ERROLL GARNER – 1949, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1182 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of Erroll Garner's very best albums, The Greatest Garner (Atlantic LP 1227), drew heavily upon the pianist's outstanding session of July 20, 1949. This ninth installment in the complete recordings of Erroll Garner on Classics places that session in context by presenting eight titles recorded for Savoy exactly one month earlier, together with four selections gleaned from a Gene Norman Just Jazz concert in Los Angeles. These are enjoyable tidbits, but the previously mentioned Atlantic session is the real treasure. This is chamber jazz of the highest order. While some critics and commentators seem to chafe at Garner's ethereal tendencies during ballads and introspective interludes, it is precisely these graceful moments that contrast so nicely with his familiar rambunctious manner. Maybe that's why this particular compilation feels so wonderfully well balanced. Garner gets his licks in with Rodgers & Hart and Fields & McHugh, floats through a Ravel "Pavanne" and a Debussy "Reverie," answers these mysteries with his own "Impressions" and private visions of "Twilight" and "Turquoise," muses over Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark," and closes with Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight," a beautiful rendering that belongs among his very greatest achievements on record for its theatrical timing, ebullient pacing, and immaculate execution. arwulf arwulf  
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ERROLL GARNER – 1949-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1205 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The four tracks that open this tenth volume in the Classics Erroll Garner chronology represent a sort of distilled essence of Garner. They are a marvelous byproduct of a special sort of artistic chemistry that existed between the diminutive Pittsburgh pianist, bassist John Simmons, and drummer Alvin Stoller. 

Soon after these two rosy bounces, each backed with a pair of lush ballads, were brought out on the modest Portrait record label, the masters were snapped up, reissued, and widely disseminated by Savoy. On August 23, 1949, Erroll Garner's trio provided musical accompaniment for mellifluous crooner Johnny Hartman. These four Mercury recordings, rare examples of Garner the accompanist, form a languid bridge between Hartman's formative years with Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie and his magnificent later work with Howard McGhee and John Coltrane. Using the same players, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Charlie Smith, Garner polished off eight delightful sides for the 3 Deuces label on September 8, 1949. "Scatter Brain," made famous by saxophonist and bandleader Freddy Martin, here seems as rambunctious as the personality of the pianist who has gotten a hold of it. His "What Is This Thing Called Love?" is almost as magical as James P. Johnson's groundbreaking version of 1930. Garner's wonderfully slow treatment of "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" carries with it a cloud of blues and soul that might not have materialized at a quicker tempo. This artist's full majesty is in evidence during ruminative readings of Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye" and Thomas Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz." A rare 1950 piano solo, originally issued on the Futurama label, is followed with eight equally uncommon sides from the Royal Roost catalog featuring once again bassist John Simmons and now drummer Harold "Doc" West. "Bonny Boy" is of course Garner's private approach to "Danny Boy," the Irish air from County Derry. In addition to initiating a smart stroll up Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy River," this excellent session enabled the pianist to stretch out and explore several bop-informed improvisation vehicles of his own devising: "Minor with the Trio," "Tippin' Out with Erroll," and "Relaxin' at Sugar Ray's." This volume of vintage mid-20th century piano jazz belongs among the best Erroll Garner compilations in the Classics catalog, or anywhere else for that matter. As an extra treat the CD packaging provides a friendly snapshot of Erroll Garner relaxing in the company of Sarah Vaughan and Mitch Miller. arwulf arwulf  
