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BARGAIN BASEMENT
COMPACT DISCS - Jazz, Dance Bands & Vocalists
Cannonball Adderley -> Janet Klein
| THE CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET | Pablo 5303-2 | Paris, 1960 | ● CD |
| 7 tracks, 57 mins, highly recommended Norman Granz is opening up his vaults & releasing for the 1st time material he recorded on his numerous JATP (Jazz At the Philharmonic) tours. This CD collects the material played on 2 short sets at the Salle Pleyel 11-25-60 by the classic Quintet - Cannon (alto), brother Nat (cornet), Victor Feldman (piano, who had recently replaced Bobby Timmons), am Jones (bass) & Louis Hayes (drums). The tunes, played with faster & with more energy than the studio versions, include 2 of Cannon's classics, Work Song & Dis Here, plus Blue Daniel/ Jeannine/The Chant/ Bohemia After Dark, with most tunes in the 7 - 10 minute mark giving everyone a chance to stretch out. (GM) |
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| LARRY ADLER | ABM 1289 | The Golden Era Of Larry Adler | ● CD |
| 15 tracks, probably recorded in the 30s (there's no
information) by this brilliant and influential harmonica player from
Baltimore. Larry, who died in 2001, was particularly popular in England
where these recordings were probably made. Accompanied by small groups
and orchestras Larry performs a selection of pop and jazz tunes
including a couple of medleys - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes/ I Won't
Dance/ Lover Come Back To Me/ Body & Soul/ Stormy Weather, etc. |
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| ERNESTINE ANDERSON | Groove Note 1029 | Never Make Your Move Too Soon | ● CD |
| CD/ SACD combo |
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| CHET BAKER | Proper BOX 84 | The Early Years | ● CD |
| 4 discs, 75 tracks, highly
recommended It seems that what it takes to get advanced Black music into the mainstream is to have it done by good-looking White guys witness everything from Elvis to Eminem. For 50s jazz it was the young Chet Baker. The good thing was that he could back it up with great chops Charlie Parker used him before he ever recorded. In fact, this set starts off with several extended live recordings from The Trade Winds in L.A., including the 6/16/52 date with Bird (Sonny Criss is also in the front line!) on long versions of The Squirrel & They Didn't Believe Me. Chet's first big chance came with Gerry Mulligan's revolutionary pianoless quartet from '52 & '53. Most of the rest of the recordings were done with the series of wonderful quartets co-lead with pianist Russ Freeman in '53-'43. But most importantly during this time Chet found out he could sing! With his boyish good looks & vulnerable-sounding voice, he had a hit with My Funny Valentine that led to a series of Chet & Strings sessions that kept Chet in the public, as opposed to just the jazz-lovers, eyes. Recordings here are both live & studio, most done for the Pacific Jazz labels. With 44 pg booklet. Includes I Fall In Love Too Easily/ Time After Time/But Not For Me. (GM) |
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| COUNT BASIE | Acrobat 4020 | Jukebox Hits 1940-1952 | ● CD |
| 20 tracks, 60 min, highly recommended Here's Basie you don't hear every day. My favorite, & his most-reissued sides were done for Decca 1936-40. The only Decca side heard here is the classic One O'Clock Jump, cuz it was reissued by Victor in '47 & still hit the charts! What's here are the '40-46 Okeh/Columbia sides & the '47-'50 Victor hits. Of course Mr. 5x5, Jimmy Rushing is here on vocals, but there's a bunch of females thrush's you don't usually hear, like Lynne Sherman singin All Of Me, Thelma Carpenter singing and something rare, Basie covering Duke - on I Didn't Know About You, & Ann More singin Jivin' Joe Jackson. Rushing is here on such classics as Goin' To Chicago Blues/ I Want A Little Girl, & fun cover of Open The Door Richard with Sweets Edison taking a comic vocal on this & a follow-up tune Free Eats! (GM) COUNT BASIE: All Of Me/ Blue And Sentimental/ Blue Skies/ For The Good Of Your Country/ Free Eats/ Goin' To Chicago Blues/ I Ain't Mad At You/ I Didn't Know About You/ I Want A Little Girl/ Jimy's Blues/ Jivin' Joe Jackson/ One O'Clock Boogie/ One O'Clock Jump/ Open The Door, Richard!/ Paradise Squat/ Patience And Fortitude/ Red Bank Boogie/ Robbin's Nest/ Rusty Dusty Blues/ The Mad Boogie |
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| COUNT BASIE | Neatwork 2066 | The Alternative Takes, Vol. 6: 1944-1952 | ● CD |
| BIX BEIDERBECKE | Retrieval 79040 | With Jean Goldkette's Orchestra, 1924-1927 | ● CD |
| 25 tracks with Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Danny Polo and
others. |
