CHET BAKER & BUD SHANK — Theme Music from "The James Dean Story" (1958-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

West coast cool purveyors Chet Baker (trumpet) and Bud Shank team up to provide the incidental soundtrack to The James Dean Story (1958). Granted, the biopic was presumably made to cash in on the actor's untimely demise, but movie buffs also recognize it as one of director Robert Altman's earliest features. The score was written by Leith Stevens, who had previously worked on Private Hell 36 (1954), The Wild One (1954), and the Oscar-winning sci-fi classic Destination Moon (1950). Those credentials may have gotten Stevens the gig, but his contributions remain somewhat of a double-edged sword. Neither Baker, Shank, nor any of the other post-bop luminaries in the makeshift ensemble are able to transcend or expound upon the arguably limiting melodies, such as the hopelessly dated and unintentionally kitschy "Hollywood." That shouldn't suggest that this title is a complete washout, thanks in part to another Tinsel Town-related maestro, Johnny Mandel, whose moody, exploratory "The Search" and understated noir of "Success and Then What?" stand as exemplary. One of Stevens' more affective selections is the ballad "Let Me Be Loved." Perhaps by design, it is noticeably reminiscent of Baker's unofficial theme song, "My Funny Valentine," and is easily the most poignant performance on the platter. Otherwise, the vast majority of the material is little more than ersatz-cool filler, bearing little distinction. From a historical perspective, this seems almost criminal, especially in light of the inordinate talent corralled for the project. Potential consumers and Baker enthusiasts should note that the 1958 Pacific Jazz long player did not include the rare vocal version of "Let Me Be Loved." Lindsay Planer 
Tracklist : 
1. Jimmy's Theme 2:49
 Leith Stevens 
2. The Search 4:44
 Leith Stevens  
3. Lost Love 3:35
 Leith Stevens 
4. People 3:32
 Bob Merrill / Leith Stevens / Jule Styne 
5. The Movie Star 3:32
 Leith Stevens 
6. Fairmont, Indiana 4:30
 Leith Stevens 
7. Rebel At Work 3:41
 Leith Stevens 
8. Success And Then What? 3:53
 Leith Stevens 
9. Let Me Be Loved 4:08
Written-By – Livingston-Evans
10. Hollywood 5:02
 Leith Stevens 
11. Let Me Be Loved (Vocal Version) 2:13
Vocals – Chet Baker
Written-By – J. Livingston / R. Evans
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 to 11), Herbie Steward
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Bud Shank (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 11)
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Bass – Monte Budwig
Bongos – Mike Pacheco (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Drums – Mel Lewis
Flute – Don Fagerquist (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Orchestrated By, Arranged By, Conductor – Bill Holman (tracks: 3 to 6, 9, 11), Johnny Mandel (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Piano – Claude Williamson
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Holman (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 11), Richie Kamuca (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Trombone – Milt Bernhart (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Trumpet – Chet Baker, Ray Linn (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 1

RAY BROWN — Bass Hit! (1958-1998) RM | Serie Verve Elite Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ray Brown's earliest date as a leader features him prominently in the solo spotlight with arrangements by Marty Paich. They collaborated on a swinging original blues, "Blues for Sylvia," and the snappy "Blues for Lorraine." The rest of the release concentrates on familiar standards, with the addition to the reissue of several complete and incomplete takes of "After You've Gone," which didn't appear on the original release. The supporting cast includes the cream of the crop of musicians living on the West Coast at the time: Jimmy Rowles, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Jimmy Giuffre among them. Out-of-print for a long time, this record was reissued in 1999, though as a limited-edition title in the Verve Elite series, so it will not remain available for long. Ken Dryden
Tracklist & Credits :

BILLY ECKSTINE – 1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1142 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By his own admission, Frank Sinatra owed a lot to Billy Eckstine and Al Hibbler, radically stylized singers with deep, honeyed voices. While some prefer Hibbler's more eccentric approach, Eckstine was the archetypal romantic postwar crooner, widely imitated during a period when the recording industry and the record-buying public became increasingly obsessed with star vocalists. Dozens of likely suspects, most famously Perry Como, Sinatra, and Eckstine, were soon able to cash in on this trend. In the case of Eckstine, who had earlier courted bankruptcy leading an exciting band fortified with such innovative jazz musicians as Fats Navarro, Gene Ammons, and Art Blakey, the commercial undertow eventually drew him off into a fluffy netherworld of increasingly jazzless pop music. An overview of his recording activities during the spring and summer of 1947 paints a slightly grim picture of this sugary embalming process. Although the seven-piece band backing him on four selections recorded in April of that year contained Sonny Criss, Wardell Gray, and a bassist by the name of Shifty Henry, the players are there solely to provide a cushion for Eckstine's epiglottal warbling. A few of the next eight tracks, with "vocal overdubbed on studio band," still retain some measure of authentic jazz levity, particularly Eckstine's own composition, simply titled "Blues." Yet the records he began making for the MGM label in May of 1947 are all too indicative of where a sizable portion of the music business was heading. Drenched in sentimental syrup, with Sonny Burke's orchestra augmented by a string section, these are mostly dreary torch songs, even if jazz elements still peek out from under the arrangements. Eight sides cut in July and August 1947 are swamped in the pop lagoon with Hugo Winterhalter's string-burdened 24-piece orchestra. It is good that Eckstine was able to experience some measure of financial security, but it's easy to see why Slim Gaillard so enjoyed parodying this overbearing confectionary combination of Hollywood production and Eckstine's relentless vibrato. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

ANITA O'DAY – 1945-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1274 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Classics volume on Anita O'Day covering 1945 through 1950 takes her through the first five years of her solo career -- after her breakout with Gene Krupa (and "Let Me Off Uptown"), but before the immense success of her Verve years. The only hit present is the bright novelty "Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip," but fortunately O'Day didn't record many castoffs then; instead, par for the course during the late '40s was her bluesy romp version of "What Is This Thing Called Love?," another Cole Porter tune recorded at the same session. Her sweetly swinging versions of "Them There Eyes" and "I Told Ya I Love You, Now Get Out" are excellent, and the backing includes high-caliber musicians Benny Carter, Dave Barbour, and pianist/arranger Ralph Burns. John Bush          Tracklist + Credits :

JIMMY MUNDY AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1200 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jimmy Mundy was a valuable arranger during the swing era, contributing important charts to many big bands, particularly those of Earl Hines, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie. He had a short-lived orchestra of his own in 1939, but it did not make much of an impression. This CD has all of the sessions that Mundy led during the period. He is heard on two numbers with a septet that is mostly taken from Earl Hines' 1937 band, including trumpeter Walter Fuller on vocals, trombonist Trummy Young, guest drummer Chick Webb, and Mundy himself on tenor. His four selections with his 1939 orchestra are here (clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, pianist Bill Doggett, and drummer Shadow Wilson are the only future names in the band), plus selections from three other ensembles from 1945-1947. Four numbers feature a novelty vocal group called the Ginger Snaps, one ensemble has trumpeter Ray Linn and Lucky Thompson on tenor, and four V-discs feature an all-star Los Angeles band with trumpeter Clyde Hurley, altoist Willie Smith, and Thompson. This formerly rare music should please swing fans. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :