GENE AMMONS – 1951-1953 | The Chronogical Classics – 1406 (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This fourth installment in the Classics Gene Ammons chronology sews together everything recorded and released under his name for the Prestige, Decca, and United record labels between June 1951 and June 1953. Instrumental highlights, in addition to Ammons' sensually charged tenor saxophone, include Sonny Stitt on supporting tenor (on tracks 13-16, Stitt plays baritone sax); trombonist J.J. Johnson (tracks 13-16); and trumpeter supreme Johnny Coles, who was destined to make outstanding records with James Moody and Charles Mingus (tracks 17-24). This particular slice of Gene Ammons' career is delightfully gutsy and easy to relate to. The Prestige material is classic Jug; his brief involvement with Decca is a thrilling sideshow, and those sanguine, sultry, scruffy sides for Chicago's tiny United record label are precious artifacts of inestimable worth. Note that the rocking "Jim Dawgs" is an entirely different entity from a similarly titled bop exercise recorded by Ike Quebec for Savoy Records in August of 1945. During his heyday, Gene Ammons represented the perfect blend of swing, bop, and R&B. This wonderful compilation presents a healthy stripe of vivid material from his label-hopping period during the years immediately preceding the Eisenhower era. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

DON BYAS – 1944-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 882 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Don Byas was one of the great tenor saxophonists of the 1940s, a Coleman Hawkins-influenced improviser who developed a complex style of his own. His permanent move to Europe in 1946 cut short any chance he had of fame, but Byas recorded many worthy performances during the two years before his departure. On Classics' first Don Byas CD (which contains his first 21 numbers as a leader), Byas matches wits and power with trumpeter Charlie Shavers on two heated sessions that include pianist Clyde Hart and bassist Slam Stewart. He also plays swing with trumpeter Joe Thomas and pianist Johnny Guarnieri in a 1945 quintet and leads a quartet that, on four of its eight numbers, welcomes the great blues guitarist/singer Big Bill Broonzy. Highlights include "Riffin' and Jivin'," "Don's Idea," the two-part "Savoy Jam Party," "1944 Stomp" (which has been adopted by 1990s saxophonist James Carter), "Pennies From Heaven," "Jamboree Jump," and "Just a Dream." This music was originally put out by Savoy, Jamboree, and Hub. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow  

Tracklist + Credits :

