Artists - Art Tatum, Lionel Hampton
     Album - Group Masterpieses Vol.4
     Label - Pablo
     Year - 1955, release - 1990
     Quality - MP3@320kb/s
     Size - 112,5 mb
     Total time - 56:25




    The fourth of eight CDs featuring the pianist interacting with some of his most notable musical contemporaries is the second to match his virtuosity with that of vibraphonist Lionel Hampton and drummer Buddy Rich. The three immortals really challenge each other during this frequently heated jam session.

     Artist: Clark Terry
     Album: Having Fun
     Label: Delos
     Year: 1999
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 158 mb
     Total time: 69:37
     AMG rating

     The title of this CD definitely fits not only its music but Clark Terry's career. The colorful flugelhornist is teamed with Red Holloway doubling on tenor and alto, bassist Major Holley (who sings along with his bass in his solos), pianist Jon Campbell and drummer Lewis Nash. Since C.T., Holloway and Holley were all humorists, the music is not only swinging, but quite enthusiastic. With titles like "Mumbles," "Meet the Flintstones," "The Snapper" and "Mule's Soft Claw," the humor isn't unexpected. An excellent and consistently swinging date. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: The Buck Clayton Swing Band
     Album: Live from Greenwich Village
     Label: Nagel - Heyer Records
     Year: 1969, release: 1997
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 164 mb
     Total time: 72:46
     AMG Rating:

     During the last few years of his life, when he could no longer play trumpet, Buck Clayton became a full-time arranger and wrote for an enthusiastic mainstream big band. The 16-piece orchestra (which is filled with such notables as altoist Jerry Dodgion, tenor saxophonist Frank Wess, pianist Dick Katz and a trumpet section comprised of John Eckert, Jordan Sandke, Byron Stripling and Warren Vache) is heard on this 1997 CD performing a dozen of Buck's originals, most of which were newly composed. The concise solos perfectly fit the swinging charts, and although Clayton does not play a note, his personality can be felt throughout the rewarding date, one of his final recordings. ~ Scott Yanow., All Music Guide

    


     Artist -Don Byas
     Album - Midnight At Minton's
     Label - Highnote Records
     Year - 1941, release - 1999
     Genre - swing, bop
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 79,8 mb
     Total Time - 38:51
     AMG:

     
     Tenor saxophone legend Don Byas is heard with great clarity on this, a relative jam session, as is vocalist Helen Humes (the first two cuts) and ostensible leader/trumpeter Joe Guy, whose high energy solos are very good in spots. Less audible in the mix are pianist Thelonious Monk and drummer Kenny Clarke, working in this band while bebop was fermenting. These two would lead the bop charge later in the '40s at Minton's Playhouse, the bebop concubine/jazz club in N.Y.C. The music is pretty much swing material, with Humes tossing in a ballad ("Stardust") and a bluesy number ("Exactly Like You") while the instrumental "Indiana" is all fired up, and they typically chill down "Body & Soul." Present on the dates is an unidentified tenor saxophonist and trumpeter tossing in his/her less than two-cents worth solos. Even annotator Dan Morgenstern, with his detailed and informative liner notes, can't ID the pair. The star is clearly Byas. His well-rounded tenor inflections and characteristic quarter-to-eight note slurve is on throughout the performance. He can be at once warm, witty, smooth, precise, and consistently wonderful. He's one of the first original jazz voices on his horn and emphatic to boot on these tunes. These are true club date "field recordings," from the then Columbia University student Jerry Newman's portable unit, replete with crowd noise in the background (one can hear Humes rebuffing a heckler/admirer) annoying kicking of the stage area, and a brief drop out or distortion. Total time is barely 39 minutes. But the overall sound quality is quite acceptable, at most times remarkable. The music itself is priceless, the document of a transitional period from swing to bop, and some of the people that made it happen, especially the underappreciated genius Byas.

     Artist: Coleman Hawkins
     Album: Stanley Dance Sessions
     Label: Lonehill Jazz
     Years:1958, 1955 Release - 2006
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size : 169 mb
     Total time: 78:16

