BASIE | BENNETT — Count Basie And His Orchestra Swings, Tony Bennett Sings (1959-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Roulette half of the two Bennett/Basie sessions is a band singer's paradise, with the Basie band caught at a robust and swinging peak and Bennett never sounding happier or looser in front of a microphone. The Count himself, alas, appears on piano only on two numbers ("Life Is a Song" and "Jeepers Creepers"), while Bennett's perennial pianist Ralph Sharon takes over on the remaining ten tracks and does all the charts. Yet Sharon writes idiomatically for the Count's style, whether on frantic rave-ups like "With Plenty of Money and You" and "Strike Up the Band" or relaxed swingers like "Chicago." Though not a jazz singer per se, the flavor of jazz is everywhere in Bennett's voice, which in those days soared like a trumpet. The 1990 CD included an atmospheric unissued Neal Hefti ballad "After Supper," but even this bonus track does little to extend the skimpy playing time (about 31 minutes) of what is still a great, desirable snapshot from American showbiz of the late 1950s. Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    Life Is A Song 2:55
Written By – Fred Ahlert, Joe Young
2    Plenty Of Money 1:35
Written By – Al Dubin, Harry Warren
3    Jeepers Creepers 2:09
Written By – Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer
4    Are You Havin' Any Fun 2:48
Written By – Jack Yellen, Sammy Fain
5    Anything Goes 2:21
Written By – Cole Porter
6    Strike Up The Band 1:34
Written By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
7    Chicago 2:08
Written By – Fred Fisher
8    I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face 3:04
Written By – Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Lowe
9    Poor Little Rich Girl 3:33
Written By – Noel Coward
10    Growing Pains 3:36
Written By – Arthur Schwartz, Dorothy Fields
11    I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans 1:45
Written By – Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
12    After Supper 3:36
Written By – Neil Hefti
Credits :
Arranged By – Ralph Sharon
Baritone Saxophone – Charlie Fowlkes
Bass – Eddie Jones
Drums – Sonny Payne
Guitar – Freddie Green
Piano – Count Basie (tracks: 1, 3), Ralph Sharon (tracks: 2, 4 to 12)
Tenor Saxophone – Billy Mitchell
Trombone – Al Grey, Benny Powell, Henry Coker
Trumpet – Joe Newman, Snooky Young, Thad Jones, Wendell Culley
Vocals – Tony Bennett

