MILES DAVIS QUINTET — Miles Smiles (1966) Three Version (1998, RM | Serie Columbia Jazz) + (2006, RM | Serie The Original Jacket Collection) + (2018, RM | SACD, Hybrid, | Ultradisc UHR, Original Master Recording 24-48.1Hz) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With their second album, Miles Smiles, the second Miles Davis Quintet really began to hit their stride, delving deeper into the more adventurous, exploratory side of their signature sound. This is clear as soon as "Orbits" comes crashing out the gate, but it's not just the fast, manic material that has an edge -- slower, quieter numbers are mercurial, not just in how they shift melodies and chords, but how the voicing and phrasing never settles into a comfortable groove. This is music that demands attention, never taking predictable paths or easy choices. Its greatest triumph is that it masks this adventurousness within music that is warm and accessible -- it just never acts that way. No matter how accessible this is, what's so utterly brilliant about it is that the group never brings it forth to the audience. They're playing for each other, pushing and prodding each other in an effort to discover new territory. As such, this crackles with vitality, sounding fresh decades after its release. And, like its predecessor, ESP, this freshness informs the writing as well, as the originals are memorable, yet open-ended and nervy, setting (and creating) standards for modern bop that were emulated well into the new century. Arguably, this quintet was never better than they are here, when all their strengths are in full bloom. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    Orbits    4:35
 Wayne Shorter
2    Circle    5:52
 Miles Davis
3    Footprints    9:44
 Wayne Shorter
4    Dolores    6:20
 Wayne Shorter
5    Freedom Jazz Dance    7:11
 Eddie Harris
6    Ginger Bread Boy    7:40
 Jimmy Heath
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Tony Williams
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax] – Wayne Shorter
Trumpet – Miles Davis

GIL EVANS — Columbia Jazz Profiles (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

CHARLIE PARKER – The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings Of Charlie Parker (1990) 7xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The packaging is impeccable, this seven-CD box set has a definitive 48-page booklet, and the recording quality is as good as possible, so why the "poor" rating? Dean Benedetti, a fanatical Charlie Parker disciple, recorded Bird extensively during three periods in 1947-1948 but did his best to turn off his wire recorder whenever anyone but Parker was soloing. He became legendary, as did his long lost acetates, and Mosaic has done what it could to make the excerpts coherent but the results
are still quite unlistenable. None of the performances on this large set are complete; guests such as Thelonious Monk and Carmen McRae are introduced, play, or sing two notes and then are cut off. And, although Parker seems to play well, these performances reveal no new secrets and add nothing to his legacy. Scott Yanow    Tracklist + Credits :

BENNY CARTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1946-1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1043 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Benny Carter, like Coleman Hawkins, spent the '40s rubbing shoulders with bebop's young Turks, while mostly maintaining the style he forged during the early jazz and swing years. Possibly, like Hawkins again, Carter's '30s stay in Europe opened him up to the progressive nature of jazz and the necessity of always taking advantage of the music's complexities and malleability. And while Carter didn't ape Charlie Parker's alto flights or become a fixture at Minton's Playhouse, he did head up some fine big bands that featured the likes of Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, J.J. Johnson, Max Roach, and Howard McGhee, to name a few bebop figures. This Classics discs takes in some of Carter's adventurous big band sides from 1946-1948, including a California outfit with Davis and Gerald Wilson. On the more traditional end, Carter is also heard with swing contemporaries like Buck Clayton and Ben Webster. A fine document of the fertile transition from swing to bebop. Stephen Cook     Tracklist + Credits : 

CHARLIE PARKER – 1945-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 980 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This features Bird's first solo sides: the legendary early Savoy and Dial sides. Although most of this material has been reissued ad nauseam in various packages and in varying fidelity, Classics gets all the BB's in the right holes, with great annotation and stellar transfers of the material. No alternate takes -- just the issued sides in that space of compressed genius between 1945 and early 1947. As such, a major document of jazz history. Cub Koda    Tracklist + Credits :