     In February 1958 Stanley Dance oversaw two recording sessions headed up by Coleman Hawkins. By this point in his long and eventful career, Hawkins was still an eminently sophisticated improviser. His tone was gradually beginning to harden and his way of handling the changes could swiftly become downright rambunctious when tempos and occasions called for extroverted exposition. There is, at times, a thrilling gruffness to the Hawkins of the late '50s. During the course of an extended jam like the 11-minute "Bird of Prey," the listener is pleasantly buffeted by Hawkins and trumpeter Buck Clayton and given a chance to recuperate during solos by bassist Ray Brown and pianist Hank Jones. Hawk's legendary ballad artistry is beautifully displayed on "My One and Only Love" and "You've Changed." Here he taps into the gentleness that enabled him, during the early '30s, to become the first truly dignified interpreter of ballads on his instrument. A session Hawk shared with Roy Eldridge has excellent work by bassist George Duvivier. The drummer on both dates was Mickey Sheen. "Honey Flower" and "Nabob" belong among the most laid-back extended romps that Hawkins and Eldridge ever participated in. For dessert, the producers of this reissue have included a segment of a live performance heard at the Phytian Temple in New York on November 7, 1955. Emcee Al "Jazzbo" Collins, after a bit of friendly hyperbole, asks Hawkins to deliver a brief unaccompanied solo ("Foolin' Around"), and a delicious seven-minute rendition of "The Man I Love" supported by Shadow Wilson, Wendell Marshall, and once again, the mighty Hank Jones. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

     Artist: Don Redman And His Orchestra
     Album: Don Redman And His Orchestra 1931 - 1933
     Label: Classics
     Years: 1931-1933; release: 1990
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 117 mb
     Total time: 72:03
     AMG Rating:

     The first of three Don Redman Classics CDs consists of his orchestra's earliest sessions. Although Redman's big band never hit it as big as his former employers' (Fletcher Henderson and McKinney's Cotton Pickers), it was an impressive outfit, thanks to the leader's advanced arrangements. Among the key sidemen on these performances are trumpeters Red Allen (who is on the first two sessions) and Sidney DeParis, tenor saxophonist Robert Carroll, and pianist Horace Henderson. Highlights include "Chant of the Weed" (Redman's atmospheric theme song), "I Heard," "How'm I Doin'," and "Hot and Anxious." The main Don Redman CD to get. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Jo Jones
     Album: Jo Jones Trio
     Label: Essential Media Group
     Year: 1959; release: 2009
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 82,7 mb
     Total time: 38:39

     Jo Jones is probably best known for his work with Count Basie, but his small-group dates as a leader, though overlooked, are also very rewarding. The veteran drummer is joined by pianist Ray Bryant and his brother, bassist Tommy Bryant, who both worked with Jones between 1957 and 1960. The trio is effortlessly swinging through two contrasting interpretations of "I Got Rhythm," and a version of "Jive at Five" features Jones drumming with just his hands. Equally enjoyable are the trio's treatments of "Greensleeves" and standards like "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Embraceable You," which they could have likely played in their sleep. The pulsating closing blues "Little Susie" is a collaborative effort. While Everest developed a reputation as a budget label in the 1970s due to poor packaging and its frequent omission credits for the musicians and composers, this 1959 LP treats the musicians with the respect they deserve, adding warm liner notes by Nat Hentoff. This long-unavailable album will be somewhat difficult to find. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

     Artist: Count Basie
     Album: The Complete Roulette Live Recordings of Count Basie and His Orchestra 8СD
     Label: Mosaic Records
     Years: 1959-1962; release: 1993
     Format: MP3@320
     Time: Disc 1 (73:29), Disc 2 (77:08), Disc 3 (62:56), Disc 4 (71:25), Disc 5 (64:40)
     Disc 6 (57:30), Disc 7 (67:06), Disc 8 (65:06)
     Size: Disc 1 (166MB), Disc 2 (171MB), Disc 3 (142MB), Disc 4 (162MB),
     Disc 5 (147MB), Disc 6 (130MB), Disc 7 (152MB), Disc 8 (147MB)

     Count Basie is one jazz musician who was amply recorded throughout his career and has been the subject of numerous domestic and foreign reissue lines; yet, Mosaic has managed to release Count Basie material in a valuable fashion. This eight-disc set contains Basie recordings for the Roulette label from 1959 to 1962, the first of a two-part series covering his full Roulette output. These are live recordings; the studio sessions are coming on their own set. There are plenty of blues, relaxed swingers, and superb vocals. There is nothing revolutionary about this music, but its consistency and celebratory fiber remain impressive through every disc. While eight discs is a lot of time for one band, no matter how great (and they do frequently repeat some songs), the set provides a chance to replicate the experience of life on the road for a touring band. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

     Artist: Dicky Wells
     Album: The Stanley Dance Sessions 2LP/1CD
     Label: Lone Hill Jazz
     Years: 1958-1959; Release: 2005
     Format, bitrate: MP3 @320
     Time: 73:44
     Size: 146.24mb