LOUIS ARMSTRONG & DUKE ELLINGTON — The Great Summit Complete Sessions (1961-2000) RM | 2CD Deluxe Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were (and are) two of the main stems of jazz. Any way you look at it, just about everything that's ever happened in this music leads directly -- or indirectly -- back to them. Both men were born on the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries, and each became established as a leader during the middle '20s. Although their paths had crossed from time to time over the years, nobody in the entertainment industry had ever managed to get Armstrong and Ellington into a recording studio to make an album together. On April 3, 1961, producer Bob Thiele achieved what should be regarded as one of his greatest accomplishments; he organized and supervised a seven-and-a-half-hour session at RCA Victor's Studio One on East 24th Street in Manhattan, using a sextet combining Duke Ellington with Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars. This group included ex-Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard, ex-Jimmie Lunceford swing-to-bop trombonist Trummy Young, bassist Mort Herbert, and drummer Danny Barcelona. A second session took place during the afternoon of the following day. The music resulting from Thiele's inspired experiment is outstanding and utterly essential. That means everybody ought to hear this album at least once, and many will want to hear it again and again all the way through, for this is one of the most intriguing confluences in all of recorded jazz. Armstrong blew his horn with authority and sang beautifully and robustly. "Azalea" is a harmonically pixilated melody with complicated, peculiarly rhymed lyrics composed by Duke many years earlier with Armstrong in mind. Other highlights include the bluesy "I'm Just a Lucky So and So," a smoking hot, scat-laden rendition of "Cotton Tail," and "The Beautiful American," a marvelously modern exercise composed on the spot by Ellington that leaves one with the curious impression that Armstrong has just finished sitting in with Charles Mingus. It's also a premonition of the Ellington/Mingus/Roach Money Jungle session that would take place the following year. Since Thiele had "borrowed" Ellington from Columbia without permission, Roulette compensated by "lending" Count Basie & His Orchestra for the big-band blowout album entitled First Time! The Count Meets the Duke. The Armstrong/Ellington master takes were originally issued on two long-playing records; Together for the First Time came out on Roulette in 1961 and The Great Reunion appeared in 1963. Both albums later resurfaced as a Roulette LP two-fer entitled The Duke Ellington/Louis Armstrong Years. This material is also available in a Roulette Jazz Deluxe Edition with The Making of The Great Summit, a fascinating supplementary disc containing an hour's worth of rehearsals, conversations, and alternate takes. Those who truly love and respect Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington will want to obtain, absorb, study, and cherish the Deluxe Edition of The Great Summit. arwulf arwulf
The Great Summit | The Master Takes    
1    Duke's Place    5:00
 Duke Ellington / Bob Katz / Bob Thiele
2    I'm Just A Lucky So And So    3:06
 Mack David / Duke Ellington
3    Cottontail    3:39
 Duke Ellington
4    Mood Indigo    3:54
 Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
5    Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me    2:34
 Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
6    The Beautiful American    3:05
 Duke Ellington
7    Black And Tan Fantasy    3:57
 Duke Ellington / Bubber Miley
8    Drop Me Off In Harlem    3:46
 Duke Ellington / Nick A. Kenny
9    The Mooche    3:36
 Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
10    In A Mellow Tone    3:45
 Duke Ellington / Milt Gabler
11    It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)    3:56
 Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
12    Solitude    4:52
 Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
13    Don't Get Around Much Anymore    3:29
 Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
14    I'm Beginning To See The Light    3:34
 Duke Ellington / Don George / Johnny Hodges / Harry James
15    Just Squeeze Me    3:56
 Duke Ellington / Lee Gaines
16    I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)    5:28
 Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster
17    Azalea    5:01
 Duke Ellington
The Making Of The Great Summit    
1 In A Mellow Tone    4:15
      a. warm-up
      b. take one - complete take
2 I'm Beginning To See The Light   6:56
      a. take one - false start
      b. take four - two false starts
      c. take five- complete take
      d. take six - conversation, false start
      e. take seven -long false start
3 Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me    5:42
      a. take one - rehearsal, working out arrangement
      b. take two - discussion, complete take
      c. take three false start
4 Don't Get Around Much Anymore    10:43
      a. take two - breakdown
      b. take three breakdown
      c. take four - discussion, false start
      d. take five - complete take
      e. discussion and rehearsal of ending
5. Duke's Place    4:18
      take five - Lucky Roberts intro, complete take
6 Drop Me Off In Harlem    4:57
      take two - complete take
7 I'm Just A Lucky So And So    4:37
      a. conversation
      b. take one - false start
      c. take two - complete take,discussion
8. Azalea    8:05
      a. take eight - discussion, false start
      b. take nine - false start
      c. take ten - complete in two sections
9. Black and Tan Fantasy   7:13
      a. take three - false start
      b. conversation leading to take four
      c. take five - false start
      d. take six - complete take
      (this ending was usedwith take 4 as the master)
10 Band Discussion on Cottontail    1:08
Credits :
Bass – Mort Herbert
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Drums – Danny Barcelona
Piano – Duke Ellington
Trombone – Trummy Young
Trumpet, Vocals – Louis Armstrong

HANK MOBLEY | BILLY ROOT | CURTIS FULLER | LEE MORGAN - Another Monday Night At Birdland (1959-2016) SHM-CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    It's You Or No One 8:45
Written-By – J. Styne, S. Cahn
2    Jamph 11:05
Written-By – Curtis Fuller
3    Nutville 10:17
Written-By – Lee Morgan
4    Wee 11:27
Written-By – Denzil Best
Credits :
Bass – Tommy Bryant
Drums – "Specs" Wright
Piano – Ray Bryant
Tenor Saxophone – Billy Root, Hank Mobley
Trombone – Curtis Fuller
Trumpet – Lee Morgan

CORA LEE DAY - My Crying Hour (1960) M4A (tracks) lossless / lp / MONO [16bits 44.1khz]