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J. J. JOHNSON – 1946-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1176 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Coming up in the big bands led by Benny Carter and Count Basie, trombonist J.J. Johnson was among the first of the truly modern trombonists. For his first recording session as a leader, Johnson chose pianist Bud Powell, bassist Leonard Gaskin, drummer Max Roach, and the mighty Cecil Payne -- later famous as a baritone saxophonist -- blowing a really fine alto. Each of these Savoy sides bubbles with the fresh new energy of a vibrant, creative music reinventing itself. Johnson's next opportunity to lead occurred on December 24, 1947, with stellar bop baritone Leo Parker and a fine rhythm section in Hank Jones, Al Lucas, and Shadow Wilson. The sheer presence of so many great musical minds is thrilling as Sonny Rollins, John Lewis, and Gene Ramey show up at the third Savoy session on May 11, 1949. With the exception of six sides with Babs Gonzales earlier that year (as heard on Classics 1124, the 1947-1949 volume of the label's Gonzales chronology), these are the earliest recordings ever made by Sonny Rollins. Johnson's next two dates would result in eight sides for the New Jazz label, combining Rollins with Kenny Dorham and then in October of 1949 teaming up with alto saxophonist Sonny Stitt. This is exceptionally satisfying primal bop, with no unnecessary or superfluous chaff, an impressive beginning to an illustrious career. arwulf arwulf
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BUD POWELL – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1003 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

An excellent companion to Classics' 1949-1950 Bud Powell title, this roundup of the bop pianist's early post-war sides gets top overview honors for its better balanced share of combo and trio sides. The first half is mostly taken up by an incredible 1946 session featuring Fats Navarro, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham, and Kenny Clarke, with highlights including the Navarro originals "Webb City," "Fat Boy," and "Everything's Cool." For Powell fanatics, though, the eight trio sides will be the real attraction. Backed by first-tier boppers Max Roach and Curly Russell, Powell is at his fleet and innovative best on a mix of his own work ("Bud's Bubble"), some Monk ("Off Minor"), and a handful of choice covers ("I'll Remember April," "I Should Care"). A taste of possibly the most irrepressible and sophisticated bop on wax. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist + Credits :

DON BYAS – 1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1009 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This fourth volume in the complete recordings of tenor saxophonist Don Byas opens with 13 sides recorded for the Savoy label in May of 1946. On the opening session, three gorgeous ballads are chased with a blistering version of Ray Noble's "Cherokee" and a mellow stroll through "September in the Rain." About three months later the saxophonist resumed recording for Savoy, now backed by a tougher rhythm section in drummer Max Roach, bassist Leonard Gaskin, and pianist Sanford Gold. These deservedly famous sides represent Byas at the very peak of his early maturity. A rare parcel of four recordings originally issued on the Gotham label finds Byas accompanied by a trio including pianist Beryl Booker. A rather ominous reading of the notoriously suicidal "Gloomy Sunday" is colored so darkly as to suggest the subterranean. By December of 1946 Byas was in Europe making records for the Swing label with a group of musicians from Don Redman's entourage. "Working Eyes," which came out under trombonist Tyree Glenn's name, was written by Glenn but popularized by Duke Ellington under the titles "Sultry Serenade" and "How Could You Do That to Me?" "Peanut Butter Blues," sung in the manner of Roy Eldridge by trumpeter Peanuts Holland, was issued under his name, while the two remaining tracks -- a lush ballad and the feisty "Mohawk Special" -- appeared under the heading of Don Byas & His Orchestra. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits : 

LENNIE TRISTANO - Intuition (2003) 4CD | BOX - SET | Serie : Proper Box | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Anyone seeking a solid introduction to the music of Lennie Tristano should make a beeline for Proper Box 64, appropriately titled Intuition. This reasonably priced four-CD set is also sure to please even the most seasoned Tristano enthusiasts, for as one of the finest Tristano collections in existence, it rates with the juiciest entries in the Proper catalog. A brilliant musical innovator who was greatly admired by Charlie Parker, Tristano acted as a sort of modern jazz professor, philosopher, and mentor to aspiring young improvisers. In many ways, his music sounds better and makes more sense today than ever before. Prior to the appearance of this set in 2003, the records he cut in May 1945 with a sextet led by tenor saxophonist Emmett Carls had only been reissued on Tristano's portion of the exhaustively complete chronological Masters of Jazz series in 1999. In an unfortunate replication of a discographical error which has cropped up elsewhere, Proper's session data incorrectly names Shorty Rogers as the trumpeter on this date. Rogers had entered the armed forces in 1943 and wouldn't return to the scene until September of 1945. The individual heard with Carls was Irwin "Markie" Markowitz, a member of Boyd Raeburn's orchestra who would cross over to Woody Herman's Herd in 1946.

