Jazz Cafee

Blue Note Works 4000-4100 series [4111-4125]

...The Modern Jazz Series continued into the 1970s with the LPs listed below. Many were issued in both monaural versions (BLP series) and stereo versions (BST 84000 series). Most of the 4000 series have been reissued by Toshiba-EMI in Japan ("Blue Note Works 4000" series); the catalog numbers are TOCJ-4###

BN.4111- Grant Green- 1962- The Latin Bit {RVG Remaster}
BN.4112- Dexter Gordon- 1962- GO! {RVG Remaster}
BN.4113- Freddie Roach- 1962- Down To Earth {RVG Remaster}
BN.4114- Ike Quebec- 1962- Boss Nova. Soul Samba {RVG Remaster}
BN.4115- Freddie Hubbard- 1962- Hub-Tones {RVG Remaster}
BN.4116- Jackie McLean- 1962- Jackie McLean Quintet (not released)
BN.4117- Jimmy Smith- 1960- Back at the Chicken Shack {RVG Remaster}
BN.4118- Donald Byrd- 1961- Free Form {RVG Remaster}
BN.4119- Charlie Rouse- 1962- Bossa Nova Bacchanal
BN.4121- Don Wilkerson- 1962- Elder Don
BN.4122- Stanley Turrentine - 1962- Jubilee Shout!!!
BN.4123- Kenny Burrell- 1963- Midnight Blue {RVG Remaster}
BN.4124- Donald Byrd- 1963- A New Perspective {RVG Remaster}
BN.4125- Lou Donaldson- 1963- Good Gracious!

Eric Vloeimans - V-Flow (5 CD, 2010/FLAC)

Eric Vloeimans is an award-winning jazz trumpeter, songwriter, and record producer. With his crisp attack and rich tone, he is arguably the most famous jazz trumpeter in the Netherlands. Throughout his long career, Vloeimans has consistently colored outside defined genre lines. He continually melds jazz with influences ranging from classical, pop music, folk, and even electronica by using a wide array of effects on his horn.

V-Flow is a limited distribution box that compiles some of the trumpeter's best work as a leader, alongside significant sideman sessions. Even those who have his twelve Challenge releases, from 1994's First Floor through to 2009's Heavens Above! will likely find a few previously unheard gems on V-Flow, most significantly the more than half of his debut as a leader, No Realistics (Art in Jazz/Via, 1992), previously out of print and now remastered for a chock-full collection that's clocks in at just under six hours.

Since graduating from the Rotterdam Conservatorium with honors in the late 1980s, in addition to time spent at the prestigious New School in New York, Vloeimans has gradually but inexorably and inevitably become one of the best-known of Holland's next generation of jazz musicians, a small but potent collective that also includes guitarists Jesse van Ruller and Anton Goudsmit, saxophonists Benjamin Herman and Yuri Honing, and keyboardist Michiel Borstlap. Vloeimans has comfortably married a clear knowledge and reverence of the American jazz tradition to hints of European classicism, occasional shots of futuristic electronic, and no shortage of the absurdity endemic to the New Dutch Swing of musicians like internationally known drummer Han Bennink and pianist Misha Mengelberg, both part of the first wave of their homeland's jazz in the 1960s, when it began to shake off its largely imitative approach and assert its own distinctive personality and aesthetic.

Don Wilkerson - The Complete Blue Note Sessions (1962-63) (2 CD, 2001/FLAC)

Don Wilkerson was a saxophonist in the mold of Gene Ammons and Willis Jackson, a big-toned, booting Texas tenor player who mixed blues, swing, and bop into a joyous, soulful brew. A mainstay of Ray Charles's band, he contributed tenor solos to hits such as "I Got a Woman" but never achieved the enduring fame of band-mate David Newman. He recorded three sessions for Blue Note in 1962 and 1963, all collected on this two-CD set. It's classic soul jazz, riff-based and driving, with Wilkerson touching on a variety of bases, from bar-walking roadhouse shuffles to the rolling gospel of "Camp Meeting" and some gorgeous sweet-toned balladry on "Poor Butterfly" and "Easy Living." Guitarist Grant Green is present on all three sessions, playing with a grittier edge than usual, and there are strong contributions from other Blue Note regulars as well. Hard-bop pianist Sonny Clark and drummer Billy Higgins take some real delight in getting back to basics on the first session, while organist John Patton lays down a carpet of sounds both sanctified and funky on the third. The second session, with drummer Willie Bobo, has Wilkerson touching on the Latin and western sides of his Texas background, even mixing them together on Bob Wills's "San Antonio Rose."