CHARLIE PARKER – 1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1000 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This second installment in the Classics Charlie Parker chronology contains quite a number of Bird's best-loved and most respected recordings. The first 12 tracks, recorded in New York for the Dial label in October and November of 1947, are all masterpieces of modern music, with the ballads, especially "Embraceable You," constituting some of Parker's very best recorded work. This is the classic 1947 quintet with Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, and Max Roach. Even if his personal life was characteristically chaotic, 1947 was a good year for Charlie Parker's music. It was in November 1947 that this band hit the road to play the El Sino Club on St. Antoine Boulevard in Detroit. Unfortunately, Bird got really snockered and couldn't perform, so the El Sino management canceled the gig. Bird ultimately destroyed his saxophone by throwing it out of a hotel window onto the street below. (A tragic and disturbing image!) Back in New York, the band -- now a sextet with the addition of trombonist J.J. Johnson -- made six more sides for Dial on December 17, 1947. Once again the quintet visited Detroit to make good on its broken contract with the El Sino, and this time the band's return engagement was a success. Miles Davis later remembered: "Bird played his ass off." Vocalist Betty Carter even sat in. While they were still in Detroit, producer Teddy Reig had "the Charlie Parker Quintette" make more records for the Savoy label. The four master takes heard here contain music that is still studied and cherished by musicians, poets, lovers, cultural historians, and devout listeners everywhere. arwulf arwulf                    Tracklist + Credits : 

CHARLIE PARKER – 1947-1949 | The Chronogical Classics – 1113 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Between December 1947 and November 1949, Charlie Parker realized an incredibly diverse body of work that makes this third installment in the Classics Charlie Parker chronology a serious candidate for "most excellent all-around sampler of Charlie Parker's music." Here's Bird sitting in with a big band arranged by Neal Hefti. Here's Bird in a more intimate setting with Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne. Here's Charlie Parker's All Stars, the band that played the Royal Roost during the autumn of 1948: Miles Davis, John Lewis, Curly Russell, and Max Roach. The session of September 18, 1948, was unusually fruitful. Each selection is strangely beautiful. "Parker's Mood" is Charlie Parker's ultimate statement on the blues, and should be used whenever someone needs a sample of this man's artistry. (See also Eddie Jefferson's vocal adaptation on James Moody's superb album Flute 'n the Blues.) The harmonically adventurous "Constellation" would reappear years later as Joseph Jarman's wonderfully liberating "Old Time South Side Street Dance." In December of 1948 (just days after Miles Davis quit the band) and January 1949, Charlie Parker sat in with Afro-Cuban mambo maestro Machito & His Orchestra. Two sessions from the spring of 1949 feature trumpeter Kenny Dorham and pianist Al Haig. This outstanding compilation closes with the first of the gorgeous and majestic Charlie Parker with Strings recordings. This is chamber music. "Just Friends" is best of all. If you listen to any of Bird's sessions with strings, let it be this one. arwulf arwulf    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 :

ILLINOIS JACQUET – 1946-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1019 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Unlike so many previous reissues, this portion of the Illinois Jacquet chronology places these historical sessions side by side rather than sorting them out by label. Bringing together the last of Jacquet's Aladdin and Apollo recordings in this way is illuminating, informative, and entertaining. Jacquet's Apollo All Stars octet that recorded in August 1946 had a fine front line in trumpeter Joe Newman, trombonist Trummy Young, and alto saxophonist Ray "King" Perry alongside Jacquet's powerful tenor, supported by John Simmons, Freddie Green, Bill Doggett, and the amazing Denzil Best. "Jumpin' at Apollo" and "12 Minutes to Go" are the obligatory cookers, tempered with the walking "Jacquet Bounce" and "She's Funny That Way," a cool addition to Jacquet's marvelous catalog of ballads. As part of a heat wave of postwar tenor saxophony, Illinois blazed his own trail through stylistic terrain also traversed by Wardell Gray and Lucky Thompson. Like everything heard on this disc, Jacquet's 16-piece Aladdin big-band session from January 1947 reflects the Count Basie experience in high relief. While the trumpet section -- fortified with Joe Newman, Fats Navarro, and Miles Davis -- makes this a formidable listening experience, the star of the upbeat numbers -- and, in a way, of every session for the remainder of this collection -- is master percussionist Shadow Wilson, who thunders and shakes on "Big Dog" and "Jivin' with Jack the Bellboy," a reference to an extroverted drum feature recorded in 1940 by Lionel Hampton. Anyone who is lucky enough to possess the original 78-rpm Aladdin recording of "Blow, Illinois, Blow" can testify to the excitement of hearing a tenor saxophone wailing in front of a nine-piece band, coming up through the surface noise of a rapidly rotating platter. Digitally cleansed, this track sounds stunningly immediate as the ensemble seems to surround the listener and gradually close in. "Illinois Blows the Blues" knocks the band down to tenor and rhythm for one of Jacquet's definitive statements on record, feeling at times almost like a duet with Sir Charles Thompson. Back with Apollo for the last time in May of 1947, Jacquet retained certain key players from his previous couple of dates. Mention must be made of Leo Parker's exceptionally fine baritone sax outbursts. Jacquet regularly engages in his signature high-pitched wailing, a sound that some critics disparage but most open-minded listeners will enjoy as a necessary optional response to everyday life in the 20th century. Sir Charles, who plays on all of the dates from April 1, 1947, onward, exerted a marvelous influence upon Mr. Jacquet. Exhibit A would be Thompson's "Robbin's Nest" -- the version heard here is an easygoing delight. "Jumpin' at the Woodside," on the other hand, is almost frightening in its intensity, largely on account of Parker's snarling baritone. As the saga of Illinois Jacquet enters into the autumn of 1947, J.J. Johnson fans will want to listen for the trombone during the final eight tracks on this exceptionally satisfying album of early modern jazz. arwulf arwulf         Tracklist :