Proper's overview of Tristano's first seven years of recording activity is positively exhilarating. In addition to various early piano solos, it contains his complete 1946 - 1947 Keynote recordings, along with a sampling of records he cut in 1947 for Savoy and Baronet with small groups that included guitarist Billy Bauer and John La Porta, a reed player who would collaborate with Charles Mingus in the mid-'50s. The year 1949 was an important one for Tristano and is well represented by material from seven different sessions. These include the long take of "Victory Ball" as played by the Metronome All-Stars, selections from a Prestige date with Lee Konitz, a Birdland gig featuring Warne Marsh, and two segments of a Carnegie Hall engagement involving both saxophonists. Seven dazzlingly creative sides cut for Capitol during the spring of 1949 with Marsh and Konitz constitute milestones of modernity, complete with authentic instances of intuitively coordinated group improvisation. Apparently, the recording engineers at Capitol were so intolerant and closed-minded that they made faces, gestured impatiently, and even erased two of the tracks. Small wonder then that Tristano soon established his own Jazz Records label. By October of 1951, he would be exercising his artistic autonomy by overdubbing the piano on recordings he made with a trio that included drummer Roy Haynes. This wonderful set closes with six extended jams from a concert at the UGPO Hall in Toronto on July 17, 1952, sponsored by the New Jazz Society of Toronto and the Canadian Ministry of Culture.

When traditionalist tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman first heard Tristano's "Out on a Limb," he sought him out and asked to be tutored in jazz theory and harmony. This was an uncommonly progressive move for a long-standing cohort of Eddie Condon's, and prefigures Pee Wee Russell's later excursions into modern jazz. "I never knew how much freer I would feel getting down to the basic principles," remembered Freeman. "I thought it would be instructive to study with a great musician like Lennie; I didn't know it would be so much fun." An excellent companion to this set would be Gambit's unparalleled double-CD Live at the Confucius Restaurant, along with a copy of Eunmi Shim's informative and insightful biography, Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music, which was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2007. arwulf arwulf  
Disc One : Out On A Limb (P1353)    
1-1    Emmett Carls Sextet–    Tea For Two 3:18
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Caesar, Youmans
1-2    Emmett Carls Sextet–    Tea For Two (Take 2) 2:56
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Caesar, Youmans
1-3    Emmett Carls Sextet–    Blue Lou 2:52
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Sampson, Mills
1-4    Emmett Carls Sextet–    These Foolish Things 2:33
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Link, Marvell, Strachey
1-5    Emmett Carls Sextet–    These Foolish Things (Take 2) 2:35
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Link, Marvell, Strachey
1-6    Emmett Carls Sextet–    It's The Talk Of The Town 2:13
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Neiburg, Livingston, Symes
1-7    Emmett Carls Sextet–    It's The Talk Of The Town (Take 2) 3:16
Bass – Chubby Jackson
Drums – Don Lamond
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Emmett Carls
Trombone – Earl Swope
Trumpet – Shorty Rogers
Written-By – Neiburg, Livingston, Symes
1-8    Lennie Tristano–    Yesterdays 3:03
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Kern, Harbach
1-9    Lennie Tristano–    What Is This Thing Called Love? 2:47
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Porter
1-10    Lennie Tristano–    Don't Blame Me 2:49
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Fields, McHugh
1-11    Lennie Tristano–    I Found A New Baby 2:46
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Palmer, Williams
1-12    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Can't Get Started 2:53
Bass – Leonard Gaskin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gershwin, Duke
1-13    Lennie Tristano Trio–    A Night In Tunisia 2:21
Bass – Leonard Gaskin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Paparelli
1-14    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Out On A Limb (Take 1) 2:36
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
1-15    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Out On A Limb (Take 2) 2:48
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
1-16    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Out On A Limb (Take 3) 2:39
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
1-17    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Can't Get Started (Take 1) 2:57
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gershwin, Duke
1-18    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Can't Get Started (Take 2) 2:54
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gershwin, Duke
1-19    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Surrender Dear (Take 1) 2:33
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Clifford, Barris
1-20    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Surrender Dear (Take 2) 2:16
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Clifford, Barris
1-21    Lennie Tristano Trio–    I Surrender Dear (Take 3) 3:05
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Clifford, Barris
1-22    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 1) 3:04
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-23    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 2) 2:31
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-24    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 3) 2:58
