COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1281 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This solid entry in the Classics Chronological Series contains all of the titles recorded by Count Basie and his orchestra between January 17 and July 25, 1952, a period during which this band was signed to Norman Granz's Clef record label. Basie, who had been forced to scale his group down to septet and octet dimensions for more than a year beginning in 1950, had begun recording with a powerful new 16-piece unit in April of 1951. Nine months on, this ensemble was well on the way to virtually redefining the art of big-band jazz. Input from arranger/composers Sy Oliver, Buster Harding, and Neal Hefti add a luster to the proceedings that cannot be diminished by the passage of time. Key participants include trumpeters Joe Newman and Charlie Shavers, trombonist Jimmy Wilkins, and reedmen Marshall Royal, Ernie Wilkins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Paul Quinichette, whose Lester Young impersonations were positively uncanny. Small wonder that Pres suffered from an identity crisis on hearing his style replicated so deliberately right there in the reed section of an orchestra led by the same man in whose band he, Lester Young, had developed that style 15 years earlier. Quinichette sounds wonderful. He sounds like Lester Young.  arwulf arwulf   Tracklist :

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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LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1942-1944 | The Chronogical Classics – 803 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Lionel Hampton Big Band made it big during the period covered by this CD. "Flying Home," which Hampton had recorded at least twice earlier with combos, became a sensation thanks to Illinois Jacquet's honking tenor (which largely launched R&B) and the excitement generated by Hampton and his band (including the screaming trumpet section). This disc covers most of the war years, has a few V-discs (including the hit version of "Flying Home" and a two-part remake), and such numbers as "Loose Wig," "Hamp's Boogie-Woogie," "Overtime," and "Tempo's Boogie." Jacquet was actually with Hampton for a relatively brief period of time, but Arnett Cobb proved to be a perfect replacement. Also quite notable in the band is pianist Milt Buckner (whose block chords became influential) and such high-note trumpeters as Ernie Royal, Cat Anderson, and Snooky Young. Scott Yanow
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HELEN HUMES – 1948-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1333 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The last two years of the '40s saw Helen Humes growing considerably as a performer. While still showing her mastery of classic blues ("Married Man Blues") and high-octane swing (a frenetic live version of her previous hit, "Be-Baba-Leba"), she continued refining the type of blue-and-sentimental ballads she'd made famous during her Count Basie years (also the type of song that would carry her through the '50s). "Time Out for Tears" and "Don't Fall in Love With Me" find Humes reaching out to the trad-pop audience, and her version of "Somebody Loves Me" shows her finding the blues even in a Gershwin standard. As if her range wasn't stunning already, 1948-1950 also includes a splendid one-shot, a title called "I Ain't in the Mood" that sounds like it came straight from the Sun studio. John Bush
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EDDIE HEYWOOD – 1944-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1038 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second installment in the Classics Eddie Heywood chronology traces the pianist's progression from a successful Commodore leader and accompanist (see the first installment as well as Billie Holiday's later Commodore material) into a Decca recording artist via a pair of V-Disc performances cut on November 13, 1944. This compendium of amiable, sophisticated, and mature swing music features alto saxophonists Lem Davis and Marshall Royal as well as trombonists Vic Dickenson, Henry Coker, and Young Lion Britt Woodman, who is heavily featured on "Pom Pom." If the artistic high point of the entire album is Heywood's interpretation of Duke Ellington's gorgeous melody "I Didn't Know About You" (a prelude to later renditions by Johnny Hodges, Lee Konitz, Thelonious Monk, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk), the toy surprise in this package is a very hip-sounding Bing Crosby, featured on five tracks recorded in Los Angeles near the end of the summer of 1945. Bing seems unusually comfortable in this company, and for this reason these tracks should be counted among the best jazz recordings he ever participated in. arwulf arwulf
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EDDIE HEYWOOD – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1219 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Eddie Heywood sextet had largely run their course by mid-1946. In fact, his group had expanded to a septet (with two trombones) when the first of the recordings on this CD were made. Six selections feature that melodic group (the best is "Temptation") and they back the Andrews Sisters on three other songs. The remainder of this CD is from 1947, with Heywood mostly being featured in a trio (with Peggy Mann taking vocals on three songs). He is also featured backing organist Roy Ross on "Jitterbug Waltz," leading a sextet on two songs, and accompanying singer Bob Eberly (formerly with Jimmy Dorsey) on two ballads. Overall this is an interesting variety of formerly rare performances by Eddie Heywood, closing in December 1947, right before an ailment knocked him out of action for a couple years. Scott Yanow