     Trombonist Dicky Wells participated in three slip horn-centered sessions in February and April of 1958. All of this material has been compiled onto one disc by the Lone Hill Jazz label. The dominant trait throughout is the late-'50s swing groove formula associated with Count Basie. Collectively, Wells is joined in the front line by fellow trombonists Vic Dickenson, Benny Morton, and George Matthews, trumpeter Buck Clayton, and reedmen Rudy Rutherford and Buddy Tate. The rhythm sections include bassist Major Holley, drummer Jo Jones, and guitarists Everett Barksdale and Kenny Burrell. Skip Hall plays piano and organ on all tracks. The music accurately reflects what Kansas City swing sounded like after it mingled with mainstream jazz towards the end of the '50s. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

     Artist: Erroll Garner
     Album: Concert by the Sea [Bonus Tracks]
     Label: JBR (Jazz Beat Recordings)
     Years: 1954/55, 1963, release - 2007
     Quality:MP3@320kbps
     Size: 165 mb
     Total time: 76:50


     Concert by the Sea was arguably the finest record pianist Erroll Garner ever made, and he made many -- a few outstanding -- good recordings. But this live recording (September 19, 1955) with his trio (Eddie Calhoun, bass; Denzil Best, drums) presented a typical Garner program; it was a mixture of originals, show biz, and pop standards delivered with his unique delivery and enthusiasm. The rhythms and brilliant use of tension and release were perfectly captured. And while for many jazz listeners, Garner's deliberate structures were too orchestrated, there was an equal spontaneity in the propulsion of these orchestrations that swung as well as anything. [The 2007 Jazz Beat reissue included bonus tracks.]

     Artists: Clark Terry & Ernie Wilkins
     Album: Live at Montmarte June 1975
     Label: Storyville
     Year: 1975; release: 2003
     Format: FLAC
     Size: 364 mb
     AMG Rating:

     Clark Terry is joined by his old Count Basie bandmate Ernie Wilkins for this 1975 concert at the Montmartre in Copenhagen, though it was not released until 2003. The terrific rhythm section consists of expatriate pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Mads Vinding, and drummer Bjarne Rostvold. Terry steals the show in the lengthy workout of "Bye Bye Blackbird" with his trademark solos in which he alternates between flügelhorn and muted trumpet. His fat-toned flügelhorn majestically is the centerpiece of a brief take of "When I Fall in Love." Wilkins gives Terry a run for his money with a burning tenor sax solo in the extended treatment of "Satin Doll." The amusing "Boone's Blues" was improvised on the spot, featuring not only Richard Boone's singing but also vocals by guest Dexter Gordon and Terry's famous "Mumbles" routine. Terry's ballad technique is once again to the forefront in his tantalizing take of "Misty," followed by a brisk dash through "The Theme," the venerable boppish set closer with authorship claimed by many different artists. Originally broadcast by Danish Radio, this excellent live set will be of immense interest to fans of Clark Terry. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

     Artist: Pietro Condorelli
     Album: Easy
     Label:Red Records
     Year: 2003 - 2004
     Quality: MP4;320 kbps
     Size: 137 Mb
     Total time: 61min.

     PIETRO CONDORELLI born in Milan in 1962, he obtained the Diploma in classical guitar and graduated in D.A.M.S. Since 1980 he has been carrying out an intense professional activity in Italy and abroad most of the times in jazz ambits, without disdaining other types of productions in radio, tv and theaters as guitarist and arranger.Once he begun his freelance activity he has had the chance to play with Jerry Bergonzi, Gary Bartz, Gunther Shuller, Urbie Green, Charles Tolliver, Steve Turre, Paolo Fresu, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Owens, Dick Oatts, Steve La Spina, George Cables, Jimmy Wood, Cameron Brown, Maria Pia De Vito, Bon Mover, Billy Hart, Bruce Forman and dozens of other musicians. In June 1989 he partecipated with his own band "Sonora Art Quartet" to a short tour in USA organized by The Italian Institute Of Culture of New York. In the same year he recorded in Boston his first Cd "Sonora" with the presence of the saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi.From '94 until '96 he has been collaborating with the band Area. Nowadays he leads his quartet with Francesco Nastro, Pietro Iodice, Vittorio Pepe (CD "On My Browser"). Lately he has been carrying out a research on the expressive possibilities of the guitar deepening the stylistic peculiarities from jazz to rock music, from etnic music to funk music. In '97 he won the crictic referendum for Top jazz as best new talent.

