King Curtis - Wail Man Wail! - The Best Of King Curtis 1952-1961 [3CD Set] (2012) {Fantastic Voyage}
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© 2012 Fantastic Voyage | FVTD088
Jazz / R&B / Blues / Rock&Roll / Soul / Saxophone

The Best Of King Curtis 1952-1961 - Saxophone titan King Curtis gets the stellar showcase he deserves on Dave Penny’s latest career-defining set for Fantastic Voyage, continuing the roll which has seen the label raise the benchmark for knowledgeable, expertly-annotated compilations. Over three discs and nearly 100 tracks, Wail Man Wail! traverses the unmistakable tones of the late Curtis Ousley after he arrived from Texas in New York City in 1952, winning amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo before embarking on a recording career which took him to several seminal independent labels and bands with the likes of Lester Young and Lionel Hampton. He settled in New York for 17 years, declaring himself King Curtis and quickly making a name for roaring instrumentals and enhancing countless sessions.

The J. J. Johnson Quintet - J Is For Jazz (1956) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 79}
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© 1956, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 79
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trombone

Reissue with the latest 2015 remastering. Comes with liner notes. Nicely sharp sounds from the great JJ Johnson – a set that has the trombonist really honing his edge on a host of tight, short tracks – with a vibe that almost recalls his initial bop recordings on Blue Note and Prestige! The style here is a bit more sophisticated – definitely with an ear towards the modern directions that JJ was exploring in the 50s – but the sound is also nicely spontaneous, with more focus on improvisation between group members than larger arrangements – quite nice, given that the group features excellent tenor from Bobby Jaspar on tenor – and either Tommy Flanagan or Hank Jones on piano, Percy Heath or Wilbur Little on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Tracks are short, and titles include "Overdrive", "Cube Steak", "Chasin The Bird", and "Solar".

Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J. Johnson - Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J. Johnson (1950) {Prestige Japan Mini LP VICJ-4175 rel 2006}
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© 1950, 2006 Prestige / Victor Japan | VICJ-41757 | MONO | 20bit K2 Remaster
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Sonny Stitt (2006 Japanese exclusive limited edition 17-track 'K2 High Definition Coding' CD album, originally released in 1956, also featuring Bud Powell & J.J. Johnson with THREE BONUS TRACKS, presented in mini LP-style cardsleeve reproducing the original album artwork with 'Jazz' obi-strip.) Three classic Sonny Stitt sessions from 1949-50 are heard here in full. Stitt, who had been out of action due to his "personal problems," not only made a full-fledged comeback on these dates but debuted on (and stuck exclusively to) tenor rather than playing alto, where he was being assailed as a Charlie Parker imitator.

J. J. Johnson - First Place (1957) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 21}
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© 1957, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 21 | Mono
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trombone

Reissue with the latest 2015 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Not J.J. Johnson's initial public offering by any means, First Place was done with only a quartet in 1957 for Columbia Records, where other efforts by the legendary jazz trombonist were set in a larger ensemble format. Long out of print, this is now on CD with bonus tracks from 1954 featuring Charles Mingus. Playing standards and originals, Johnson assembled a mighty band with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers, and especially on-fire drummer Max Roach, a group you'd be hard-pressed to top.

Frances Wayne - The Warm Sound (1957) {2012 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27197}
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© 1957, 2012 Atlantic / Rhino / WEA / Warner Japan | WPCR-27197 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Swing / Cool

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. The aptly titled The Warm Sound reunites Frances Wayne with husband and arranger Neal Hefti, adding to the equation a wonderful support unit including tenorist Al Cohn, guitarist Billy Mure, pianist Hank Jones, and flautist Jerome Richardson to yield one of the singer's most delightful and consistent sessions. Hefti keeps his more extravagant impulses in check here, creating a series of sophisticated but appealingly simple arrangements that underscore the breathy appeal of Wayne's vocals. Likewise, warhorses including "'Round Midnight" and "Prelude to a Kiss" prove particularly well-matched to her sexy but sweet persona.

Art Tatum - TatumArt (1934-1956) {10 CDs+DVD5 NTSC Set, Storyville Records 108 8603 rel 2008}
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© 1934-56, 2008 Storyville Records | 108 8603
Jazz / Swing / Stride / Boogie-Woogie / Piano

This boxed set consists of 10 CD and 1 DVD comprising 212 tracks and 12½ hours of playing time. They range in date from early 1934 to mid-October 1956, only three weeks before Tatum’s death. None of the tracks in this box was recorded in a studio for ultimate sale to the public. With the exception of some recordings made for the U.S. government, they are all live performances, from a wide variety of sources, including off-the-air radio broadcasts, the audio portion of his limited TV appearances, private parties, night club performances, after-hours clubs, transcriptions, recordings in private homes (including his own), and tracks from pressings made gratis for the Voice of America, and for the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.