BILLY ECKSTINE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1946-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1022 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Following up their excellent set of Billy Eckstine's 1944-1945 sides, Classics' has now brought together more of the bandleader's prime bebop-era material on this disc of 1946-1947 material. Once again, Eckstine is backed by some of the day's top players, namely Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, and Art Blakey. The highlights abound, including an update of Eckstine's early-'40s hit with the Earl Hines band, "The Jitney Man"; excellent readings of "Without a Song" and "In the Still of the Night"; and a riveting go at Dizzy Gillespie's bop classic, "Oo Bop Sh'bam." Presaging his subsequent fame as a grand ballad singer, the collection also features early orchestra cuts like "My Silent Love" and "All the Things You Are," all featuring the singer's lush baritone against some slightly cloying string charts. Finally, the show ends in intimate fashion, as Eckstine takes up the trombone -- don't worry, he sings too -- in a small combo featuring tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray. A pure delight. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist + Credits :

SARAH VAUGHAN – 1949-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1166 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This fourth installment in the Classics Sarah Vaughan chronology demonstrates her extraordinary versatility during the first stages of a fully blossoming artistic maturity. Four exquisite sides with the Joe Lipman Orchestra are followed by an MGM session in duet with crooner Billy Eckstine, backed by Lipman's Orchestra and strings. Given the fact that it was Eckstine who gave Vaughan her first break in showbiz, the pairing has a special charm. Aside from this MGM deviation, Vaughan was a Columbia recording artist during this time period. By far the best jazz on this disc was recorded on May 18 and 19, 1950, with accompaniment by pianist Jimmy Jones and his band. The front line of Miles Davis, Benny Golson, Budd Johnson, and Tony Scott, backed by the rhythm section of Jones, bassist Billy Taylor, J.C. Heard, and either Mundell Lowe or Freddie Green, matches the vocalist's every nuance to perfection. The combination of Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughan is a marvel not to be missed. There is some confusion between discographies regarding various brassy big band sides, as some tracks are credited both to the Norman Leyden Orchestra (with Bud Powell at the piano!) and to Mitch Miller & His Orchestra. Miller, of course, was no stranger to modern jazz, having also participated in some of Charlie Parker's With Strings sessions. Whoever actually headed the band, Sarah Vaughan's "Perdido" is delightful and invigorating. This interesting disc closes with a wild surprise in the form of "De Gas Pipe She's Leakin' Joe," a campy calypso spoof on the topic of suicide, so atypical of Sarah Vaughan that it could easily fool almost anyone in a blindfold test. The word again is "versatility." arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