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-25    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 4) 2:53
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-26    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 5) 1:40
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
1-27    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Interlude (Take 6) 3:00
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Gillespie, Paparelli
Disc Two : New Sound (P1354)    
2-1    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Untitled Blues 3:46
Bass – Clyde Lombardi
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-2    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Blue Boy 2:47
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Bauer
2-3    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Atonement 2:27
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-4    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Coolin' Off With Ulanov (Take 1) 2:47
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-5    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Coolin' Off With Ulanov (Take 2) 2:28
Bass – Bob Leininger
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-6    Lennie Tristano–    I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You  2:55
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Crosby, Washington, Young
2-7    Lennie Tristano–    Spontaneous Combustion 2:53
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-8    Lennie Tristano–    Just Judy 2:38
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-9    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Supersonic 3:18
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-10    Lennie Tristano Trio–    On A Planet 3:17
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-11    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Air Pocket 2:44
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-12    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Celestia 2:54
Bass – John Levy
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-13    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Freedom 3:37
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-14    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Parallel 2:28
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-15    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Apellation 1:53
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-16    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Abstraction 2:38
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-17    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Palimpsest 2:37
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-18    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Dissonance 2:38
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-19    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Through These Portals 2:16
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – La Porta
2-20    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Speculation 2:24
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-21    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    New Sound 2:16
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
2-22    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Resemblance 2:22
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Clarinet – John La Porta
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
Disc Three : Crosscurrents (P1355)    
3-1    The Metronome All Stars–    Victory Ball 4:12
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Parker
Arranged By, Directed By – Pete Rugolo
Baritone Saxophone – Ernie Caceres
Bass – Eddie Safranski
Clarinet – Buddy de Franco
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ventura
Trombone – J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding
Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis
Written-By – Bauer, Parker, Tristano
3-2    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Tautology 2:44
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Konitz
3-3    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Subconscious Lee 2:48
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Konitz
3-4    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Retrospection 3:07
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
3-5    Lennie Tristano Quartet–    Judy 2:54
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
3-6    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Wow 3:21
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Harold Granowsky
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-7    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Crosscurrent 2:50
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Harold Granowsky
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-8    Lennie Tristano–    Yesterdays 2:46
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Harold Granowsky
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
3-9    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Marionette 3:04
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Bauer
3-10    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Sax Of A Kind 2:59
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Konitz, Marsh
3-11    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Intuition 2:26
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-12    Lennie Tristano Sextette–    Digression 3:05
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Denzil Best
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-13    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Remember 7:41
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-14    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Pennies 5:45
