ERROLL GARNER – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1370 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Erroll Garner made one hell of a lot of records. This 14th volume of Garner's complete recordings consists entirely of material originally released on the Columbia label, beginning with an expansive session from February 1952. Garner's repertoire was perfectly enormous, and included occasional forays onto European "classical" turf. The pianist's great wealth of ideas and his apparent joy in the play of contrasting entities is neatly represented here by a set of "Chopin Impressions" followed by a cheerful romp through Cole Porter's "Anything Goes." Garner savors every drop of "Cocktails for Two," pours thunder onto Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing," and uses an almost ska-like pattern during the introduction to "Dancing in the Dark." Garner's rendition of Gene Austin's "How Come You Do Me Like You Do" deviates wonderfully from the standard early-'50s jazz repertoire, and his powerfully searching "Love Me or Leave Me" picks up where Fats Waller left off in 1929. These are among the best solos that Garner ever put down on wax. Six selections recorded almost exactly one year after the opening session find the pianist in the company of bassist Wyatt Ruther and drummer Eugene "Fats" Heard. "Dancing Tambourine" is delightfully brisk and spirited. The modern recording technology of 1953 allowed for increasingly lengthy tracks, including over five minutes of Eubie Blake's "Memories of You" and more than six minutes of Isham Jones' "No Greater Love." As nice as these gorgeous meditations are, the most amazing cut of the whole package is Garner's own 65-mph opus "Look, Ma -- All Hands!" For sheer firepower and mother invention, Garner was in some ways every bit as formidable an improviser as Bud Powell or Thelonious Monk. The difference lay in Garner's unique approach to audiences and to popular music. arwulf arwulf  
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ERROLL GARNER – 1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1391 (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume 15 in the Classics Erroll Garner chronology presents two Columbia recording sessions from February 27 and March 30, 1953. Liberated by the long-playing phonograph record format, the pianist stretches out for extended variations on jazz standards lasting six, seven, and even eight minutes. Garner interacts here with bassist Wyatt "Bull" Ruther and Eugene "Fats" Heard. The opening track, a bubbling rendition of "Caravan," should be considered for inclusion among Garner's all-time most exciting performances on record. Several aspects of Garner's art are in evidence on this compilation: the wild and rambunctious exertions of a master improviser, the unruffled confluence between pop music and bop logic, and the slow and wistful magic of a gradually unfolding reverie. Erroll Garner could take any song and transform it into a disarmingly personal episodic environment. The music on this album neatly personifies Garner the merry alchemist. arwulf arwulf  
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ERROLL GARNER – 1953-1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1423 (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The 16th installment in the Classics Erroll Garner chronology combines eight numbers recorded for Columbia in New York on March 30, 1953; eight more for the same label cut in Detroit on July 8, 1954; and two tracks for Mercury Records in Chicago on July 27, 1954. At this point in his career, Garner became increasingly inventive, expressive, and rambunctious, as his bluesy take on Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" and knuckle-busting renditions of "Frenesi" and "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" illustrate. The Detroit session is remarkable for the presence of Woody Herman. Familiar to the public as a clarinet-blowing big-band leader with a penchant for rowdy novelty tunes and a tendency, during the late '40s, to employ young musicians with bop sensibilities, Herman appears with the Erroll Garner Trio as a warm and persuasive vocalist. Track nine, a medley lasting nearly 11 minutes, traces a progression from new love to romance to hopeless infatuation to heartbreak. Each successive vocal track is a gem, and the mutual enjoyment felt by Herman and Garner is palpable. Throughout this entire compilation, Garner's bassist was Pittsburgh native Wyatt "Bull" Ruther and his drummer was Eugene "Fats" Heard, who had worked with Lionel Hampton and Coleman Hawkins and who would leave Garner's band in 1955 to settle down and make steady money as a businessman in his hometown of Cleveland, OH. This album closes with two examples of what the Erroll Garner Trio sounded like when spiced up by the conga drumming of Cuban percussionist Candido Camero. arwulf arwulf  
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ERROLL GARNER – 1954 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1447 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume 17 in the complete recordings of Erroll Garner as compiled and reissued by the Classics Chronological Series contains 19 magnificent performances recorded at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago and Fine Sound Studios in New York during the month of July 1954 and subsequently released on the Mercury albums Contrasts and Mambo Moves Garner. Supported by Wyatt Ruther, Eugene "Fats" Heard,and Afro-Caribbean drum master Candido Camero, Garner is able to express himself with panache, good taste,and skillful reckless abandon. Perhaps the most thrilling surprise in this package is a romping rendition of "I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter," a tune popularized years earlier by Duke Ellington and Ivie Anderson. Most Erroll Garner recordings from the '50s are enthusiastically inspired, exciting,and at times dazzling. The music within this collection is some of the best that Garner ever made. arwulf arwulf  
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ZOOT SIMS | BOB BROOKMEYER - Tonite's Music Today (1956-1988) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer's musical partnerships in the 1950s with Stan Getz and especially Gerry Mulligan were celebrated but he also recorded three fine albums with tenor-saxophonist Zoot Sims in 1956 that are quite enjoyable, feature colorful jammed ensembles and hard-swinging yet cool-toned solos that owe as much to the swing tradition as to the innovations of bebop. This Storyville CD finds Zoot and Brookmeyer accompanied by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Wyatt Reuther and drummer Gus Johnson. Highlights include "I Hear a Rhapsody," "Blue Skies" and Sims's first ever recorded vocal on a "Blues." This release is easily recommended as is its companion Storyville CD Morning Fun. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Mr. Moon 4:56
Steve Allen    
2     I Hear a Rhapsody 2:27
Jack Baker / George Fragos / Dick Gasparre     
3     The Chant 4:27
Gerry Mulligan
4     Blues 5:39     
Traditional    
5     Zoot's Tune 4:42
Zoot Sims    
6     How Long Has This Been Going On? 4:51
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
7     Bobby's Tune 3:23
Bob Brookmeyer    
8     Blue Skies 4:53
Irving Berlin
Credits :
Bass – Wyatt Ruther
Drums – Gus Johnson
Piano, Celesta [Celeste] – Hank Jones
Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims
Valve Trombone – Bob Brookmeyer