Jimmie Noone - Chronogical Classics 1923-1940 (5 CD/FLAC)

Jimmie Noone (or Jimmy Noone; April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist.

Noone was born in Cut Off, Louisiana, and started playing guitar in his home town; at the age of 15, he switched to the clarinet and moved to New Orleans, where he studied with Lorenzo Tio and with the young Sidney Bechet, who was only 13 at the time. By 1912, he was playing professionally with Freddie Keppard in Storyville, and played with Buddy Petit, Kid Ory, Papa Celestin, the Eagle Band, and the Young Olympia Band, before joining the Original Creole Orchestra in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. The following year, he joined King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, then in 1920 joined Keppard in Doc Cook's band which he would remain with for six years, and make early recordings with. In 1926, he started leading the band at Chicago's Apex Club. This band, Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, was notable for its unusual instrumentation—a front line consisting of just Noone and alto saxophonist/clarinetist Joe Poston, who had worked with Noone in Doc Cook's band. The influential Pittsburgh-born pianist Earl Hines was also in the band for a time.

Noone signed with Brunswick in May, 1928 and was assigned to their Vocalion label. From his first session yielded "Four or Five Times" b/w "Every Evening (I Miss You") (Vocalion 1185), which was a best seller. He continued recording for Vocalion prolifically through February, 1935. He then signed with Decca in early 1936 and one session each for Decca in 1936, 1937 and 1940. He did one session for Bluebird also in 1940.

In 1935, Noone moved to New York City to start a band and a (short-lived) club with Wellman Braud. He then returned to Chicago where he played at various clubs until 1943, when he moved to Los Angeles, California. Shortly after he joined Kid Ory's band, which was featured for a time on a radio program hosted by Orson Welles. Noone played a few broadcasts with the band, but died suddenly of a heart attack. The Ory band, with New Orleans-born clarinetist Wade Whaley, played a blues (titled "Blues for Jimmie" by Welles) in his honor on the radio, and the number eventually became a regular feature for the Ory band. He died, aged 48, in Los Angeles, California.

VOLUME 01

1. I`m Beginning To See The Ligh[ Joe Williams With Count Basie] 3:09.

2. Top Hat, White Tie And Tails [ Louis Armstrong] 4:14

3. Tenderly [Billie Holiday] 3:45

4. Stockholm Sweetin` [Jon Hendricks]3:50

5. The Touch Of Your Lips [Chet Baker]2:45

6. It Ain`t So Honey It Ain`t So [Jack Teagarden] 2:45

7. Is You Is Or You Ain`t (Ma Baby) [Louis Jordan] 3:25

8. I Could Have Told You [Artur Prysock] 3:47

10 Too Close For Comfort [Mel Torme] 4:05

11. It Was A Very Good Year [Wes Montgomery] 3:48

12. Please Don`t Talk About Me When I`m Gone [Billie Holiday] 4:23

13. Squatty Roo [Ella Fitzgerald] 1:16

14. Crazy He Calls Me [Dinah Washington] 4:52

15. Only Trust Your Heart [Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto] 4:31

16. Don`t Explain [Nina Simone] 4:22

16. If You Could See Me Now [Morgana King] 3:23

17. A Child Is Born [Oscar Peterson] 2:36

VOLUME 02

1. Too Darn Hot [Mel Torme ] 2:49

2. Easy To Love [Charlie Parker With Strings ]3:34

3. I Wish I Were In Love Again [Ella Fitzgerald] 2:40

4. Little Girl Blue [Louis Armstrong ]5:46

5. Ten Cents A Dance [Anita O'Day ]3:41

6. Dancing On The Ceiling [Erroll Garner ]3:41

7. I Didn't Know What Time It Was [Billie Holiday] 6:01

8. Thou Swell [Count Basie & Joe Williams] 2:26

9. It Never Entered My Mind [Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster] 5:51

10. Falling In Love With Love [Helen Merrill] 3:57

11. Everything I've Got [Tal Farlow] 3:34

12. Nobody's Heart [Mel Torme] 1:53

13. Things Are Looking Up [Ella Fitzgerald] 3:09

14. Summertime [Charlie Parker With Strings] 2:50

15. I Was Doing All Right [Louis Armstrong] 3:23

16. I Got Rhythm [Oscar Peterson] 3:25

17. They All Laughed [Fred Astaire] 3:01

18. Someone To Watch Over Me [ Roland Kirk] 3:41

19. Love For Sale [Billie Holiday ]3:00

20. Let's Do It [Dinah Washington] 2:39

John Patton - Mosaic Select 6 (3 CD, 2003/FLAC)

The Mosaic Select treatment has deservedly been given to Big John Patton. There are those who argue that Patton's entire catalog should have been the subject of a Mosaic box set proper. There was easily enough material for five, if not six, CDs. There are five albums collected here. His first three, Along Came John, The Way I Feel, and Oh Baby!, were recorded in 1963, 1964, and 1965, respectively. The last two on this set are That Certain Feeling and Understanding, from 1968.

