Ella Fitzgerald - Complete Song Books [16 CD, 1993/FLAC]

 

The Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks were a series of eight studio albums released in irregular intervals between 1956 and 1964, recorded by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, supported by a variety of orchestras, big bands, and jazz quartets.






The eight albums are as follows, with arrangers in parentheses:

DISC ONE - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book (disc 1/2)

DISC TWO - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book (disc 2/2)

DISC THREE - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Rodgers and Hart Song Book (disc 1/2)

DISC FOUR - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Rodgers and Hart Song Book (disc 2/2)

DISC FIVE - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book (disc 1/3)

DISC SIX - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book (disc 2/3)

DISC SEVEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book (disc 3/3)

DISC EIGHT - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book (disc 1/2)

DISC NINE - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book (disc 2/2)

DISC TEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (disc 1/3)

DISC ELEVEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (disc 2/3)

DISC TWELVE - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (disc 3/3)

DISC THIRTEEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Harold Arlen Song Book (disc 1/2)

DISC FOURTEEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Harold Arlen Song Book (disc 2/2)

DISC FIFTEEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Jerome Kern Song Book

DISC SIXTEEN - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Johnny Mercer Song Book

Miles Davis - Before The Cool: The Miles Davis Collection 1945-48 (2 CD, 2020) [FLAC]

 

Trumpeter Miles Davis was without doubt one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the post-war era, not only as a pioneer of the bebop movement but through being at the forefront of many stylistic and musical innovations over the years. His landmark debut album for Capitol The Birth Of The Cool, recorded during 1949 and 1950, became regarded as seminal in the history of cool jazz, exploring unusual harmonies and textures. 

This excellent-value 49-track 2-CD set comprises his studio recordings in small ensembles, in which he is the only trumpeter, from his studio debut in 1945 through to the end of 1948, just weeks before the first of the Birth Of The Cool sessions in January 1949. As a bonus, it concludes with a live recording with Charlie Parkers All Stars in December 1948. It features performances with Charlie Parker's Reeboppers, the Charlie Parker Septet, Charlie Parker All Stars, Coleman Hawkins All Stars, Miles Davis All Stars, Charlie Parker Quintet & Charlie Parker Sextet from eleven different recording sessions during these years . Charlie Parker was his primary collaborator on these sessions, but among the musicians featured in the various line-ups were Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Kai Winding, Coleman Hawkins, Lucky Thompson, Hank Jones, John Lewis, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, Al Haig, Curly Russell and others. Its a fascinating insight into the development of his music during these key formative years. 

Verve Jazz Masters series Vol. 51-60

 Jazz Masters is a series of mainly single artist compilations released by Polygram/Verve between 1994 and 1996. The compilations collect material that was originally released on Verve or on one of the labels that became part of the Polygram group. The 20th and 60th releases in the series were various artist collections.

VJM 51 - Blossom Dearie

VJM 52 - Maynard Ferguson

VJM 53 - Stan Getz

VJM 54 - Woody Herman

VJM 55 - Harry James

VJM 56 - Herbie Mann

VJM 57 - George Shearing

VJM 58 - Nina Simone 

VJM 59 - Toots Thielemans

VJM 60 - The Collection

 

Charlie Parker - The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions (3 CD, 1986/FLAC)

 This three-CD box set contains all of the recordings Charlie Parker made for the Savoy label and it is overflowing with gems and an almost countless number of alternate takes. Bird was one of the most important jazzmen of all time and nearly every note he recorded (in the studios if not live) is well worth hearing. This box starts off with his sideman date with Tiny Grimes in 1944, contains Parker's famous "Ko Ko" session of 1945 (with a young Miles Davis on trumpet and highlighted by "Now's the Time" and "Billie's Bounce"), and continues through his 1947-1948 quintet sessions with a more mature Miles Davis; either Bud Powell, John Lewis, or Duke Jordan on piano; bassists Tommy Potter, Curly Russell, or Nelson Boyd; and drummer Max Roach. Together they recorded such classics as "Donna Lee," "Chasin' the Bird," "Milestones," and "Parker's Mood." Every scrap that the great altoist cut for Savoy is in this box. 

