Chet Baker - Quartet with Russ Freeman (1956) {Pacific Jazz}
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© 1956, 1997 Pacific Jazz / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 55453 2 0
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet / Piano

Quartet: Russ Freeman & Chet Baker brings together tracks that pianist Russ Freeman recorded with trumpeter Chet Baker during their time as bandmates in the 1950s. Freeman was a regularly gigging, bop-oriented player in Los Angeles when he joined forces with rising jazz star Baker in 1953. Baker, who had just parted ways with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan after making a splash with their legendary pianoless quartet, was looking for a musical director to help chart his own course.

Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich - Krupa and Rich (1955) {Verve 521 643-2 rel 1994}
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© 1955, 1994 Verve / PolyGram Records | 521 643-2
Jazz / Bop / Swing / Mainstream Jazz / Drums

On this CD reissue, drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich only actually play together on one of the seven songs, a lengthy rendition of "Bernie's Tune" that has a six-minute "drum battle." Krupa and Rich do perform two songs apiece with a remarkable all-star band consisting of trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge, tenors Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips, pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis, and bassist Ray Brown. Each of the principals get some solo space, giving this release more variety than one might expect. In addition there are two bonus cuts from a Buddy Rich date that feature the drummer with trumpeters Thad Jones and Joe Newman, tenors Ben Webster and Frank Wess, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, and rhythm guitarist Freddie Green. Excellent music overall if not quite essential.

Wes Montgomery - In The Beginning: Early Recordings from 1949-1958 (2014) {2CD Set Resonance Records HCD-2014}
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© 1949-58, 2014 Resonance Records | HCD-2014
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Guitar

Rare Wes Montgomery material is hard to come by. Not counting Willow Weep for Me, the posthumous LP Verve issued in 1968 not long after the guitarist's passing, there was Resonance's 2012 set Echoes of Indiana Avenue, which contained largely live performances from 1957 and 1958. In the Beginning, released three years after Echoes, draws from a similar well of unreleased recordings, offering a heavy dose of live material along with five sides produced by Quincy Jones at Columbia Studios in 1955, plus three tracks a session at Spire Records in Fresno, California in 1949.

Sonny Stitt - Saxophone Supremacy (1959) {Verve Japan Jazz The Best Series UCCU-9943 rel 2012}
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© 1959, 2012 Verve / Universal Japan | UCCU-9943 | 24bit remastering
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Classic Sonny Stitt for Verve – one of those masterful albums he cut for the label in the 50s – all in a format that's misleadingly simple on paper, but surprisingly complex in execution! Stitt's backed by a trio that includes Lou Levy on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – but all players seem to hit a more deeply soulful groove than usual – just the right sound to match Sonny's sharper-edge groove, and near-perfect execution of his solos. Stitt's tone is right out front in the mix – beautifully recorded by Norman Granz, with as much respect to his sound as Sonny brings to his own renditions of the tunes.

This Savoy CD is a duplicate of the original LP although it lacks the fine liner notes included on the Arista/Savoy 1978 LP. The four selections (which unfortunately total under 34 minutes) are excellent, particularly a fun version of Horace Silver's blues "Opus De Funk" in which vibraphonist Milt Jackson, flutist Frank Wess and pianist Hank Jones have a long tradeoff. The quintet (which also includes bassist Eddie Jones and drummer Kenny Clarke) swings nicely throughout the three blues and lone ballad ("You Leave Me Breathless"). This is not essential, but it is enjoyable music.

John Coltrane - Dakar (1957) {2008 Prestige RVG Remasters Series}
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© 1957, 2008 Concord / Prestige | PRCD-30650 | Prestige RVG Remasters Series | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

In the spring of 1957, John Coltrane had gone through two years of artistic growth so concentrated it was astonishing even in the jazz world, where compressed musical development is far from unknown. As the other horn in the Miles Davis Quintet, Coltrane had moved from virtual obscurity to acclaim as the tenor saxophone innovator of the decade. Although major stylistic departures were to come, Coltrane was at a peak of the probing lyricism and strength of his middle period. With the interestingly contrasted baritone saxophonists Cecil Payne and Pepper Adams, and a rhythm section of great smoothness and swing, Dakar is a gem in the Coltrane discography.

Scott LaFaro - Deep In A Dream: Live In 1958 (2012) {SSJ Japan DSD Mini LP Remaster}
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© 1958, 2012 SS of Japan / Pacific Delights | XQAM-1619
Jazz / Cool / Modal Music / Bass

Rare reissue of historic recordings by Scott LaFaro. New DSD remastering. Scott LaFaro left us a very small number of recordings due to his untimely death in 1961. He was a genius who developed a revolutionary way of playing the bass. Whether recorded live or in studio, these recordings are all worth listening to. This album consists of three ABC Stars of Jazz TV probrams as well as a very rare rehearsal session at Bob Andrews' Recordville, the record store belonging to Andrews, the famous devotee of the West Coast jazz scene. All are 1958 performances while LaFaro was with the Victor Feldman group. Recommended for fans of Scott LaFaro!

