John Coltrane - Interplay [5 CD, 2007/FLAC]

 

Interplay, Prestige Records' 5-CD set, containing early collaborative recordings of the peerless tenor saxophonist and visionary John Coltrane, serves two distinct purposes. The first is to offer an extraordinary collection of music that provides an excellent overview of the modern jazz scene during the fertile 1956-1958 period. The other - and arguably more important purpose to the legions of Coltrane faithful - is its rich delineation of the evolutionary process behind one of the most profoundly important and emotionally compelling artists this planet has ever seen.

Yusef Lateef - The Man with the Big Front Yard (1998/2019) [3 CD, FLAC]

 During the last half century, Yusef Lateef has successively reinvented himself as a swing-era tenor, world-music pioneer, and orchestral composer. Now 32 Jazz has reissued the cream of his Atlantic recordings on The Man with the Big Front Yard. This three-disc set offers a superb look at Lateef's quick-change artistry. A cut like "Kongsberg" finds the saxophonist in a hard-bop mood, leading an able quartet through his own gospel-flavored composition. Elsewhere Lateef deploys a bigger, funkier ensemble--indeed, the 1969 sessions originally issued as Yusef Lateef's Detroit feature percolating performances by the likes of pianist Eric Gale and Bernard Purdie. And a delicate arrangement of "Come Sunday," which spotlights the leader's flute alongside Kermit Moore's cello, anticipates the chamber music that this protean artist would produce throughout the 1970s.

Duke Ellington - The Complete Capitol Recordings (1953-1955) [5 CD, 1995/FLAC]

 Historians and some Duke Ellington fans look askance at the brief period he spent on Capitol Records (1953-55). This was a hectic period in jazz, with bebop in the near-view, hard bop coming along as well, and the big band was considered by many to be a relic of bygone eras. Yet Ellington persevered, and not without another adversity: the temporary loss of signature alto player Johnny Hodges, who was off leading his own bands. The resulting five CDs worth of material collected here show an Ellington band more aimed at repetition, both of its own repertoire, which had sounded better in the 1940s, and of other bands' material. Singer Jimmy Grissom does a good job with the Ellington band, without the velvety, almost spooky polish of Herb Jeffries (as evidenced on the astounding Blanton-Webster Years collection) but with a sureness that even sounds like jump blues in spots. What comes from the full-band tracks here is a clear demonstration that Ellington's outfit was sharp in the early '50s, with Juan Tizol and Ray Nance playing at a peak. But what's invaluable from this box set are the Ellington small-band tunes. The piano-trio cuts, available separately on Piano Reflections, present Duke as a keyboard polymath, dropping modernist touches in his spacing and phrasing and still managing a great deal of coloristic depth. And then there are the totally startling long blues tunes with Ellington on electric piano. Preeminently interested in everything that seemed musically possible, Ellington makes the tunes shine. This collection serves as a long-form rebuttal to all the naysayers who scoff at the Duke's early 1950s work.

 

Nat King Cole - The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Nat King Cole Trio {1942 - 1961} (18CD, 1991/FLAC) [reupload]

 

Music fans born after 1960 are less likely to be aware that Nat King Cole began his career as an influential jazz pianist, so much so that the great Art Tatum and the up-and-coming Oscar Peterson formed trios similar to Cole's. What this comprehensive limited-edition boxed set does is put all of Cole's jazz trio recordings, including later groups that added a conga player, selected tracks from sessions that sometimes border on easy listening, and nearly the complete contents of his well-known After Midnight album from the mid-'50s, where he was joined by guests including violinist Stuff Smith, saxophonist Willie Smith, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, and trombonist Juan Tizol. But the main emphasis is onCole's recordings from the early days, including masterpieces like "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "Sweet Lorraine," "Body and Soul," and "Sweet Georgia Brown." By listening to sessions in order, one can hear Cole gradually transform from an instrumentalist into a friendly singing pianist and eventually, a master balladeer. Of course, there are forgettable novelty tunes sprinkled in among the gems, but there are also valuable unissued tracks that appear for the first time in this set. Also, the early recordings have been pitch-corrected, as all issues prior to this 1991 Mosaic issue were slightly off. The 18-CD set is accompanied by a detailed booklet with vintage photos, excellent liner notes by Will Friedwald, and a complete discography of the contents. Unfortunately, this Mosaic box has been out of print since the mid-'90s, so it will typically fetch several times its original price when it pops up occasionally on auction lists. 