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| BROTHER BONES & HIS SHADOWS | Acrobat ACMCD 4081 | Globetrottin' With Bones | ● CD |
| 17 tracks, recommended The first ever CD release devoted to this unique performer, Freeman Davis aka Brother Bones - one of the few artists to make commercial recordings featuring his bones playing. His 1949 recording of Sweet Georgia Brown featured him whistling the old standard, accompanying himself on bones, joined by clarinetist Joe Darensbourg and an unknown organist. It became a top 10 pop and R&B hit and in 1952 was adopted by The Harlem Globetrotters basketball as their theme song and at the beginning of each game would enter the auditorium whistling along with Bones' meaning that in spite of its obscurity has been heard by millions of people worldwide. Most of his recordings are pretty much in the same vein, sometimes with a larger backing group. Tunes include Red Wing/ China Town/ Jada/ Rosetta/ Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blues/ Listen To The Mockingbird/ Poor Butterfly/ Lou-Easy-An-I-A, etc. Sound is excellent and booklet has information on the history of bones playing and brief biographical notes on Davis. (FS) |
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| DAVE BRUBECK | Proper Box 90 | Time Was | ● CD |
| 4 discs, 79 tracks, very highly recommended The complete early works of the "Time Out" man, starting with his experimental post-army group The Octet with Paul Desmond, Bill Smith Dave Van Kreidt & Cal Tjader, with strange voicings, inspired by the Miles Davis "Birth Of The Cool" band, as well as strange time signatures, which would be Dave's trademark. Brubeck preferred to play well-known tunes so that his expertise would really stand out. Switching to a trio with Cal Tjader early on then his quartet with Paul Desmond (as) in '51, this covers numerous LPs as well as a few live radio-shots previously only available on bootlegs. The set ends with the live recordings that made up his 1st Columbia LP, the classic "Jazz Goes To College" from '54. With 44 page booklet. (GM) |
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| RUSTY BRYANT | Highnote 7074 | Rusty Rides Again | ● CD |
| CAB CALLOWAY | Acrobat 4026 | Jukebox Hits, 1930-1950 | ● CD |
| 20 tracks, 60 min, essential You may have noticed that most titles in this series start in the 40s & this one starts in 1930. The first Black music chart, "The Harlem Hit Parade" started Oct '42. The first cuts here actually crossed over and were in the Pop Top charts. In fact, due to Cab's long Cotton Club residency, the first dozen are from '30-34. And most of these we still know today, Minnie The Moocher/ St. Louis Blues/ St. James Infirmary/ Kickin' The Gong Around/ Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea/ (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You/ Moon Glow, etc. After that, the hits were few & far between, but there were still some Pop hitslike The Jumpin' Jive, and by the end, doing covers of The Honeydripper & Shotgun Boogie. (GM) CAB CALLOWAY: (Hep! Hep!) The Jumpin Jive/ Between the Devil And the Deep Blue Sea/ Blues in the Night/ Chinese Rhythm/ Fifteen Minute Intermission/ Jitter Bug/ Kickin the Gong Around/ Mama, I Wanna Make Rhythm/ Minnie the Moocher/ Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day/ Moon Glow/ Reefer Man/ Roomin' House Boogie/ Shotgun Boogie/ St James Infirmary/ St Louis Blues/ The Caloway Boogie/ The Honeydripper/ Trickeration/ You Rascal You |
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| THE CATS & THE FIDDLE | Fabulous 191 | We Cats Will Swing For You, Vol. 1 : 1939-1940 | ● CD |
| 16 tracks, 45 mins, highly recommended First of three budget priced volumes presenting an introduction to the recordings of this fine and important group who specialised in the jive vocal style with the occasional close harmony ballad and featured the distinctive instrumental sound of tenor guitar, two tipples and string bass. This volume, covering 1939 and '40 has 16 songs and includes their most famous one I Miss You So which has been covered by dozens of groups and solo vocalists as well as Nuts To You/ Gang Busters/ We Cats Will Swing For You/ Chant Of the Rain/ Public Jitterbug No 1/ Left With The Thought Of You, etc. Sound is excellent and there are brief notes. Once you become converted you might want to check out the three volumes on Dee Jay Jamboree (55101, 55102 & 55105 - $18.98 each) which features all thri studio recordings plus radio transcriptions. (FS) |
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| THE CATS & THE FIDDLE | Fabulous 263 | We Cats Will Swing For You, Vol. 3 : 1941-1948 | ● CD |