Missing are Blue John, his proper second album from 1963 and unreleased until 1986, Let 'Em Roll, and Got a Good Thing Goin', released in 1965 and 1966, and his post-1968 work, Accent on the Blues, Memphis to New York Spirit (unreleased until 1996), and Boogaloo. Quibbling aside, of the material included here, only Along Came John is currently available domestically, making this set a necessary purchase for Patton fans who have not shelled out the big bucks for Japanese pressings. Virtually every one of these outings is important, the first because it showcased Patton outside of his stead in Lou Donaldson's great early-'60s combo, accompanied by tenors Fred Jackson and Harold Vick with Grant Green and Ben Dixon. The band changed only slightly for The Way I Feel, when Vick was replaced by trumpeter Richard Williams. On Oh Baby!, Jackson was replaced by Vick and Williams by Blue Mitchell. These three dates are all very much of a piece. The band stays deep in the funky blues groove while nodding to the waning days of hard bop. And while the horns are generally regarded as strictly meat and potatoes on these sides, a close listen will correct that erroneous perception.

In the late '60s, Patton's sound became more lean, yet also more expansive and spacious. With Junior Cook on saxophone, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Patton embarked on That Certain Feeling, one of his most illustrious dates as a leader. Ponder's fluid and edgy runs nicely complemented Patton's now arpeggio-heavy manner of playing. Cook's smoky tone that came out of both Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins added depth, dimension, and ambience to the band's sound. On the final session here, Understanding, the sound cut even closer to the bone: Harold Alexander was enlisted on tenor and flute, with drummer Hugh Walker the only other musician involved. The trio played all around the groove jazz sound, while turning it inside out in Alexander's out-ish honking solos. Patton's organ is way up in the mix, shape-shifting time signatures inside a 2/4 meter. The pace is aggressive, deep, and at times dissonant, making an excellent case for reappraisal here, as it dates better than anything else on this set. All in all, this is a deep, sometimes mystifying collection featuring Patton as a composer, bandleader, and arranger. His sense of rhythmic dynamics is among the most sophisticated in the history of the jazz B-3. There isn't a weak second on any of this material and it should be snapped up before Mosaic's copies go -- they do not reissue. Blue Note should take the cue, do the entire catalog in 24-bit audio, and hustle it out there.

♦ CD1 (01:11:44)

01. The Silver Meter [05:40]

02. I'll Never Be Free [05:03]

03. Spiffy Diffy [06:00]

04. Along Came John [06:02]

05. Gee Gee [06:02]

06. Pig Foots [05:44]

07. The Rock [07:29]

08. The Way I Feel [08:38]

09. Jerry [06:45]

10. Davene [07:25]

11. Just 3/4 [06:51]

♦ CD2 (01:02:14)

01. Fat Judy [07:40]

02. Oh Baby [06:17]

03. Each Time [05:39]

04. One To Twelve [07:52]

05. Night Flight [06:35]

06. Good Juice [06:31]

07. String Bean [05:42]

08. I Want To Go Home [08:36]

09. Early A.M. [07:17]

♦ CD3 (00:58:47)

01. Dirty Fingers [06:09]

02. Minor Swing [06:38]

03. Daddy James [06:47]

04. Ding Dong [05:34]

05. Congo Chant [09:11]

06. Alfie's Theme [04:41]

07. Soul Man [06:11]

08. Understanding [06:56]

09. Chitlins Con Carne [06:36]

Personnel: Big John Patton (organ); Grant Green, Jimmy Ponder (guitar); Fred Jackson (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Harold Vick, Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Richard Gene Williams , Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Clifford Jarvis, Hugh Walker, Ben Dixon (drums).

John Di Martino's Romantic Jazz Trio - The Beatles In Jazz (2010/FLAC)

Multiple Grammy nominee John Di Martino--composer, arranger, pianist--has recorded many albums for Venus Records with his Romantic Jazz Trio. Noted for his versatility, John has performed and recorded with such notables as Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Joe Lovano, David "Fat Head" Newman, Pat Martino, Paquito D'Rivera and Houston Person.