The Stan Kenton Orchestra - Cuban Fire! (1956) {2019 RevOla CREVV 852}
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© 1956, 1960, 2019 Capitol / RevOla | CREVV 852
Jazz / Big Band / Progressive Jazz / Latin jazz / Afro-Cuban Music

While I have only recently become a Stan Kenton fan, I would recommend this album to ANYONE who appreciates jazz. It combines the hard-hitting brass that was Kenton's signature with the Latin rhythms (mentioned above) that swing nicely. The Johnny Richards arrangements and compositions really create an album that you will want to listen to all the way through – LOUDLY! Critics held mixed views of some of Kenton's work, but I have yet to hear of anyone who would give this less than five stars.

Miles Davis featuring Sonny Rollins - Dig (1951) {OJC Remasters Complete Series rel 2010, item 14of33}
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© 1951, 2010 Prestige / Concord | 0888072323278
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Trumpet

An extension of the popular Original Jazz Classics series (est. 1982), the new OJC Remasters releases reveal the sonic benefits of 24-bit remastering-a technology that didn't exist when these titles were originally issued on compact disc. The addition of newly-written liner notes further enhances the illuminating quality of the OJC Remasters reissues. "Each of the recordings in this series is an all-time jazz classic," says Nick Phillips, Vice President of Jazz and Catalog A&R at Concord Music Group and producer of the series.

The Modern Jazz Quartet - The Modern Jazz Quartet (1957) {2012 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27103}
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© 1957, 2012 Atlantic / Warner Japan / Rhino | WPCR-27103 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Cool / Third Stream

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. One of the first Modern Jazz Quartet albums on Atlantic – a 1957 set that finds the crew in one of their freshest periods – laying down their soon-to-be trademark style in a fashion that warrants the self-titled tag! The set kicks off with a stellar medley of standards, all given the tight MJQ touch! The crew strolls through "They Say It's Wonderful", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "Body And Soul" and more in that 10 minute stretch. Other album highlights include the drum-heavy "La Ronde", a sweet reading of "Night In Tunisia", "Baden Baden", "Bag's Groove" and "Yesterdays".

The Modern Jazz Quartet - No Sun In Venice (1957) {2013 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27352}
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© 1957, 2013 Atlantic / Warner Japan / Rhino | WPCR-27352 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Cool / Third Stream / Bop

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays No Sun in Venice (originally titled The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays One Never Knows: Original Film Score for "No Sun in Venice") is a soundtrack album by American jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet featuring performances recorded in 1957 for Roger Vadim's No Sun in Venice and released on the Atlantic label. This recording has six John Lewis compositions that were used in the French film No Sun in Venice. The music is quite complex and disciplined, making this set of lesser interest to fans who prefer to hear Milt Jackson playing bebop-oriented blues. However the versatile group was perfect for this type of music and these thought-provoking performances reward repeated listenings.

Paul Albert Anka, OC (/ˈæŋkə/, Arabic: بول عنقا; born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. Anka became famous with hit songs like "Diana", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". He wrote such well-known music as the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and one of Tom Jones's biggest hits, "She's a Lady". He also wrote the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way", which has been covered by many, including Elvis Presley…

Sun Ra - Sound Sun Pleasure (1959) {Evidence ECD 22014-2 rel 1991}
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© 1953-60, 1991 Evidence Music | ECD 22014-2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Progressive Jazz / Experimental Big Band

Tracks One thru Six were originally issued as the LP Sound Sun Pleasure (Saturn 512). It is thought to be recorded between 1958 and 1960 in Chicago. Tracks Seven thru Thirteen are Sun Ra's earliest known recordings. They were first released in 1973 on an LP entitled Deep Purple (El Saturn 485). The recording dates and personnel on these tracks are the subject of much controversy and can only be surmised. Track Seven , Deep Purple, feature famous jazz violinist Stuff Smith, and is thought to be recorded between 1953 and 1954. Tracks Eight thru Thirteen are thought to be recorded in 1955.

Coleman Hawkins - Hawk Eyes (1959) {Prestige OJC-294 rel 1987}
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© 1959, 1987 Prestige / OJC / Fantasy | 00025218629423
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

Tenor-great Coleman Hawkins tended to be at his best when challenged by another horn player. On this highly enjoyable CD, Hawkins is joined by the superb trumpeter Charlie Shavers and a strong rhythm section that includes guitarist Tiny Grimes and pianist Ray Bryant. With such superior songs as "Through for the Night," "I Never Knew" and "La Rosita," in addition to long jams, plenty of fireworks occur during this frequently exciting session.

The Six - The Six (1955) {2014 Japanese Bethlehem Album Collection 1000}
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© 1955, 2014 Solid Records / Bethlehem | CDSOL-6131 | LP BCP-28
Jazz / Bop / Cool

Reissue. Features the latest remastering. Includes a Japanese description, lyrics. Features original cover artwork. A mainstream jazz combo, but one with plenty of modern edges too – thanks to the skills of the players in the sextet! The musicians here are equally comfortable skirting a number of different styles, which they do very well in the set – especially the horn section, which features Bob Wilber on tenor, Sonny Truitt on trombone, and Johnny Glasel on trumpet! Most numbers are originals by the group members, and the arrangements have that fresh flair that Wilber would bring to later, better-known work – swung by a rhythm section that includes Bob Hammer on piano, Bill Britto on bass, and Eddie Phyfe on drums. Titles include "Itchy Fingers", "Two Kinds Of Blues", "Strange Diet", "Tasty", "As Far As We're Concerned", and "Pink Ice".