AL COOPER'S SAVOY SULTANS – 1938-1941 (1993) The Classics Chronological Series – 728 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Trombonist Dicky Wells once said that Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans were "...a living headache to everyone. They could swing and make most bands happy to play 'Home Sweet Home.' When a band like that's on your tail, the night seems to never end. They didn't seem to know the meaning of letting up." As the house band at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom, this group undoubtedly knew how to keep a large crowd entertained with music for dancing purposes. In person they must have been tight and right in order to warrant such praise from other musicians and to hold down their gig at the Savoy for nine years. On record the excitement only comes through on about half of their recordings. This is by no means unusual -- Coleman Hawkins always insisted that Fletcher Henderson's orchestra sounded terrible in the studio compared to what they could do in person. The Savoy Sultans, according to Dicky Wells, succeeded with their live audiences because they kept their arrangements relatively simple. This is evident on those tracks that cook in a solid groove but also seems to be the root of the problem with certain stodgy performances. A brief discussion of the band's better moments seems in order. "The Thing" is most memorable for an extended bowed bass solo by Grachan Moncur, father of modern jazz trombonist Grachan Moncur III. At the beginning of his solo the bassist even hums a little in the style of Slam Stewart. This is by far Moncur's longest solo on record. "Looney" has a clarinet solo by Cooper, who also played alto and baritone saxophones. "Gettin' in the Groove" is a solid strut and the Sultans were wise to present "Rhythm Doctor Man" as an instrumental. "Jeep's Blues" is a plausible emulation of the Duke Ellington sound even though Rudy Rutherford was no Johnny Hodges. "Stitches" and the rock-solid "Jumpin' the Blues" (no relation to the Jay McShann/Charlie Parker tune) are good examples of why Wells considered this band to be such formidable competition. "Jumpin' at the Savoy," however, doesn't jump and is not exciting. "Frenzy" and "Norfolk Ferry" are solid swing numbers that really cook. Al Cooper's wonderfully titled "Second Balcony Jump" is completely different from the famous Gerald Valentine/Earl Hines tune and predates it by a little more than a year. arwulf arwulf   
Tracklist
1 Jump Steady 2:56
 Jack Chapman
2 The Thing 3:13
 Al Cooper
3 Looney 3:08
 Al Cooper
4 Rhythm Doctor Man 2:46
 Al Cooper
5 Gettin' In The Groove 2:54
 Al Cooper
6 Someone Outside Is Taking Your Mind Off Me 3:16
Unknown
Vocals – Helen Proctor
7 Jeep's Blues 3:10
 Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
8 You Never Miss The Water 'Til The Well Runs Dry 2:42
Hunt
Vocals – Helen Proctor
9 Stitches 2:52
 Al Cooper
10 Jumpin' At The Savoy 2:46
 Jack Chapman
11 We'd Rather Jump Than Swing 2:47
Jenkins
Vocals – Pat Jenkins
12 Draggin' My Heart Around 2:39
 Alex Hill
Vocals – Evelyn White
13 Little Sally Water 2:28
 Al Cooper
14 Jumpin' The Blues 2:38
 Jack Chapman
15 Love Gave Me You 2:42
 Jack Chapman
Vocals – Paul Chapman
16 When I Grow Too Old To Dream 2:28
 Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
Vocals – Evelyn White
17 Frenzy 2:58
 Al Cooper
18 (If You Don't Know What You're Doing) Stop! And Ask Somebody 2:53
 Jack Chapman
Vocals – Paul Chapman
19 Wishing And Crying For You 2:57
 Al Cooper / Diggs
Vocals – Evelyn White
20 Sophisticated Jump 3:08
Haynes
21 Norfolk Ferry 2:55
 Erskine Hawkins
22 Second Balcony Jump 2:47
 Al Cooper
23 See What I Mean! 3:01
 Jack Chapman
24 Jackie Boy 3:07
 Jack Chapman
Credits :   
Acoustic Guitar – Paul Chapman (faixas: 9 to 16, 21 to 24)
Alto Saxophone – Rudy Williams
Bass – Grachan Moncur
Drums – Alex "Razz" Mitchell
Leader – Al Cooper
Piano – Cyril Haynes (faixas: 9 to 16, 21 to 24), Oliver Richardson (faixas: 1 to 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Ed McNeil (faixas: 1 to 8), George Kelley (faixas: 21 to 24), Irving "Skinny" Brown (faixas: 17 to 20), Sam Simmons (faixas: 9 to 16, 21 to 24)
Trumpet – Pat Jenkins, Sam Massenberg

JOHNNY HODGES AN HIS ORCHESTRA – 1952-1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1421 (2006) FLAC (tracks), lossless