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-15    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Foolish Things 4:06
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-16    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Indiana 5:42
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
3-17    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    I'm No Good Without You 4:19
Bass – Arnold Fishkin
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
Disc Four : Lennie's Pennies (P1356)    
4-1    Lennie Tristano Sextet–    Sax Of A Kind 5:12
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Joe Shulman
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Konitz, Marsh
4-2    Lennie Tristano Sextet–    You Go To My Head 4:34
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Joe Shulman
Drums – Jeff Morton
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Gillespie, Coots
4-3    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Ju-Ju 2:13
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
4-4    Lennie Tristano Trio–    Passtime 3:38
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Written-By – Tristano
4-5    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Lennie's Pennies 6:12
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
4-6    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    317 East 32nd 9:19
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
4-7    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    You Go To My Head 6:43
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Gillespie, Coots
4-8    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    April 8:42
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano
4-9    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Sound-Lee 7:37
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Konitz
4-10    Lennie Tristano Quintet–    Back-Home 7:56
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Al Levitt
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh
Written-By – Tristano

LENNIE TRISTANO - 1946-1947 (2001) CC, 1184 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Records bearing Lennie Tristano's name began to appear in 1946. His amazing music filled the closing chapter of Harry Lim's Keynote catalog, and you couldn't ask for a more futuristic finale. "Out on a Limb" opens with a pleasantly dissonant flurry of ascending and descending runs. It is an exciting taste of where jazz was headed then and has been heading ever since. Tristano's music is refreshingly brisk and challenging. Like so many compositions in early modern jazz, most of Lennie's creations were based on existing melodies. "Out on a Limb" is built over the chord progressions of Earl Hines' "You Can Depend on Me," a song that was also clearly the inspiration for Lerner & Loewe's "Almost Like Being in Love." Guitarist Billy Bauer was Lennie's right-hand man. He often carried the melody so the pianist could fully exercise his individuality. Lennie liked to initiate startling pinwheels of repetition where you'd least expect them to appear. Several times during "I Can't Get Started," he cheerfully knocks out a stack of what would conventionally have been considered "wrong notes." Everything flows naturally, especially on "Untitled Blues," which is three minutes and 45 seconds of free and fearless collective improvisation. Stopping abruptly in mid-phrase, apparently because somebody told him they were running out of room on the 10" recording platter, Tristano is silent, then traces a few more arpeggios as a voice asks, "What happened?" The musicians had slipped into full-throttle jam mode, forgetting that they were in a recording studio, subject to time constraints. This wonderful piece of vérité languished for years before being issued as part of the complete Keynote collection. On the October 8, 1946, session, Tristano ran down no less than six versions of Dizzy Gillespie's "Interlude." What we have here is the first take. Six days later, Tristano's trio made two sides for V-Disc, specifically intended for the cultural enrichment of armed forces personnel. Here again was Gillespie's tune, now bearing the title "A Night in Tunisia." Lennie recorded a series of unaccompanied piano solos in September of 1947, but the people at Victor Records couldn't bring themselves to issue these tracks at the time. Thank goodness listeners get to hear them now! Unlike a lot of peoples' chronological reissues, this one is consistent from stem to stern. While digesting multiple Keynote takes is a gas, it's good to hear just the masters bundled together with some of Tristano's rarest small-label sides. About halfway through the disc you stop trying to figure out which jazz standards were used as skeletons for adventurous collective improvisation. You grow lightheaded, and all that really matters are the rituals of experimentation and humble acceptance. As Ornette Coleman would say, after a certain point there really are no wrong notes. Or, as Arnold Schoenberg might add, no tone is more or less legitimate than any other. Which brings us to the question of how something can be "avant-garde" when it's been around for generations. Doesn't the term tell us more about audience -- and critical -- limitations than it does about music or art? The answers lie somewhere between these early Tristano recordings and the extended improvisations that Anthony Braxton has based upon Tristano's still-astonishing ideas. There is no limit to what can be accomplished with intuitive music. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     Out on a Limb 2:43
Lennie Tristano
2     I Can't Get Started 2:57
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
3     I Surrender, Dear 3:08
