for-note lyrics to Moody's improvisations on "Indiana" "Dexterious" and "Good Bait," as these too are brilliant. The next jaw-dropper is "Blue and Moody," which proves to be the record that Eddie Jefferson turned into "Birdland Story," that exciting number heard on the 1956 Flute 'N the Blues album. This one CD holds the key to so many of James Moody's greatest records. Two 1950 Parisian sessions led by pianist Jack Dieval explore unusual harmonic realms, presenting ideas and tonalities that would take root over the next ten years. This is progressive music, unusually advanced for its day. Annie Ross sings in her most bizarre, pleasantly disorienting manner during "Le Vent Vert." Next, the Ernie Royal All-Stars punch out a five-minute "Period Suite." Russell Procope blossoms during a six-and-a-half-minute excursion through "Perdido," neatly bisected during Pierre Michelot's bass solo. Everybody ought to own a copy of this glorious disc. It is a glowing emerald deeply set in the precious lapidary of James Moody's music, surely some of the greatest music the world will ever hear. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

JAMES MOODY – 1950-1951 | The Chronogical Classics – 1263 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

April in Paris, 1950. James Moody is making records with a band led by trumpeter Ernie Royal. While two originals by Royal are based on textbook bop themes, Moody's own "Date With Kate" shows greater depth of invention. "Mean to Me" prances at a healthy clip and "Embraceable You" is presented as a slow-dance delicacy. Jumping to July of 1950, Moody leads his own "Boptet" through four remarkable exercises in modernity. Marshall "Red" Allen, who subsequently worked for decades with Sun Ra, is heard in Moody's band playing alto saxophone. These must be Allen's earliest appearances on record. "Delooney" surges ahead with peculiar chords that do in fact slightly resemble what Ra's Arkestra would be playing by 1957. "Real Cool" features the celeste and piano of Raymond Fol and some lovely bass work by Buddy Banks. "In the Anna" is a slow and harmonically altered stroll through "Back Home Again in Indiana." Moody sings a chorus of rapid-fire bop scat on "Voila." After he blows his horn for a bit, several voices sing a background chorus, which continues during a fadeout, that new effect just beginning to occur on records in 1950. Moody's last Parisian session focuses tightly upon his tenor sax backed by apparent Bud Powell devotee Raphael "Raph" Schecroun, Pierre Michelot, and the amazing Kenny "Klook" Clarke, whose solo on "Riffin' and Raphin'" is a pleasure. Hot tracks invigorate, and ballads bring on the coolest of reveries. Moody's fluidic improvisations are always full of pleasant surprises. "St. Louis Blues" gets a modern, sophisticated treatment, slipping with progressive ease into the traditional tango chorus. There are no less than three distinct renditions of "Embraceable You" on this CD. Maybe we're inside a movie and this is the recurring theme song, always returning to assist in the story line's continuity: five months in the life of James Moody. The home stretch takes listeners back to Stockholm. Backed by seven Scandinavians and bolstered by cushy arrangements, Moody delivered six gorgeous performances for the Prestige label. His balladeering is always astonishing. "How Deep Is the Ocean" has the power to reassure. So does "I'll Get By." Each of these little three-minute records should be cherished like a vision of a better world. arwulf arwulf  
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ROY ELDRIDGE – 1950-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1259 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It is June 1950. Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge is in Paris, making records with a small band of younger musicians. Easily adapting to rapidly evolving styles in music, the trumpeter eases himself into a steadily developing tide of modernity. The music forms a wonderful and comparatively elegant sequel to his rip-snorting big-band recordings of the 1940s. It is a pleasure to hear young tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims relaxing with Eldridge, and the pianist is 23-year-old Dick Hyman, already a strikingly facile and inventive performer. Pierre Michelot and Eddie Shaughnessy form the rest of the rhythm section in this tight little group. Continuing his personal tradition of great ballad interpretations, Eldridge delivers "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" with an open horn. "King David," "Undecided," and "The Man I Love" are each cooked at brisk velocities. Anita Love joins with Eldridge in energetic scat singing throughout Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing." Yet the very funny, effortlessly hip, and decidedly cool "Ain't No Flies On Me" allows the two singers to relax and interact more