Charlie Parker - Bird In Boston - Live At The Hi-Hat 1953-1954 (2 CD, 2016/FLAC)

  

For over two decades, the Hi-Hat Club occupied a choice location among the jazz clubs of Boston’s South End district, at the corner of Columbus and Massachusetts Avenue. After the end of World War II, lesser luminaries took over the band-stand, and after a while entertainment practically stopped altogether.

Dave Coleman, a jazz promoter, had taken over management of the club in 1949. Through Coleman’s personal initiative, the Hi-Hat enjoyed its most successful years, and by 1951 it was the only club featuring a consistent policy of presenting modern jazz.

Between 1953 and 1954 Charlie Parker made several visits to Boston, where he was often hired to play as a “single” at the Hi-Hat, backed by local musicians. The performances contained in these two albums come from radio broadcasts emceed by famed disc-jockey “Symphony Sid” (Sid Torin), duplicating here his New York role from the control booth inside the Hi-Hat for his nightly radio show on WCOP.

• Charlie Parker (as), 
• Herb Pomeroy, Herbie Williams (tp), 
• Jay Migliori (ts), 
• Dean Earle, Rollins Griffith (p), 
• Bernie Griggs, Jimmy Woode (b), 
• Bill Graham, Marquis Foster, George Solano (d)

 

VA - The Complete Felsted Mainstream Collection (1958-1959) [5 CD, 2011]

 

 Between January of 1958 and April of 1959, famed English jazz writer Stanley Dance produced nine glorious LPs of traditional jazz for the Felsted label. Among the performers were many superb jazzmen who had been forgotten for decades or had rarely recorded as leaders. This 5-CD box set puts together, for the first time ever, all of the Felsted swing albums in their complete form, half of which had never previously appeared on CD, while many others have been long unavailable and truly hard to find. The leaders on the nine albums are clarinettist Buster Bailey, trombonist Dicky Wells (two LPs), tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Buddy Tate and Budd Johnson, pianists Earl Hines and Billy Strayhorn, and drummer Cozy Cole. Also featured are: Buck Claytonlayton, Charlie Shavers (tp),Johnny Hodges (as), Vic Dickenson (tb), Willie “The Lion” Smith, Hank Jones, Dick Caryary (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Rayay Brown (b),Jo Jones (d), among many others.

Keith Jarrett feat. Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson & Jon Christensen - Belonging (1974/2015/FLAC-HD)

 On Keith Jarrett's first recording with his "European" quartet -- Jan Garbarek (sax), Palle Danielsson (bass), Jon Christiensen (drums) -- he stakes out somewhat less abrasive territory than that which his "American" foursome was exploring at this time. Garbarek sports a neutral, vibratoless tone that occasionally reaches an emotional climax; the rhythm section is supportive and just loose enough. The record operates at its strongest level when Jarrett locks the quartet into his winning gospel mode on "'Long as You Know You're Living Yours" and the tense drive of "Spiral Dance"; the reflective numbers are less compelling. Still, this LP-turned-CD successfully bucked the powerful electric trends of its time and holds up well today.

• Keith Jarrett, piano
• Jan Garbarek, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
• Palle Danielsson, bass
• Jon Christensen, drums

Recorded April 24-25, 1974 at Studio Arne Bendiksen Studios, Oslo

01. Spiral Dance (4:16)

02. Blossom (12:17)

03. Long As You Know You're Living Yours (6:17)

04. Belonging (2:17)

05. The Windup (8:27)

06. Solstice (13:18)

Miles Davis - The Lost Septet [2 CD, 2020]

 

Captured at the Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, The Lost Septet features Miles Davis accompanied by Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Ndugu Leon Chancler, James Mtume Foreman and Charles Don Alias.

Davis toured Europe with this septet in 1971 — during his controversial, rock-oriented fusion era — but he never recorded with them in a studio. This concert was only previously broadcast on the radio.

 

   

John Coltrane - Interplay [5 CD, 2007/FLAC]

 

Interplay, Prestige Records' 5-CD set, containing early collaborative recordings of the peerless tenor saxophonist and visionary John Coltrane, serves two distinct purposes. The first is to offer an extraordinary collection of music that provides an excellent overview of the modern jazz scene during the fertile 1956-1958 period. The other - and arguably more important purpose to the legions of Coltrane faithful - is its rich delineation of the evolutionary process behind one of the most profoundly important and emotionally compelling artists this planet has ever seen.

Yusef Lateef - The Man with the Big Front Yard (1998/2019) [3 CD, FLAC]

 During the last half century, Yusef Lateef has successively reinvented himself as a swing-era tenor, world-music pioneer, and orchestral composer. Now 32 Jazz has reissued the cream of his Atlantic recordings on The Man with the Big Front Yard. This three-disc set offers a superb look at Lateef's quick-change artistry. A cut like "Kongsberg" finds the saxophonist in a hard-bop mood, leading an able quartet through his own gospel-flavored composition. Elsewhere Lateef deploys a bigger, funkier ensemble--indeed, the 1969 sessions originally issued as Yusef Lateef's Detroit feature percolating performances by the likes of pianist Eric Gale and Bernard Purdie. And a delicate arrangement of "Come Sunday," which spotlights the leader's flute alongside Kermit Moore's cello, anticipates the chamber music that this protean artist would produce throughout the 1970s.

