ROLAND HANNA TRIO — Dream (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of Sir Roland Hanna's last recordings prior to his death at the end of 2002 was this session for the Japanese Venus label. With seven of the 12 songs incorporating the word "dream" in their titles, it seemed to be a fitting title for the CD. Hanna is joined by bassist Paul West and drummer Eddie Locke, kicking off with a rollicking take of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream." The pianist and the bassist trade lines throughout the lush introduction to the infrequently heard "Street of Dreams." The joyful interpretation of "This Time the Dream's on Me" (a favorite of Marian McPartland) and swinging treatment of "Dream" are also highlights. The "non-dream" tracks include a lullaby-like arrangement of "A Sleepin' Bee" and a toe-tapping "I Hear a Rhapsody." Highly recommended. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    When I Grow Too Old To Dream    4:52
 Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
2    Street Of Dreams    4:11
 Sam M. Lewis / Victor Young
3    You Stepped Out Of A Dream    5:58
 Nacio Herb Brown / Gus Kahn
4    Day Dream    6:33
 Duke Ellington / John Latouche / Billy Strayhorn
5    This Time The Dream's On Me    5:31
 Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
6    Skylark    4:27
 Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer
7    I Hear A Rhapsody    6:04
 Jack Baker / George Fragos / Dick Gasparre
8    Dream    5:07
 Johnny Mercer
9    So In Love    4:22
 Cole Porter
10    Dream Dancing    4:22
 Cole Porter
11    A Sleepin' Bee    4:53
 Harold Arlen / Truman Capote
12    You Do Something To Me    5:49
 Cole Porter
Credits :
Bass – Paul West
Drums – Eddie Locke
Piano – Roland Hanna

ELVIN JONES — Dear John C. (1965) Two Version (1990, RM | Serie Impulse! CD Collection II) + (2011, SACD Hybrid | Serie Impulse! Reissues) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second album by Elvin Jones as sole title rights leader (excluding the co-op ensemble that recorded the stunning and essential progressive jazz icon Illumination!) has the drummer sounding more like a backup musician, as he claims no compositional duties or noticeable solo space. In fact, this is one of the very best albums in the career of alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, who occupies the bulk of lead lines and improvising responsibilities. He's so up-front, and on an instrument that is not John Coltrane's main instrument -- the tenor sax -- that the title is also a bit of a misnomer. The value of Jones as a bandleader lies in his concept of using fellow Detroiter Sir Roland Hanna or brother Hank Jones on selected tracks, or in the case of three tracks, no pianist. Bassist Richard Davis rounds out this truly brilliant ensemble of burgeoning mid-'60s jazz stars, who play an enticing collection of standards, bop, compositions of Bob Hammer, and originals from several modern sources. A stone cold bebopper and Charlie Parker devotee at the time of this recording. Mariano is the standout performer. He swings easily but mightily on the title track paralleling Coltrane's "Milestones," stretches the Charles Mingus evergreen "Reincarnation of a Lovebird" (titled here as "Love Bird"), and pulls out all the stops with Hank Jones during an only slightly flawed (they miss two notes) version of the tricky "Anthropology." They tack a calypso beat onto Duke Ellington's "Fantazm" in a playful, modern dress, and stroll on the quirky Hammer composition "That Five-Four Bag" as an offshoot retort to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five." The three tracks sans piano include a walking version of "Everything Happens to Me"; the ballad "Smoke Rings," where the band excepting Mariano is relaxed; and Frank Sinatra's "This Love of Mine," where the emotive saxophonist dips into humor, even a bit ribald. The variety from cut to cut is engaging, and there's nothing over the top, even the drumming of Elvin Jones. With the musicality at a high level, Dear John C. needs revisiting by drumming students and jazz fans to note how teamwork, shared values, and held-in-check dynamics benefit the overall quality of music. It seems this recording is underrated when over time it should never be. Dear John C. is deserving of an excellent rating. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1    Dear John C. 3:54
Composed By – Bob Hammer, Bob Thiele
2    Smoke Rings 3:39
Composed By – H. Eugene Gifford, Ned Washington
3    Love Bird 3:46
Composed By – Charles Mingus
4    Feeling Good 4:04
Composed By – Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse
5    Anthropology 4:10
Composed By – Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
6    This Love Of Mine 4:20
Composed By – Frank Sinatra, Hank Sanicola, Sol Parker
7    Fantazm 3:55
Composed By – Duke Ellington
8    Ballade 5:17
Composed By – Bob Hammer
9    Everything Happens To Me 5:48
Composed By – Matt Dennis, Tom Adair
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano
Bass – Richard Davis
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Hank Jones, Roland Hanna

