Swing that thing!
“Blue Lester” Count Basie’s tenor genius. Savoy Records
(49 votes, average: 4.16 out of 5)
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(49 votes, average: 4.16 out of 5) Loading ...Best Byas
A gunslinger of a different sort — Don Byas Savoy Records
“Years ago the game was vicious, cutthroat. Can you imagine Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry, Don Byas, and Ben Webster on the same little jam session? And guess who won the fight? That’s what it was–a saxophone duel. Don Byas walked off with everything.”
— Sonny Stitt
(45 votes, average: 3.91 out of 5) Loading ...Riot on!
“After the Riot at Newport” The Nashvilled All-Stars RCA Victor Cover art by the always whimsical and wonderful Jim Flora. (1960) A weird collection of western swing and be-bop by Hank Garland, Chet Atkins (guitars), Gary Burton (Vibes), Brenton Banks (violin, piano), Floyd Cramer (piano), Bob Moore (bass), Buddy Harman (drums), Boots Randolph (tenor sax).
Songs include: “Relaxin'” (Jimmy Guinn); “Nashville to Newport” (Chet Atkins); “Opus de Funk” (Horace Silver); “S’Wonderful” (Gershwin); “‘Round Midnight” (Monk); “Frankie and Johnny” (Traditional); “Riot-Chous” (Hank Garland, Boots Randolph).
The All-Stars Newport Jazz Festival performance was cancelled after the infamous 1960 “riot” that caused George Wein and organizers to shut down the festival. The band performed never-the-less at one of those Newport mansions where they recorded this record. George Wein wrote the liner notes.
(54 votes, average: 3.89 out of 5) Loading ...Smokestack lighting
“Music for the Night” “Une Heure de Slow” Ducretet – Thomson A nice French record of jazz with players including Lucky Thomson, Zoot Sims, Guy Lafitte, etc.
(47 votes, average: 3.62 out of 5) Loading ...Helen Merrill
Helen Merrill Emarcy Records (1954) With Clifford Brown and Oscar Pettiford. Produced and Arranged by (21 year-old) Quincy Jones. Merrill’s first and greatest.
Don’t Explain / You’d Be Nice To Come Home To / What’s New / Falling In Love With Love
Yesterday’s / Born To Be Blue / ‘S Wonderful
(50 votes, average: 3.98 out of 5) Loading ...Bird is the word
Charlie “BIRD” Parker on Savoy Vol. 1 (1950) This alternate cover for The Charlie Parker Quintet Vol. 3 by Burt Goldblatt.
(59 votes, average: 4.27 out of 5) Loading ...Rouse is in the house!
“Bossa Nova Bacchanal” Blue Note (1962) With Charlie Rouse (Tenor Sax); Kenny Burrell & Chauncey “Lord” Westbrook (Guitar); Lawrence Gales (Bass); Willie Bobo (Drums); Potato Valdez (Conga); Garvin Masseaux (Chekere).
Side 1: Back To The Tropics; Aconteceu; Velhos Tempos; Samba De Orfeu.
Side 2: Un Dia; Meci Bon Dieu; In Martinique.
I like Charlie Rouse from his playing with Monk to his record with Paul Quinichette “The Chase is On” to this one (especially the haitian number merci-bon-dieu). Leonard Feather says in the liner notes,”As befits the overall concept of bossa nova, Charlie plays with a remarkable blend of smoothness and assertion…and his sense of time is always acute and appropriate”.
(60 votes, average: 3.05 out of 5) Loading ...Jenny’s first sax experience
“The Young Ones of Jazz” Twelve Outstanding Jazz Selections by America’s New Jazz Greats. Mercury Records “Jam Session” Clifford Brown, Nat Adderley, Jimmy Cleveland …
(41 votes, average: 3.80 out of 5) Loading ...Don’t shoot the piano player
Marty Paich Quartet with Joe Mandragon, Larry Bunker and Howard Roberts “Hot Piano” Sonet Records “I’ll Remember April” b/w “Jump For Me” and “What’s New” Scandinavia pressing from Tampa Records. Cover photo by Dave Pell (!)
(72 votes, average: 4.36 out of 5) Loading ...Purple gaze
“Angel Eyes” Duke Pearson, pianist, arranger, producer and Blue Note A&R man though most of the sixties is one of those great under-recognized Jazz musicians that always delivers. Here’s the original 1968 UK Polydor label release. Recorded in New York on August the 1st, 1961 with Thomas Howard [bass] and Lex Humphries [drums] and with Bob Cranshaw [bass] and Walter Perkins [drums] on January the 12th, 1962. Oh and this is pretty cool cover too! Includes the Pearson-penned jazz standard “Jeannine,” “Angel Eyes” and I’m An Old Cowhand / Say You’re Mine / Le Carrousel / Exodus / Bags’ Groove / Say You’re Mine.
This one is hard to get right now, but if you don’t already have them, get “Wahoo,” “Sweet Honey Bee,” “Honey Buns” and “Sweet Prairie Dog” and check out his work on sessions for Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and most of the Blue Note roster of hard boppers. Here’s the “other Duke’s” DISCOGRAPHY
(42 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5) Loading ...