TADD DAMERON – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1106 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although Tadd Dameron was a talented pianist, he never considered piano playing his strong point -- the bebopper was best known for his writing and arranging, and when he recorded as a leader (which wasn't all that often), Dameron was quite happy to let his sidemen take most of the solos. Dameron can hardly be accused of hogging the solo space on 1947-1949, a collection of small-group and big-band sides he recorded as a leader for Blue Note and Savoy, among others, from August 1947-April 1949. The material, most of it superb, falls into two main categories: hard-swinging bop instrumentals and romantic ballads featuring vocalists. On the instrumentals (which include "Our Delight," "Dameronia," "The Squirrel," "Lady Bird," and other Dameron originals), he features some of early bop's heavy-hitting soloists, including trumpeter Fats Navarro (a major influence on Clifford Brown), tenor saxman Wardell Gray, and alto saxman Ernie Henry (who, like Sonny Stitt, was a Charlie Parker disciple but not a clone). And Dameron's romantic side takes over when he features Kay Penton (a delightful though underexposed vocalist) on several ballads (including "What's New" and "Gone With the Wind") and employs the Billy Eckstine-influenced Kenny Hagood on "I Think I'll Go Away." Meanwhile, singer Rae Pearl (who later went by Rae Harrison) provides a wordless vocal on Dameron's dreamy "Casbah." Boasting some of Dameron's most essential work, this French release is recommended without hesitation to lovers of early bop. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist + Credits :

LENNIE TRISTANO - Requiem (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Towards the end of the 20th century, the Giants of Jazz reissue label came out with a series of compilations that paid tribute to the amazingly creative musical mind of Lennie Tristano. Requiem offers 13 tracks recorded in New York City between the years 1949 and 1955, beginning with a pair of piano solos (the gnarly overdubbed "Turkish Mambo" and the beautiful reflective blues "Requiem") along with two studies for trio involving bassist Peter Ind and drummer Jeff Morton. "East Thirty-Second" was named for the address of Tristano's home recording studio, where these first four titles were taped in 1954 and 1955. Tracks five through nine and track 11 were distilled from the first and fourth of a five-set marathon recording session that took place live in the Sing Song Room of the Confucius Restaurant on June 11, 1955 with saxophonist Lee Konitz, drummer Art Taylor and bassist Gene Ramey, whose eventful career traces a trajectory from Lester Young through Charlie Parker to Lennie Tristano. Originally released on the Atlantic label, these wonderfully cohesive and consistently inspired performances still convey the intimate immediacy of relaxed collective improvisation. "Sax of a Kind" was extracted from the Capitol recording session of May 16, 1949, with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh in front of Tristano, guitarist Billy Bauer, bassist Arnold Fishkin and drummer Denzil Best. For dessert the producers tacked on the short takes from the famous RCA Metronome All Stars date of January 3, 1949, stoked by a formidable 13-piece ensemble with a front line made up of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Charlie Ventura, J.J. Johnson, Buddy DeFranco and Ernie Caceres. Legend has it that Bird deliberately feigned befuddlement at Pete Rugolo's arrangement in order to stall for time and draw a few unionized "Overtime" dollars for himself and his 12 session mates. Tristano's "Victory Ball" helped to establish a modern tradition that was still bearing fruit when Anthony Braxton included it on his hatART album Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions 1989 for Warne Marsh. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     East Thirty-Second 4:31
Lennie Tristano
2     Turkish Mambo 3:29
Lennie Tristano
3     Requiem 4:51
Lennie Tristano
4     Line Up 3:31
Lennie Tristano
5     These Foolish Things 5:43
Harry Link / Holt Marvell / Jack Strachey
6     All the Things You Are 6:10
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
7     You Go to My Head 5:22
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie
8     I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You 6:03
Bing Crosby / Ned Washington / Victor Young
9     If I Had You 6:26
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Ted Shapiro
10     Sax of a Kind 5:11
Lennie Tristano
11     Confucius Blues 6:38
Lennie Tristano
12     Overtime 3:07
Pete Rugolo
13     Victory Ball 2:40
Lennie Tristano
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Parker (tracks: 12, 13), Lee Konitz (tracks: 5 to 11)
Baritone Saxophone – Ernie Caceres (tracks: 12, 13)
Bass – Eddie Safranski (tracks: 12, 13), Gene Ramey (tracks: 5 to 9, 11), Joe Shulman (tracks: 10), Peter Ind (tracks: 1, 4)
Clarinet – Buddy De Franco (tracks: 12, 13)
Drums – Arthur Taylor (tracks: 5 to 9, 11), Jeff Morton (tracks: 1, 4, 10), Shelly Manne (tracks: 12, 13), Unknown Artist (tracks: 2)
Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 10, 12, 13)
Orchestra – Metronome All Stars (tracks: 12, 13)
Piano – Lennie Tristano
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Ventura (tracks: 12, 13), Warne Marsh (tracks: 10)
Trombone – J.J. Johnson (tracks: 12, 13), Kai Winding (tracks: 12, 13)
Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie (tracks: 12, 13), Fats Navarro (tracks: 12, 13), Miles Davis (tracks: 12, 13)