John Di Martino - piano
Boris Kozlov - bass
Tim Horner - drums

01. The Fool On The Hill

02. Let It Be

03. Because

04. Fixing A Hole

05. In My Life

06. Norwegian Wood

07. Come Together

08. Penny Lane

09. Blackbird

10. Eleanor Rigby

11. Yesterday

12. Got To Get You Into My Life

13. Here, There And Everywhere

Blue Note Works 4000-4100 series [4101-4110]

BN.4101- Donald Byrd- 1961- Royal Flush {RVG Remaster}
BN.4102- The Three Sounds- 1961- Hey There (with bonus)
BN.4103- Ike Quebec- 1962- Easy Living (not released)
BN.4104- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers- 1961- Buhaina's Delight {RVG Remaster}
BN.4105- Ike Quebec- 1961- It Might As Well Be Spring {RVG Remaster}
BN.4106- Jackie McLean- 1961- Let Freedom Ring {RVG Remaster}
BN.4107- Don Wilkerson- 1962- Preach Brother!
BN.4108- Lou Donaldson- 1962- The Natural Soul {RVG Remaster}
BN.4109- Herbie Hancock- 1962- Takin' Off {RVG Remaster}
BN.4110- Horace Silver- 1962- The Tokyo Blues {RVG Remaster}

J.J. Johnson discography [1946-2017]

J.J. Johnson, original name James Louis Johnson, (born Jan. 22, 1924, Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.—died Feb. 4, 2001, Indianapolis), American jazz composer and one of the genre’s most influential trombonists.

Johnson received early training as a pianist, and at age 14 he began to study the trombone. He became a professional musician in 1941 and during the decade worked in the orchestras of Benny Carter and Count Basie. He became widely recognized as a dexterous soloist (to the extent that many listeners believed he was playing a valve, rather than slide, trombone) who had assimilated the techniques of the bebop movement of the 1940s. He was in great demand among jazz musicians and performed with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis, among others. After a temporary retirement (1952–54), he returned to tour with fellow trombonist Kai Winding; their duets have been recognized as watersheds in the evolution of jazz trombone technique.

In the late 1950s and the 1960s, Johnson composed steadily, including the large-scale works El Camino Real (1959), Sketch for Trombone and Orchestra (1959), and Perceptions (1961). He also worked as a composer and arranger for commercials, films (including Shaft, 1971, with Isaac Hayes; Across 110th Street, 1972; and Cleopatra Jones, 1973), and television (including Barefoot in the Park, 1970–71, The Mod Squad, 1970–73, and Starsky and Hutch, 1975).

In 1977 Johnson undertook a tour of Japan, and he eventually returned to performing full-time, and at full technical capacity, until he retired in 1997.

The Complete Columbia Albums Collection combines all five of jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw's albums on Columbia, including 1977's Rosewood, 1978's Stepping Stones: Live at the Village Vanguard, 1978's Woody III, 1980's For Sure!, and 1981's United. Also featured is a sixth disc of never before released bonus tracks from the live Stepping Stones sessions. These albums represent the height of Shaw's creative output of the late '70s and early '80s, during a time in which he combined modal jazz, post-bop, fusion, and avant-garde improvisation into his own uniquely propulsive, melodic, and harmonically advanced style. Of all the albums, Rosewood is perhaps best known, as it earned Shaw a Grammy nomination and was voted Best Jazz Album of 1978 in the Down Beat Readers Poll. Not only do these albums showcase the technically proficient and improvisationally gifted Shaw in his prime, they also feature such sidemen as saxophonists Joe Henderson, Carter Jefferson, and Gary Bartz; pianists Onaje Allan Gumbs, Larry Willis, and Mulgrew Miller; drummers Victor Lewis and Tony Reedus; bassists Clint Houston and Buster Williams; and -- as on United -- the then young trombonist Steve Turre. These are not only must-hear albums for Shaw fans, but also required listening for any fans of forward-thinking post-bop.

CD1 - Rosewood (1977) {40:56}

CD2 - Stepping Stones: Live at the Village Vanguard (1978) {70:34}

CD3 - Stepping Stones: Bonus Tracks (1978) {70:07}

CD4 - Woody III (1979) {36:01}

CD5 - For Sure! (1980) {49:12}

CD6 - United (1981) {40:41}