The Gellers (Herb Geller & Lorraine Geller) - Two of a Kind: Complete Recordings 1954-1955 (2 CD, 2006/FLAC)

Alto saxophonist Herb Geller and his wife Lorraine Geller were married for only seven years prior to her sudden death from an undiagnosed heart ailment in 1958, but they were fortunate that they were able to work regularly together and also make several records with each other (three albums for Emarcy and an extended-play 45 rpm disc for Imperial), all of which are gathered in this two-CD compilation. Herb has been an underrated saxophonist because he has spent most of his working life in Europe following Lorraine's death, but he was among the top echelon of West Coast players during the 1950s, while Lorraine was just as capable, whether soloing or backing her husband. In addition to the standards, there are several originals by each of the Gellers, including Lorraine's laconic ballad "Domestic Harmony" and Herb's tongue-in-cheek "Love Is Like a Turtle" (a rather uptempo cooker). A variety of different rhythm sections are utilized and the source material varies in quality, some of it presumably being dubbed from rare LPs instead of master tapes.

Freddie Hubbard - Anthology: The Soul-Jazz And Fusion Years 66-82 (2 CD, 2002/FLAC)

 This collection on the U.K.'s Soul Brother imprint is a very compelling look at a big slice of Freddie Hubbard's long career as a leader, and one that gets ignored for the most part. Hubbard recorded over 20 records between Backlash, his Atlantic debut in 1966, and Ride Like the Wind for Elektra in 1982, with lengthy stops at Columbia and CTI (as well some straight hard bop and post-bop outings for labels Fantasy and Pablo). In many cases, some of these original recordings were not only disregarded by more traditional jazzheads, they were regarded with outright hostility. It didn't matter to Hubbard, however, because at the time, these were among his best-selling albums and connected with the public deeply.

This 18-cut set leaves out the straighter jazz albums and his dates as a sideman – there were dozens – in favor of Hubbard's long sojourn into soul-jazz, fusion, and jazz-funk. The early soul-jazz sides on Atlantic are represented by a pair of cuts from Backlash and one each from High Blues Pressure and A Soul Experiment, before moving into his years with Creed Taylor. These years contain classics such as the title jams from Red Clay and First Light, but they go deeper and get stranger – as well as more cosmic – with the inclusion of tracks like "Povo," a wild reading of "People Make the World Go Around," and "Spirits of Trane" from Polar AC and Keep Your Soul Together. Disc two also includes far funkier jams such as "Baraka Sasa" and "Kuntu" from High Energy and Liquid Love, respectively. There are certainly albums left out from this period, even those that followed the grooved-out dictums of the tracks included, but it hardly matters since what is presented here is the best of the best, even following Hubbard's trail all the way down to albums like Splash and Born to Be Blue. In other words, this is a great introduction to the music of Hubbard after his initial Blue Note period and before he returned to his hard bop roots in the middle of the 1980s. 

John Coltrane – In Europe (1961-1965) [3 CD, 2001/FLAC]

 

Live compilation for one of the 20th Century's most important & influential musicians. Recorded during several truly memorable European concerts made between 1961 & 1965. The classic performances feature Coltrane in company with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison & Elvin Jones. On three tracks the legendary Eric Dolphy joins the most famous quartet. Includes 'Naima', 'Impressions' & two contrasting & extended performances of the evergreen 'My Favorite Things', plus an awesome 48-minute performance of Coltrane's undisputed masterpiece, 'A Love Supreme'.

• John Coltrane: soprano, tenor saxophone
• McCoy Tyner: piano
• Elvin Jones: drums
• Eric Dolphy: flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, bass guitar
• Reggie Workman: bass instrument
• Jimmy Garrison: bass

Joe Zawinul discography [1959-2008]

 

Josef Erich Zawinul (July 7, 1932 – September 11, 2007) was an Austrian-American jazz keyboardist and composer.