RON CARTER — All Blues (1973-2011) RM | CTI Records 40th Anniversary Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

One of bassist Ron Carter's better albums as a leader, this CTI LP features a very compact quartet comprised of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Roland Hanna (keyboardist Richard Tee sits in on one number), drummer Billy Cobham and Carter. All of the music (even the ballad "Will You Still Be Mine?") has a blues feeling although several are not really blues. However, the quality of the solos is high, and this date lives up to one's expectations. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    A Feeling 3:20
Written-By – Ron Carter
2    Light Blue 6:43
Written-By – Ron Carter
3    117 Special 7:02
Written-By – Ron Carter
4    Rufus 5:10
Written-By – Ron Carter
5    All Blues 9:31
Written-By – Miles Davis
6    Will You Still Be Mine 3:56
Written-By – Matt Dennis, Tom Adair
Credits :
Ron Carter - Acoustic and Piccolo Bass
Roland Hanna - Piano
Richard Tee - Electric Piano (#3)
Billy Cobham - Drums and Percussion
Joe Henderson - Tenor Saxophone

RON CARTER — Spanish Blue (1975-1988) RM | Serie The Original CTI Recordings Digitally Remastered For Compact Disc | APE (image+.cue), lossless

 Interesting concept with good solos by Carter and Hubert Laws (fl). Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1    El Noche Sol 5:56
Written-By – Ron Carter
2    So What 11:24
Written-By – Miles Davis
3    Sabado Sombrero 6:14
Written-By – Ron Carter
4    Arkansas 10:33
Written-By – Ron Carter
Credits :
Ron Carter - Bass
Hubert Laws - Flute
Roland Hanna - Electric Piano, Piano (tracks 1-3)
Leon Pendarvis - Electric Piano (track 4)
Jay Berliner - Guitar (track 3)
Billy Cobham - Drums, Field Drum
Ralph MacDonald - Percussion

BENNY CARTER - In the Mood for Swing (1988) APE (image+.cue), lossless

All 11 of the songs are somewhat obscure and therefore fresh Carter compositions ("Summer Serenade" is perhaps the best-known) and Dizzy Gillespie sits in with the group for three songs. But even with Gillespie, guitarist Howard Alden and pianist Roland Hanna, the solo star throughout is the ageless Benny Carter, who at the age of 80 still seemed to be improving. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     I'm in the Mood for Swing 6:48
Benny Carter / Spencer Williams
2     Another Time, Another Place 6:18
Benny Carter    
3     The Courtship 4:33
Benny Carter    
4     Rock Me to Sleep 5:12
Benny Carter
5     Janel 5:25
Benny Carter    
6     The Romp 5:46
Benny Carter
7     Summer Serenade 4:55
Benny Carter
8     Not So Blue 7:21
Benny Carter
9     You, Only You 6:39
Benny Carter
10     Blue Moonlight 6:06
Benny Carter
11     South Side Samba 6:43
Benny Carter
Credits :
Bass – George Mraz
Drums – Louis Bellson
Guitar – Howard Alden (pistas: 1, 3, 5 to 8, 11)
Piano – Roland Hanna
Saxophone, Composed By – Benny Carter
Trumpet [Special Guest] – Dizzy Gillespie (pistas: 2, 8, 11)

