STUFF SMITH – 1939-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1054 (1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This segment of the Stuff Smith story finds the fiddler facing personal and professional difficulties that prevented him from recording as much as he'd have liked to. The music that did get committed to wax is more or less uniformly satisfying. The first five selections heard here benefit greatly from the presence of trumpet ace Jonah Jones. "Big Wig in the Wigwam," a song with little redeeming social value when presented by Lionel Hampton, became a solid piece of swing when Stuff's band got a hold of it. Here it bristles with elements of "Diga Diga Doo" and Stuff's earlier rowdy masterpiece "Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug." Four titles released on the budget Varsity label in 1940 include a Grenadine-flavored sob story by Stella Brooks, two high-spirited group vocals, and a wild "Crescendo in Drums," with violin improvisations that seem like premonitions of the sound currents that Leroy Jenkins would be generating with his violin many years later. In November of 1943, Stuff Smith & His Trio made ten sides for the World Broadcasting Service, with Stuff's solos resembling some of Eddie South's best work, with flourishing touches worthy of Florian Zabach. Featured here and on the following two sessions were bassist John Levy and pianist Jimmy Jones, both excellent improvisers who were perfectly suited to Stuff Smith's style and persona. A quartet date with amplified guitarist Mary Osborne sports a pair of modernistic studies in blue, and the vocal duet between Stuff and Osbourne is deservedly famous among people who are interested in historical collaborations. This fine CD closes with six additional trio sides produced by Moses Asch, sounding pleasantly progressive for 1944. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

BERYL BOOKER – 1946-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1415 (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During a recording career that only spanned about 15 years, Philadelphia-born pianist and vocalizer Beryl Booker recorded some 45 titles. These fit nicely into two volumes released by the Classics label in 2006 and 2007. Recorded between October 8, 1946 and March 13, 1952, the 26 tracks that comprise the first installment elucidate Booker's stylistic solidarity with Erroll Garner. That similarity can clearly be heard in her upbeat playing on "I Wished on the Moon" and "Stay as Sweet as You Are," and on any of this compilation's 12 slow instrumental ballads. Also like Garner, Booker read no music and was almost entirely self-taught. Note that this compilation contains no less than seven examples of Beryl Booker the ballad singer. During the '50s she worked as an accompanist for Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington; their combined influences certainly colored her delivery, although Booker had her own earthily intimate style, which mingles beautifully with the mature Lady Day vibe on "You Better Go Now." As far as instrumentalists went, Booker almost invariably worked with some of the best on the scene. Tracks one through four -- her first session as a leader -- feature Booker in the company of guitarist Mary Osborne and bassist June Rotenberg. Recorded sometime during the year 1948, tracks five through ten bring on guitarist John Collins and bassist Slam Stewart, whose combo Booker joined in 1946 and with whom she would work on a semi-regular basis through 1952. Tracks eleven through fourteen represent recordings so rare as to be entirely absent from several standard discographical session indexes. Fifteen through eighteen showcase tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson and also feature Don Elliott, who blew the mellophonium and doubled on vibraphone. Only two of the last eight selections on this disc are upbeat; the rest are languid examples of Booker's dreamily lyrical approach to the art of the instrumental ballad, which again has a lot in common with the whimsicality of Garner. Perhaps the high point of her entire recording career was to take place in Paris in February 1954 when she had the opportunity to collaborate with tenor saxophonist Don Byas. Those recordings -- and what appears to be the rest of this woman's recorded legacy -- can be found on volume two of her complete works on the Classics Chronological Series. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist & Credits :

