1959 - The Amazing Nina Simone
1959 - Nina Simone At Town Hall
1961 - Forbidden Fruit
1962 - Nina Simone Sings Ellington
1964 - Folksy Nina
Art Pepper - Mosaic Select 15 (3 CD, 2005/FLAC)
Featuring Art Pepper's 1956 and 1957 Aladdin sessions, Mosaic's 3-CD boxed set portrays the alto saxophonist in familiar company, full of life and at his best. The collection includes several bonus tracks, alternate takes, and material that was previously available only on reel-to-reel tape.
Mosaic's 24-bit re-mastering provides a clear sound that lets you appreciate this artist who "grew" from Bird and who helped pioneer the cool school of West Coast Jazz. Pepper's attack was fast, fluid, and quick to turn on a dime. He was equally adept at animated bebop antics as with a tender ballad.
Jimmy Giuffre - The Complete Capitol and Atlantic Recordings (6 CD, 1997/FLAC)
There is a kind of poetic imagination at work in the early solo recordings of Jimmy Giuffre. He knew what sound he was looking for; could hear it in all its breezy complexity; but had to experiment for a number of years before hitting upon it: a varied and rich tapestry that may be overlooked by mainstream jazz fans who are still goo-goo-eyed over all the '50s had to offer; but shouldn't be. Taken in part or as a whole, The Complete Capitol and Atlantic Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre, (six CDs-worth from the Four Brothers sessions), reveal truly original statements sung by a master of dynamic, harmonic, and timbral invention and counterpoint. Giuffre (and Dave Brubeck) studied counterpoint with French composer Darius Milhaud, and it shows. The music contained here is considered, even today, with its strange lineups and odd ghostly voicings, to be sometimes quirky or iconoclastic.
VA - Blue Note Explosion: On the Corner - Fantastic Fusion Grooves From The Jazz Funk Masters (2 CD, 2008/FLAC)
A double CD collection of Blue Note jazz funk recordings mainly from the early 1970's.
The Blue Note Stanley Turrentine Quintet/Sextet Studio Sessions (5 CD, 2002/FLAC)
During its history, Mosaic has compiled many box sets dealing with the classic Blue Note years. Its five-CD Stanley Turrentine box is a bit unusual in that it groups together six albums (five from 1961-1964 and one from 1969) that are only a small percentage of Mr. T's 1960s output for the label. While he recorded in quartets, on many dates with organist Shirley Scott (his wife during the era), and with larger groups, these albums (Comin' Your Way, Jubilee Shout, A Chip Off the Old Block, In Memory Of, Mr. Natural, and Another Story) all team him with one or two other horn players. Turrentine, a soulful tenor who had a distinctive sound of his own no matter what the setting, is primarily heard playing straight-ahead jazz. His sidemen include brother Tommy Turrentine, Blue Mitchell, Lee Morgan, and Thad Jones on trumpets, Tom McIntosh and Curtis Fuller on trombones, pianists Horace Parlan, Sonny Clark, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Cedar Walton, guitarist Kenny Burrell, a variety of bassists and drummers, and (on one date) Shirley Scott. Although these albums were unrelated to each other, there is a strong unity to this box, reinforced by Turrentine's consistency and the high quality of this hard bop-oriented music. While the performances (which include one set dedicated to Count Basie) may not be the tenor's most essential recordings, these are certainly above average and quite enjoyable.
Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, Jack DeJohnette - ST (1979/FLAC)
An otherworldly soundscape of aching beauty, this album is a must-have for aficionados of any member of this trio. Rypdal's guitar is hauntingly reverbed and distant throughout, though occasionally on "Seasons" he becomes too fond of caterwauling guitar synth. But this is truly an effort of trio fusion, with ineffable pieces like "Den Forste Sne" ("The First Snow") appearing and melting away without any tangible solos or structure. From the opening cymbal strikes of "Sunrise," this album is marked by DeJohnette's best drumming on record; his cymbal sound, pushed to the front and recorded with mikes both above and below the cymbal's bell -- "because that's how the drummer hears it" -- is nothing short of revelatory. Vitous' bass steadies Rypdal's flights of fancy, while his subtle electric piano lines float above. These elements combine most powerfully in "Believer," which builds from atmospheric shimmers of electric piano into a whorl of bass and plaintive guitar set against the dry rasp of resonating cymbals.
Don Byas - Complete 1946-1951 European Small Group Master Takes (3 CD, 2001/FLAC)
The European recordings by a jazzmen who played a crucial role in the transition from Swing to Bop. Only master takes.
