Lester Young - The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on Verve (8 CD, 1999/FLAC)

 All too often, jazz critics have promoted the myth that Lester Young's playing went way downhill after World War II -- that the seminal tenor man was so emotionally wounded by the racism he suffered in the military in 1944-1945 that he could no longer play as well as he had in the '30s and early '40s. To be sure, Young went through hell in the military, and his painful experiences took their toll in the form of alcohol abuse, severe depression, and various health problems. But despite Young's mental decline, he was still a fantastic soloist. This eight-CD set, which gathers most of the studio recordings that he made for Norman Granz's Clef, Norgran, and Verve labels from 1946-1959, underscores the fact that much of his postwar output was superb. At its worst, this collection is at least decent, but the Pres truly excels on sessions with Nat "King" Cole and Buddy Rich in 1946, Oscar Peterson and Barney Kessel in 1952, Roy Eldridge and Teddy Wilson in 1956, and Harry "Sweets" Edison in 1957. Disc 8 contains two recorded interviews with the saxman -- one conducted by Chris Albertson in 1958 for WCAU radio in Philadelphia, the other by French jazz enthusiast Francois Postif in Paris on February 6, 1959 (only five or six weeks before Young's death on March 15 of that year). The contrast between the fascinating interviews is striking; in Philly, Young is polite and soft-spoken, whereas in Paris, the effects of the alcohol are hard to miss. Sounding intoxicated and using profanity liberally, Young candidly tells Postif about everything from his experiences with racism to his associations with Billie Holiday and Count Basie. But as much as the set has going for it, The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on Verve isn't for novices, casual listeners, or those who are budget-minded. Collectors are the ones who will find this CD to be a musical feast. 

Eric Johnson & Mike Stern - Eclectic (2014/FLAC)

 The seed for this project was planted when Eric Johnson played on a few tracks for Mike Stern's 2009 album Big Neighborhood. The two guitarists discovered a shared affinity for jazz and blues, along with those two genres' rambunctious stepchildren, R&B and funk, and both players had always embraced a stylish fusion approach to their respective work. It seems only obvious and natural that they do a full album together. Eclectic was recorded in mostly live takes at Johnson's studio in Austin, Texas, and included a rhythm section of drummer Anton Fig and Johnson's longtime bassist Chris Maresh, along with guest spots from singers Malford Milligan, Leni Stern (Mike Stern's wife), and Christopher Cross, blues harpist Guy Forsyth, and a horn section of John Mills (saxophone), Mike Mordecai (trombone), and Andrew Johnson (trumpet). The versatility on display here from track to track is impressive, ranging from blues to Wes Montgomery-inspired guitar jazz, new age fusion shuffles, and huge-sounding, jazz-inspired big-band imaginary soundtrack themes, and there's no lack of amazing guitar playing, both guitarists blending and flowing together like the two edges of a single river. Highlights include the opener, Stern's driving, jazzy, and funky "Roll with It" (it turns out Stern has a pretty good singing voice, by the way), the lovely, haunting, and chiming "Wishing Well," Johnson's "Hullabaloo" (which sounds like the opening theme to some long-lost Hollywood-based 1960s detective show), Stern's modal "Remember" (modeled on John Coltrane's "Impressions"), and the set's closer, a reverent and vibrant take on Jimi Hendrix's "Red House," which brings everything back to the late-night jazzy approach to the blues that Johnson and Stern both hold so dear. 

Kenny Dorham - Eight Classic Albums 1953-1960 (4 CD, 2012/FLAC)

 Real Gone Jazz continues its box set catalog series with this fine Kenny Dorham volume. This four-disc collection contains eight full-length Dorham recordings cut between 1953-1960 for Debut, Blue Note, Riverside, and other labels. The set kicks off with Dorham's initial offering as a leader, The Kenny Dorham Quintet for Debut in 1953, and Afro-Cuban for Blue Note from 1955. The second disc contains 'Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia (also for Blue Note) circa 1956, and 2 Horns/2 Rhythm for Riverside in 1957. The third disc contains two more Riverside dates, Jazz Contrasts from 1957 and Blue Spring from 1959. Disc four begins in 1959 with the ballad collection Quiet Kenny on New Jazz and ends with a lesser-known 1960 date for the Time imprint entitled Jazz Contemporary. These four discs contain remastered versions of the original albums and some bonus material from their individual reissues. Taken as a whole, this set offers solid proof of Dorham's many gifts as composer, arranger, and bandleader, though he was often overlooked at the time.