BENNY CARTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1946-1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1043 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Benny Carter, like Coleman Hawkins, spent the '40s rubbing shoulders with bebop's young Turks, while mostly maintaining the style he forged during the early jazz and swing years. Possibly, like Hawkins again, Carter's '30s stay in Europe opened him up to the progressive nature of jazz and the necessity of always taking advantage of the music's complexities and malleability. And while Carter didn't ape Charlie Parker's alto flights or become a fixture at Minton's Playhouse, he did head up some fine big bands that featured the likes of Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, J.J. Johnson, Max Roach, and Howard McGhee, to name a few bebop figures. This Classics discs takes in some of Carter's adventurous big band sides from 1946-1948, including a California outfit with Davis and Gerald Wilson. On the more traditional end, Carter is also heard with swing contemporaries like Buck Clayton and Ben Webster. A fine document of the fertile transition from swing to bebop. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Melodrama In A V-Disc Record Room    3:30
2    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    I Can't Get Started    2:54
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
3    Kay Starr With Orchestra–    He's Funny That Way 2:43
Vocals – Kay Starr
Neil Moret / Richard A. Whiting
4    Benny Carter Quintet–    Moonglow    2:51
Eddie DeLange / Will Hudson / Irving Mills
5    Benny Carter Quintet–    Give Me Something To Remember You By    2:48
 Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
6    Benny Carter Quintet–    Lady Be Good    2:38
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
7    Benny Carter Quintet–    Deep Purple    3:11
Peter DeRose / Mitchell Parish
8    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Back Bay Boogie    5:17
 Benny Carter
9    Benny Carter And Orchestra–    Prelude To A Kiss    3:05
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
10    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Re-Bop Boogie    3:00
Benny Carter
11    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Twelve O'Clock Jump    2:54
Benny Carter
12    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Your Conscience Tells You So 2:37
Vocals – Lu Elliott
Benny Carter / Don Raye
13    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Mexican Hat Dance    2:53
Traditional
14    Benny Carter And His Chocolate Dandies–    Sweet Georgia Brown    2:36
Ben Bernie / Kenneth Casey / Maceo Pinkard
15    Benny Carter And His Chocolate Dandies–    Out Of My Way 3:01
Vocals – Sid Catlett
Big Sid Catlett / Tiny Grimes
16    Benny Carter And His Chocolate Dandies–    What'll Be    3:16
Ben Webster
17    Benny Carter And His Chocolate Dandies–    Cadillac Slim    3:03
Ben Webster
18    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Baby You're Mine For Keeps 2:40
Vocals – Emma Lou Welch
19    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    You'll Never Break My Heart Again 2:53
Vocals – Emma Lou Welch, The Enchanters
20    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Chilpanicingo 2:54
Vocals – Bob Decker, The Enchanters
21    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    An Old Love Story 2:59
Vocals – Emma Lou Welch, The Enchanters
22    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Reina (My Lovely Queen) 2:58
Vocals – Bob Decker, The Enchanters
23    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Let Us Drink A Toast Together 2:42
Vocals – The Enchanters
24    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    June Comes Around Every Year 3:07
Vocals – Larry Stewart
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
25    Benny Carter And His Orchestra–    Forever Blue    3:08
Benny Carter
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Jewell Grant (tracks: 24), Joe Epps (tracks: 25), Porter Kilbert (tracks: 24, 25)
Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Willard Brown (tracks: 1, 2, 8 to 13, 25)
Baritone Saxophone – John Taylor (tracks: 24)
Bass – Charles Drayton (tracks: 24), Dallas Bartley (tracks: 18 to 23), John Simmons (tracks: 14 to 17), Tommy Moultrie (tracks: 1 to 3, 8 to 13, 25), Unknown Artist (tracks: 4 to 7)
Drums – Henry Tucker (tracks: 18 to 23), Max Roach (tracks: 24), Percy Brice (tracks: 1 to 3, 8 to 13, 25), Sid Catlett (tracks: 14 to 17), Unknown Artist (tracks: 4 to 7)
Guitar – Herman Mitchell (tracks: 24), Jack Marshall (tracks: 18 to 23), James Cannady (tracks: 1 to 3, 8 to 13, 25), Unknown Artist (tracks: 4 to 7)
Piano – Cyril Haynes (tracks: 18 to 23), Rufus Webster (tracks: 24, 25), Sonny White (tracks: 1 to 17)
Tenor Saxophone – Ben Webster (tracks: 14 to 17), Bumps Myers (tracks: 1 to 3, 8 to 13, 18 to 25), Harold Clark (tracks: 24, 25)
Trombone – Al Grey (tracks: 1, 2, 8 to 17, 25), Alton Moore (tracks: 24, 25), Charles Johnson (tracks: 25), Clarence "Candy" Ross (tracks: 1, 2, 8 to 13), George Washington (tracks: 24), Henry Coker (tracks: 18 to 24), John Morris (tracks: 25), Louis Taylor (tracks: 24)
Trumpet – Buck Clayton (tracks: 14 to 17), Calvin Strickland (tracks: 1, 2), Emmett Berry (tracks: 24), Fred Trainer (tracks: 1, 2, 24), Gerald Wilson (tracks: 24), Leonard "Idris Sulieman" Graham (tracks: 25), Ira Pettiford (tracks: 1, 2, 8 to 13), Irving Lewis (tracks: 24), Lewis Botton (tracks: 25), Lew Obergh (tracks: 18 to 23), Louis Gray (tracks: 25), Miles Davis (tracks: 1, 2), Paul Cohen (tracks: 1, 2, 8 to 13, 24), Wallace Jones (tracks: 25), Walter Williams (tracks: 1, 2, 8 to 13)
Trumpet, Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Directed By – Benny Carter