After spending 22 years as Duke Ellington's star alto saxophonist, Johnny Hodges took a break from the Duke and led his own bands from 1951 to 1955, spending much of that time making excellent records for producer Norman Granz. This creative hiatus has been well-documented, most exhaustively by the Mosaic label's Complete Johnny Hodges Sessions 1951-1955. For those who didn't have a chance to flag down that particular anthology, volume four in the Classics Johnny Hodges chronology presents a potent portion of this fascinating chapter in musical history. These recordings were made immediately after the departure of tenor saxophonist Al Sears, who was headed for membership in BMI and a career in the music publishing business following the success of his R&B-infused opus Castle Rock. Like Sears, many of the players in Hodges' various ensembles were members or ex-members of the Ellington Orchestra. The most notable exceptions heard here are master percussionist J.C. Heard and trumpeter Emmett Berry, whose warm personality integrates well with the Ellingtonians, especially trombonist Lawrence Brown and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. On the final three tracks, recorded July 2, 1954, Berry is replaced by powerfully expressive Ellington trumpeter Harold "Shorty" Baker. This session should be treasured for the presence of pianist Call Cobbs, who was destined to make remarkably inspired music with Albert Ayler during the late '60s. A 27-year-old John Coltrane is at least technically present on a gutsy, growling, laid-back blues entitled "Sweet as Bear Meat." Trane's participation, however, is only barely perceptible, as he is allotted no solo space whatsoever, and plays a faintly supportive reed section role similar to that of Floyd "Horsecollar" Williams in the Hot Lips Page band of 1944. Given the nature of this tune, it's a pity that Trane wasn't invited to mingle his tone with the visceral currents of Hodges and Baker. One thing's for sure -- he was listening carefully! Subsequent developments prove that Trane was a devout listener. Take time to reflect upon the fact that this compilation closes with a recording of John Coltrane listening to Johnny Hodges while hardly making any sounds of his own. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good    3:29
Ellington / Webster
2    Nothin' Yet    2:40
Berry
3    Rosanne    3:08
Manning / Osser
4    This Love Of Mine    3:06
Sinatra
5    Hodge Podge    3:36
Hodges / Ellington
6    Jappa    3:53
Hodges
7    Through For The Night    3:17
Young
8    Come Sunday    2:32
Ellington
9    The Sheik Of Araby    3:13
Smith / Weiller / Snyder
10    Latino    2:54
Hodges
11    Easy Going Bounce    3:32
Hodges
12    Indiana    3:51
Hodges
13    Johnny's Blues - Part 1    3:36
Hodges
14    Johnny's Blues - Part 2    3:39
Hodges
15    In A Mellow Tone    6:17
Ellington
16    I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart    3:08
Ellington / Nemo / Mills
17    Don't Get Around Much Anymore    3:46
Ellington / Russell
18    Burgundpy Walk    7:07
Hodges
19    On The Sunny Side Of The Street    2:58
Fields / McHugh
20    Sweet As Bear Meat    3:20
Hodges

HOWARD McGHEE – 1949-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1294 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is quite a package, different in some ways from anything else in the Howard McGhee discography. With J.J. Johnson and Brew Moore alongside McGhee in front of Kenny Drew, Curly Russell, and Max Roach, the first six tracks, recorded for Blue Note in August of 1949, constitute some of the best jazz being made anywhere at that time. Four tunes were composed by Drew, who sounds exceptionally fine here. Brew Moore blew a smooth tenor, unashamedly emulating Lester Young's tone and phraseology. The next phase of McGhee's career took him and a small ensemble into the Pacific Islands as part of the Korean War effort in 1951 and 1952. Eventually presented by New Jersey's Regent Records as Jazz South Pacific or on the Hi-Lo label as Howard McGhee's Korean All-Stars, the band ran through a roster of relatively old-fashioned jazz standards in order to provide accessible entertainment for armed forces personnel. There were occasional bursts of accelerated bop, but the real charm of these live recordings is the wild combination of progressive young musicians handling what must have seemed to them ancient material. The most outrageous example of this is "12th Street Bop," a send-up of "12th Street Rag" hammered out with almost maniacal humor. "Perdido" and "Oh, Lady Be Good" are extended performances while some of the other tracks are much shorter -- "Mood Indigo" is just over a minute in length. The front line of McGhee, J.J. Johnson, and tenor saxophonist Rudy Williams rides through the Philippines and Guam without missing a beat, thanks especially to drummer Charlie Rice and electric guitarist Clifton Best, who generates "Hawaiian" effects during the out chorus of "One O'Clock Jump." These obscure recordings, punctuated with vigorous applause and occasional whistling from the sailors near the bar -- lending a "Ringside at Condon's" ambience to the proceedings -- have been reissued here and there over the years, most notably by the Savoy label. It is good to have them laid out in orderly fashion as an important segment of the Classics Howard McGhee chronology. arwulf arwulf