Thelonious Monk - The Columbia Years 1962-1968 [3 CD, 2001/FLAC]

 

While occasionally maligned, Thelonious Monk's '60s recordings for Columbia yielded many moments of warmth and ingenuity. His first two albums for the label, Monk's Dream and Criss-Cross, rank among his very best; the latter demonstrated the company's success in raising his profile, becoming in 1963 his sole LP to place on the pop charts. This three-CD box, like the 2000 collection of Prestige sessions, aims to push Monk's '60s music into the spotlight shared by his Blue Note and Riverside classics. While deviled by a handful of questionable choices, The Columbia Years for the most part succeeds.

Sonny Criss - The Complete Imperial Sessions [2 CD, 1956/1990 remastered/FLAC]

  

This double disc reissue on Blue Note contains the three releases that alto saxophonist Sonny Criss did for Imperial: Jazz U.S.A., Go Man!, and Plays Cole Porter. These sessions were all recorded in 1956 at a time when Criss had honed his amazing bebop alto precision. These 34 performances contain only five of his originals and are surrounded by mainly standards.

While Criss had a career that erratically spanned the '70s, these Imperial sessions (reissued in glorious mono) contained highly regarded performances of passionate blues, moving ballads, and energetic up-tempo pieces.

• Sonny Criss (alto saxophone);
• Larry Bunker (vibraphone);
• Sonny Clark, Kenny Drew (piano);
• Barney Kessell (guitar);
• Leroy Vinnegar, Bill Woodson, Buddy Clark (bass);
• Chuck Thompson, Lawrence Marable (drums).

Mildred Bailey -Sunday, Monday or Always (4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 

An early jazz singer with a sweet voice, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards. Influenced by Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the area. After sending a demonstration disc in to Paul Whiteman in 1929, she gained a spot with one of the most popular dance orchestras of the day.

Art Tatum- Complete Original American Decca Recordings (1932-44) [4 CD, 2001]

 Collectors of recordings by piano great Art Tatum are frustrated by the many haphazard, poorly documented, and often incomplete collections of his work; this four-CD set by the English label Definitive attempts to collect all of his known recordings for Decca, but there are a few surprising twists. Tatum recorded many of his piano solos with several different takes, so as many as 23 alternate takes remain unissued (and are most likely either lost or unusable) according to Tatum discographer Arnold Laubich. But this is made up by the fact that all of his sessions with singer Adelaide Hall for Brunswick (including four previously unissued alternate takes, one of whose existence was not previously known) and every song he waxed with blues singer Joe Turner are present. Tatum's virtuoso performances -- especially his solos of "Tiger Rag," "Elegie," and "Body and Soul" -- are still amazing many decades after they were first released. The 24-bit sound of this compilation is richer than the earlier MCA and GRP CD reissues, so the release of this thorough collection may cause more than a few Tatum fans to trade up. 

Roy Ayers - Evolution: The Polydor Anthology (2 CD, 1995/FLAC)

 Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk.

Evolution: The Polydor Anthology charts Roy Ayers' 12 years and 20 LPs with Polydor, a rich time where his gliding, loose-groove jazz-funk gained many fans -- though perhaps fewer than it did 20 years later in the midst of the rare groove/acid jazz revival. During the 1970s, Ayers and his band, Ubiquity, progressed from political- and social-commentary funk to blaxploitation to disco to some surprisingly touching R&B ballads, and this two-disc set covers it all with grace and a smooth flow. Fans of hip-hop, groove music, funk, and jazz will all be able to find something to enjoy on the collection. Highlights include "We Live in Brooklyn Baby," "Evolution," "Running Away," and "Get on up, Get on Down," among others.

Personnel includes: Roy Ayers (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet, vibraphone, vibraharp percussion, synthesizer); Wayne Garfield, Dee Dee Dridgewater, Chicas (vocals); Harry Whitaker (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet, harpsichord); Edwin Birdsong (vocals, organ); Seldon Powell (baritone saxophone); Jon Faddis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Garnett Brown (trombone); Jerry Friedman (guitar, electric sitar); Billy Nichols (guitar); Emir Ksasan (bass); Alphonse Mouzon (drums); William King (congas, bongos, percussion).