| 16 tracks, highly recommended The third collection featuring recordings of this fine and important group who specialised in the jive vocal style with the occasional close harmony ballad and featured the distinctive instrumental sound of tenor guitar, two tipples and string bass. This volume, covering 1941 through 1948 has 16 songs and features additional instrumentation including piano and electric guitar. The first five tracks are Bluebird recordings from 1941 & '42. After their last Bluebird session in 1942 the group did not record again until they were picked up by Manor in 1947 by which time a couple of the members had left and were replaced. They recut their big hit I Miss You So as well as other fine songs like Romance Without Finance/ I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water/ Where Are You/ I'm Afraid From You and others. (FS) |
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| NAT "KING" COLE | Acrobat 4211 | Jukebox Hits 1942-1953 | ● CD |
| 26 tracks, 67 minutes, highly recommended All 26 tracks here hit the Top 10 - five of them #1's, including the opener That Ain't Right done for Decca - the rest are from Capitol except for I'm Lost, done for Excelsior & released in '44 when Nat hit the majors. The majority is by the original King Cole Trio, with Nat on piano & vocals, Oscar Moore on guitar & Wesley Prince replaced by Johnny Miller on bass. By '49 there was the new Nat King Cole & The Trio with Irv Ashby on guitar & Joe Comfort on bass, but after Nat hit the big time with the orchestral-backed Nature Boy, starting with Mona Lisa in 1950 it was lush orchestration. But if you, like me, love the Trio sound, 19 of the 26 are in this setting, including I'm A Shy Guy/ Straighten Up & Fly Right/ Route 66/ Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You. (GM) |
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| SONNY CRISS | Proper Intro 2005 | Young Sonny | ● CD |
| 12 tracks, 71 min, very highly recommended The beginnings of one of Central Ave's (L.A.) young giants at the beginning of his career. The alto great is heard on only four studio tracks done for Clef in '49 leading a quartet featuring Hampton Hawes. The rest is live, & the highlight is the legendary Trade Winds recordings from 6/52 in Inglewood CA with the Charlie Parker pick-up band that includes the very 1st recordings by Chet Baker! Only four tracks here but each gives a rare chance to hear the musicians stretch out as three of the tracks are over 10 minutes long. The set starts off with three extended tracks from a 6/47 Just Jazz Concert put on by Gene Norman & featuring a solid group of Central Ave regulars including Hawes, Howard McGhee & Teddy Edwards, & ends with a later live recording from The Trade Winds, this time leading a quartet on a blistering version of Strike Up The Band from 952. Includes a beautiful package with a booklet with rare pics & complete liner notes. (GM) |
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| BING CROSBY | Acrobat 3002 | Centenniel Collection | ● CD |
| 2 CDs, 50 tracks , recommended The 100th anniversary of his birth make Bing a prime target for numerous excellent & low-cost reissues. This set covers the Bing solo sides 1932-52, so there's no early jazz or Paul Whiteman sides. Starting with Can't We Talk It Over, this set includes a lot of early 30s tunes rarely reissued such as Snuggled On Your Shoulder/ Waltzing In A Dream & Lazy Day, along with all the pre-53 hits. (GM) BING CROSBY: Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive(with The Andrews Sisters)/ Bali Hai (from "south Pacific")/ Blue Prelude/ Can't We Talk It Over/ Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy/ Dear Hearts & Gentle People/ Don't Fence Me In (from "hollywood Canteen")(with The Andrews Sisters)/ Far Away Places/ Galway Bar/ Give Me A Heart To Sing To/ Gone Fishin'/ Have I Told You Lately That I Love You(with The Andrews Sisters)/ Home On The Range/ I'm An Old Cowhand/ I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams (from "sing, You Sinners")/ I've Got To Sing A Torch Song/ In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (from "here Comes The Groom")/ Isle Of Innisfree (from "the Quiet Man")/ It's Been A Long Long Time2/ Lazy Day/ Love Me Tonight/ Marshmallow World/ Moonlight Becomes You (from "the Road To Morocco")/ Mule Train (with Perry Botkin's String Band)/ My Love/ Now Is The Hour/ Only Forever (from "rhythm On The River")/ Play A Simple Melody (from "watch Your Step")/ Quicksilver(with The Andrews Sisters)/ Red Sails In The Sunset/ Riders In The Sky (from "riders In The Sky")/ Sam's Song/ Shine/ Silent Night/ Silver Bells (from "the Lemondrop Kid")/ Snuggled On Your Shoulder/ Some Enchanted Evening (from "south Pacific")/ Some Of These Days/ Sparrow In The Tree Top(with The Andrews Sisters)/ Street Of Dreams/ Sunday, Monday Or Always (from "dixie")/ Too Marvellous For Words (from "ready, Willing And Able")/ Waltzing In A Dream/ What's New/ When You And I Were Young Maggie Blues/ White Christmas/ You Are My Sunshine/ You've Got Me Crying Again/ Young & Healthy/ Zing A Little Zong (from "just For You") |