     Artist: Nat "King" Cole
     Album: Jazz Encounters
     Label: Capitol Jazz
     Years: 1945-1950; release: 1992
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 124 mb
     Total time: 59:53
     AMG Rating:
    
     This CD has many of Cole's most interesting Capitol dates away from his trio. The great jazz pianist is heard with the 1947 Metronome All-Stars, jamming with the all-star Capitol International Jazzmen, backing the straight vocals of Jo Stafford, and collaborating with Nellie Lutcher, Woody Herman (on a remarkable version of "Mule Train"), and Johnny Mercer (highlighted by the joyful "Save the Bones for Henry Jones"). This colorful set is highly recommended.

     Artists: Roy Eldridge & Benny Carter
     Album: Urbane Jazz
     Label: Poll Winners Records
     Years: 1955, 1958; release: 2010
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 168 mb
     Total time: 78:04
     AMG Rating:

     The American Recording Society was a music subscription service from the mid- to late '50s. The Jazz Entertainment Division of the Society issued several high-quality LPs, usually featuring artists from one of Norman Granz's labels, Clef, Norgan, and Verve. Some but not all of the albums were replications in all or in part of the Granz releases. Generally, not all the cuts that were on the major label showed up on ARS releases. This made for some recordings that were short, but very important nonetheless. This release features the swing-inflected trumpet of Roy Eldridge combined with the always cosmopolitan-sounding alto sax of the venerable Benny Carter. This combination was quite fortuitous becauseEldridge took his main inspiration not from Louis Armstrong, but from saxophonists Carter and Coleman Hawkins, transposing that rapid arpeggio style and rich tone to his horn. This gave the trumpet player a keen awareness of harmony and unparalleled dexterity, especially in his solos. The payoffs from this transformation of style and technique are heard on such cuts as the quick-paced "Polite Blues" and the lovely ballad "I Missed My Heart." This track also features the unmistakable pure tone and sophisticated harmonies of the Carter alto. The two front-line horn players are joined by the respectable rhythm section of Bruce MacDonald, John Simmons, and Alvin Stoller, who carry out their duties as timekeepers and occasional soloists with confidence and poise. A great service to the jazz community would be made if someone managed to gather up all these ARS recordings and reissue them as a commemorative box. In the meantime, scouring second-hand record bins and/or auctions is the only way to find these gems. ~ Dave Nathan, Rovi

     Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this classic Jazz album. Contains the complete original album Urbane Jazz as well as all of the other tunes taped during those sessions. While the main focus here is on the quintet fronted by Eldridge and Carter, four tracks present Eldridge playing amazing duets with drummer Alvin Stoller (the trumpeter also plays piano on 'Wailing'). The only two tracks featuring Eldridge from the soundtrack of the French movie Les Tricheurs have been added as a bonus (on one track Roy shares the front line with Stan Getz in a sextet). ~ Poll Winners. 2010.

     Artist: Jacky Terrasson
     Album: Jacky Terrasson
     Label: Blue Note
     Year: 1994
     Format, bitrate: FLAC
     Time: 55:17
     Size: 260 MB (inc. covers)
     AMG rating:



     Jacky Terrasson delights in turning standards inside out. On his eponymously titled debut CD he gives odd rhythms to "I Love Paris," purposely speeds up and slows down the tempo on "Bye Bye Blackbird," takes "I Fall in Love Too Easily" very slowly, does his best to disguise "Bye Bye Blackbird," and shows a grasp of dynamics worthy of Ahmad Jamal. It is fortunate that bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Leon Parker are very alert (or perhaps well-rehearsed), because to the uninitiated listener these eccentric and rather quirky performances are often quite unpredictable and occasionally jarring. Well worth checking out.

~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

      Artist: Eddie Harris
      Album: The In Sound/Mean Greens
      Label: Rhino/Atlantic
      Year: 1965-1966; released 1993
      Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kbps
      Time: 65:18
      Size: 178 MB
      AMG Rating:


      This CD from Rhino's valuable Atlantic reissue program combines two former LPs from the 1965-1967 period. The In Sound is among tenor-saxophonist Eddie Harris' most significant recordings, highlighted by the original version of his "Freedom Jazz Dance," and including a memorable rendition of "The Shadow of Your Smile," three standards and a blues. Harris is assisted by an all-star rhythm section (pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Higgins) and, on three selections, trumpeter Ray Codrington. The lesser-known Mean Greens set (comprised entirely of originals except for Harris' high-note treatment of "It Was a Very Good Year") utilizes the same personnel on the first four numbers and is just as exciting with the calypso "Yeah Yeah Yeah" being a high point. The final three performances are more unusual, for Harris switches to electric piano and jams with a Latin rhythm section; included is the original (and somewhat obscure) recording of "Listen Here" which predates his hit version by over a year. Overall this CD is a well-rounded and highly recommended set.