Peggy Lee - The Centenary Albums Collection 1948-62 (4 CD, 2020/FLAC)

May 26th 2020 marks the centenary of the birth of the great jazz and pop singer Peggy Lee, and Acrobat is celebrating the occasion with two special releases, this collections of album tracks and an anthology of selected A and B sides from her singles The Centenary Singles Collection 1945-62 (ACQCD7146). Peggy Lee was one of the finest interpreters of popular songs, whether performing in the big band idiom, in small group jazz environments or with solo piano accompaniment, or in the sophisticated pop style which brought her many chart hits. Her repertoire ranged effortlessly from Great American Songbook classics to the latest pop songs, and included many of her own fine compositions.

 This great-value 109-track 4-CD set comprises selected titles from 25 of her albums released on Capitol and Decca during this era - My Best To You, Rendezvous with Peggy Lee, Lover, Black Coffee, Songs In An Intimate Style, Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues, Dream Street, Songs from Walt Disney's ""Lady and the Tramp, Sea Shells, Miss Wonderful, The Fabulous Peggy Lee, The Man I Love, Jump For Joy, Things Are Swingin', I Like Men! ,Beauty and the Beat!, Latin ala Lee!, All Aglow Again!, Pretty Eyes, Christmas Carousel, Olé ala Lee, Basin Street East Proudly Presents Miss Peggy Lee, If You Go, Blues Cross Country and Sugar 'N' Spice. It features performances with Nelson Riddle, Billy May, George Shearing, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Dave Barbour, Benny Carter, Gordon Jenkins, Hal Mooney, Victor Young, Sy Oliver, Joseph Lilley and Jack Marshall. Its a marvellous showcase for her talent and versatility working across a range of musical styles and concepts.

VA - Blue Note Explosion: Righteousness (2 CD, 2006/FLAC)

 

A double CD collection of Blue Note music from the late 1960's.

Art Farmer - The Complete Albums Collection 1955-1957 (4 CD, 2016/FLAC)

 

Remembered for his warm, lyrical tone and impeccable sense of rhythm, Art Farmer was not just a highly accomplished trumpet player, he also helped establish the flugelhorn as a leading solo instrument in jazz - and later, introduced the flumpet , a hybrid of the two instruments, which he helped invent. Along with his twin brother, double bassist Addison Farmer, he produced many landmark albums throughout his career, as both a bandleader and as a sideman or as part of The Jazztet, a collective built around the trumpeter and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson.

Grachan Moncur III - Mosaic Select 1 (3 CD, 2003/FLAC)

 

Mosaic Records -- that venerable jazz and blues collector's label that issues completely necessary packages by legendary, if sometimes obscure, artists in limited editions on both LP and CD -- is a name synonymous with the finest quality in sound, annotation, and packaging, and they are branching out. Mosaic Select is a side label dedicated to bringing to light the work of musicians whose role in the development of jazz was seminal but whose catalog was small, or whose work was neglected or otherwise overlooked. These editions, in two or three CD sets, just like their other boxes, are numbered and limited. The music on this collection features both of trombonist and composer Grachan Moncur's Blue Note LPs as well as his four historic collaborations with Jackie McLean, the albums One Step Beyond, Destination Out, Hipnosis, and 'Bout Soul.

Tony Bennett - Complete Columbia Singles Vol. 1-6 (2011)

 

The discography of American traditional pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett consists of 60 studio albums, 11 live albums, 33 compilation albums, three video albums, one extended play and 83 singles.

Almost all of Bennett's albums have been released by Columbia Records. The biggest selling of his albums in the US have been I Left My Heart in San Francisco, MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, Duets: An American Classic and Duets II, all of which were certified platinum by the RIAA for shipping one million copies. Nine other albums of his have gone gold in the US, including several compilations.

Horace Silver discography [1953-2004]

 

Horace Silver (born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva, September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist and composer.

Silver is known for his distinctive playing style and pioneering compositional contributions to hard bop. He was influenced by a wide range of musical styles, notably gospel music, African music, and Latin American music, and sometimes ventured into the soul jazz genre.