Cora Lee Day (1914-1996) was virtually unknown when she recorded 'My Crying Hour' in 1960, the only album in her brief singing career, before becoming an actress. She bore a striking vocal resemblance to another legendary “Day,” the immortal “Lady Day” —Billie Holiday— but her voice still has that certain intangible quality that singles her out as a rare-find on the jazz scene and is sure to catch your ear. Under the direction of pianist Jimmy Jones and with a number of skillful arrangements, Cora Lee gained the drive and confidence to sing an engaging repertoire of fragile, moving songs in the manner that came most natural to her —soft and intimate. freshsoundrecords.
Tracklist :
1- My Crying Hour 3:47
(Sonny LeGlaire)
2- When Your Lover has Gone 3:01
(E.A.Swan)
3- Trouble is a Man 3:03
(Alec Wilder)
4- The Very Thought of You 3:17
(Ray Noble)
5- I See a Million People 3:32
(Robert Sour)
6- Ain't no Use 3:10
(Wyche-Kirkland)
7- It isn't Fair 2:38
(Warshauer-Sprigato-Himber)
8- You Taught Me How to Cry 3:31
(E.Johnson)
9- Weeping Willow 3:05
(Zola Garrett)
10- Try a Little Tenderness 3:21
(Woods-Campbell-Connelly)
11- I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of my Life 3:30
(Coleman-McCarthy)
12- The Masquerade is Over 3:16
(Magidson-Wrubel)
Credits:
Cora Lee Day, vocals
Accompanied by Sextet & Orchestra conducted by Jimmy Jones
Sextet (#2,3,6,7,9,10,12): Harry Edison, trumpet; Illinois Jacquet, tenor sax; Jimmy Jones, piano, Barry Galbraith, guitar; Eddie Jones, bass; Osie Johnson, drums.
Orchestra (#1,5,8,11): Arrangements by Jerry Valentine.
Recorded in New York City, June 1960

JERI SOUTHERN - Southern Breeze (1958-1989) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

One mark of a great jazz vocalist is the material she picks. Jeri Southern was one of the great students of jazz-era song, and the material she chose for Southern Breeze is strong in two ways -- they're not only great songs, but they're great for her. Never blessed with a strong voice, Southern instead realized the artistic advantages those qualities brought, and often chose torch songs or unlucky-in-love songs that accentuated her seeming weaknesses and everywoman qualities. With charts from arranger genius Marty Paich, Southern opens on a high note, the glib "Down with Love." Yet to come are happy yet forlorn choices "Who Wants to Fall in Love" and "Because He Reminds Me of You" -- Southern even finds the catch in "Crazy He Calls Me." And in true West Coast fashion, the music features brass that swings lightly and a dynamic range that frequently plumbs the depths (including tuba and baritone sax), all possible thanks to Paich's charts and able musicians including Georgie Auld, Don Fagerquist, and Bob Enevoldsen. Upbeat standards get their chance to shine as well -- "Ridin' High," "I Like the Likes of You" -- but most of Southern Breeze is gloriously melancholy. by John Bush
Tracklist :
1    Down with Love 3:14
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
2    Crazy He Calls Me 3:49
Bob Russell / Carl Sigman
3    Lazy Bones 3:07
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer
4    Who Wants to Fall in Love 3:17
Bart Howard
5    Then I'll Be Tired of You 3:50
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Arthur Schwartz
6    Ridin' High 2:24
Cole Porter
7    Because He Reminds Me of You 3:16
Mack Gordon / Harry Revel
8    Porgy 3:37
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
9    Are These Really Mine 3:43
Robert Cook / David Saxon / Sunny Skylar
10    Isn't This a Lovely Day 3:01
Irving Berlin
11    Warm Kiss 2:58
Doris Fisher
12    I Like the Likes of You 2:55
Vernon Duke / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Herb Geller
Arranged By, Conductor – Marty Paich
Baritone Saxophone – Jack Dulong
Bass – Bud Clark
Drums – Mel Lewis
French Horn – Vince De Rosa
Guitar – Bill Pittman
Tenor Saxophone – Georgie Auld
Trumpet – Don Fagerquist, Frank Beach
Tuba – John Kitzmiller
Valve Trombone – Bob Enevoldsen
Vocals – Jeri Southern

ANNE PHILLIPS - Born To Be Blue (1959-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

When she returned to an own-name recording session in 2000, it was her songs that demonstrated vividly how attuned she is to the great qualities of American popular song. All are gems, which deserve a place in the repertoires of all singers who admire music of quality. She has arranged and/or produced recording sessions by Kindred (That Kindred Spirit and Hidden Treasures). A fluid, melodious voice allied to intelligent reading of lyrics makes Phillips one of the outstanding performers of popular song of her day. by AllMusic
Tracklist :
1 Lonelyville  2:47
Walter Marks
2 I've Got to Pass Your House to Get to Mine 2:35
Lew Brown 
3 A Stranger in Town 3:12 
Mel Tormé
4 I Don't Want to Walk Without You 3:51 
Frank Loesser / Jule Styne
5 There Will Never Be Another You 1:51  
Irving Gordon / Harry Warren
6 When Sunny Gets Blue 3:02 
Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal
7 Born to Be Blue 3:33 
Mel Tormé / R. Wells
8 Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Year 1:53  
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
9 Easy Street 3:21  
Alan Rankin Jones
10 For Heaven's Sake 2:46  
Elise Bretton / Donald Meyer / Sherman Edwards & Donald Meyer
11 It Could Happen to You 2:32 
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
12 You Don't Know What Love Is 2:39
Gene DePaul / Don Raye 
Personnel :
Anne Phillips - vocals
Doc Severinsen - trumpet
Walt Levinsky - ww
Barry Galbraith - guitar
Mundell Lowe - guitar
Bernie Leighton - piano
Milt Hinton - bass
George DuVivier - bass
Ossie Johnson - drums
Kermit Leslie - conductor