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| BILLY ECKSTINE | Acrobat 4019 | Jukebox Hits 1943-1953 | ● CD |
| 21 tracks, 67 min, highly recommended Mr B, perhaps the greatest Black ballad singer of the 20th century, is heard on his multitude of chart hits starting with 1942's Earl Hines Orch recording of Stormy Mondy Blues and ending with '53's St. Louis Blues. Looking at the tunes & their chart positions, two things are striking - the majority of his hits were high on the Pop (as opposed to the Race/R&B charts) & that many were revivals of '30s tunes, including such greats as Prisoner Of Love/ Temptation/ A Cottage For Sale/ You Call It Madness But I Call It Love., etc. (GM) |
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| BILLY ECKSTINE | Proper Intro 2068 | A Proper Introduction To Billy Eckstine - Blues, Ballad | ● CD |
| 22 tracks, highly recommended Excellent intro to Mr. B, from his beginnings as vocalist for Earl Hines to his smooth ballads & up to some great scat & bop! Opening up is the sole number with Fatha, but it's the classic Jelly Jelly. From there it's the first of Billy's all-star orchestras - including such sidemen as Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt & Sonny Criss & includes such classics as Stormy Monday Blues & Skylark, done '42-'49. However from there Bily goes to slick orchestras as he becomes one of the first Black romantic singers & sings gorgeous versions of such tunes as Sophisticated Lady/ Prisoner Of Love & Body & Soul. Finally, there's a couple two-sided discs done with The Metronome All-Stars including Roy Eldridge, Lester Young & Max Roach - the "A" sides of How High The Moon & St. Louis Blues features a straight ahead vocal, but by the "B" side, the band's cookin' & Billy's scattin'! Booklet with full discographical info. (GM) |
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| DUKE ELLINGTON | Acrobat 179 | In Small Bands | ● CD |
| 25 tracks, 73 min, very highly recommended Sometimes I think my favorite music of all time is small group 30s jazz. And as my fave band is Duke Ellington's, what could be better than a small group with Duke at the keys? This features bands led by 4 of his great soloists - Rex Stewart with his 52nd St. Stompers (Tea & Trumpets), His Big 7 (Digga Digga Doo),& His Orch. (Subtle Slough AKA Just Squeeze Me) Cootie Williams & His Rug-Cutters (Delta Mood), Barney Bigard Orch (C Blues), & of course, the master, Johnny Hodges Orch. (The Jeep Is Jumpin/ Squatty Roo/ Things Ain't What They Used To Be). Recorded 1938-41 with the Duke's crew as sidemen, including Jimmy Blanton, Ben Webster, Tricky Sam Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney etc. (GM) |
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| DUKE ELLINGTON | Acrobat 4021 | Jukebox Hits 1941-1951 | ● CD |
| 20 tracks, 60 min, highly recommended There's a lot of Duke reissues & I don't think there's such thing as bad Duke, but this hits the spot, no obscurities, no alternate takes, just the hits! Even includes sideman Johnny Hodges' (actually a Duke small-band recording) Goin' Out The Back Way, recorded in '41 & a Top 10 in '43! Also Flamingo/ Take The A Train/ Don't Get Around Much Anymore/ "C" Jam Blues & a few wartime novelties Hayfoot Strawfoot & A Slip Of The Lip Can Sink A Ship (GM) DUKE ELLINGTON: A Slip Of The Lip (Can Sink A Ship)/ Castle Rock/ Come To Baby Do/ Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me/ Don't Be So Mean To Baby ('Cause Baby's So Good To You)/ Don't Get Around Much Anymore/ Don't You Know I Care/ Flamingo/ Goin Out The Back Way/ Hayfoot Strawfoot/ I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues/ I Don't Mind/ I'm Beginning To See The Light/ Main Stem/ My Little Brown Book/ Perdido/ Sentimental Lady/ Someone/ Take The ‘A' Train/ The 'C' Jam Blues |
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| ELLA FITZGERALD | Acrobat 4079 | Jukebox Hits 1943-1953 | ● CD |
| 20 tracks, 60 min, highly recommended This set is different for Ella as it leaves her jazz stuff alone & concentrates on her R&B hits along with an occasional pop hit. Most of the tunes here have her paired up with either another star (Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan), or a top vocal group (The Ink Spots, The Delta Rhythm Boys, The Keys). One interesting coupling has her with The Ink Spots on a single with one side (Cow Cow Boogie) topping the R&B chart & it's flip (Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall) topping the Pop chart!. Also includes Stone Cold Dead In The Market/ It's Too Soon To Know/ Baby It's Cold Outside/ It's Only A Paper Moon & a beautiful Crying In the Chapel. (GM) ELLA FITZGERALD: Baby It's Cold Outside/ Can Anyone Explain? (No, No, No)/ Cow Cow Boogie/ Crying In The Chapel/ I Love You For Sentimental Reasons/ I'll Never Be Free/ I'm Making Believe/ Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall/ It's A Pity To Say Goodnight/ It's Only A Paper Moon/ It's Too Soon To Know/ My Happiness/ My Heart & I Decided/ Petootie Pie/ Smooth Sailing/ Stone Cold Dead In The Market/ That's My Desire/ The Frim Fram Sauce/ Walkin' By The River/ You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart) |