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

COLEMAN HAWKINS - Hollywood Stampede (1945-1989) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Hawkins led one of his finest bands in 1945, a sextet with the fiery trumpeter Howard McGhee that fell somewhere between small-group swing and bebop. This CD contains all of that group's 12 recordings, including memorable versions of "Rifftide" and "Stuffy"; trombonist Vic Dickenson guests on four tracks. This CD concludes with one of Hawkins' rarest sessions, an Aladdin date from 1947 that finds the veteran tenor leading a septet that includes 20-year-old trumpeter Miles Davis. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     April in Paris 2'54
Vernon Duke / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
2     Rifftide 2'52
Coleman Hawkins
3     Stardust 3'11
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
4     Stuffy 3'00
Coleman Hawkins
5     Hollywood Stampede 3'07
Coleman Hawkins
6     I'm Through With Love 3'11
Gus Kahn / Fud Livingston / Matty Malneck
7     What Is There to Say? 3'17
Vernon Duke / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
8     Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away) 3'04
Harry Barris / Ted Koehler / Billy Moll
9     Too Much of a Good Thing 2'50
Coleman Hawkins
10     Bean Soup 3'04
Coleman Hawkins
11     Someone to Watch over Me 2'46
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
12     It's the Talk of the Town 3'04
Jerry Livingston / Al J. Neiburg / Marty Symes
13     Isn't It Romantic? 3'04
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
14     Bean-A-Re-Bop 2'30
Coleman Hawkins / Hank Jones
15     The Way You Look Tonight 2'46
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
16     Phantomesque 2'53
Coleman Hawkins
Credits :
Tracks 1-4: Los Angeles, February 23, 1945
Howard McGhee: t
Coleman Hawkins: ts
Sir Charles Thompson: p
Allan Reuss: g
Oscar Pettiford:b
Denzil Best: d
Tracks 5-8: Los Angeles, March 2, 1945
Same as above, except Vic Dickenson: tb is added.
"Rifftide" from the same session was unissued but a tape exists.
Tracks 9-12: Los Angeles, March 9, 1945
Same as tracks 1-4, except John Simmons replaces Pettiford.
Tracks 13-16: NYC, June, 1947
Miles Davis: t
Kai Winding: tb
Howard Johnson: as
Coleman Hawkins: ts
Hank Jones: p
Curly Russell: b
Max Roach: d
Digital transfers: Ron McMaster