     Artists: George Wallington; Al Haig ; Jimmy Jones
     Album: The Piano Collection Vol.2 3LP/1CD
     Label: Vogue
     Years: 1953/1954, release - 1999
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 175 mb
     Total time: 76:41

   Like Dodo Marmarosa a vital yet often overlooked pioneering architect of bop and early modern jazz, George Wallington is mainly known by his association with the Blue Note, Prestige, Savoy and Verve labels. Even most jazz heads are probably unaware that Wallington cut a ten inch album of eight songs for Vogue in Paris on September 24 1953 with bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Jean-Louis Viale. These may be found on Vogue's 22-track "Piano Anthology, Vol. 1", released in 1999, along with eight selections from an Al Haig Trio session that took place on March 13 1954 with bassist Bill Crow and drummer Lee Abrams, and six tunes recorded for Vogue's sister label Swing records on October 28 1954 by pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Joe Benjamin and percussionist supreme Roy Haynes. This all adds up to one really excellent compilation of expatriated bop piano trios from the middle 1950s. Americans in Paris, looking ahead. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
  

     Artist: Coleman Hawkins
     Album: Coleman Hawkins and His Confreres / The High and Mighty Hawk (2 Lps On 1 Cd)
     Label: Fresh Sound Records
     Year: 1958
     Release: 2010
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Time: 76 min
     Size: 163 MB

     To define the particular sounds you will find here, some people coined the term mainstream—yet some simply call it jazz. The performers on these sessions need only imply to convey what they mean. Everyone involved seems to have known it.
     Coleman Hawkins blows with eloquence, guts, self-confidence, and stomping emotionalism. Roy Eldridge is, as usual, excitable and bubbling over with the kind of exuberance that only trumpeters can manage as they manipulate lip and valve. Buck Clayton’s imagination gives a distinct shape to each one of his solos; he executes them with taste and sense of relevance. Hank Jones is flexible and fluent, ever the complete musician, and a nearly perfect complement here to the lyricism and rhythmic strength of Hawk and the two trumpeters.
     The rhythm section blends together in fine rapport. This is a healthy example of uncluttered, uncomplexed, and unneurotic jazz blowing by as worthy a company of musicians as could be desired.
     Note: You will notice that the "Confreres" original cover features two photographs, one of the Oscar Peterson Trio, and one of Ben Webster, the reason being the following: this album included the tune 'Maria' in addition to tracks #1-4 on this CD. 'Maria' was, in fact, a leftover recording from the October 16, 1957 session featuring Hawkins and Webster known as "Encounters," and thus it has not been included in our release.

     Artist: Tiny Grimes
     Album: Blues Groove 1958-1959 (3 Lps On 2 Cds)
     Label: Fresh Sound Records
     Year: 1958-1959
     Release: 2011
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Time: 145 min
     Size: 163 & 144 MB

     Legendary guitarist Tiny Grimes made his big comeback to the jazz/blues recording field in 1958 with these three albums he made for the Prestige/Swingville series. Jazzwise, he had stayed away from the studios for a long time, playing rock ‘n’ roll in Midwestern nightclubs.
     In these fine sessions, the beat and blues-drenched, dirty sound of Tiny’s guitar is escorted by a group of outstanding jazzmen including pianist Ray Bryant, tenors Coleman Hawkins and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, reedman Jerome Richardson, trombonist J.C. Higginbotham, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Osie Johnson. Where most—if not all—guitarists were using six-string models, Tiny continued to use a four-string box. “There’s nothing I can’t do with the four except maybe in playing rhythm. A lot of the cats today are only using four of their six strings anyway.”
     This is blues guitar with a fine, rousing sound and the kind of beat that colored the early rock ‘n’ roll bands, assembled, for the first time ever on CD, as the complete 1958-1959 Tiny Grimes sessions. Enjoy.

     Artists: Count Basie & Joe Turner
     Album: The Bosses
     Label: OJC/Pablo
     Year: 1973, release: 1995
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 106 mb
     Total time: 44:23
     AMG rating



     Count Basie and an all-star band (including trumpeter Harry Edison, trombonist J.J. Johnson and the tenors of Eddie Davis and Zoot Sims) back up veteran Kansas City blues singer Big Joe Turner on one of his better later albums. The many fine solos inspire Turner, who is in top form on such tunes as "Night Time Is the Right Time," "Wee Baby Blues" and "Roll 'Em Pete."