LEON THOMAS WITH OLIVER NELSON — Live in Berlin (1971-2002) RCA Victor Gold Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Leon Thomas makes a soaring, impressive vocal contribution. Nelson's alto sax solos sizzle. Ron Wynn   Tracklist & Credits :

DIZZY GILLESPIE — Have Trumpet, Will Excite! (1959-2015) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It's easy and perhaps unfair to take any later jazz album by a trendy, "hot" trumpeter and compare it to a classic like Have Trumpet, Will Excite!. Critics and fans have been afforded the luxury of time to weed out half-efforts. Still, even without former knowledge of who Dizzy Gillespie is, Have Trumpet, Will Excite! separates itself from the crowd pretty quickly. The Latin up-tempo arrangement of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" thrusts the song into an entirely different realm. Junior Mance's piano kicks things of with a quirky, forceful rhythm, and after Gillespie's trumpet lays down the bare bones of the melody, it's pretty much forgotten. From there, the band takes off on a creative surge. The same is true of "My Man." A brave arrangement, kicked off by piano and outlined by trumpet, completely rewrites the piece. "Sure," Gillespie and the band, seem to say, "We can play old swing tunes, but wouldn't it be cool if we turned them inside out?" This approach, along with sharp solos, gives the material an exciting edge. Gillespie's solo on "St. Louis Blues" just soars, while Les Spann, who plays both flute and guitar on the album, follows him with a bristly guitar solo. Mance offers distinctive piano work that matches Gillespie's enthusiasm on tunes like "Woody 'N' You," while bassist Sam Jones and drummer Lex Humphries keep a high-octane rhythm in constant motion. Have Trumpet, Will Excite! more than measures up to its promise and stands as a cornerstone of Gillespie's '50s work. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.
Tracklist + Credits :

JOHN COLTRANE - Giant Steps (1960-2006) RM / ATLANTIC 60th / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

History will undoubtedly enshrine this disc as a watershed the likes of which may never truly be appreciated. Giant Steps bore the double-edged sword of furthering the cause of the music as well as delivering it to an increasingly mainstream audience. Although this was John Coltrane's debut for Atlantic, he was concurrently performing and recording with Miles Davis. Within the space of less than three weeks, Coltrane would complete his work with Davis and company on another genre-defining disc, Kind of Blue, before commencing his efforts on this one. Coltrane (tenor sax) is flanked by essentially two different trios. Recording commenced in early May of 1959 with a pair of sessions that featured Tommy Flanagan (piano) and Art Taylor (drums), as well as Paul Chambers -- who was the only bandmember other than Coltrane to have performed on every date. When recording resumed in December of that year, Wynton Kelly (piano) and Jimmy Cobb (drums) were instated -- replicating the lineup featured on Kind of Blue, sans Miles Davis of course. At the heart of these recordings, however, is the laser-beam focus of Coltrane's tenor solos. All seven pieces issued on the original Giant Steps are likewise Coltrane compositions. He was, in essence, beginning to rewrite the jazz canon with material that would be centered on solos -- the 180-degree antithesis of the art form up to that point. These arrangements would create a place for the solo to become infinitely more compelling. This would culminate in a frenetic performance style that noted jazz journalist Ira Gitler accurately dubbed "sheets of sound." Coltrane's polytonal torrents extricate the amicable and otherwise cordial solos that had begun decaying the very exigency of the genre -- turning it into the equivalent of easy listening. He wastes no time as the disc's title track immediately indicates a progression from which there would be no looking back. Line upon line of highly cerebral improvisation snake between the melody and solos, practically fusing the two. The resolute intensity of "Countdown" does more to modernize jazz in 141 seconds than many artists do in their entire careers. Tellingly, the contrasting and ultimately pastoral "Naima" was the last tune to be recorded, and is the only track on the original long-player to feature the Kind of Blue quartet. What is lost in tempo is more than recouped in intrinsic melodic beauty. Both Giant Steps [Deluxe Edition] and the seven-disc Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings offer more comprehensive presentations of these sessions. by Lindsay Planer 
Tracklist:
1 Giant Steps  4:47
John Coltrane
2 Cousin Mary 5:50
John Coltrane

3 Countdown 2:25

John Coltrane

4 Spiral 5:59

John Coltrane

5 Syeeda's Song Flute 7:06

John Coltrane

6 Naima 4:25

John Coltrane

7 Mr. P.C. 6:58

John Coltrane

- Bonus Tracks -

8 Giant Steps (Alternate Version 1) 3:40
9 Naima (Alternate Version 1) 4:27
10 Cousin Mary (Alternate Take) 5:44
11 Countdown (Alternate Take) 4:33
12 Syeeda's Song Flute (Alternate Take) 7:07
13 Giant Steps (Alternate Version 2) 3:27
14 Naima (Alternate Version 2) 3:23
15 Giant Steps (Alternate Take) 4:47
Credits:

Bass – Paul Chambers 

Composed By, Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
Drums – Art Taylor (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 10 to 12, 15), Jimmy Cobb (tracks: 6), Lex Humphries (tracks: 8, 9, 13, 14)
Piano – Cedar Walton (tracks: 8, 9, 13, 14), Tommy Flanagan (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 10 to 12, 15), Wynton Kelly (tracks: 6)
Note:
Tracks 8 to 15 Bonus Tracks; Not part of original LP.

ART FARMER & BENNY GOLSON - Meets The Jazztet (1960-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of the top hard bop contingents of the '50s and '60s, the Art Farmer and Benny Golson co-led group known as the Jazztet featured some of the best original charts and soloing of the entire era. While the group was only in existence between 1959-1962, its excellent reputation could rest on this stunning disc alone. Cut in 1960, the ten-track date features four of Golson's classic originals ("I Remember Clifford," "Blues March," "Park Avenue Petite," and "Killer Joe") and one very fetching Farmer-penned cut ("Mox Nix"). The rest of the standards-heavy mix is given the golden touch by the sextet. And what a combo this is -- besides Farmer's svelte trumpet lines and Golson's frenetically vaporous tenor solos, one gets a chance to hear a young but already very accomplished McCoy Tyner, the tart and mercurial trombonist Curtis Fuller, and the streamlined rhythm tandem of Addison Farmer and Lex Humphries. An essential hard bop title.  by Stephen Cook

Tracklist:

1 Serenata 3:32
Written-By – Anderson, Parrish
2 It Ain't Necessarily So 4:29
Written-By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
3 Avalon 3:32
Written-By – Jolson, DeSylva, Rose
4 I Remember Clifford 3:13
Written-By – Benny Golson
5 Blues March 5:18
Written-By – Benny Golson
6 It's All Right With Me 3:56
Written-By – Cole Porter
7 Park Avenue Petite 3:44
Written-By – Benny Golson
8 Mox Nix 4:04
Written-By – Art Farmer
9 Easy Living 3:36
Written-By – Robin, Ranger
10 Killer Joe 4:57
Benny Golson
Credits
Bass – Addison Farmer
Drums – Lex Humphries
Piano – McCoy Tyner
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Trombone – Curtis Fuller
Trumpet – Art Farmer