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| THE FOUR ACES | Proper Intro 2080 | Heart And Soul | ● CD |
| 24 tracks, 65 min., recommended A post-war, pre-rock and roll, white, close-harmony vocal group, The Four Aces, with leader Al Alberts, financed their own first single Sin (It's No Sin) (Victoria V-101-A) and, following its success, signed with Decca, where they hit it big with Three Coins InA Fountain, Heart And Soul, Stranger In Paradise, and Mister Sandman. But with the rise of doo wop and rock and roll came a corresponding drop in popularity for The Four Aces and their more sedate style. In 1956, Alberts folded his hand and went solo without wild success. The Four Aces replaced him and carried on, but musical tastes had changed and left them behind. A nice collection of their work at an even nicer price. (JC) |
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| LEM FOWLER | RST 1520 | Complete Recorded Works 1923-1927 In Chronological Order | ● CD |
| Fine collection of blues and jazz featuring excellent
piano player Lemuel Fowler. He is featured accompanying blues singers
Helen Baxter, Helen McDonald, Mae Scott and George Williams. He is
featured on two blues piano solos and there are ten sides by his group
the Washboard Wonders doing blues flavored jazz from two sessions with
differing personnel and ends with two sides by Fowler's Favorites. |
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| PANAMA FRANCIS | Collectables 5313 | All-Stars 1949 | ● CD |
| 15 tracks, recommended Reissue of Krazy Kat LP 813 featuring sides waxed for Gotham. This set really jumps with booting sax licks from Danny Turner on soprano, alto & baritone and George Kelly on tenor. Other cats in the groove include the great Doc Bagby on piano, Herb Gordy on bass & Panama himself on drums who truly punishes skin on Out Of Nowhere . Turner & Kelly excel on Jitterbug Jump and Panama's Jump . You'll wear out the carpet in no time with this one! Thorough sleeve notes. Nine of the 16 cuts are previously unissued. (OLN) |
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| STAN GETZ | Savoy Jazz 17121 | The Complete Savoy Recordings | ● CD |
| 22 tracks, 64 min, essential The most comprehensive collection yet of Getz's first recordings, done for Savoy age 18, as it contains several unreleased alternate takes. There were three bop-filled sessions, Stan Getz Quartet from 7/48, fronting an all-star trio of Hank Jones (p), Curley Russel (b) & Max Roach (d) Opus De Bop/Running Water. Then there was an 8-piece from 5/49 with such greats as Zoot Sims, Al Cohn & Duke Jordan, engineered by the legendary Harry Smith (Stan Gets Along/ Stan's Mood). But before these there was Stan as sideman in Kai Winding's New Jazz Group, AKA Kai's Krazy Kats, a 12/45 session incl Shorty Rogers & Shelly Manne (Sweet Miss/ Loaded). With 16 pg booklet. (GM) |
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| BABS GONZALES | Proper Intro 2052 | Real Crazy - A Proper Introductions To Babs Gonzales | ● CD |
| 23 tracks, 63 min, essential BeBop's biggest cheerleader & most exuberant vocalist, the king of bop, complete with shades, goatee & beret! I first heard Babs many years ago on a Capitol Bebop compilation doing Capitolizing & Professor Bop (both here) & I was hooked! Just a glance at the titles will give you an idea what happening here - starting with his first group 3 Bips & A Bop from '47 doing Oop-Pop-A-Da/ Lop-Pow/ Dob Bla Bli & Weird Lullabye, featuring the great Tadd Dameron on piano. As a solo he went on to Prelude To A Nightmare/ Real Crazy, & a lesson on how to sing bop, You'll Be Boppin' Too. He was also very adept at putting nonsense syllables to such tunes as The Continental/ St. Louis Blues ("They're boppin' Mr. Handy's tune")/ Stomping At The Savoy, & Bird's Ornithology done as The Boss Is Back. The music matches the lyrics, with such greats as Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Don Redmond, Ray Nance, Wynton Kelly, Johnny Griffin & Buddy Tate. With 8 page booklet. (GM) |
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| BENNY GOODMAN | Neatwork 2067 | The Alternative Takes, Vol. 4: 1939-1940 | ● CD |
| WARDELL GRAY | Black Lion 760106 | One For Prez | ● CD |
| There must have been something really good in the L.A.