THE HEATH BROTHERS - As We Were Saying (1997) FLAC (tracks), lossless

During the Modern Jazz Quartet's temporary retirement from 1975-83, bassist Percy Heath teamed up with tenor and soprano great Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath (who left after a few years) to form the Heath Brothers. There had been occasional reunions since then, but this is the first record done under the Heath Brothers name in over a decade, and it finds the musical communication between the three siblings as strong as ever. Joined by either Stanley Cowell or Sir Roland Hanna on piano and such guests as guitarist Mark Elf, trombonist Slide Hampton, trumpeter Jon Faddis (brilliant during his three appearances) and percussionist James Mtume (Jimmy's son), the Heaths perform a varied yet continually colorful set. The music is largely bop-oriented and includes six likable originals, "I'm Glad There Is You," "Daydream," and Fats Navarro's "Nostalgia." Although Percy has some solo spots, as do the guests, the main voice throughout is Jimmy Heath, who has long had his own distinctive sounds on tenor and soprano. Without exaggeration, it can be accurately stated that all nine performances on this CD are memorable in their own way. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1     The Newest One 6'18
Jimmy Heath
2     Bop Again 7'13
Jimmy Heath
3     For Seven's Sake 4'47
Albert "Tootie" Heath
4     South Filthy 3'29
Albert "Tootie" Heath / Jimmy Heath / Percy Heath
5     I'm Glad There Is You 7'38
Jimmy Dorsey / Paul Mertz
6     Dave's Daze 6'06
Percy Heath
7     Day Dream 6'46
Duke Ellington / John Latouche / Billy Strayhorn
8     Nostalgia 8'20
Fats Navarro
9     This Is What It Is 8'18
Jimmy Heath
Credits
Acoustic Bass, Cello [Jazz Cello] – Percy Heath
Drums, Percussion – Albert "Tootie" Heath
Guitar – Mark Elf (pistas: 1, 2, 3, 6)
Percussion – James Mtume (pistas: 4)
Piano – Sir Roland Hanna (pistas: 1, 6, 7, 9)
Piano, Kalimba – Stanley Cowell (pistas: 2, 3, 5)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Jimmy Heath
Trombone – Slide Hampton (pistas: 1, 8, 9)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jon Faddis (pistas: 1, 8, 9)

EDDIE 'LOCKJAW' DAVIS WITH PAUL GONSALVES - Love Calls (1967) lp | 24bits-96hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Paul Gonsalves (ts) matches fours and spirit with Davis. Ron Wynn
Side A
A1    Love Is Here To Stay
A2    When Sunny Gets Blue
A3    If I Ruled The World
A4    Time After Time
A5    Just Friends
A6    Don't Blame Me
Side B
B1    I Should Care
B2    The Man With The Horn
B3    We'll Be Together Again
B4    A Weaver Of Dreams
B5    If I Should Lose You
Credits:
Double Bass – Ben Tucker
Drums – Grady Tate
Guitar – Everett Barksdale
Piano – Roland Hanna
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Paul Gonsalves

JIM HALL - Concierto (1975-2003) RM / SACD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Jim Hall is the sort of musician who displays such technical expertise, imaginative conception, and elegance of line and phrase that almost any recording of his is worth hearing. Still, Concierto ranks among the best albums of his superb catalog. For starters, the personnel here is a jazz lover's dream come true. Paul Desmond (saxophone), Chet Baker (trumpet), Roland Hanna (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Steve Gadd (drums) are on board, creating -- along with Hall -- one of the highest profile lineups ever put to tape. Yet Concierto is not about star power and showboating. As subtle, nuanced, and considered as any of Hall's output, the ensemble playing here demonstrates great group sensitivity and interplay, giving precedence to mood and atmosphere over powerhouse soloing. Conductor and arranger Don Sebesky evinces a chamber ambience from the sextet on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," the smoky "The Answer Is Yes," and the Hall centerpiece "Concierto de Aranjuez." by Anthony Tognazzini
Tracklist:
1    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To 7:05
Written-By – Cole Porter
2    Two's Blues 3:50
Written-By – Jim Hall
3    The Answer Is Yes 7:35
Written-By – Jane Hall
4    Concierto De Aranjuez 19:20
Written-By – Joaquin Rodrigo
- Bonus Tracks -
5    Rock Skippin' 6:11
Written-By – Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington
6    Unfinished Business (La Paloma Azul) 4:40
Written-By – Carlos Chávez, Johnny Andrews
7    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Alternate Take) 7:26
8    The Answer Is Yes (Alternate Take)    5:34
9    Rock Skippin' (Alternate Take)    6:06
Credits:
Adapted By – Don Sebesky (tracks: 4)
Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond
Arranged By – Don Sebesky
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Steve Gadd
Guitar – Jim Hall
Piano – Roland Hanna
Producer – Creed Taylor
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Trumpet – Chet Baker

