Wynonie Harris - Chronogical Classics 1944-1952 (4 CD/FLAC)
Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson – Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (1959/2001/FLAC)
By 1957, hard bop was firmly established as the "jazz of now," while pianist Oscar Peterson and his ensemble with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis were making their own distinctive presence felt as a true working band playing standards in the swing tradition. Louis Armstrong was more recognizable to the general public as a singer instead of the pioneering trumpet player he was. But popularity contests being the trend, Armstrong's newer fans wanted to hear him entertain them, so in retrospect it was probably a good move to feature his vocalizing on these tracks with Peterson's band and guest drummer Louie Bellson sitting in. The standard form of Armstrong singing the lead lines, followed by playing his pithy and witty horn solos based on the secondary melody, provides the basis for the format on this charming but predictable recording. What happens frequently is that Armstrong and Peterson play lovely ad lib vocal/piano duets at the outset of many tunes. They are all songs you likely know, with few upbeat numbers or obscure choices. It is, however, the familiarity of songs like the midtempo "Let's Fall in Love," with Armstrong's gravelly scat singing, and his marvelous ability to riff off of the basic songs, that make these offerings endearing. A classic take of "Blues in the Night" is the showstopper, while choosing "Moon Song" is a good, off-the-beaten-path pick as the trumpeter plays two solo choruses, and he leads out on his horn for once during the slightly bouncy, basic blues "I Was Doing All Right." Some extremely slow tunes crop up on occasion, like "How Long Has This Been Going On?," an atypically downtempo take of "Let's Do It," and "You Go to My Head," featuring Peterson's crystalline piano. There are the dependable swingers "Just One of Those Things," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "Sweet Lorraine," with Peterson at his accompanying best. There's a ramped-up version of the usually downtrodden "Willow Weep for Me" and a duet between Armstrong and Ellis on the sad two-minute ditty "There's No You." All in all, it's difficult to critique or find any real fault with these sessions, though Peterson is subsumed by the presence of Armstrong, who, as Leonard Feather notes, really needs nobody's help. That this was their only collaboration speaks volumes to how interactive and communal the session really was, aside from the fairly precious music.
- Bass – Ray Brown
- Drums – Louis Bellson
- Guitar – Herb Ellis
- Piano – Oscar Peterson
- Vocals, Trumpet – Louis Armstrong
Lou Donaldson Quintet - Wailing With Lou (1957/2014/FLAC)
Wailing With Lou is an appropriate title for this enjoyable set of straight-ahead bop. Whether he's riding the propulsive rhythms of 'Caravan' or settling down into a ballad, Donaldson takes the center stage with his surprisingly full alto tone. He still displays a clear Charlie Parker influence, but he is beginning to break free and develop his own style. In particular, he relies on bluesy runs more than Bird, which give his music a soulful edge. But what makes Wailing With Lou so enjoyable is the hot interplay between Donaldson, trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Herman Foster, bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Art Taylor. All five musicians give enthusiastic, infectious performances. There's nothing out of the ordinary here -- just hard-driving bop and sensitive ballads, which are sure to please fans of the style.
- Lou Donaldson, alto saxophone
- Donald Byrd, trumpet
- Herman Foster, piano
- Peck Morrison, bass
- Art Taylor, drums
John Handy - Mosaic Select 35 (3 CD, 2009/FLAC)
John Handy is one of the unsung greats of modern jazz -- as saxophonist, composer/arranger and group leader -- especially for the series of four albums he recorded for Columbia between 1965 and 1968. This Mosaic Select is devoted to the three albums he made for the label that featured violin in the instrumentation -- Recorded Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival , The 2nd John Handy Album and Projections, plus a live Carnegie Hall performance.
Handy's playing, on alto sax in particular, is a wonder with a beautiful "legit" sound, perfect intonation and articulation, and an extraordinary control of the upper register which he uses quite often in building excitement and intensity in his solos. He utilizes all of these extraordinary attributes in frequent lengthy and compelling acappella solos. His unending flow of fresh ideas seemingly devoid of licks is another striking characteristic of his work.
The group heard here on all of discs 1 and 2 is unique in jazz history. The instrumentation of alto saxophone, violin, guitar, bass and drums has rarely, if ever, been used, and certainly not to this extent. Combining the nature of this instrumentation with the styles of the five players (Handy, Michael White, Jerry Hahn, Don Thompson and Terry Clarke) helps to create an open, expansive musical palette. This enables a musical range from Coltranesque long trance-like modal pieces, to tauter more direct and edgier rock-oriented pieces.
Clark Terry discography [1955-2004]
He has played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–1951), Duke Ellington (1951–1959) and Quincy Jones (1960), and has recorded regularly both as a leader and sideman. Terry's career in jazz spanned more than seventy years and he is among the most recorded of jazz musicians.
VA - True Soul - Deep Sounds From The Left Of Stax Vol. 1 & 2 (2 CD, 2011/FLAC)
Now-Again Records presents the release of True Soul: Deep Sounds from the Left of Stax , collection of rare and unreleased funk and soul music from the fabled Arkansas indie. Over twelve years in the making, this anthology will be presented over the course of two volumes and one four LP box set.
Blue Note Works 4000-4100 series [4141-4150]
Wayne Shorter - JuJu (1965/FLAC)
JuJu is the fifth album by American jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter. It was released in July 1965 by Blue Note Records. It features a rhythm section of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Elvin Jones, all of whom had worked extensively with Shorter’s fellow tenor saxophonist John Coltrane.
- Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
- McCoy Tyner – piano
- Reggie Workman – bass
- Elvin Jones – drums
- "JuJu" – 8:30
- "Deluge" – 6:49
- "House of Jade" – 6:49
- "Mahjong" – 7:39
- "Yes or No" – 6:34
- "Twelve More Bars to Go" – 5:26
John Di Martino's Romantic Jazz Trio - The Beatles In Jazz 2 (2017/FLAC)
- John Di Martino - piano
- Boris Kozlov - bass
- Alvin Atkinson - drums
Johnny Dodds - Chronogical Classics 1926-1940 (4 CD/FLAC)
Born in Waveland, Mississippi, United States, he moved to New Orleans in his youth, and studied clarinet with Lorenzo Tio. He played with the bands of Frankie Duson, Kid Ory, and Joe "King" Oliver. Dodds went to Chicago and played with Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, with which he first recorded in 1923. Dodds also worked frequently with his good friend Natty Dominique during this period, a professional relationship that would last a lifetime. After the breakup of Oliver's band in 1924, Dodds replaced Alcide Nunez as the house clarinetist and bandleader of Kelly's Stables. He recorded with numerous small groups in Chicago, most notably Louis Armstrong's Hot 5 and Hot 7, and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers.
Noted for his professionalism and virtuosity as a musician, and his heartfelt, heavily blues-laden style, Dodds was an important influence on later clarinetists, notably Benny Goodman.
Dodds did not record for most of the 1930s, affected by ill health. He died of a heart attack in Chicago, in August 1940.
In 1987, Dodds was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.