WYNONIE HARRIS – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1013 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second Classics CD to feature blues singer Wynonie Harris' recordings as a leader finds him in the period right before he signed with the King label. The five four-song sessions on this disc (all quite jazz oriented) were cut for Hamp-Tone, Bullet, and Aladdin. First, Harris (who sounds quite enthusiastic in every setting) sings three numbers (including a two-part "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop") with a combo taken from the Lionel Hampton big band. The Bullet date was quite rare. Recorded in Nashville, it finds Harris backed by local players including Sun Ra in his first recording. Ra's piano is well featured throughout including on "Dig This Boogie." Harris is also heard with a Leonard Feather-organized band that includes trumpeter Joe Newman, altoist Tab Smith, and tenor-saxophonist Allen Eager ("Mr. Blues Jumped the Rabbit" is the best-known selection), with an obscure backup band in New York (including for "Ghost of a Chance," an odd departure with a vocal group) and sharing the spotlight with Big Joe Turner on three numbers (including a slightly disorganized two-part "Battle of the Blues"). Throughout, Wynonie Harris sounds like he was ready for stardom. Recommended. Scott Yanow
All Tracks & Credits :

MARY LOU WILLIAMS – 1944-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1021 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One thing about chronologically arranged reissues -- you never know exactly what you're going to bump into. The third volume of the complete recordings of Mary Lou Williams, for example, opens with a pair of tunes sung by Josh White. It's good to hear the lyrics to Williams' cool, bluesy "Froggy Bottom," but "The Minute Man" is one of those obligatory, rhetorical patriotic numbers that cropped up everywhere during WWII and are relevant today only as historical curiosities. Most of the music reissued in this compilation originally appeared on scratchy 78-rpm records bearing the Asch label. Tenor sax archetype Coleman Hawkins is featured on the lush "Song in My Soul" and trumpeter Bill Coleman presides over a laid-back strolling blues with the worrisome title "Carcinoma." Clarinetist Claude Greene composed "This and That," a lively, bop-like romp that sounds a bit like "Epistrophy." As for "Oh, Lady Be Good," this septet's brisk and inventive set of variations based upon those Gershwin chord progressions would soon be rechristened "Rifftide" by Hawkins, who had a way of gobbling up harmonic advancements in jazz as soon as they appeared on the scene during the 1940s. With drummer Denzil Best driving the band, this is an exciting example of jazz in transition and should be studied by all who seek to better understand how the music evolved as quickly as it did in 1944. Speaking of modernity, in 1945 Mary Lou Williams composed and recorded "The Zodiac Suite," an astrologically inspired cycle of sketches for piano, bass, and drums. Each movement was dedicated to a specific set of musicians, including Ben Webster, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Ellis Larkins, and Leonard Feather. There also exists a three-piano arrangement of the "Scorpio" movement that the composer had intended to perform with Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. The music is at times wonderfully abstract and ethereal, regularly returning to the root system of blues and boogie as if to nourish itself with the lifeblood of tradition even as the composer pursued a course of harmonic exploration in ways that variously recall Ellington, Strayhorn, Satie, and Debussy. Incredibly, some critics and historians, like bored toddlers, have complained of a "lack of variety" in this work. This sort of ungracious mentality has also engendered shortsighted criticism of James P. Johnson's "Yamekraw." Williams expressed herself beautifully here, and listeners are advised to relax and proceed with patience and an open mind. This interesting album of rare treats closes with two piano solos that are cousins of "The Zodiac Suite," entitled "Stars" and "Moon," and "Timmie Time," a wonderful swinging bop study performed by an all-female quintet. In addition to Mary Lou Williams at the piano the ensemble was composed of guitarist Mary Osborne, vibraphonist Marjorie Hyams, upright bassist Bea Taylor, and smart shuffle drummer Bridget O'Flynn. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    The Minute Man    2:03
