★Down At Dawn
Nights of Ballads & Blues
As the title implies, this McCoy Tyner release is a low-key, after-hours affair. Far removed from the intensity of work with then-boss John Coltrane, Tyner stretches out on a fine mix of standards and bebop classics. The pianist, of course, always had his own fleet and rich way with ballads, in spite of the galvanizing marathon solos he became known for on live dates and his later experimental recordings with Coltrane. His ballad style is even touched with a bit of sentimentality, which thankful…
Cracklin'
The six tracks include originals by Ervin "Scoochie", pianist Ronnie Mathews "Dorian" and "Honeydew", and Haynes "Bad News Blues" as well as tremendous versions of Randy Weston's "Sketch of Melba" and Hubert Giraud's "Under Paris Skies." Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ on April 6, 1963, this soulful and adventurous album deserves a place in any modern jazz collection. Personnel: Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone; Ronnie Matthews - piano; Larry Ridley - bass; Roy Haynes…
House Party
House Party is the fourteenth album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and 1958 and released on the Blue Note label. Rudy Van Gelder used the Manhattan Towers Hotel Ballroom in New York City for recording sessions in 1957-1958, while he was still using his parents' Hackensack, N.J. home studio to record artists for Blue Note. House Party was the first of two Smith albums recorded on two dates, the second was Smith's next album The Sermon!, released in 1…
Up At Minton’s
A very welcomed reissue of this long out of print and hard to find Turrentine's Live album. Originally released on Blue Note as two separate volumes, "Up at Mintons' catches the Stanley Turrentine quintet live at the mythical Minton Club in NY, in 1961, when the tenor saxophonist was leading a super tight quintet featuring Grant Green - guitar, Horace Parlan - piano, George Tucker - bass and Al Harewood - drums. This is hard swinging soulful Jazz at its Best!
A Jazz Delegation From The East
This great document consists of two different 1956, Hollywood, studio sessions with the young John Coltrane leading a true Jazz delegation from the east, in other words a NY/ Philly based quartet featuring young lions such as pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. These are good solid blowing sessions, originally not even scheduled for a release and consisting of fine and surprising renditions of Charlie Parker's "Dexterity", Benny Golson's "Stablemates" and Cole…
Newest Sound Around
Here is the long awaited vinyl reissue of the debut masterpiece of Jeanne Lee and Ran Blake. Produced by "Third Stream" genius Gunther Schuller and originally released in 1961 "The Newest Sound Around" stands as one of the most original and creative vocal-piano duet albums in Jazz history. This is deep, intimate and atmospheric music that naturally flows through transformed jazz standards, mournful gospels and highly imaginative originals. It's time to rediscover Jeanne Lee's enchanting voice a…
New Faces, New Sounds
What style of piano does Elmo Hope play? It would be easy to answer “The same as Bud Powell,” but this would not do justice to a musician who, while coming along the same route as Bud for so many years, is now ploughing a separate path for himself, though in a similar general neighborhood. His original material, though it has the intense, rapt quality of Bud’s, remains personal, whether it be the relatively serene approach of Happy Hour or the minor Moroccan mood of Stars Over Marakech. When you…
New Star On The Horizon
The date took place just a week before Brownie took off for Europe, as a member of that vast edifice built by the master of multiple decibels, the Lionel Hampton orchestra. Like Gigi Gryce, the alto saxophonist and fellow-Hamptonian whom Brownie pressed into service for this session, the young hornman found the occasions for expressing his individual personality few and far between in so large and monolithic an organization. The opportunity to record with a small, compact group, aimed at the cre…
Chico Hamilton Special
Typical Chico genius of the era. This is one of only two recordings by Chico's fourth quintet lineup, Bye Bye Birdie - Irma la Douce being the other. Featuring Charles Lloyd on alto sax and flute. The numbers featuring Lloyd on flute (like "Autumn Leaves", "New Rhumba" and "Afternoon of a Breeze") are especially cool.
Coolin'
An obscure and excellent 1957 session produced by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on Prestige Records. A tight sextet with a distinctive sound run by vibraphonist Teddy Charles, featuring great pianist Mal Waldron and some fine and often underrated musicians such as Idrees Sulieman – trumpet, John Jenkins – alto saxophone, Addison Farmer – bass and Jerry Segal – drums. The album consists of one standard and five originals, all based on complex melodies and hard swinging rhythms.
Brown And Roach Incorporated
Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles in August 1954, this is the first Emarcy recording of the legendary Brown & Roach Quintet featuring the great Harold Land on tenor sax, Richie Powell on piano and George Morrow on bass. Under the direction of two modern Jazz masters such as trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach the quintet shines through a fine set of classic standards, including "Stompin' at the Savoy", Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick out of You" and a couple of Brown-Roach origin…
Warm World Of Joao Gilberto
In summer 1958, João Gilberto -an unknown 28 year-old Brazilian guitarist and singer from Bahia- made his recording debut as a singer with two songs "Chega de Saudade" and "Bim Bom." With a new rhythmic feeling, batida, and rich harmonies he laid the basis of the modern Brazilian samba, now known as Bossa Nova. Underpinned by his insouciantly swinging guitar, Joãos seductive, vibratoless vocals caressed both ear and soul in a mesmerizing, highly addictive combination, refreshing and modern. Cheg…
Southern Horizons
This is Harriott on the verge of the free form/abstract period, but here, still anchored in the hard bop mode. This is stylish, elegant, tight, swinging; whatever label of appreciation you want to attach to it, this is still fresh music creation. This record sticks to the quintet line-up of sax, trumpet, piano, bass and drums (as on Movement), but with the added pizzazz of a superb bongos player on a couple of tracks, just to heighten the sense of hepness to the proceedings. Partly original comp…