STAN GETZ – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1338 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In response to shortsighted comments implying that Stan Getz and Zoot Sims sounded too much like each other and too similar to Lester Young, Ira Gitler liked to use the analogy of "...a friend calling you on the telephone. You know who it is immediately. It's the same thing when you hear a musician play." The secret, of course, is to listen so carefully and consistently that you feel as though you have become a friend of the artist. This sort of empathy is a vital ingredient in jazz -- the empathy between composers, players, and listeners. Hearing Stan Getz recorded live in performance at Boston's Storyville club on October 28, 1951, spells it out marvelously. Backed by pianist Al Haig, guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Tiny Kahn, Getz sounds as though he has arrived at a hard-won maturity. One great aspect of this music lies within the comparative nature of every sound. In Getz listeners can hear Jimmy Giuffre, Lee Konitz, even Charles Lloyd -- but best of all, Getz himself. By this time his artistry had evolved well beyond where he had been only a couple of years earlier. In some of these bands there's something of the marvelous complexity of Lennie Tristano's fascinating ensembles. Eight 1952 recordings originally released on 78-rpm singles bearing the baby-blue Roost label appeared under the heading of the Johnny Smith Quintet. Smith's quicksilver guitar, heard most dynamically on the rapid Tristano-like "Jaguar" and a fantastic cruising theme called "Tabu," acts as a stunning foil for the tenor. The slower numbers are positively intoxicating. Even with the guitar predominating, "Moonlight in Vermont" stands among the loveliest ballad recordings this saxophonist ever participated in. The band's next session took place in November of 1952, and resulted in music of comparable excellence. On December 12, Getz collaborated for the very first time with producer Norman Granz. Backed by a rhythm section including pianist Duke Jordan, the saxophonist had clearly found his own voice. "The Way You Look Tonight" is a powerful closer for this outstanding album of vintage early modern jazz. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist :

DON BYAS – 1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1009 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This fourth volume in the complete recordings of tenor saxophonist Don Byas opens with 13 sides recorded for the Savoy label in May of 1946. On the opening session, three gorgeous ballads are chased with a blistering version of Ray Noble's "Cherokee" and a mellow stroll through "September in the Rain." About three months later the saxophonist resumed recording for Savoy, now backed by a tougher rhythm section in drummer Max Roach, bassist Leonard Gaskin, and pianist Sanford Gold. These deservedly famous sides represent Byas at the very peak of his early maturity. A rare parcel of four recordings originally issued on the Gotham label finds Byas accompanied by a trio including pianist Beryl Booker. A rather ominous reading of the notoriously suicidal "Gloomy Sunday" is colored so darkly as to suggest the subterranean. By December of 1946 Byas was in Europe making records for the Swing label with a group of musicians from Don Redman's entourage. "Working Eyes," which came out under trombonist Tyree Glenn's name, was written by Glenn but popularized by Duke Ellington under the titles "Sultry Serenade" and "How Could You Do That to Me?" "Peanut Butter Blues," sung in the manner of Roy Eldridge by trumpeter Peanuts Holland, was issued under his name, while the two remaining tracks -- a lush ballad and the feisty "Mohawk Special" -- appeared under the heading of Don Byas & His Orchestra. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits : 

AL COHN - Al Cohn And His "Charlie's Tavern" Ensemble (1954-2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Al Cohn was something special, a gem among musicians. Writer, arranger, performer, leaderhe was one of those rare creative artists gifted with unlimited imagination and technical resources, with magnificent taste and an unerring insight into the expressiveness of East Coast jazz. In the 50s, the personnel he assembled for the four sessions that make up this CD often relaxed in Charlies Tavern, a congenial watering hole on Broadway across from Birdland, the jazz corner of the world. Despite slight personnel changes, each group was power-packed and, unlike many such outfits, married outstanding individuality to collective cohesiveness. With them, Cohn emphatically demonstrated the allembracing brilliance of the many-faceted talents that earned him the title Mr. Music. freshsoundrecords
Tracklist :
1     Inside Out 6:48
Al Cohn    
2     Autumn Leaves 6:09     
Al Cohn    
3     Serenade for Kathy 6:58
Al Cohn    
4     Move 7:16
Denzil Best    
5     Never Never Land 5:29
Styne / Conmden / Green    
6     Something for Lisa 6:26
Al Cohn    
7     Count Every Star 3:08
Bruno Coquatrix / Sammy Gallop    
8     La Ronde 2:46     
Cochran / Strauss    
9     Breakfast with Joe 4:07
Johnny Carisi    
10     This Reminds Me of You 3:15
Ralph Burns    
11     Cabin in the Sky 3:05     
Duke / Latouche    
12     Lullaby of Birdland 2:22
George Shearing    
13     Cohn My Way 2:54
Manny Albam
Notas.
Tracks #1-3, from the album "East Coast-West Coast Scene" (RCA Victor LJM-1020)
Tracks #4-11 & 13, from the album "Mr. Music" (RCA Victor LJM-1024)
Track #12, from the album "Lullaby of Birdland" (RCA Victor LJM-1146)
Personnel on #1-3:
Al Cohn (ts); Joe Newman (tp); Billy Byers; Eddie Bert (tb); Hal McKusick; Gene Quill (as); Sol Schlinger (bs); Sanford Gold (p); Billy Bauer (g); Milt Hinton (b); Osie Johnson (d).
Recorded in New York City, October 26, 1954
Personnel on #4-5:
Same personnel, but Frank Rehak, trombone, replaces Eddie Bert.
Recorded in New York City, December 22, 1954
Personnel on #6-8:
Same personnel, but Jimmy Raney, guitar, replaces Billy Bauer.
Recorded in New York City, December 23, 1954
Personnel on #9-13:
Al Cohn (ts); Joe Newman (tp); Billy Byers (tb); Gene Quill (as); Sol Schlinger (bs); Sanford Gold (p); Buddy Jones (b); Osie Johnson (d).
Recorded in New York City, December 23, 1954