Vocals – Josh White
2    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Froggy Bottom     2:52
3    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Carcinoma     3:38
4    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Song Is My Soul     3:00
5    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    This And That     2:38
6    Mary Lou Williams And Her Orchestra–    Lady Be Good     3:45
7    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Taurus     2:32
8    Mary Lou Williams–    Pisces     2:30
9    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Gemini     2:05
10    Mary Lou Williams–    Capricorn     2:52
11    Mary Lou Williams–    Sagittarius     1:48
12    Mary Lou Williams–    Aquarius    2:40
13    Mary Lou Williams–    Libra     2:08
14    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Virgo     2:43
15    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Aries     2:16
16    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Scorpio     3:09
17    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Cancer     2:35
18    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Leo     1:42
19    Mary Lou Williams–    Stars     2:44
20    Mary Lou Williams–    Moon     2:24
21    Mary Lou Williams–    Timmie Time     2:48
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Joe Evans (tracks: 3 to 6)
Bass – Al Lucas (tracks: 7, 9, 14 to 18), Bea Taylor (tracks: 21), Eddie Robinson (tracks: 3 to 6), Jimmy Butts (tracks: 1, 2)
Clarinet – Claude Greene (tracks: 3 to 6)
Drums – Bridget O'Flynn (tracks: 21), Denzil Best (tracks: 3 to 6), Eddie Dougherty (tracks: 1, 2), Jack Parker (tracks: 7, 9, 14 to 18)
Guitar – Mary Osborne (tracks: 21)
Piano – Mary Lou Williams
Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins (tracks: 3 to 6)
Trumpet – Bill Coleman (tracks: 1 to 6)
Vibraphone – Marjorie Hyams (tracks: 21) 

MARY LOU WILLIAMS – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1050 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Most of the musicians heard on this fourth installment in the Classics Mary Lou Williams chronology are women. During the second half of the 1940s, this was considered unusual and innovative. Female musicians, with the exception of carefully coiffed vocalists and the occasional pianist, were generally regarded by the public, by the entertainment industry, and by most male musicians as curious anomalies and were not taken very seriously. Mary Lou Williams always preferred to surround herself with musical minds possessing artistic acumen commensurate with her own highly developed musical intellect. The first four tracks were recorded for the Continental label in 1945 with guitarist Mary Osborne, bassist Bea Taylor, and percussionists Margie Hyams and Bridget O'Flynn, a fascinating duo who took turns either handling the vibraphone or the drums. This little group sounds perfectly up to date, pleasantly newfangled on "Rumba Rebop," a reference to that new style that in 1945 was already becoming known instead as bebop. "D.D.T." fairly bristles with angular modern changes. There is also a sweet vocal by Mary Osborne on "He's Funny That Way." Mary Lou Williams recorded six delightful piano solos for the Disc label on February 16, 1946. Taken in sequential order, they form a sort of self-portrait containing most every aspect of this artist's musical identity: her background as an indispensable component in Kansas City's thriving jazz scene; her genius as arranger for Andy Kirk, Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington; her vital participation in the emergence of early modern jazz -- all of this is reflected in her personal piano reveries. Nine titles recorded for Victor during the summer and autumn of 1946 constitute bop-inflected chamber jazz of the highest order. Included here are three fascinating experiments on boogie themes, a structure based on a theme by Dvorák, several original inventions, and another sentimental vocal from Mary Osborne. In 1947, ten males known as the Milton Orent-Frank Roth Orchestra recorded two very boppish sides for the Disc label under the