On Smash records. 1962. I love this cover. Both for the photograph and the typography.

Billy Mitchell was a Detroit tenor man who in the fifties played (and recorded) with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie (1956) and then Count Basie (1957). Sidemen on this session include Bobby Hutcherson on vibraharp; Herman Wright on bass, Otis Finch on drums and on one track Dave Burns on trumpet. Mitchell continued to lead bands throughout the sixties and seventies and played live into the nineties before passing away in 2001. Among his other recordings were a series of sessions with co-leader and trombonist Al Grey.

(14 votes, average: 4.21 out of 5)

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A cover from the Epic in Jazz series that featured the wonderful cartoons by children’s book author and illustrator William Steig   Steig was a cartoonist for the New Yorker beginning in the thirties.   He passed away in 2003.   Musically this record is a compilation of great small group sessions led by Duke Ellington’s sidemen Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart and Barney Bigard (four cool cats!)

(12 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)

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United Artists Jazz (UAJ 14003) Bill Evans, Piano; Jim Hall, Guitar. Produced by Alan Douglas. Front Cover Photo by fashion photographer Toni Frissel of a woman floating in the water at Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida was published in Harper’s Bazaar in December 1947.

This beautiful gatefold album includes an “essay” inside by Barry J. Titus after Jim Hall and Bill Evans titled “Wait Quickly” that looks almost like “greek type” or non-sensical strings of words. Not sure if it’s beat poetry or just impressionistic rambling. One section reads “Eyes dance truth’s instrument. Sieve, sickle and sloat, red grimes grey molds parted skins furrowed tissue lives skeletal screams. Longbrown stone blunt nose raised. “Naked day?” puffed sound slices blush.” Huh?! But you can’t look at Jazz album cover art without considering the simple power of this dream-like photograph.

This album, from 1962, was the first collaboration between the two (Intermodulation four years later being the second). This was Evans first recording after some time off following the death of bassist Scott LaFaro. Hall at the time was in Sonny Rollins quartet. Musically, it is a sophisticated, subtle dialog between two jazz giants in their prime. Murray Horowitz, on NPR, called it “Lovely impressionistic music that draws a perfect winter afternoon picture.”

(30 votes, average: 4.73 out of 5)

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Clef Records with nice cover by David Stone Martin. This album is a departure from the mainly solo recordings released by Art Tatum as it features a quartet with drummer Alvin Stoller, bassist John Simmons and trumpeter Roy “Little Jazz” Eldridge.

(18 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Warne Marsh is one of my favorite sax players.   He’s not the most famous, but I love his tone and playing.   This is a nice record.   Also check out his “Winds of Marsh” on Imperial.   Cover portrait photo of Warne Marsh by Lee Friedlander one of the greatest photographers of jazz musicians.   Cover design: Marvin Israel.

57-1212 WARNE MARSH QUARTET.

‘Atlantic Studios’, NYC, December 12, 1957.

Warne Marsh, ts; Ronnie Ball, p; Paul Chambers, b; Philly Joe Jones, d.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT 2871 3:46

IT’S ALL RIGHT WITH ME 2872 8:15

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58-0116 WARNE MARSH TRIO.

NYC, January 16, 1958.

Warne Marsh, ts; Paul Chambers, b; Paul Motian, d.

YARDBIRD SUITE 2908 4:59

MY MELANCHOLY BABY 2909 6:51

EXCERPT 3:31

JUST SQUEEZE ME 2911 6:36Supervision: Lennie Tristano

(14 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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Photo by: Chuck Stewart Argo Records. 1957.

“I’m in the the Mood for Love” features Eddie Jefferson doing vocals and James Moody, tenor and alto flute; Jimmy Boyd, piano; Clarence Johnston, drums; Johnny Lathem, bass; Tate Housten, baritone; Johnny Coles, trumpet. This is Moody’s second lp as a leader for Argo.

This version of I’m in the Mood for Love has become a jazz standard and music critic Will Friedwald credits it with launching an entire new movement in jazz, “vocalese”.

Here’s how Murray Horowitz tells the story: In 1949, Moody recorded “I’m in the Mood for Love” on alto sax, and three years later, Eddie Jefferson wrote lyrics to Moody’s solo. A singer named King Pleasure recorded it, and yes, it became a big hit, but Moody wasn’t on that record. So in 1956, he called Eddie Jefferson and with mostly his regular band recorded this version and it’s what gives the album its title.

(10 votes, average: 4.70 out of 5)

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This is from a series of eight records on Decca called “Mood jazz in Hi Fi”, each with a different animal on the cover.   This one features “Toots” Thielemans, certainly the best, (if not the only), jazz harmonica player.

(13 votes, average: 3.69 out of 5)

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