Buck Clayton - The Complete CBS Jam Sessions (1953-1956) [8 LP, 1993]

 Trumpeter Buck Clayton led a series of exciting studio jam sessions during the mid-'50s. All of the performances are on this superlative three-CD box set including a few "new" alternate takes and several that have been restored to their full length. Among the many soloists (most of them swing-oriented stylists) are Clayton, Joe Newman, Joe Thomas, Billy Butterfield, and Ruby Braff on trumpets; trombonists Urbie Green, Benny Powell, Henderson Chambers, Trummy Young, Bennie Green, Dicky Harris, J.C. Higginbotham, and Tyree Glenn; altoist Lem Davis; tenors Coleman Hawkins, Al Cohn, and Buddy Tate; Julian Dash doubling on tenor and alto; baritonist Charlie Fowlkes; several rhythm sections with pianists Sir Charles Thompson, Jimmy Jones, Billy Kyle, Ken Kersey, and the forgotten Al Waslohn; and a guest appearance by Woody Herman on clarinet. These generally lengthy performances contain plenty of spontaneous riffing behind soloists and lots of special moments; "How Ili the Fi" is quite memorable. 

Herb Ellis And Freddie Green - Rhythm Willie (1975/FLAC)

Guitarist Herb Ellis is joined by rhythm guitarist Freddie Green, pianist Ross Tompkins, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna for this lightly swinging but uneventful program which has been reissued on CD. Since Green as usual does not solo, his contribution is purely as a background player. Ellis, Tompkins and Brown are the lead voices on a variety of swing tunes; best are "It Had To Be You," "A Smooth One" and "When My Dream Boat Comes Home." 

Ben Webster & Johnny Hodges - The Complete 1960 Sextet Jazz Cellar Session (2011,FLAC)

 

This 1960 set is said to be the only recording session on which Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges were the only two horn players. At least, that applies to the first dozen tracks. The last five come from an octet session recorded a year later. The first twelve were recorded at the Jazz Cellar in San Francisco; the last five were recorded somewhere in Los Angeles.

The line-up gives Webster and Hodges the chance to show their paces without much interference. In fact they had played together in the Duke Ellington Orchestra for various periods from 1935 onwards, so they knew one another closely, and their empathy comes through on these sides. You might say that Hodges is to the alto sax what Ben Webster is to the tenor. Their distinctive saxophones blend well together, even though they have slightly different styles. They both actually have a sweet legato style of playing, although Webster can get gruff and growly when he wants to. Their main similarity is that they both aim for (and achieve) mellowness of tone - and they can both swing with the greatest of ease. The staccato single notes of guitarist Herb Ellis contrast nicely with the saxists' predominantly smooth mode.

Charlie Parker - The Complete Norman Granz Master Takes (4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

  

Charlie Parker's studio recordings have been issued, reissued (and de-issued, so to speak) in so many confusing combinations that anyone seeking a better understanding of his original discography might need a lodestone to hang onto. In addition to his excellent Savoy and Dial recordings, jazz lovers ought to have access to Definitive's wonderful survey of every master take that Bird ever recorded for producer Norman Granz. For years this exceptionally fine material was usually presented categorically, depending on thematic content ("South of the Border"), personae ("Bird and Diz") or instrumentation ("Bird with Strings"). Considered as a whole, this four-CD set is a stunning tribute to a master improviser. Neatly spanning a time period from December 1947 to December 1954, it includes Bird's very first Granz recording (made in Carnegie Hall without an audience); Bird's own big-band sessions; Bird's collaborations with Neal Hefti, Machito, Coleman Hawkins and trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Red Rodney and Benny Harris; three different sessions involving a chamber ensemble with strings; Bird's final quartet and quintet recordings, and a truly awe-inspiring All-Star Norman Granz Jam Session with a frontline consisting of Charlie Parker with Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Ben Webster, Flip Phillips and Charlie Shavers. The With Strings sessions sound better than ever when heard in context with the rest of the Parker/Granz collaborations. Here, then, is the Charlie Parker compilation to have, along with the Savoy and Dial master takes. This edition is supremely well-presented, and thoughtfully annotated with a written eulogy by Leonard Feather and a priceless set of transcribed reminiscences by legendary Kansas City bassist Gene Ramey.

Crimson Jazz Trio - King Crimson Songbook Vol.1-2.[2005-2009/FLAC]

The Crimson Jazz Trio was a jazz trio led by drummer Ian Wallace, formerly of King Crimson, who re-interpreted King Crimson's music.

The trio was conceived by Wallace, who recruited Tim Landers (bass) and Jody Nardone (piano) in 2004. They recorded the album King Crimson Songbook, Volume One (Voiceprint) in 2005. The album includes material from beyond Wallace's early 1970s tenure in King Crimson. It was supported with a few live dates in different parts of the U.S., but plans for further touring were scrapped due to Wallace's falling ill.

The band finished recording a second album, King Crimson Songbook, Volume Two, with assistance from Jakko Jakszyk and Mel Collins (Wallace's colleagues in 21st Century Schizoid Band; Collins is also a King Crimson alumnus) before Wallace died on February 22, 2007. It was released on April 7, 2009 on Inner Knot Records.