A New Sound… A New Star… (subtitled Jimmy Smith at the Organ Vol. 1) is the debut album by Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label. The album was rereleased on CD combined with Smith's following two LP's A New Sound A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Volume 2 and The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ.
With less of an emphasis of low-key blues numbers than subsequent albums, the work here is informed by the energy and harmonic sophistication of bebop, and Smith is incandescent throughout…

Charlie Parker Records: The Complete Collection, Vol. 24 - Charlie Parker - Fragments (2012 CP Records 233193/24 rec 1949-1952}
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© 1949-52, 2012 Charlie Parker Records / Membran Media / Documents | 233193 / 24
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Exhaustive 30 CD collection from the Jazz legend's short-lived label. Contains 44 original albums (421 tracks) plus booklet. Every record-collector has run across an album with the little sax-playing bird in it's label-logo, right next to the brand name Charlie Parker Records or CP Parker Records. Turning the sleeve over, especially if it was one of the non-Parker releases, and seeing a '60s release date under the header Stereo-pact! Was as exciting an experience as it was confusing. Was the claim Bird Lives meant more literally than previously thought?

Bennie Green and Gene Ammons - The Swingin'est (1958) {Vee-Jay NVJ2-905 rel 1993}
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© 1958, 1993 Vee-Jay | NVJ2-905
Jazz / Bop / Trombone / Saxophone

The emphasis is on the blues and very basic chord changes on this relaxed jam session. With trombonist Bennie Green leading an octet that also includes the tenors of Gene Ammons and Frank Foster, trumpeter Nat Adderley, Frank Wess on tenor and flute and a rhythm section led by pianist Tommy Flanagan, everyone has plenty of opportunities to solo.

The Bailes Brothers - Oh So Many Years (2002) {Bear Family Records BCD15973AH rec 1945-1947}
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© 1945-47, 2002 Columbia / Bear Family Records | BCD 15973 AH
Country / Old-time Music / Gospel / Classic Hillbilly / Bluegrass

The classic country brother sound and some of the greatest songs in traditional music! This is the first legitimate CD of the Bailes Brothers' work, despite the fact that they were one of the most popular acts on the Grand Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride in the mid-to-late 1940s. Roy Acuff spotted them in Charleston, West Virginia and brought them to the Opry and to Columbia Records.

Jimmy Giuffre - Hollywood & Newport 1957-1958 (1992) {Fresh Sound Records ‎FSCD-1026}
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© 1957-58, 1992 Fresh Sound Records ‎| FSCD-1026
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Clarinet / Saxophone

This Fresh Sound CD compiles three separate broadcasts by the Jimmy Giuffre 3. The first three songs come from a 1957 appearance on the Stars of Jazz television show, featuring guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Pena. Giuffre plays baritone sax in his slippery "Gotta Dance," switching to tenor sax for a blistering take of "Four Brothers" and clarinet for his subtle yet spacious "Two Kind of Blues." Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer had taken Pena's place in the group by the time of the trio's return to the program the following year, which resulted in a great deal more freedom, as there was less emphasis on a pure timekeeping role for any one musician.

Various Artists - Red River Blues: Shreveport Blues from RAM Records (1999) {Ace Records CDCHD725 rec 1955-1961}
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© 1955-61, 1999 Ram Records / Red River Records / Ace Records CDCHD 725
Rhythm and Blues / Blues

Recorded between the mid-'50s and mid-'60s, most of this electric blues and R&B was laid down at Mira Smith's studio in Shreveport, LA, appearing on tiny labels like Ram, Jo, Clif, Speed, and Red River; a dozen of the tracks were previously unreleased. This is pretty tenuous ground for a compilation, and it should be pointed out that Smith also recorded some other styles in her studio that are not represented here; also, the disc is filled out by five cuts done elsewhere in Shreveport by Jesse Thomas in the early '60s. Nonetheless, it's a pretty fair collection of early electric Louisiana blues, TV Slim the only name likely to evince even faint recognition from most collectors.

Volume deux of the 1955 Cafe Bohemia sessions from Art Blakey's second edition Jazz Messengers is better than the first. The music is more energetic, cohesive, and pushes the hard bop farther. Where the first volume featured compositions of newly recruited trumpeter Kenny Dorham, it is tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley asserting himself on the bandstand with his set pieces that formed the foundation of the first studio edition of the quintet that included Donald Byrd. Here, Mobley does not defer to Dorham, pushing his sound forward without compromising his vision. "Sportin' Crowd" is definitely an ear opener, a straight-ahead, hard bop gem based on the changes of the Sonny Rollins' classic "Tenor Madness"…

This is Art Blakey's early period Jazz Messengers featuring trumpeter Kenny Dorham, saxophonist Hank Mobley, bassist Doug Watkins, and pianist Horace Silver. This first volume of live performance from the Cafe Bohemia in New York City circa late 1955 is a rousing set of hard bop by the masters who signified its sound, and expanded on the language of modern jazz. There are three bonus CD tracks not on the original LP that further emphasize not only the inherent power of Blakey's band and drumming, but demarcate the simplicity of melodic statements that were a springboard for the fantastic soloing by these individuals who would follow those tuneful lines…