Ornette Coleman - Original Album Series (5 CD, 2011/FLAC)

 

CD 1 - The Shape Of Jazz To Come

CD 2 - Change Of The Century

CD 3 - This Is Our Music

CD 4 - Free Jazz

CD 5 - Ornette!

Jimmy Smith — The Complete February 1957 Jimmy Smith Blue Note Sessions (3 CD, 1994/FLAC)

 

It would not be an overstatement to say that organist Jimmy Smith was busy during February 11-13, 1957, for he recorded enough material for these three CDs, 21 often lengthy performances that originally appeared on five LPs plus three others that had been previously unissued. Smith is not only heard early in his career with his regular trio but in a sextet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, altoist Lou Donaldson, tenor-saxophonist Hank Mobley, and drummer Art Blakey, in duets with Donaldson and with a quartet that also stars guitarist Kenny Burrell. These jam sessions feature plenty of exciting solos over fairly common chord changes, and despite the heavy competition, Jimmy Smith (who is still the king of the jazz organ) is the dominant force. 

John Coltrane – The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (4 CD, 1997/FLAC)

 

The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings is a box set credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, issued posthumously in 1997 by Impulse! Records, catalogue IMPD4-232. It collects recordings from the sets performed by the John Coltrane Quintet at the Village Vanguard in early November, 1961. Five selections had been issued during Coltrane's lifetime on the albums Live! at the Village Vanguard and Impressions. Additional tracks had been issued posthumously on the albums The Other Village Vanguard Tapes, Trane's Modes and From the Original Master Tapes.

Charles Lloyd discography [1964-2018]

  

Charles Lloyd (born March 15, 1938) is an American jazz musician. Though he primarily plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has also occasionally recorded on alto saxophone and more exotic reed instruments which include the Hungarian tárogató. His best known composition is "Forest Flower."

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd is a forward-thinking musician's musician whose supreme improvisational talents and interest in cross-pollinating jazz with rock as well as non-Western styles of music during the '60s and '70s established him as one of the key figures in the development of fusion and world music. Lloyd grew up surrounded by the vibrant blues and jazz scenes of his native city. Given a saxophone at age nine, Lloyd eventually studied with Memphis legend pianist Phineas Newborn as well as saxophonist Irvin Reason. By his teens, Lloyd was not only best friends with schoolmate trumpeter Booker Little, but was also gigging locally with such artists as saxophonist George Coleman and future blues icons including Bobby "Blue" Bland, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, and others.

Art Pepper - Unreleased Art, Vol.4: The Art History Project (3 CD, 2009/FLAC)

 There are several Art Pepper boxed sets on the market but none that tried to cover the entire sweep of his checkered career until this one, the fourth in his widow Laurie Pepper's series of Unreleased Art projects for her own label. The three-CD set is thoughtfully divided by disc into three periods -- early Pepper from the cool 1950s, his lost years in the '60s when he spent most of the decade in jail on dope charges, and the final comeback from the mid-'70s until his death in 1982.

Art Blakey — The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Art Blakey's 1960 Jazz Messengers (6 CD, 1992/FLAC)

 Drummer Art Blakey led many great editions of the Jazz Messengers from the inaugural mid-'50s sessions until his death in the '90s. While arguments rage regarding which was his best, there is no doubt that the 1960-1961 unit figures in the debate. This wonderful six-disc set, notated with care and painstaking detail by Bob Blumenthal, covers studio and live sessions from March 6, 1960, to May 27, 1961, with the same personnel on all but two songs. Producer Michael Cuscuna used only first issue dates, and while he included some alternate takes, he did not litter the discs with second-rate vault material. They smoothly detail the band's evolution, cohesion, and maturation. This set, as with all Mosaic boxes, goes beyond essential.

Gil Melle - The Complete Blue Note Fifties Sessions (2 CD, 1998/FLAC)

 

This wonderful 2-CD set by saxophonist Gil Melle is one of six titles released as part of Blue Note's new Connoisseur 10" series. The set consists of four 10" LPs and the one 12" LP (Patterns In Jazz) Gil recorded for the label. These extremely rare sessions contain a mix of straight bop, a number of standards and many of Melle's unique third stream compositions. Melle's use of a guitar (Tal Farlow, Lou Mecca and Joe Cinderella) in place of a piano was seen as a bold, innovative step.

At the time of these recordings, 1952 to 1956, Melle was quite prolific, but by 1957 he had moved on to pursue other interests. He has scored over 125 films, painted, experimented with electronic instruments and is often credited for inventing the first drum machine.