Peggy Lee & June Christy - The Complete Capitol Transcription Sessions 1945-1949 (1998) {5CD Set Mosaic MD5-184}
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© 1945-49, 1998 Mosaic Records / Capitol / EMI | MD5-184
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Swing / Straight-ahead Jazz / Mainstream Jazz

Mosaic, the Rolls-Royce of record companies, has produced another of its limited-edition gems (5,000 copies and no more). This five-CD boxed set highlights the early work of two of the more famous vocal graduates of the swing era – Peggy Lee and June Christy. Recently signed by Capitol, they were the company's attempt to break into the transcription business. Transcriptions were records provided to radio stations to fill a constant need for music that regular commercial releases were unable to meet. Most of the songs on this album, cuts from 1945 through 1949, were never before or since recorded by Lee and Christy, so they are a nice addition to their respective discographies.

Louis Armstrong - The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (2001) {4CD Set Bluebird-BMG 09026-63846-2 rec 1932-1933, 1956}
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© 1932-33, 1956, 2001 Bluebird / BMG | 09026-63846-2
Jazz / Early Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / New Orleans Jazz / Swing / Trumpet

Most of the music on this four-CD set from 1997 has been reissued many times, both on LP and CD, but this is the most "complete" set thus far. Louis Armstrong recorded for RCA during two separate times. During 1932-1933, he led an erratic (and under-rehearsed) big band on a series of numbers, but all of the selections have their moments of interest. Although not up to the level of his Hot Five and Seven recordings of five years earlier, these spirited tracks find Armstrong mostly in excellent form both instrumentally and vocally, and the reissue has four alternate takes never released before.

Benny Goodman - The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (1997) {3CD Set BMG 09026-68764-2 rec 1935-1939}
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© 1935-39, 1997 RCA Victor / BMG Music | 09026-68764-2
Jazz / Swing / Jazz Quartet / Clarinet

Benny Goodman's formidable work in front of the big band made him one of the world's most popular musicians, but his work with these "chamber jazz" groups made him one of the world's most respected musicians. Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Jimmie Noone's Apex Club band, to name two, had prospered in the 1920s as small groups playing traditional New Orleans-style fare, but until Goodman's forays beginning in 1935, the small band had been limited to blues, Dixieland, and the group improvisations of the New Orleans style. Goodman applied the small-group concept to the steady 4/4 rhythm and the repertoire (mostly standards) of swing. Instead of being dance music, this small-group swing showcased the individual and collective talent of the musicians involved–and the talent and telekinetic interplay of these men were considerable to say the least.

Stan Getz - The Complete Roost Recordings (1950-1954) {3CD Set Blue Note, Ron McMaster Remaster rel 1997}
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© 1950-54, 1997 Blue Note / Roost / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 59622 2 6
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Saxophone

The Complete Roost Recordings is a three-disc, 59-track box set that contains all of the recordings Stan Getz made for the Roost record label in the '50s. The set includes all of his officially released sessions – including the date led by guitarist Johnny Smith, the live performances with Count Basie, and a full disc of live performances with his quintet – as well as many unreleased and alternate takes. Roost was the first label Getz recorded for as a leader, and what's surprising about these sessions is how mature he sounds here. He had already arrived at his full, rich tone and was able to improvise with skill and grace. That's what makes this box set so rewarding – it's not only historically important, but it offers a wealth of excellent music.

Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Himself (1957) {2008 Riverside} [Keepnews Collection Complete Series] (Item #24of27)
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© 1957, 2008 Concord / Riverside | 0888072305106
Jazz / Bop / Piano

Orrin Keepnews' commentary (from his new liner notes): "This, you might say, is an album of undiluted Monk. Like most generalizations, that wouldbe putting things a bit too simply, but the core of truth is there. For, with the deliberate exceptionof the final selection, this is literally Thelonious Himself—Monk, alone in the recording studio, offering highly personal versions of some standards and some of his own tunes.

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve (1997) {3CD Verve rec 1956-1957}
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© 1956-57, 1997 Verve / PolyGram | 314 537 284-2
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards / Traditional Pop

Here is an instruction manual for singers. Phrasing, intonation, breath control, taste, musicianship, restraint, humor; it's all here. What with "jazz singing" wandering all over the lot as the century staggers to a close, let's hope that The Complete (what dimensions that phrase has in this context) Ella and Louis will be used for serious course work, and not just by beginners. The package contains everything from the LPs Ella & Louis, Ella and Louis Again and Porgy and Bess, plus two tracks of Fitzgerald sitting in with Armstrong's band at the Hollywood Bowl. The contrast between her polished perfection and his rough perfection is delicious. Armstrong's trumpet playing, nearing its last full burst of glory, is as moving as his voice.The songs are by the cream of American song writers, including Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Arlen, Ronnell, Duke and Kern. They have never been sung better.

RICKIE LEE JONES is that rare musician who has transcended the singer/songwriter mantle by incorporating different radio genres from the get-go and she continues that tradition on the forthcoming album KICKS, her newest collection of songs from the great American songbook. Due out June 7, the album spans two decades (50s-70s) of pop, rock and jazz, presenting her unique and sophisticated interpretations of these songs.