Kenny Drew Trio - The 20th Memorial - 1978-1992 (15 CD, 2013

A collection of previously unreleased materials by the Kenny Drew Trio, originally recorded for Japanese labels Baystate and Alpha beween 1972 and 1992, now released to commemmorate the 20th anniversary of his passing. A rich trove of superb piano trio performances!

American pianist Kenny Drew (1928-1993) moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1964. Although he may have somewhat faded from the radar of American jazz fans, he had a fantastic career in Denmark and was beloved by European and Japanese jazz fans. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Drew's popularity in Japan grew to incredible heights when he began recording for Japanese labels such as Baystate and Alpha under a partnership with Japanese producer Makoto Kimata.

To commemmorate the 20th anniversary of Drew's passing, a very special series was launched in Japan in 2013, with a release of previously unpublished materials recorded for the two labels between 1972 and 1992. They are alternate takes and takes that did not make onto the original albums released in this period. Danish super-bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen held the bass chair throughout, and the drummer is either Ed Thigpen, a fellow American expat who had settled in Copenhagen, or Alvin Queen.

It is quite amazing to hear the consistently high quality of these "outtakes" and to realize that there is enough material to fill 15 CDs in this series. Actually, many these "outtakes" tend to be more exciting than those takes that made the original albums. They may have been "cut" because they were slightly rough around the edges, but perhaps they were played with more freedom, abandon, and adventurous spirit. 

PCCY-30204 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: The Days of Wine and Roses (1978-1992) {50:40}

PCCY-30205 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1978-1992) {49:06}

PCCY-30206 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: Misty (1978-1992) {50:02}

PCCY-30207 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: Take the 'A' Train (1978-1992) {46:20}

PCCY-30208 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: Lullaby of Birdland (1978-1992) {49:21}

PCCY-30209 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (1978-1992) {50:54}

PCCY-30210 - Kenny's Music Still Live On: Live in Tokyo (1991) {59:34}

PCCY-30211 - Piano Night (1992) {57:29}

PCCY-30212 - Nature Beauty (1978-1980) {54:08}

PCCY-30213 - Live for Peace (1990) {67:05}

PCCY-30214 - A Child Is Born (1978) {44:46}

PCCY-30215 - Hush-A-Bye (1978) {41:27}

PCCY-30216 - Sophisticated Lady (1981) {41:32}

PCCY-30217 - Portrait: Oboe Concerto (1982-1991) {47:10}

PCCY-30218 - Season's Greetings (1988-1989) {37:23}

 

George Shearing, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Stewart – The MPS Trio Sessions (4 CD, 2007/FLAC)

 

For those fortunate enough to hear and own the immaculately produced Germany/Black Forest based MPS recordings, distributed as imported pristine virgin vinyl LPs that were pressed in the '70s, you already know the quality of this four-CD set of George Shearing's trio. With the peerless Dane Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Ireland's genius guitarist Louis Stewart, they can hardly do anything wrong musically. The first three CDs have Shearing playing standards, occasionally contemporizing his repertoire on Chick Corea's "Windows" and "500 Miles High," doing NHØP's "Cowboy Santa" and "My Little Anna," and offering two of his own originals, "The Fourth Deuce" and "G & G." The final CD has the threesome accompanied by strings, arranged and conducted by the brilliant Robert Farnon, and while a bit syrupy, lend pleasant late-night contrast at the end of a long day to the proceedings. This is a welcome addition to Shearing's collections discography, and a reminder of how good, in a short time period, MPS and producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer were. 

Michel Petrucciani – Concerts Inedits (3 CD, 1999)

Michel Petrucciani's diminutive stature was due to a genetic disorder that caused brittle bones and stunted his growth, but he figuratively stood tall among jazz pianists of the 1980s and 1990s, prior to his premature death at 36 in early 1999. This three-CD set consists of portions of three separate concerts by Petrucianni, none of which have been previously issued.