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SLIM GAILLARD – 1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 962 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The year 1946 saw Slim Gaillard's act diversifying like never before. This leg of his chronology finds Gaillard singing and playing guitar, piano, drums, and vibraphone. His guest performers included singing pianist Wini Brown, singing drummer Leo "Scat" Watson (an ideal match for Gaillard's bizarre temperament), bop geniuses Marshall Royal, Lucky Thompson, Dodo Marmarosa, and Howard McGhee, and Zutty Singleton or Scatman Crothers on the drums. Boogie woogie was an essential part of the hip end of popular music in 1946, and Gaillard did it up beautifully in the form of a four-handed piano duet with Wini Brown. "Riff City," a prime example of the "Slim & Bam" act in fourth gear, contains some of bassist Tiny "Bam" Brown's best scat singing. The instrumental "Santa Monica Jump" might be the best overall piece of jazz in this grab bag of recordings originally issued on the Bel-Tone, V-Disc, Atomic, Savoy, and Disc labels. Anyone collecting all of the various volumes of the Gaillard chronology on Classics will experience the thrill of amassing several versions of "Cement Mixer." The version heard here faithfully reproduces the Mexican radio announcer routine Gaillard used in live performance, while in fact "Fried Chicken O'Routee" (a remake of "Ya Ha Ha") seems to have actually been recorded in front of an appreciative audience. The live ambiance is even more pronounced during the "Groove Juice Symphony," also known as "Opera in Vout," presented amid much laughter, cheering, and applause on April 22, 1946, at the Shrine Auditorium. Gaillard and Brown open with Skeets Tolbert's "Hit That Jive, Jack," move into a wild version of Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues" and cap the set with a fractured extension of Gaillard's own "Flat Foot Floogie" tempered with hints of "Big Noise from Winnetka." This disc contains two versions of "Chicken Rhythm," the second introduced by Bob Hope and issued by the Armed Forces on V-Disc. This interesting segment of the Slim Gaillard story ends with a handful of studio sides representing the full range of his musical persona -- cool love songs, hot jam tunes, and weirdly executed novelties with titles like "Oxydol Highball." arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Wini Beatty With Slim Gaillard Trio–    Early Morning Boogie    2:55
2    Slim Gaillard Trio And Wini Beatty–    That Ain't Right, Baby    2:43
3    Slim Gaillard Trio–    Riff City    2:50
4    Slim Gaillard Trio–    Mean Mama Blues    2:50
5    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Chicken Rhythm    3:04
6    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Santa Monica Jump    3:01
7    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    Mean Pretty Mama    3:03
8    Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra–    School Kids' Hop    2:55
9    The Slim Gaillard Trio–    Cement Mixer    2:19
10    The Slim Gaillard Trio–    Fried Chicken O'Routee    3:04
Slim Gaillard And Bam Brown    Opera In Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)    
11    –    Introduzione - Pianissimo    2:38
12    –    Recitativo E Finale    2:17
13    –    Andante Contabile In Modo De Blues    3:14
14    –    Presto Con Stomp    3:35
15    Slim Gaillard–    Chicken Rhythm 3:14
Speech [Introduction] – Bob Hope
16    Slim Gaillard Quartette–    Jam Man    2:34
17    Slim Gaillard Quartette–    I Don't Know Why    2:22
18    Slim Gaillard–    The Jam Man    3:02
19    Slim Gaillard–    Slim's Riff    1:53
20    Slim Gaillard–    I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)    3:10
21    Slim Gaillard–    Oxydol Highball    2:24
Credits :    
Bass – Bam Brown
Clarinet – Marshall Royal (tracks: 5 to 8)
Drums – Oscar Bradley (tracks: 18 to 21), Scatman Crothers (tracks: 16, 17), Slim Gaillard (tracks: 11 to 14), Zutty Singleton (tracks: 1 to 8)
Drums, Vocals – Leo Watson (tracks: 9, 10, 15)
Guitar – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 1 to 20)
Piano – Bill Early (tracks: 16, 17), Dodo Marmarosa (tracks: 5 to 8), Slim Gaillard (tracks: 10 to 14, 21), Wini Beatty (tracks: 1 to 4)
Piano [possibly] – Dodo Marmarosa (tracks: 18 to 21)
Speech [Introduction] – Bob Hope (tracks: 15)
Tenor Saxophone – Lucky Thompson (tracks: 5 to 8)
Trumpet – Howard McGhee (tracks: 5 to 8)
Vibraphone – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 1, 3 to 5, 7 to 18, 20, 21), Bam Brown (tracks: 5, 7 to 18, 20, 21), Wini Beatty (tracks: 1, 2)

COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1953-1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1446 (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The 15th installment in the complete commercially issued studio recordings of Count Basie was released as a new segment of the Classics Chronological Series in 2007. The time line represented here begins on December 12, 1953, and ends either in June or August 1954, depending upon which discographical session index you opt for. The bright, snappy Basie big-band sound of the mid-'50s was largely the result of compositions and arrangements by Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti, and Manny Albam. Four of these men also operated as crucial performers in the band, along with Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Benny Powell, and Marshall Royal. In addition to Green's "Right On" (a title that anticipates that phrase's rhetorical ubiquity among young Afro-Americans by at least ten years), noteworthy numbers include Hefti's "Two for the Blues," Foster's "Blues Backstage" and "Down for the Count," and Wilkins' "Sixteen Men Swinging," "Stereophonic," "The Blues Done Come Back," and "She's Just My Size." The Basie orchestra's rendition of Juan Tizol's "Perdido" comes as a pleasant surprise and registers as a tip of the hat to that other decisively influential bandleader who with Basie essentially defined the idiom during the 1950s, Duke Ellington. arwulf arwulf