STANLEY TURRENTINE - Look of Love (1968-2014) RM / BLUE NOTE MASTERWORKS / SHM-CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With its mix of pop covers and jazz material, The Look of Love could be considered a typical Turrentine album from the late '60s. What sets this and a few other of his Blue Note titles apart, though, are the full yet tasteful string and band arrangements by jazz flügelhorn player and composer Thad Jones. With his flexible phrasing and muscular tone, Turrentine dives into the lush arrangements, especially on the sweeping rendition of Burt Bacharach's "Look of Love." Other pop selections bring mixed results: The plodding arrangement on "McArthur Park" garners a lukewarm response from Turrentine, while the tender settings for "Emily" and another Bacharach number, "This Guy's in Love With You," elicit the kind of velvety vaporous tone and sincere romantic phrasing Turrentine usually killed with on ballads. More upbeat, straight-ahead material like "A Beautiful Friendship" and the blues swinger "Blues for Stan" keep the date well balanced and set the table for some masterful Turrentine solos. Again, special mention should be made of Thad Jones who, along with Oliver Nelson (Nancy Wilson's Welcome to My Love in particular) and Duke Pearson, supplanted the usual syrupy arrangements found on "cross-over" dates with intelligent, complimentary charts. Turrentine certainly appreciated it, as evidenced by his strong work here. Purists who usually cringe at late-'60s jazz dates like this (yes, there is a Beatles cover here) might be pleasantly surprised. For those who feel Bacharach and Jimmy Webb provide fine material for jazz, then The Look of Love is a must. by Stephen Cook  
Tracklist:.
1 The Look of Love 4:25
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
2 Here, There and Everywhere 3:35
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
3 A Beautiful Friendship 3:18
Donald Kahn / Stanley Styne
4 Blues for Stan 5:55
Stanley Turrentine
5 This Guy's in Love With You 2:34
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
6 MacArthur Park 4:39
Jimmy Webb
7 I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco 2:22
Tommy Wolf
8 Emily 3:20
Johnny Mandel / Johnny Mercer
9 Cabin in the Sky 3:40
Vernon Duke / John La Touche
10 Smile 4:05
Charlie Chaplin 
Credits:
Arranged By – Duke Pearson, Thad Jones
Bass – George Duvivier
Bass Trombone – Benny Powell
Drums – Grady Tate (tracks: 1, 3 to 5, 7, 8, 10), Mickey Roker (tracks: 2, 6, 9)
Flugelhorn – Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young
French Horn – Jim Buffington
Guitar – Kenny Burrell (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 10)
Piano – Duke Pearson (tracks: 1), Hank Jones (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 8, 10), Roland Hanna (tracks: 2, 6, 9)
Producer – Duke Pearson
Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine

EDDIE DANIELS - First Prize! [1966] PRESTIGE / OJC / FLAC

 When one hears this early Eddie Daniels set, it is surprising to realize that he would remain in relative obscurity for almost another 20 years. As shown on the three of the eight selections on which he plays clarinet, Daniels even at this early stage ranked near the top, while his tenor playing on the remaining numbers was already personal and virtuosic. With the assistance of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis rhythm section of the time (pianist Roland Hanna, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Mel Lewis), Daniels is in top form on three standards, four originals and the pop tune "Spanish Flea."  by Scott Yanow
Track Listing
1 Felicidade 9:48
 2 That Waltz 6:56
 3 Falling in Love with Love 4:40
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
 4 Love's Long Journey 2:05
 5 Time Marches On 4:05
 6 The Spanish Flea 4:50
 7 The Rocker 3:37
 8 How Deep Is the Ocean? 10:41
Irving Berlin

 Credits

Bass – Richard Davis 

Drums – Mel Lewis

Piano – Roland Hanna

Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Eddie Daniels

EDDIE DANIELS - First Prize! 

[1966] PRESTIGE / OJC / FLAC / SCAN

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