ROY ELDRIDGE – 1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1311 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Roy Eldridge visited Stockholm in January of 1951. The first two numbers recorded there were issued on Classics 1259 (1950-1951). These remaining Swedish selections cover a wide range of styles and moods. Eldridge's adaptation of Louis Jordan's "Saturday Night Fish Fry" was issued on two sides of a 78-rpm platter. His approach to "They Raided the Joint" is not quite as rowdy as that of Hot Lips Page. "The Heat's On" and "Estrad Swing" convey powerful currents of what at the time was modern, up-to-date jazz, comparable to what Coleman Hawkins was blowing. "No Rolling Blues" is a slow exercise in artful complaining, the subject being a dishonest woman. Two final Stockholm recordings, spruced up with Charles Norman's harpsichord, resemble the Artie Shaw Gramercy Five at their finest, when the tinkling keyboard was handled by Johnny Guarnieri. Back in Paris during March of 1951, Eldridge pooled his energies with tenor saxophonist Don Byas and a rhythm trio featuring Claude Bolling at the piano. This blowing session, resulting in three pressure cookers and a cool processional, was energized by the inspired drumming of Armand Molinetti. On the following day, Eldridge recorded a fine pair of duets with Claude Bolling as a tribute to Earl Hines and Louis Armstrong. "Wild Man Blues" evokes the original pairing, while "Fireworks" is based on the famous stomp by Armstrong's Hot Five. Back in New York six months later, Eldridge collaborated wonderfully with tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate on a mixed bag of selections recorded for the Mercury label. Tate pours himself into "Baby What's the Matter With You." "Sweet Lorraine" features the trumpet with lots of reverb, and "Yard Dog," initially waxed by Eldridge's big band in May of 1946, whips along at an almost alarmingly rapid pace, with Charlie Smith socking the drums and Buddy Tate booting away on his tenor. Considering the fact that "Jumbo the Elephant" is a novelty singalong, Eldridge's band manages to swing fairly hard with it. In December of 1951 Norman Granz recorded Eldridge backed by a large string ensemble. This was not at all unusual at the time, as Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday made many wonderful records using this sort of instrumentation. Roy Eldridge was such a soulful, pungent player that these orchestral settings come off as honest, reflective, and substantial. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

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 : 

JOHN HARDEE – 1946-1948 (2000) The Classics Chronological Series – 1136 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

John Hardee was one of the premiere tenor saxophonists of his day, performing with a laid-back style that emphasized the song over flashy playing. 1946-1948 features 24 tracks of Hardee's finest tracks from this period. The slower, moodier tracks are the ones that stick out, especially his cool and crisp rendition of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." It is on this track where his talents are fully showcased, as his gorgeous saxophone rings out over the shuffled beat and sparse accompaniment with pristine sound quality. Not every slow song is that good, but they all revolve around that same playing style. On the faster tracks its easier to lose Hardee in the mix; he is definitely not too proud to let the rest of the band really shine. He is still more than audible, but on tracks like "Boppin' in B Flat he simply supplies the melody line as the other musicians provide a fiery background for his horn. The album does run a little long -- a problem that is not helped by the varying degrees of sound quality. But fans of this era of jazz should probably give this a listen, Hardee's musical voice was a distinct and important one in the genre. Bradley Torreano
Tracklist :
1     Tired 3:17
Doris Fisher / Alan Roberts
2     Blue Skies 2:53
Irving Berlin
3     Hardee's Partee 3:14
John Hardee
4     Idaho 3:12
Jesse Stone
5    What Is This Thing Called Love? 3:12
Cole Porter
6     Nervous from the Service 2:55
John Hardee
7     River Edge Rock 3:09
John Hardee
8     Sweet and Lovely 3:12
Gus Arnheim / Jules LeMare / Harry Tobias
9     Bottle It 2:59
Skip Hall
10     Denzil's Best 2:42
Denzil Best
11     Right Foot Then Left Foot 3:01
Skip Hall
12     Four Wheel Drive 2:56
Skip Hall / Robert Snyder
13     Hand in Hand Blues 3:04
Dickie Thompson
14     Taylor-Made Gal 2:59
Dickie Thompson
15     Swing Song 3:05
Dickie Thompson
16     Stardust 3:08
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
17     Red Man's Bounce 2:46
Parirsh / Carmichael     
18     Lunatic 2:43
John Hardee
19     Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 2;41
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
20     Baby Watch That Stuff 2:42
John Hardee
21     Cobblestones 3:07
Elen     
22     Prelude to a Kiss 2:44
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
23     Boppin' in B Flat 3:03
John Hardee
24     Man With a Horn 2:55
Eddie DeLange / Jack Jenney / Bonnie Lake

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