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
4     Untitled Blues 3:47
Lennie Tristano
5     Interlude 3:07
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
6     I Can't Get Started 2:55
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
7     A Night in Tunisia 2:23
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
8     Blue Boy 2:51
Lennie Tristano
9     Atonement 2:28
Lennie Tristano
10     Coolin' Off With Ulanov 2:50
Lennie Tristano
11     I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You 2:57
Bing Crosby / Ned Washington / Victor Young
12     Spontaneous Combustion 2:56
Unknown
13     Just Judy 2:40
Lennie Tristano
14     Supersonic 3:21
Lennie Tristano
15     On a Planet 3:20
Lennie Tristano
16     Air Pocket 2:47
Lennie Tristano
17     Celestia 2:56
Lennie Tristano
18     Freedom 3:40
Lennie Tristano
19     Parallel 2:30
Lennie Tristano
20     Apellation 1:55
Lennie Tristano
21     Abstraction 2:41
Lennie Tristano
22     Palimpsest 2:37
Lennie Tristano
Credits :
Bass – Arnold Fishkin (tracks: 18 to 22), Bob Leininger (tracks: 8 to 10), Clyde Lombardi (tracks: 1 to 5), John Levy (tracks: 14 to 17), Leonard Gaskin (tracks: 6, 7)
Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 1 to 10, 14 to 22)
Piano – Lennie Tristano

LENNIE TRISTANO - Out on a Limb (1998) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first 25 recordings ever to have appeared under Lennie Tristano's name are presented in chronological sequence on this deluxe double-disc anthology released in 1998 by the Indigo label. No wind instruments are heard on this compilation. Tracks one through four are piano solos recorded in Chicago at some point in 1945 or 1946. Tristano's individuality is evident in the music itself as well as in the song titles, for although this album's track listing doesn't reveal it, "Yesterdays" became "Glad Am I," "What Is This Thing Called Love?" was rechristened "This Is Called Love" and "Don't Blame Me" was humorously shortened to "Blame Me." Two V-Disc selections from October 14, 1946 with guitarist Billy Bauer and bassist Leonard Gaskin lead into the strikingly productive session of October 8, 1946. From here on out (disc one: cut seven through to the end of disc two) what you get are the complete Keynote recordings of the Lennie Tristano Trio, featuring guitarist Bauer and bassists Clyde Lombardi and Bob Leininger. It's a cornucopia of alternate takes, including three versions of "Out on a Limb" (based in the chord progressions of "You Can Depend on Me"); three of "I Surrender Dear" and no less than six renderings of Dizzy Gillespie's "Interlude," soon to be known worldwide as "Night in Tunisia." The listener might well wish to approach the six Interludes as one 18-minute entity cleverly composed of cyclic choruses. As this music was recorded on 78 rpm records, a time limit of roughly three and a half minutes was imposed upon these ambitious improvisers, who in fact sound very reluctant to stop playing at the end of the "Untitled Blues." As for the successive multiple takes, there's a lot to be said for this kind of a listening experience, as one may savor the flavor of things done similarly yet differently so many times in sequence. Special honors should go to Keynote's creator and producer Harry Lim (these were to be the last entries in his stunning catalog of approximately 343 sides, involving some 200 jazz musicians, recorded between March 1941 and May 1947) and Tristano's critical ally Barry Ulanov, a vigorous supporter of modern music who suddenly found himself immortalized by the catchy title "Coolin' Off with Ulanov." arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1     Yesterdays 3:06
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
2     What Is This Thing Called Love? 2:49
Cole Porter
3     Don't Blame Me 2:51
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
4     I Found a New Baby 2:48
Jack Palmer / Spencer Williams
5     I Can't Get Started 2:56
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
6     A Night in Tunisia 2:24
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
7     Out on a Limb (Take 1) 2:39
Lennie Tristano
8    Out on a Limb (Take 2) 2:51
Lennie Tristano
9     Out on a Limb (Take 3) 2:41
Lennie Tristano
10     I Can't Get Started (Take 1) 2:58
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
11     I Can't Get Started (Take 2) 2:55
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
12     I Surrender, Dear (Take 1) 2:34
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
13     I Surrender, Dear (Take 2) 2:18
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
14     I Surrender, Dear (Take 3) 3:06
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
15     Interlude (Take 1) 3:05
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
16     Interlude (Take 2) 2:33
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
17     Interlude (Take 3) 3:00
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
18     Interlude (Take 4) 2:55
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
19     Interlude (Take 5) 1:42
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
20     Interlude (Take 6) 3:02
Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli
21     Untitled Blues 3:47
Lennie Tristano
22     Blue Boy 2:49
Billy Bauer / Lennie Tristano
23     Atonement 2:29
Lennie Tristano
24     Coolin' off with Ulanov (Take 1) 2:49
Lennie Tristano
25     Coolin' off with Ulanov (Take 2) 2:30
Lennie Tristano
Credits :
Bass – Bob Leininger (tracks: 22-25), Clyde Lombardi (tracks: 7-21), Leonard Gaskin (tracks: 5, 6)
Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 5-25)
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Notas.
Chicago, 1946 (1-4).
New York, late 1946 (5-6).
New York, October 8, 1946 (7-21).
New York, May 23, 1947 (22-25).