direction of Williams, a big-band arrangement of her "Lonely Moments" and the catchy "Whistle Blues." Another session for Disc featured trumpeter Kenny Dorham, bassist Grachan Moncur II, and guitarist John H. Smith, Jr. On "Mary Lou," the men sing in unison: "Mary Lou -- we love you -- we thank you." The flip side, a harmonically advanced study entitled "Kool," is an example of Williams composing in a marvelously eccentric bop style worthy of Thelonious Monk. What a treat to hear Kenny Dorham in an intimate small-group setting at this stage of his career. This fascinating compilation closes with two sides recorded by an all-female quartet for the Mercury label late in 1947 but left unissued for some reason until many years later. Here, then, is an excellent survey of Mary Lou Williams' innovative musical accomplishments in the years immediately following the Second World War. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    Rumba Rebop 2:49
Written By – Wilson
2    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    Blues At Mary Lou's 2:49
Written-By – Feather
3    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    D.D.T. 2:48
Written-By – Feather
4    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    (She's) He's Funny That Way 2:49
Vocals – Mary Osborne
Written-By – Moret, Whiting
5    Mary Lou Williams–    How High The Moon 2:09
Written-By – Lewis
6    Mary Lou Williams–    The Man I Love 2:20
Written-By – Gershwin
7    Mary Lou Williams–    Cloudy / What's Your Story Morning Glory    2:15
8    Mary Lou Williams–    Blue Skies
Written-By – Berlin
9    Mary Lou Williams–    These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You 2:19
Written-By – Strackey
10    Mary Lou Williams–    Lonely Moments    2:26
11    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    Fifth Dimension    2:49
12    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    Harmony Grits    3:09
13    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    It Must Be True 3:03
Vocals – Mary Osborne
Written-By – Clifford, Arnheim, Barris
14    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    Boogie Misterioso    2:45
15    Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars–    Conversation (Jump Caprice) 2:47
Written-By – Feather
16    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Humoresque 2:38
Written-By – Dvorak
17    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Waltz Boogie    2:35
18    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    All God's Children Got Rhythm 2:42
Written-By – Kaper, Kahn, Jurmann
19    Mary Lou Williams Trio–    Hesitation Boogie    2:41
20    Milton Orent-Frank Roth Orchestra–    Lonely Moments    2:53
21    Milton Orent-Frank Roth Orchestra–    Whistle Blues    2:54
22    Mary Lou Williams–    Mary Lou 2:15
Written-By – Lyman, Wagner, Robinson
23    Mary Lou Williams–    Kool    2:41
24    Mary Lou Williams–    Just An Idea    3:05
25    Mary Lou Williams–    Just You, Just Me 3:04
Written-By – Greer, Klages
Credits :    
Bass – Bea Taylor (tracks: 1 to 4), Grachan Moncur (tracks: 22, 23), June Rotenberg (tracks: 11 to 19, 24, 25), Milton Orent (tracks: 20, 21)
Conductor – Mary Lou Williams (tracks: 20, 21)
Drums – Bridget O'Flynn (tracks: 3, 4, 16 to 19, 24, 25), Jack Parker (tracks: 20, 21), Margie Hyams (tracks: 1, 2), Rose Gottesman (tracks: 11 to 15)
Guitar – John H. Smith, Jr. (tracks: 22, 23), Mary Osborne (tracks: 1 to 4, 11 to 15, 24, 25)
Piano – Frank Roth (tracks: 20, 21), Mary Lou Williams (tracks: 1 to 19, 22 to 24)
Saxophone – Allan Feldman (tracks: 20, 21), Martin Glaser (2) (tracks: 20, 21), Maurice Lopez (tracks: 20, 21), Orlando "Musa Kalee" Wright (tracks: 20, 21)
Trumpet – Edward Sadowski (tracks: 20, 21), Irving Kusting (tracks: 20, 21), Kenny Dorham (tracks: 22, 23), Leon Schwartz (tracks: 20, 21)
Written-By – Williams (tracks: 7, 10 to 12, 14, 17, 19 to 21, 23, 24)