One of the greatest of all tenor players, Don Byas' decision to move permanently to Europe in 1946 resulted in him being vastly underrated in jazz history books. His knowledge of chords rivalled Coleman Hawkins, and, due to their similarity in tones, Byas can be considered an extension of the elder tenor. He played with many top swing bands, including those of Lionel Hampton (1935), Buck Clayton (1936), Don Redman, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk (1939-1940), and most importantly Count Basie (1941-1943).
An advanced swing stylist, Byas' playing looked toward bop. He jammed at Minton's Playhouse in the early '40s, appeared on 52nd Street with Dizzy Gillespie, and performed a pair of stunning duets with bassist Slam Stewart at a 1944 Town Hall concert. After recording extensively during 1945-1946 (often as a leader), Byas went to Europe with Don Redman's band, and (with the exception of a 1970 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival) never came back to the U.S. He lived in France, the Netherlands, and Denmark; often appeared at festivals; and worked steadily. Whenever American players were touring, they would ask for Byas, who had opportunities to perform with Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie, Jazz at the Philharmonic (including a recorded tenor battle with Hawkins and Stan Getz), Art Blakey, and (on a 1968 recording) Ben Webster. Byas also recorded often in the 1950s, but was largely forgotten in the U.S. by the time of his death.
George Shearing — The Complete Capitol Live Recordings Of George Shearing (5 CD, 1994/FLAC)
Pianist George Shearing, whose vibes-guitar-piano-bass-drums quintet was one of the most popular in jazz throughout the '50s and '60s, seemed to have had a dual career while signed to Capitol. While his studio recordings often found his quintet augmented by strings, voices, brass, and/or Latin percussion in performances closer to mood music (or even Muzak) than jazz, his live engagements were definitely in the cool/bop vein. This Mosaic five-CD limited-edition box set brings back his five in-concert recordings, two of which are now double in length thanks to the inclusion of 13 previously unissued selections. There is more variety than expected to this program, with the full quintet featured on most numbers but space also set aside for showcases by the trio, Shearing's solo piano, and his regular "guest" Armando Peraza on congas. Shearing is the star throughout, although the sidemen include such fine players as vibraphonists Gary Burton, Emil Richards, and Warren Chiasson; guitarists Toots Thielemans (who plays harmonica on "Caravan"), Dick Garcia, John Gray, and Ron Anthony; bassists Al McKibbon, Ralph Pena, Bill Yancey, and Gene Cherico; and drummers Percy Brice and Vernel Fournier. Shearing's funny comments to the audience have also been included, and the result is a classy show filled with accessible but surprisingly inventive bop-based music.
The Complete Edmond Hall, James P. Johnson, Sidney De Paris, Vic Dickenson Blue Note Sessions (4 CD, 1990/FLAC)
To say that this limited-edition six-LP Mosaic box is overflowing with classics is an understatement. Included are a variety of small-group sessions (with overlapping personnel) from the early days of Blue Note. The Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet has five songs that are the only existing examples of Charlie Christian playing acoustic guitar; clarinetist Hall, Meade Lux Lewis (on celeste), and bassist Israel Crosby complete the unique group. The king of stride piano, James P. Johnson, is heard on eight solos; other combos are led by Johnson, Hall (who heads four groups in all), trumpeter Sidney DeParis, and trombonist Vic Dickenson (heard in a 1952 quartet with organist Bill Doggett). Among the other key soloists are vibraphonist Red Norvo, pianist Teddy Wilson, tenor great Ben Webster, baritonist Harry Carney, clarinetist Omer Simeon, and trombonist Benny Morton. But more important than the all-star personnel is the fact that the musicians are consistently inspired, and that the performances (ranging from Dixieland to advanced swing) are well-planned yet spontaneous. The accompanying 26-page booklet is a major plus too. Essential music; get this box while you can.
Fats Navarro & Tadd Dameron - The Complete Blue Note And Capitol Recordings (2 CD, 1995/FLAC)
Many valuable performances from the height of the bop era are included on this double CD. Subtitled "The Complete Blue Note and Capitol Recordings" and comprised of 23 songs and 13 alternate takes, the reissue features the great trumpeter Fats Navarro in peak form with three groups headed by pianist/arranger Tadd Dameron, in trumpet battles with one of his major influences, Howard McGhee, and on a remarkable all-star quintet with pianist Bud Powell and the young tenor Sonny Rollins; among the other sidemen are altoist Ernie Henry; tenors Charlie Rouse, Allen Eager, Wardell Gray, and Dexter Gordon; and vibraphonist Milt Jackson. In addition to such gems as "Our Delight," "Lady Bird," "Double Talk," "Bouncing With Bud," "Dance of the Infidels," and "52nd Street Theme," Fats is heard with the 1948 Benny Goodman septet ("Stealin' Apples") and Dameron leads a group with the 22-year-old Miles Davis. On a whole, this double CD has more than its share of essential music that belongs in all historical jazz collections.
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