Various Artists - Shreveport High Steppers: RAM Rockabilly & Hillbilly (2001) {Ace Records CDCHD818 rec 1957-1974}
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© 1957-74, 2001 Ram Records / Ace Records | CDCHD 818
Rockabilly / Country / Hillbilly

The Shreveport, LA-based Ram label put out a cartload of rock, blues, and country records in the 1950s without ever establishing itself as a major indie. This 26-track compilation of, as the title promises, rockabilly and hillbilly sides from the decade is definitely for the "let's clean out the vault 'cause it's there'" kind of enthusiasts. That's not to say that it's terrible, just that it's a pretty unremarkable collection of minor leaguers, the biggest name – and she's hardly a big one – being Margaret Lewis. A couple of guys not primarily known for work under their own name make early appearances.

Fats Navarro - Memorial (1947) {Savoy Jazz Japan SV-0181 rel 1992}
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© 1946-47, 1992 Savoy Jazz / Nippon Columbia Japan | SV-0181
Jazz / Bop / Bebop / Trumpet

Along with other bebop sides Navarro did for Capitol and Blue Note, these Savoy cuts are part of the trumpeter's essential recordings. And being mindful of his early demise in 1950, it's amazing to realize that the Memorial album is one of several incredible sessions Navarro was able to produce in just over a two-year period during the late '40s. Teaming up with frequent musical partner Tadd Dameron, Navarro reels off fluid solos on both the outstanding Dameron original "The Tadd Walk" and a second impressive swinger "Be Bop Carroll."

Various Artists - Shreveport Stomp (1994) {Ace Records CDCHD495 rec 1957-1962}
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© 1957-62, 1994 Ram Records / Ace Records | CDCHD 495
Rhythm & Blues / Blues / Rockabilly / Swamp Pop

Ram Records was the creation of the late Mira Smith. A multi-talented musician, studio engineer and songwriter, Mira made many fine recordings both of blues and hillbilly artists. Most of them came from her home town of Shreveport, Louisiana but, occasionally, she would record musicians and singers from places further afield. Many of the performances she recorded have remained unissued until today, not because of any deficiency in the recordings or performances, many of which are very fine indeed, simply because Mira worked on an indie label shoestring and had insufficient capital to promote more than a handful of singles a year. An awful lot of good music just stayed in the vaults.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Originally (1956) {Columbia ‎COL4718722 rel 1990}
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© 1956, 1990 Columbia / Sony Music | COL 471872 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Drums

This LP contains valuable performances by the early Jazz Messengers that sat unissued until decades later. Four selections feature the band when drummer Art Blakey and pianist Horace Silver were co-leaders; trumpeter Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley on tenor and bassist Doug Watkins were also in that quintet. Two numbers from June 1956 find Blakey as sole leader of The Messengers for the first time, heading an otherwise unrecorded unit with Byrd and multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan.

Cal Tjader - Jazz At The Blackhawk (1957) {Fantasy OJCCD-436-2 rel 1990}
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© 1957, 1990 Fantasy Records | OJCCD-436-2
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Vibes

Latin jazz collectors note: the title emphatically is Jazz at the Blackhawk, and even the most determined listener will not find an iota of Cal Tjader's explorations of Latin rhythms here. In its place, we get a sturdy set of bop-flavored workouts by Tjader's expert quartet, recorded live in San Francisco's famous long-defunct nightspot. Tjader himself often sounds like Milt Jackson as he handles the mallets fluidly through a set of standards, a pair of originals by himself and his wife, and – appropriately enough – a witty Baroque-like tune by his pianist Vince Guaraldi called "Thinking of You, MJQ." Eugene "The Senator" Wright (bass) and Al Torre (piano) make up the bop rhythm section, and as long as you know what you're getting, a good time can be had.

Francis Poulenc - Poulenc d'après Poulenc (1988) {Pearl GEMM CD 9311}
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© 1988 Pearl | GEMM CD 9311
Classical / 20th Century / Chamber Music / Neo-Romantic / Piano / Historical

Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963) was a French composer almost as famous for his personal life as his music, including his Gloria and piano works. Born in Paris in 1899, Poulenc's mother was an amateur pianist who taught him to play. As a young composer, he was influenced by musicians like Debussy, Satie, and Stravinsky - he caught the latter's attention with his first surviving composition, Rapsodie Nègre, written in 1917.

Charlie Parker Records: The Complete Collection, Vol. 23 - Charlie Parker - Birdology (2012 CP Records 233193/23 rec 1949}
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© 1949, 2012 Charlie Parker Records / Membran Media / Documents | 233193 / 23
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Exhaustive 30 CD collection from the Jazz legend's short-lived label. Contains 44 original albums (421 tracks) plus booklet. Every record-collector has run across an album with the little sax-playing bird in it's label-logo, right next to the brand name Charlie Parker Records or CP Parker Records. Turning the sleeve over, especially if it was one of the non-Parker releases, and seeing a '60s release date under the header Stereo-pact! Was as exciting an experience as it was confusing. Was the claim Bird Lives meant more literally than previously thought?