water around the end of WWII. Charlie Parker was out there sampling it,
as were Dexter Gordon and other young be-boppers, including ex-Hines
tenor saxman Wardell Gray. The tension in his playing, based on Lester
Young but bursting with new ideas, sums up the era nicely. Dig these
quartet cuts, never before released in the U.S., which pair Wardell with
the very exciting Dodo Marmarosa on Dell's Bell's/ One For Prez/ The
Man I Love/ Easy Swing/ The Great Lie. Great early bop blowing with
a distinctive sound, and multiple takes of most tunes. (MB) |
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| WARDELL GRAY | Proper BOX 55 | The Wardell Gray Story | ● CD |
| 4 discs, 78 tracks, very highly recommended Finally a good selection from this bop tenor giant, best known for Twisted as well as his classic tenor duel with Dexter Gordon - The Chase. Gray started off recording in Earl Hines' Orch in '45, which is where this set starts, with 5 sides with Gray solos done for ARA in '45-46 & Sittin' In With in '46. After that Gray would record on his own, as a sideman with Tadd Dameron, & as a member of Benny Goodman's Sextet & later bop-based Orch for Capital & for Count Basie's Octet. Besides having most of his own Prestige sides, there are a LOT of live recordings, some of which came out on such labels as Xanadu & Spotlite as well as Prestige & give the bands, many of them all-star aggregations, plenty of room to stretch out - this includes a 17 min. Backbreaker with Sonny Criss & Barney Kessel, as well as the short-lived International All-stars with Swedish clarinetist Stan Hasslegard, both of whom were snatched up by Goodman. Plenty of great stuff with sidemen from the Central Avenue crowd. The sides with the Tadd Dameron band (with Fats Navarro) are alternate takes to those in the Fats box. Comes with 40-page booklet with full liner notes, discography & rare pics. (GM) |
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| LIONEL HAMPTON | Acrobat 4012 | Jukebox Hits, 1943-1950 | ● CD |
| 20 tracks, 65 min, highly recommended This survey covers tracks by the great Hamp orch that landed in the new Black charts - The Harlem Hit Parade & Hot R&B charts, along with a few that were regional hits. Starting off with what is often called the 1st Rock'n'Roll record, the '42 Decca version of Flyin' Home with Illinois Jacquet on blazing tenor, then followed by RCA Bluebird's re-release (& much more sedate) of the original '40 version with swing vet Jerry Jerome on tenor. After a one-off of Evil Gal Blues (which introduced Dinah Washington & Arnett Cobb to the world) done for Keynote during the recording ban, Hamp was solidly back on Decca with many of his hits being covers of R&B tunes including Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee/ Chicken Shack/ The Hucklebuck/ Blow Top Blues & Everybody's Somebody's Fool, with such greats as Milt Buckner, Al Grey, Gene Morris, even Albert Ammons briefly on piano, & vocals by Hamp, Betty "Bebop" Carter, Little Jimmy Scott & The Hamptones. (GM) |
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| LIONEL HAMPTON | Proper BOX 12 | The Lionel Hampton Story | ● CD |
| Four CD set with 92 tracks documenting recordings made
between 1937 and 1949 telling the story of this great vibraphonist,
drummer, pianist, vocalist, bandleader, composer, arranger and showman.
It includes sides with his acclaimed full orchestra as well as with
smaller groups. Among the musicians and vocalists featured are Buster
Bailey, Mezz Mezzrow, Johnny Hodges, Cozy Cole, Jess Stacy, Milt Hinton,
Illinois Jacquet, Milt Buckner, Arnett Cobb, Dinah Washington, Bing
Crosby, Charlie Shavers, Charles Mingus, Dodo Marmarosa and many more.