BILL EVANS — Piano Player (1998) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although this 1998 CD may at first glance seem to be a reissue, all but three of the 11 selections had never been released before. The highly influential pianist Bill Evans is heard in five different settings. An unissued (and slightly earlier rendition) of the third section of George Russell's "All About Rosie" (a showcase for Evans with Russell's 14-piece orchestra) starts off the release. Next are the three previously issued but somewhat obscure numbers: a live rendition of "My Funny Valentine" with Miles Davis in 1958 (played by just a quartet) and two songs from a 1962 set headed by vibraphonist Dave Pike. For Piano Player, producer Orrin Keepnews discovered and released six long-lost selections from 1970: duets by Evans (who also plays a little bit of electric piano) and bassist Eddie Gomez that are strong enough to make one wonder why the projects was originally abandoned. Wrapping up the intriguing set is a trio number (with Evans, Gomez, and drummer Marty Morell) that is an alternate take left over from The Bill Evans Album. The pianist's fans will definitely want this consistently enjoyable CD. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1     All About Rosie 5:18
George Russell
2     My Funny Valentine 10:20
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3     Vierd Blues 5:58
Miles Davis
4     Besame Mucho 6:53
Sunny Skylar / Consuelo Velázquez
5     Mornin' Glory 6:43
Bobbie Gentry
6     Django 8:08
John Lewis
7     Waltz for Debby 5:13
Bill Evans / Gene Lees
8     T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune) 3:37
Bill Evans
9     Comrade Conrad 6:40
Bill Evans
10     Gone with the Wind 6:42
Herbert Magidson / Allie Wrubel
11     Fun Ride 6:37
Bill Evans
Credits :
Bass – Eddie Gomez (faixas: 6 to 11), Herbie Lewis (faixas: 3, 4), Paul Chambers (faixas: 2)
Drums – Jimmy Cobb (faixas: 2), Marty Morell (faixas: 11), Walter Perkins (faixas: 3, 4)
Electric Bass – Eddie Gomez (faixas: 5)
Electric Piano – Bill Evans (faixas: 5 to 10)
Leader, Trumpet – Miles Davis (faixas: 2)
Leader, Vibraphone – Dave Pike (faixas: 3, 4)
Orchestra – George Russell Orchestra (faixas: 1)
Piano – Bill Evans

MILES DAVIS - Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud (1957-2000) Jazz In Paris 3 / RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jazz and film noir are perfect bedfellows, as evidenced by the soundtrack of Louis Malle's Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Lift to the Scaffold). This dark and seductive tale is wonderfully accentuated by the late-'50s cool or bop music of Miles Davis, played with French jazzmen -- bassist Pierre Michelot, pianist René Urtreger, and tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen -- and American expatriate drummer Kenny Clarke. This recording evokes the sensual nature of a mysterious chanteuse and the contrasting scurrying rat race lifestyle of the times, when the popularity of the automobile, cigarettes, and the late-night bar scene were central figures. Davis had seen a screening of the movie prior to his making of this music, and knew exactly how to portray the smoky hazed or frantic scenes though sonic imagery, dictated by the trumpeter mainly in D-minor and C-seventh chords. Michelot is as important a figure as the trumpeter because he sets the tone, as on the stalking "Visite du Vigile." While the mood of the soundtrack is generally dour and somber, the group collectively picks up the pace exponentially on "Diner au Motel." At times the distinctive Davis trumpet style is echoed into dire straits or death wish motifs, as on "Generique" or "L'Assassinat de Carala," respectively. Clarke is his usual marvelous self, and listeners should pay close attention to the able Urtreger, by no means a virtuoso but a capable and flexible accompanist. This recording can stand proudly alongside Duke Ellington's music from Anatomy of a Murder and the soundtrack of Play Misty for Me as great achievements of artistic excellence in fusing dramatic scenes with equally compelling modern jazz music. by Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1    Générique    2:52
Miles Davis
2    L'Assassinat De Carala    2:12
Miles Davis
3    Sur L'Autoroute    2:21
Miles Davis
4    Julien Dans L'Ascenseur    2:13
Miles Davis
5    Florence Sur Les Champs-Élysées    2:53
Miles Davis
6    Dîner Au Motel    3:59
Miles Davis
7    Évasion De Julien    0:55
Miles Davis
8    Visite Du Vigile    2:05
Miles Davis
9    Au Bar Du Petit Bac    2:55
Miles Davis
10    Chez Le Photographe Du Motel    3:55
Miles Davis
Credits :
Double Bass – Pierre Michelot
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Piano – René Urtreger
Tenor Saxophone – Barney Wilen
Trumpet, Composed By – Miles Davis
Nota :
Original soundtrack of the Louis Malle's movie.
Reissue of the Fontana 10" LP 660 213.
Recorded December 4 and 5, 1957 at the Poste Parisien, Paris.
 