BEVERLY KENNEY - Sings For Johnny Smith (1955-1991) RM / MONO / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Beverly Kenney was one of the most promising new jazz singers of the mid-'50s. Unfortunately, she did not live long and recorded just three albums as a leader. This particular CD reissue, a quartet date with guitarist Johnny Smith, pianist Bob Pancoast, bassist Knobby Totah, and drummer Mousie Alexander, is a real gem, with Kenney heard in top form. Her version of "Destination Moon" is quite delightful, and other highlights include "Tis' Autumn," "Almost Like Being in Love," "There Will Never Be Another You," and "Snuggled on Your Shoulder," even if "Ball and Chain" (a renamed "Sweet Lorraine") does not quite cut it. Beverly Kenney had great potential and deserves to be remembered today. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Surrey With The Fringe On Top    2:07
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
2    Tis' Autumn    2:26
H. Nemo
3    Looking For A Boy    2:18
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
4    I'll Know My Love (Greensleeves)    2:31
L. Jones-B. Kaye
5    Destination Moon    2:18
Roy Alfred / M. Fisher
6    Ball & Chain (Sweet Lorraine)    3:00
Burwell-Parish
7    Almost Like Being In Love    2:08
Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe
8    Stairway To The Stars    2:48
Matty Malneck / Mitchell Parish / Frank Signorelli
9    There Will Never Be Another You    2:09
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
10    This Little Town In Paris    3:05
M. Schwartz
11    Moe's Blues    2:15
M. King
12    Snuggled On Your Shoulder    2:26
Carmen Lombardo / Joe Young
Credits :
Bass – Nabil Totah
Drums – Mousie Alexander
Guitar – Johnny Smith
Piano – Bob Pancoast
Vocals – Beverly Kenney

WILLIE BOBO - Bobo's Beat (1964-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Willie Bobo pulled an impressive lineup for his debut as a leader, due in part to a profile gained from his work with Cal Tjader and Herbie Mann. Leading the brass section in this midsized group is trumpeter Clark Terry, who lends the necessary grit and fire, while Joe Farrell's burring tenor gives the record dynamic range. Though Bobo's percussion kit is displayed on the front, it's occasionally difficult to appreciate his playing on the record; he sounds bored and in the background during a trio of Brazilian crossover numbers (this was the year of Jazz Samba, after all), leaving organist Frank Anderson to flare his way playfully through his own "Bossa Nova in Blue." Bobo does finally allow himself some solo space at the end of "Capers," after several minutes of brilliant interplay between brass and reeds. The highlight comes with the group's interpretation of Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis," a slow-burning hard bop number with Bobo's timbales shuffle framing more excellent sectioning, with Farrell's tenor and an unnamed trombone positioned in counterpoint to Terry's trumpet. With none of the Latin fire solo features or pop crossover material often found on "Stereo Spectacular" LPs of the day, Bobo's Beat is a jazz fan's delight: great work from all the principles, and a steady sense of inter-relational talents sounding off in close harmony with each other. by John Bush    
Tracklist :
1     Bon Sueno 2:30
Frank Colon
2     Naked City Theme 2:17
Billy May
3     Felicidade 3:28
Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
4     Bossa Nova in Blue 2:44
Frank Anderson
5     Boroquinho 4:30
Christopher Boscole
6     Crisis 5:15
Freddie Hubbard
7     Mi Fas y Recordar 3:56
Bill Salter
8     Capers 3:47
Tom McIntosh
9     Let Your Hair Down Blues 5:13
Frank Anderson
10     Trinidad 2:59
Teacho Wiltshire
11     Timbale Groove 2:45
Teacho Wiltshire
Credits :
Drums, Timbales – Willie Bobo
Organ, Piano – Frank Anderson
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Farrell
Trumpet – Clark Terry