Includes 44 page illustrated booklet. |
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| COLEMAN HAWKINS | Proper BOX 14 | The Bebop Years | ● CD |
| Coleman Hawkins reached a new level of creativity in the
1940s and this four CD set with 88 tracks focusses on those years
presenting the original master of the tenor sax in a wide variety of
settings - with his own Orchestra, The Lionel Hampton Orchestra,
Metronome All Stars, Count Basie Orch., The Coleman Hawkins Quintet, The
Coleman Hawkins Swing Four, The Coleman Hawkins All Stars and much more
including collaborations with young modernists like Dizzy Gillespie &
Thelonious Monk. Includes 56 page illustrated booklet. |
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| ERSKINE HAWKINS | Acrobat 4011 | Jukebox Hits, 1940-1950 | ● CD |
| 20 tracks,65 min, recommended 20 tracks recorded for RCA Victor/Bluebird that made the charts. Though there's a lot from the R&B chart, more than half the tunes actually had high placing on the Pop charts! Starting with their signature tune Tuxedo Junction, which was turned into a massive hit by Glenn Miller using the exact same arrangement, this includes such greats as Whispering Grass/ Dolemite/ Five O'Clock Whistle/ Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams/ Cherry, along with a final hit cover of Tennessee Waltz done for Coral. Featuring the Bascomb brothers, Dud on trumpet & Paul on tenor. (GM) |
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| TUBBY HAYES | Proper BOX 117 | The Little Giant | ● CD |
| An overview of the early years (1954-1956) of one of the
most important jazz musicians in the U.K. Compiled and annotated by
Hayes' biographer Simon Spillett. Has 71 tracks including five
previously unissued. Includes 44 page booklet with biography, session
details and rare photos. |
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| BILLIE HOLIDAY | Acrobat 4078 | Jukebox Hits, 1935-1946 | ● CD |
| 22 tracks, 66 min, very highly recommended The beauty of Billie's early sides is that they were made specifically for jukeboxes, with small pick-up bands put together by Teddy Wilson that included such jazz greats as Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Artie Shaw etc. These were all Pop hits, & interestingly her only #1 was one that's little known today, Carelessly, while the lowest charting (#25) is perhaps her best known today, God Bless The Child. Recorded for Brunswick & Vocalion, except for her Commodore classic Strange Fruit, + These Foolish Things / The Way You Look Tonight / Pennies Form Heaven / Mean To Me / I Can't Give You Anything But Love. (GM) BILLIE HOLIDAY: (This Is) My Last Affair/ A Fine Romance/ A Sailboat In The Moonlight/ Carelessly/ Getting Some Fun Out Of Life/ God Bless The Child/ Good Morning Heartache/ I Can't Give You Anything But Love/ I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key)/ I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm/ Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)/ Mean To Me/ No Regrets/ Pennies From Heaven/ Strange Fruit/ The Mood That I'm In/ The Way You Look Tonight/ These Foolish Things/ This Year's Kisses/ Trav'lin' Light/ Twenty Four Hours A Day/ Who Loves You? |
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| CHUBBY JACKSON | Empire Musicwerks 450 703-2 | Chubby Takes Over | ● CD |
| Reissue of 1958 album from bassist for the first two
Woody Herman herds with a lineup of Herman alumni. |
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| ILLINOIS JACQUET | Proper BOX 49 | The Illinois Jacquet Story | ● CD |
| 4 discs, 79 tracks, 252 min, very
highly recommended One of the first as well as one of the last of the great honking tenor players, the Cajun Jacquet got his fame in the Lionel Hampton Orch in '41-42, especially with the groundbreaking Flying Home. Moving to L.A., this set begins with 4 tracks from the 1st "Jazz At The Philharmonic" concert in '44, each one clocking in at around 10 min. & featuring an all-star aggregation including Jack McVea, Nat King Cole, JJ Johnson & Les Paul. Most of the rest of the recordings are great small group recordings for Philo/Aladdin & Apollo. However, in the mid-40s Jacquet became a star of the Count Basie Orch & while in NY did some small group stuff with Basie-ites for Savoy. Plenty of fine small-group jazz, R&B & ballads with such stalwarts as (in L.A.) Johnny Otis, Charlie Mingus, Sir Charles Thompson, Henry Coker, Bill Doggett, & his brother Russell Jacquet, &, while with Basie, such Basie-ites as Freddy Green, Joe Newman & Shadow Wilson. A notable exception is a Jacquet Orch date for Aladdin with a 17-piece orch including Miles Davis, Fats Navarro (as "Slim Romero"!) Dicky Wells, Big Nick Nicholas, even Leonard Feather! By '47 Jacquet made the majors, with a series of dates for Victor from '48-51. Ends with the beginning of his long association with Mercury/Clef (later part of Verve). This set comes with slipcase & full 40-page booklet that gives a history & song-by-song/ solo-by-solo coverage. (GM) |
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| EDDIE JEFFERSON | Savoy Jazz 17277 | Vocal Ease | ● CD |
| 13 tracks, 64 min, highly recommended You usually think of vocalese (writing lyrics to great jazz solos & singing them) as having a hey-day in the 50s & 60s & kinda petering out after that (except of course for The Manhattan Transfer). Jefferson is considered the Godfather of Vocalese & this set has him practicing his art into the mid-70s. This compilation, which originally came out in '99 on the defunct 32 Jazz label, collects the best of the 3 LPs he made for Muse '74-77. Backed by such great musicians as Joe Newman, Sam Jones, Richie Cole, Eric Kloss & Rick Laird Jefferson gives words to such things as Miles Davis' Bitches' Brew & So What, Eddie Haris' Freedom Jazz Dance, Cannonball Adderly's Things Are Gonna Get Better, even new words to Sly's Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) as a salute to jazz masters, as well as more traditional fodder - Ornithology/ Night In Tunisia/ Billie's Bounce. (GM) |
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| SPIKE JONES & HIS CITY SLICKERS | Proper BOX 5 | Strictly For Music Lovers | ● CD |
| Four CDs with 95 tracks of horn-tooting pot-clanging
gurgling and hiccuping musical mayhem. It ranges from the relatively
sedate Barstool Cowboy From Old Barstow from 1941 to the totally
demented None But The Lonely Heart (A Soaperetta) from 1947.