CHARLIE PARKER AND HIS ORCHESTRA - Swedish Schnapps (1952-2014) RM / MONO / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 

Musicians like to observe that for all his notoriety as the wellspring of bebop, Charlie "Bird" Parker's music was loaded with the blues. SWEDISH SCHNAPPS is as good a place as any to make that connection with Parker's music, including as it does two of his most enduring bop heads based on the blues, "Au Privave" and "Blues For Alice." While you wouldn't mistake either composition for a Muddy Waters tune, both relate Bird's off-kilter accents and serpentine melodicism at walking tempos that let you hear what's actually going by, instead of leaving you astonished but bemused. To really drive the point home, there's "K.C. Blues," which finds the altoist at his hollerin' best, and "Lover Man," certainly one of the bluesiest 32-bar standards around. allmusic

Tracklist:

1    Si Si 2:40 
Charlie Parker
2    Swedish Schnapps (Alternate Take) 3:15 
Charlie Parker / Charlie Shavers
3    Swedish Schnapps 3:12
Charlie Parker / Charlie Shavers
4    Back Home Blues (Alternate Take) 2:37

 Charlie Parker

5    Back Home Blues 2:48

 Charlie Parker

6    Lover Man 3:23 
Jimmie Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman

7    Blues For Alice  2:50    

 Charlie Parker

8    Au Privave (Alternate Take) 2:40  

 Charlie Parker

9    Au Privave 2:45    

 Charlie Parker

10    She Rote (Alternate Take) 3:10  

 Charlie Parker

11    She Rote 3:08      

Charlie Parker
12    K. C. Blues 3:26     

Charlie Parker
13    Star Eyes 3:38      
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
14    Segment 3:22    

Charlie Parker
15    Diverse 3:18    

Charlie Parker  
16    Passport (rare) 2:57    

  Charlie Parker
17    Passport (common) 2:58

 Charlie Parker

Personnel:

[# 1-7]

Charlie Parker - alto saxophone

Red Rodney - trumpet

John Lewis - piano

Ray Brown - bass

Kenny Clarke - drums

Recorded at RCA Victor's 24th Street Studios, 

New York City ; August 8, 1951

[# 8-13]

Charlie Parker - alto saxophone

Miles Davis - trumpet

Walter Bishop, Jr. - piano

Teddy Kotick - bass

Max Roach - drums

Recorded in New York City ; January 17, 1951

[# 14-17]

Charlie Parker - alto saxophone

Kenny Dorham - trumpet

Al Haig - piano

Tommy Potter - bass

Max Roach - drums

Recorded in New York City ; May 5, 1949

 

CANNONBAL ADDERLEY — Somethin' Else (1958-2013) RM | SHM-CD | BLUE NOTE MASTERWOKS Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Cannonball Adderley gave up his own band in 1957 when he had the opportunity to become a sideman in Miles Davis' epic ensemble with John Coltrane, eventually resulting in some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time (including Milestones and Kind of Blue). Davis returned the favor in March of 1958, appearing as a sideman on Adderley's all-star quintet date for Blue Note, and the resulting session is indeed Somethin' Else. Both horn players are at their peak of lyrical invention, crafting gorgeous, flowing blues lines on the title tune and "One for Daddy-O," as the rhythm team (Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey) creates a taut, focused groove (pianist Hank Jones' sly, intuitive orchestrations are studies of harmonic understatement). Adderley's lush, romantic improvisation on "Dancing in the Dark" is worthy of Charlie Parker or Johnny Hodges, while the band refurbishes "Autumn Leaves" and "Love for Sale" into cliché-free swingers. And "Alison's Uncle" puts a boppish coda on Somethin' Else, one of the most gloriously laid-back blowing sessions of the hard bop era. Rovi Staff
Tracklist :
1 Autumn Leaves 10:58
Written-By – Prevert, Kosma
2 Love For Sale 7:03
Written-By – Cole Porter
3 Somethin' Else 8:12
Written-By – Miles Davis
4 One For The Daddy-O 8:21
Written-By – Nat Adderley
5 Dancing In The Dark 4:04
Written-By – Schwartz - Dietz
- Bonus Tracks -
6 Bangoon 5:05
Written-By – Hank Jones
7 Autumn Leaves (Alt. Take) 9:33
Composed By – Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kosma
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Cannonball Adderley
Bass – Sam Jones
Drums – Art Blakey
Piano – Hank Jones
Trumpet – Miles Davis