Duke Ellington - The Complete Capitol Recordings (1953-1955) [5 CD, 1995/FLAC]

 Historians and some Duke Ellington fans look askance at the brief period he spent on Capitol Records (1953-55). This was a hectic period in jazz, with bebop in the near-view, hard bop coming along as well, and the big band was considered by many to be a relic of bygone eras. Yet Ellington persevered, and not without another adversity: the temporary loss of signature alto player Johnny Hodges, who was off leading his own bands. The resulting five CDs worth of material collected here show an Ellington band more aimed at repetition, both of its own repertoire, which had sounded better in the 1940s, and of other bands' material. Singer Jimmy Grissom does a good job with the Ellington band, without the velvety, almost spooky polish of Herb Jeffries (as evidenced on the astounding Blanton-Webster Years collection) but with a sureness that even sounds like jump blues in spots. What comes from the full-band tracks here is a clear demonstration that Ellington's outfit was sharp in the early '50s, with Juan Tizol and Ray Nance playing at a peak. But what's invaluable from this box set are the Ellington small-band tunes. The piano-trio cuts, available separately on Piano Reflections, present Duke as a keyboard polymath, dropping modernist touches in his spacing and phrasing and still managing a great deal of coloristic depth. And then there are the totally startling long blues tunes with Ellington on electric piano. Preeminently interested in everything that seemed musically possible, Ellington makes the tunes shine. This collection serves as a long-form rebuttal to all the naysayers who scoff at the Duke's early 1950s work.

 

Nat King Cole - The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Nat King Cole Trio {1942 - 1961} (18CD, 1991/FLAC) [reupload]

 

Music fans born after 1960 are less likely to be aware that Nat King Cole began his career as an influential jazz pianist, so much so that the great Art Tatum and the up-and-coming Oscar Peterson formed trios similar to Cole's. What this comprehensive limited-edition boxed set does is put all of Cole's jazz trio recordings, including later groups that added a conga player, selected tracks from sessions that sometimes border on easy listening, and nearly the complete contents of his well-known After Midnight album from the mid-'50s, where he was joined by guests including violinist Stuff Smith, saxophonist Willie Smith, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, and trombonist Juan Tizol. But the main emphasis is onCole's recordings from the early days, including masterpieces like "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "Sweet Lorraine," "Body and Soul," and "Sweet Georgia Brown." By listening to sessions in order, one can hear Cole gradually transform from an instrumentalist into a friendly singing pianist and eventually, a master balladeer. Of course, there are forgettable novelty tunes sprinkled in among the gems, but there are also valuable unissued tracks that appear for the first time in this set. Also, the early recordings have been pitch-corrected, as all issues prior to this 1991 Mosaic issue were slightly off. The 18-CD set is accompanied by a detailed booklet with vintage photos, excellent liner notes by Will Friedwald, and a complete discography of the contents. Unfortunately, this Mosaic box has been out of print since the mid-'90s, so it will typically fetch several times its original price when it pops up occasionally on auction lists. 

Al Di Meola - Electric Rendezvous [1982/FLAC]

 Electric Rendezvous is an album by jazz guitarist Al Di Meola that was released in 1982. It includes flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía who recorded Friday Night in San Francisco with Di Meola.

Al di Meola's fifth of seven fusion albums as a leader for Columbia is a typically fiery effort, with di Meola joined by keyboardist Jan Hammer, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Gadd, percussionist Mingo Lewis, and guest spots for flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía ("Passion, Grace & Fire") and keyboardist Philippe Saisse. This lesser-known effort is easily recommended to fans of rock-ish jazz guitar. 

Personnel

•     Al Di Meola – electric and acoustic guitars
•     Paco de Lucía – acoustic guitar on "Passion, Grace & Fire"
•     Anthony Jackson – bass guitar
•     Jan Hammer – keyboards
•     Philippe Saisse – keyboards on "Black Cat Shuffle"
•     Steve Gadd – drums and percussion
•     James Mingo Lewis – percussion

All songs by Al Di Meola unless otherwise noted.

1.     "God Bird Change" (James Mingo Lewis) – 3:51
2.     "Electric Rendezvous" – 7:47
3.     "Passion, Grace & Fire" – 5:34
4.     "Cruisin'" (Jan Hammer) – 4:16
5.     "Black Cat Shuffle (Philippe Saisse) – 3:00
6.     "Ritmo de la Noche" – 4:17
7.     "Somalia" – 1:40
8.     "Jewel Inside a Dream" – 4:02

Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings [6 CD, 2004/FLAC + 320]

  

From their first work together on the Birth of the Cool sessions in 1949, Miles Davis and Gil Evans forged a unique relationship as great soloist and brilliant arranger. The real opportunity to explore their shared vision didn't come until 1957, however, when Davis had forged a relationship with a major record label able to support it. Though a product of the big-band tradition, Evans was never limited by sectional voicings and riffs. He had an interest in unusual instrumentation and a talent for creating subtle mixes of distinct voices, adding French horns, oboe, bassoon, and harp to the conventional big band and thinning its saxophone, trumpet, and trombone sections. His arrangements for Davis are like settings for the finest jewels, whether he's creating rich, brass chords or adding only light percussion to the trumpeter's solitary lament. Together Davis and Evans produced three orchestral masterpieces: Miles Ahead (1957), Porgy and Bess (1958), and Sketches of Spain (1960). They're all here, along with less-inspired, later projects like the Quiet Nights bossa nova album. What most distinguishes the box set is the archival work of Phil Schaap, who has compiled a wealth of alternate takes. They reveal much about the processes that went into these works, including extensive editing and even some overdubbing. As early as 1957, Evans and Davis were already beginning to use the studio itself as an integral part of their music.