Along the way are all your guilty favorites like the unforgettable
(unforgiveable?) Never Hit Your Grandma With A Shovel, the
patriotic You're A Sap Mister Jap and Der Fuehrer's Face
plus St-St-St-Stella/ The Sound Effects Man/ There's A Fly On My
Music/ Cocktails For TwoSerenade To A Jerk/ Chloe/ Libestraume/ I Dream
Of Brownie With The Light Blue Jeans and so much more. It's not all
lunacy though and there is a fair amount of straight ahead dance band
music from Spike and his talented gang. Includes 24 page booklet with
notes and wacky photos. If you've got a jones for Spike invest now,
drive your neighbors batty and attain true inner peace. |
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| SCOTT JOPLIN | Biograph BCD 101 | The Entertainer | ● CD |
| First of 2 CD digitally recorded Joplin composed piano
rolls on a 1910 Steinway piano. This disc starts off with 3 of the 6
rolls actually cut by Joplin, done for Connorized in mid-1916 - Maple
Leaf Rag/ Something Doing/ Weeping Willow Rag . The other 11 were
taken from rare private rolls cut in the 60's by collector Hal Boulware
- title tune plus Solace/ Pine Apple Rag/ A Breeze From Alabama/ The
Crush Collision March .... |
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| STAN KENTON | Proper BOX 13 | The Stan Kenton Story | ● CD |
| 4 discs, 93 tracks, highly recommended The majority of recordings from Stan's early Capitol period, with his earliest Artistry In Rhythm band (originally 3 each trumpet & trombone, (soon to be 4 & 4), 5 sax & rhythm section, which in '47 went to 5 of each & called his Progressive Jazz Orch. This has fabulous Kenton, with most of the arrangements by Pete Rugolo, Gene Roland & Stan himself, with trumpeters including Buddy Childers & Al Porcino, trombonist Kai Winding, saxists incl Bob Cooper, Boots Musulli, Vido Muso & such greats in the rhythm as Shelly Manne, Eddie Safranski, Laurindo Almeida, & on a transcription date a rhothm section of Nat Cole, Billy Bauer & Buddy Rich! Most vocals by June Christy. And yes, besides the original Capitol sides there's numerous transcriptions done for radio. Includes Artistry In Rhythm/ Intermission Riff/ Opus In Pastels/ Artistry In Harlem Swing & I Told Ya I Love Ya Now Get Out! With 48 page booklet. (GM) |
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| ANDY KIRK & HIS CLOUDS OF JOY | Acrobat 4077 | Jukebox Hits, 1936-1949 | ● CD |
| 22 tracks, 66 min, highly recommended One of my favorite underrated bands featuring the keys & arrangements of the wondrous Mary Lou Williams, & such great musicians as Don Byas, Shorty Baker & pioneer electric-guitarist Floyd Smith, heard here in the landmark Floyd's Guitar Blues. Vocalists include the smooth-voiced Pha Terrell, the boisterous June Rochmond, Billy Daniels, Bea Booze, & pre-doowop vocals from The Jubilaires & The Four Knights. Interestingly, their 1st (on Decca) & last (on Vocalion) hits were covers, the former being Fletcher Henderson's Christopher Columbus & the latter Sticks McGhee's Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee. In between are such classics as the original Until The Real Thing Comes Along / Take It & Git, a pre-bop tune called Wham Re Bop Boom Bam / Get Together With The Lord, & an interesting jump number called Hey Lawdy / Mama (Meet Me At The Bottom), a pre-Howlin' Wolf/John Lee Hooker version of the classic "Meet me at the bottom/ Bring me my boots & Shoes"! (GM) ANDY KIRK & HIS CLOUDS OF JOY: 47th St Jive/ Christopher Columbus/ Dedicated To You/ Doggin' Man Blues/ Drinking Wine, Spo Dee O Dee/ Floyd's Guitar Blues/ Get Together With The Lord/ Hey Lawdy Mama (Meeet Me In The Bottom)/ How I Lay Me Down To Dream/ I Don't Know What I'd Do Without You/ I Know/ I Won't Tell A Soul (I Love You)/ I'm Falling For You/ I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry/ Little Girl Don't Cry/ Skies Are Blue/ So Soon/ Soothe Me/ Take It And Git/ Until The Real Thing Comes Along/ Wham Re Bop Boom Bam/ What Will I Tell My Heart |
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| JANET KLEIN & HER EXTRAORDINARY PARLOR BOYS | Coeur de Jeanette 3 | Put A Flavor To Love | ● CD |
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