Al Di Meola - Electric Rendezvous [1982/FLAC]

 Electric Rendezvous is an album by jazz guitarist Al Di Meola that was released in 1982. It includes flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía who recorded Friday Night in San Francisco with Di Meola.

Al di Meola's fifth of seven fusion albums as a leader for Columbia is a typically fiery effort, with di Meola joined by keyboardist Jan Hammer, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Gadd, percussionist Mingo Lewis, and guest spots for flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía ("Passion, Grace & Fire") and keyboardist Philippe Saisse. This lesser-known effort is easily recommended to fans of rock-ish jazz guitar. 

Personnel

•     Al Di Meola – electric and acoustic guitars
•     Paco de Lucía – acoustic guitar on "Passion, Grace & Fire"
•     Anthony Jackson – bass guitar
•     Jan Hammer – keyboards
•     Philippe Saisse – keyboards on "Black Cat Shuffle"
•     Steve Gadd – drums and percussion
•     James Mingo Lewis – percussion

All songs by Al Di Meola unless otherwise noted.

1.     "God Bird Change" (James Mingo Lewis) – 3:51
2.     "Electric Rendezvous" – 7:47
3.     "Passion, Grace & Fire" – 5:34
4.     "Cruisin'" (Jan Hammer) – 4:16
5.     "Black Cat Shuffle (Philippe Saisse) – 3:00
6.     "Ritmo de la Noche" – 4:17
7.     "Somalia" – 1:40
8.     "Jewel Inside a Dream" – 4:02

Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings [6 CD, 2004/FLAC + 320]

  

From their first work together on the Birth of the Cool sessions in 1949, Miles Davis and Gil Evans forged a unique relationship as great soloist and brilliant arranger. The real opportunity to explore their shared vision didn't come until 1957, however, when Davis had forged a relationship with a major record label able to support it. Though a product of the big-band tradition, Evans was never limited by sectional voicings and riffs. He had an interest in unusual instrumentation and a talent for creating subtle mixes of distinct voices, adding French horns, oboe, bassoon, and harp to the conventional big band and thinning its saxophone, trumpet, and trombone sections. His arrangements for Davis are like settings for the finest jewels, whether he's creating rich, brass chords or adding only light percussion to the trumpeter's solitary lament. Together Davis and Evans produced three orchestral masterpieces: Miles Ahead (1957), Porgy and Bess (1958), and Sketches of Spain (1960). They're all here, along with less-inspired, later projects like the Quiet Nights bossa nova album. What most distinguishes the box set is the archival work of Phil Schaap, who has compiled a wealth of alternate takes. They reveal much about the processes that went into these works, including extensive editing and even some overdubbing. As early as 1957, Evans and Davis were already beginning to use the studio itself as an integral part of their music.

 

Kenny Burrell - All Day Long / All Night Long (2 CD, 2010/FLAC)

 

These two Prestige LPs were recorded within a week of each other in '57, and find the young guitar great flanked by the likes of Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley and Tommy Flanagan. Includes both epic title tracks; Boo-Lu; Slim Jim; A.T. , and more! 

Jackie McLean - 'Bout Soul [1967/FLAC]

 'Bout Soul is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1967 and released on the Blue Note label.It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist LaMont Johnson, bassist Scotty Holt and drummer Rashied Ali. Trombonist Grachan Moncur III guests on three tracks, and Barbara Simmons recites the words on “Soul”.