deliciously than ever. The next session in the Eldridge chronology scales the band down to a quartet, with Gerald Wiggins, Pierre Michelot, and the great Kenny "Klook" Clarke. Eldridge ambles through Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" -- which sounds a bit like "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" -- and renders up two more gorgeous ballads. "Goliath Bounce" is a smooth walk and "Wild Driver" a rolling boil, but the hottest number from this date, simply titled "Nuts," opens with a sort of Caribbean brushfire percussion maneuver by Clarke. As the tune unfolds its many intricate bop ideas, Clarke rides his cymbals most excitingly. The session of October 28, 1950, touched upon a wide range of styles and moods. "I Remember Harlem" is a deep study in reflective blue impressions, chamber jazz with bowed bass and haunted horn. Fats Waller's sobering "Black and Blue" gets a slight adjustment in the lyric, "Baby, Don't Do Me Like that" is more or less patterned after Louis Jordan's R&B act, and "L'Isle Adam" is a burner for muted trumpet on the fast track. Eldridge also sang two of his original songs with French lyrics, including a cheerful ode to lettuce and mayonnaise. The great surprise in this package is the inclusion of three long-forgotten piano solos from the same session. "Boogie Eldridge" is the veritable spark plug, as our man growls and even howls while massaging the keys. The last two tracks find Eldridge in Stockholm, sitting in with musicians well schooled in every style of jazz and popular music of the day. Duke Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem" is deep and ominous, while "School Days" plays off of the novelty antics of Joe Carroll and Dizzy Gillespie. arwulf arwulf  
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MILDRED BAILEY – 1940-1942 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1279 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Volume seven in the Classics Chronological survey of recordings originally released under the name of Mildred Bailey compiles what appear to be all of the titles produced between April 2, 1940 and February 12, 1942. During this period the singer performed with bands led by Alec Wilder and Harry Sosnick, and may be heard harmonizing with the Delta Rhythm Boys on "Jenny" and "When That Man Is Dead and Gone." Even as she spent part of her time bobbing around on the surface of Wilder's chamber pop ensemble (fortified with a flute, no less than three bass clarinets and Mitch Miller's oboe, and English horn), Mildred Bailey continued to interact with the some of the top jazz musicians on the scene at that time. This album's enclosed session discography indicates the presence of drummer Kenny Clarke, pianists Herman Chittison, Billy Kyle, and Teddy Wilson, and trumpeters Billy Butterfield and Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge. The hipper arrangements were scored by Eddie Sauter, famous for his work with Benny Goodman and Mildred Bailey's ex-husband Red Norvo. arwulf arwulf  
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ELLA FITZGERALD – 1941-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 840 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Classics CD traces Ella Fitzgerald's recordings from the beginning of her solo career. Having finally broken up the Chick Webb ghost orchestra, Ella mostly recorded ballads during her first few years as a solo artist; her jazz and scat singing would develop much more quickly starting in 1945. On some selections she is joined by a mundane vocal group called the Four Keys, but her three collaborations with the Ink Spots (particularly "Cow Cow Boogie" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall") are quite delightful. Other highpoints from this release (which finds Ella at 24 to 27 years old) include "This Love of Mine," "My Heart and I Decided" and "I'm Confessin'." Scott Yanow
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SARAH VAUGHAN – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1101 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Classics #1101 captures Sarah Vaughan early in her career from 1947-1949. These Musicraft and early Columbia sessions paved the way for her future success as a leading jazz vocalists. Featuring 23 tracks, Vaughan is backed by orchestras led by Ted Dale, Richard Maltby, Joe Lippman, and Hugo Winterhalter, while also recording more jazz oriented material with the Jimmy Jones Quartet featuring Al Mckibbon on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. While these combination string arrangements/jazz sessions only contain a handful of essentials ("Just Friends," "I Cried For You," "Nature Boy") they represent the beginning of that commercial balance Sarah Vaughan would successfully bounce back and forth between during her long career. Al Campbell
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