ETHEL WATERS – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1249 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ethel Waters recorded steadily between 1921-1940. By the early '40s she was so involved in acting that she was largely off records for several years. The titles included on 1946-1947 are, with the exception of a set from the late '50s, and a couple of religious-oriented albums in the '60s, Waters' last recordings. At the age of 50, Waters' voice was still in prime form as she shows on these three sessions. She is featured in a septet with trumpeter George Treadwell, guitarist Mary Osborne, and her longtime pianist Reginald Beane. In addition, there are two songs with Herman Chittison, and a dozen in which she is just accompanied by Beane. Among the many highlights are "Cabin in the Sky," "Am I Blue," "Careless Love," "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "St. Louis Blues." Not everything works, since the version of "Taking a Chance on Love" here is a bit erratic, and "Suppertime" is not too subtle, but overall this is a very rewarding set of the last known recordings of Ethel Waters during her most significant years. Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Taking a Chance on Love 2:59
Vernon Duke / John Latouche
2 Dinah 2:47 
Harry Akst / Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young
3 Man Wanted 3:06 
Leonard Feather
4 You Took My Man  2:49
Leonard Feather
5 Honey in a Hurry 2:56
Leonard Feather
6 Cabin in the Sky 3:00
Vernon Duke / John Latouche
7 Am I Blue 2:49
Harry Akst / Grant Clarke
8 I Shoulda Quit When I Was Ahead 2:46
Leonard Feather
9 Careless Love  3:06
W.C. Handy / Martha E. Koenig / Spencer Williams
10 Blues in My Heart 3:11
Benny Carter / Irving Mills
11 Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe 3:11
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
12 A Hundred Years from Today 3:00
Ned Washington / Joseph Young
13 Throw the Dirt 2:23
14 Summertime 3:05
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
15 Supper Time 3:14
Irving Berlin
16 Little Black Boy 3:17
Unknown Blues Band
17 It Is Only a Paper Moon  2:15
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
18 Can't Help Lovin' That Man 2:31
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
19  St. Louis Blues 2:21 
W.C. Handy
20  Travelin'   2:55
Unknown Blues Band
21 Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 3:13
Unknown Blues Band / Traditional
22 The Crucificxion 3:09
Unknown Blues Band
Credits:
Everett Barksdale – Guitar
Reginald Beane – Piano, Vocals
Herman Chittison – Piano, Vocals
Dicky Harris – Trombone
J.C. Heard – Drums
Al McKibbon  – Bass
Mary Osborne  –  Guitar
Ray Perry – Sax (Alto), Violin
Carlton Powell  – Bass
George Treadwell  – Trumpet, Vocals
Ethel Waters – Vocals

COLEMAN HAWKINS - 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 984 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Classics continues its excavation of Coleman Hawkins' career with this mid-'40s slice of "Bean" during the burgeoning bebop revolution. In fact, Hawkins made some of his best sides with a few of those beboppers, including "Cocktails for Two" and his own "Bean and the Boys"; the likes of J.J. Johnson, Fats Navarro, Max Roach, and Hank Jones are heard on these and two other sides here, with plenty more bop-centric dates on other roundups still to be had. Not really a good sampler or primer, 1946-1947 will make Hawkins' completists happy all the same. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     Say It Isn't So 2:59
Irving Berlin
2     Spotlite 3:05
Coleman Hawkins
3     Low Flame 3:06
Leonard Feather    
4     Allen's Alley 3:02     
Denzil Best    
5     Indiana Winter 2:27
Leonard Feather    
6     Indian Summer 3:10
Al Dubin / Victor Herbert    
7     Blow Me Down 2:52
Coleman Hawkins    
8     Buckin' the Blues 2:57
Leonard Feather    
9     Dixieland Stomp 2:33
feat: Chubby Jackson         
10     I Mean You 2:58     
Coleman Hawkins / Thelonious Monk
11     Bean and the Boys 2:40
Coleman Hawkins    
12     You Go to My Head 2:56
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie    
13     Cocktails for Two 3:00
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston    
14     The Old Songs 2:58
15     You Said Good-Bye 3:05     
16     Bean-A-Re-Bop 2:29
Coleman Hawkins / Hank Jones
17     Isn't It Romantic? 2:59
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
18     The Way You Look Tonight 2:43
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern    
19     Phantomesque 2:54
Coleman Hawkins    
20     How Did She Look? 3:00
Gladys Shelley / Abner Silver    
21     Under a Blanket of Blue 2:58
Jerry Livingston / Al J. Neiburg / Marty Symes    
22     Never in a Million Years 3:00
Mack Gordon / Harry Revel    
23     You Were Meant for Me 2:49
Nacio Herb Brown / Arthur Freed