Miles Davis - The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 [8 CD, 1995/FLAC]

 

In late December 1965 recordings were made of two nights of performances by Miles Davis´ second great quintet at the Plugged Nickel nightclub in Chicago. Some tracks were available on Miles Davis compilations, but the full recordings were released thirty years later as a box set under the title The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965. The studio recordings of the quintet consist almost entirely of original compositions by members of the quintet. These club recordings show the group playing tunes which were either standards or had been in Davis's live repertoire for several years. The tunes are performed with substantially more rhythmic and harmonic freedom than on earlier recordings.

Cannonball Adderley discography [1955-2019]

 

Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928 – August 8, 1975) was a jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s.

Adderley is remembered for his 1966 single "Mercy Mercy Mercy", a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including on the epochal album Kind of Blue (1959). He was the brother of jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, a longtime member of his band.

 

 

Charles Mingus - The Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection (10 CD, 2012/FLAC)

 The ten-disc 2012 Charles Mingus anthology The Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection brings together all of the legendary bassist's albums recorded for Columbia and RCA from the '50s to the '70s. Included here are 1959's Mingus Dynasty, 1959's Mingus Ah Um, 1962's Tijuana Moods, 1972's Let My Children Hear Music, and 1972's Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert. Also featured is Gunther Schuller's 1989 recording of the lengthy, 130-minute Mingus composition released in 1990 as Epitaph. There are also three discs of alternate takes from the various releases. 

 

Lennie Tristano - Personal Recordings 1946-1970 (6 CD, 2021) [FLAC]

 

This set follows an unusual pattern for a Mosaic release in that it is not presented in chronological order, but rather themed to a style of presentation crossing eras and personnel. 

 

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: First Flight to Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings (2021/FLAC)

 

• Art Blakey: drums
• Wayne Shorter: saxophone
• Lee Morgan: trumpet
• Bobby Timmons: piano
• Jymie Merritt: bass

01 - Now's The Time 22:34
02 - Moanin' 13:32
03 - Blues March 11:44
04 - The Theme 00:32
05 - Dat Dere 12:13
06 - 'Round About Midnight 13:28
07 - Now's The Time (Version 2) 17:15
08 - A Night In Tunisia 11:11
09 - The Theme (Version 2) 00:30

Oscar Peterson - A Time for Love: The Oscar Peterson Quartet Live in Helsinki, 1987 (2021/FLAC)

 In 1987, jazz immortal Oscar Peterson led his quartet featuring Joe Pass, Dave Young and Martin Drew, through the final engagement of their 14-concert European fall tour at Helsinki’s famed Kulttuuritalo. A Time For Love captures Peterson’s focus on performing original compositions on the bandstand alongside timeless classics at the pinnacle of the group’s creative stride.

The final gig of a long international tour that began with four concerts in Brazil, this date was the 14th of a European tour that took the quartet all over mainland Europe and Scandinavia. Anyone with any knowledge of jazz knows that the magic of consistent performing only makes the synergy and empathy of an ensemble – both substances this quartet has in mind-blowing quantity – better and better. That always dwarfs the fatigue factor, and sometimes results in sheer magic on a different plane. That’s clearly what happened during this spectacular concert. As Kelly Peterson said: “Performing with joy and vivacity, they determined to make every concert better than the previous one. This night in Helsinki is a glorious example of that” – and a stunning addition to the continuing legacy of this beloved master of music.

The recording is ideally summed up by Green in his liner notes: This live concert recording of Oscar in his epic prime is a heaven-sent time capsule of beauty and serves a glorious addition to the Jazz pantheon itself, a stunning testament to the music for which he honestly, humbly and fearlessly dedicated his life as a peaceful warrior, a hero to us all for the ages. I’m thankful for the gift of this concert and that Oscar’s spiritual music will play on for us today and tomorrow, as we need it more than ever before.

• Oscar Peterson, piano
• Joe Pass, guitar
• Dave Young, double bass
• Martin Drew, drums

01 - Cool Walk 09:07
02 - Sushi 06:57
03 - Love Ballade 10:40
04 - A Salute to Bach (Medley): Allegro / Andante / Bach’s Blues 20:38
05 - Cakewalk 09:17
06 - A Time for Love 08:09
07 - How High the Moon 04:28
08 - Soft Winds 06:03
09 - Waltz for Debby 05:18
10 - When You Wish Upon a Star 04:54
11 - Duke Ellington Medley: Take the “A” Train / Don’t Get Around Much Anymore / Come Sunday / C-Jam Blues / Lush Life / Caravan 18:57
12 - Blues Etude 05:55