Personnel

•     Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
•     Woody Shaw – trumpet (tracks 1–3, 5 & 6)
•     Grachan Moncur III – trombone (tracks 1, 2 & 5)
•     LaMont Johnson – piano
•     Scotty Holt – bass
•     Rashied Ali – drums
•     Barbara Simmons – recitation (track 1)

1.     "Soul" (Grachan Moncur III, Barbara Simmons) - 10:17
2.     "Conversion Point" (Jackie McLean) - 9:47
3.     "Big Ben's Voice" (LaMont Johnson) - 10:08
4.     "Dear Nick, Dear John" (Scotty Holt) - 4:56
5.     "Erdu" (Johnson) - 5:57
6.     "Big Ben's Voice" [Alternate take] - 9:55 Bonus track on CD reissue

John Coltrane - European Tour 1961 (7 CD, 2017) [FLAC]

 

The 1961 European tour took place from November 11 through December 4, and immediately followed the Coltrane quintet's stay at the Village Vanguard (captured on Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard and The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings). During the tour, the group was paired with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. The tour consisted of a UK portion (Kilburn (London), Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leicester, Brighton, and Walthamstow (London)) from November 11 - 17, followed by a continental visit (Paris, Scheveningen, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Hannover, Hamburg, Copenhagen (again), Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Nuremberg, Munich, Berlin, and Baden-Baden) from November 18 - December 4.

Clifford Jordan - Night of the Mark VII [1975/FLAC]

 

Night of the Mark VII is a live album by saxophonist Clifford Jordan which was recorded in 1975 and first released on the Muse label.

•     Clifford Jordan – tenor saxophone
•     Cedar Walton – piano
•     Sam Jones – bass
•     Billy Higgins – drums

1.     "John Coltrane" (Bill Lee) – 7:45
2.     "Highest Mountain" (Clifford Jordan) – 6:02
3.     "Blue Monk" (Thelonious Monk) – 7:20
4.     "One for Amos" [listed as Midnight Waltz on all issues] (Sam Jones) – 10:53
5.     "Midnight Waltz" [listed as One for Amos on all issues] (Cedar Walton) – 10:49

Brian Lynch Big Band - The Omni-American Book Club: My Journey Through Literature in Music (2 CD, 2019/FLAC)

 

Recorded at The L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, Frost School Of Music, Coral Gables, FL in May 2019.

Brian Lynch - leader, trumpet

Tom Kelley - alto saxophone (lead), soprano saxophone, flute

David Leon - alto saxophone, flute, clarinet

Gary Keller - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, clarinet

Chris Thompson-Taylor - tenor saxophone, clarinet

Mike Brignola - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet

Dante Luciani - lead trombone

Carter Key, Steven Robinson - trombone

John Kricker - bass trombone

Michael Dudley - lead trumpet

Jean Caze, Jason Charos, Alec Aldred - trumpet

Alex Brown - piano

Lowell Ringel - bass

Boris Kozlov - electric bass (#2,5,10)

Kyle Swan (#2,4,6,9-11), Hilario Bell (#3,5,7,8) - drums

Murph Aucamp, Little Johnny Rivero (#5,8) - percussion

with guests:

Dafnis Prieto - drums (#1)

Orlando "Maraca" Valle - flute (#1)

Donald Harrison (#2), Jim Snidero (#6) - alto saxophone

David Liebman - soprano saxophone (#3)

Regina Carter - violin (#4)

CD1 

01. Crucible for Crisis (Lynch) - 12:08

02. The Struggle Is in Your Name (Lynch) - 8:59

03. Affective Affinities (Lynch) - 8:05

04. The Trouble with Elysium (Lynch) - 13:33

05. Inevitability and Eternity (Lynch) - 10:05

06. Tribute to Blue (Mitchell) (Lynch) - 8:34

CD2 

01. Opening Up (Lynch) - 10:15

02. Africa My Land (Lynch) - 11:09

03. Woody Shaw (Lynch) - 8:44

04. The Struggle Is in Your Name (Extended Version) (Lynch) - 12:24

05. Woody Shaw (Extended Version) (Lynch) - 12:12