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Have fun and enjoy the music. This effort is made purely out of love for the music, and as jazz lends itself to discussion so nicely don't forget to drop a line; don't be afraid of the keyboard, it won't bite you ;-) Your thoughts, suggestions & contributions are welcome.

d3lta



Jazz great Lou Donaldson in action (pic by yours truly)

Tim Hagans & Marcus Printup - HubSongs - The Music of Freddie Hubbard

The Hub, of course, is Freddie Hubbard and although he doesn't play he's definitely at the center of this recording. Freddie picked and arranged the tunes, which are, save for one, all Hubbard originals. Hagans and Printup have both expressed their admiration for Hubbard's work and their delight in tackling his sometimes complex music is evident throughout. The bulk of the material is drawn from Hubbard's hard bop days at BlueNote and his jazz/funk output for the Atlantic label. Vincent Herring (alto), Javon Jackson (tenor), Benny Green (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Kenny Washington (drums) provide the twin trumpeters with "all-star" support. Green is most effective in a duo role with Hagans and Printup while Jackson gets to strut his stuff on "Thermo", a bop classic that dates back to Hubbard's tenure with Art Blakey. Herring is best heard on an intense performance of "Life Flight". The real stars of this date are, of course, Tim and Marcus. I'm betting that Freddie was thrilled by their crackling interplay and inventive improvisations on this terrific "tribute" CD. ~ John Sharpe @ allaboutjazz.com


Tracklisting:
1. Backlash
2. Happy Times
3. Hub Cap
4. Lament For Booker
5. On the que-Tee
6. Crisis
7. Byrd Like
8. Thermo
9. Up Jumped Spring
10. Life Flight

Release Date: Jan. 13, 1998
Recorded at Avatar Studio C, New York, New York on August 1 & 2, 1997
Produced & arranged by Freddie Hubbard
High-rez recording mastered from 20-bit sources

The Gil Evans Orchestra - Little Wing (Live 1978)

Let's stick to the '70s for a bit and this gem of a recording featuring Gil Evans and his superb group of soloists in an outstanding live set from 1978 consisting of reworkings in the unique Evans style. Every conceivable style is thrown in for good measure, the highlight of course being the superb rendition of Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing clocking a staggering 25 minutes. Absolutely essential listening.

Tracklisting:
1. Dr. Jeckyl (Jackle) 16:12
2. The Meaning of the Blues 9:04
3. Little Wing 25:09
4. For Bob's Tuba 9:58

The Gil Evans Orchestra consisting of:
Lew Soloff: trumpet, piccolo trumpet
Terumasa Hino: trumpet
Gerry Niewood: alto saxophone
George Adams: tenor saxophone, flute, percussion
Bob Stewart: tuba
Gil Evans: electric piano
Pete Levin: synthesizer
Don Pate: electric bass
Rob Crowder: drums

Recorded live in Germany, October 19, 1978

Richard Davis - Now's the Time (1972)

Let's move into more adventurous musical territory: Chicago-born Davis (1930 - ) spent 23 years in New York City establishing himself as one of the world's premier bass players. Downbeat International Critics Poll named him Best Bassist from 1967-74. He has recorded a dozen albums as a leader and 2000 recordings/jingles as a sideman. Some of his performance/recording credits include Sarah Vaughan, Eric Dolphy, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Dexter Gordon, Ahmad Jamal and a host of other notables. Davis is equally at home in the world of classical music, having played under the batons of George Szell, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Gunther Schuller, and Leonard Bernstein. His great versatility as a bassist keeps him in constant demand for worldwide concert appearances.

Now's the Time originally consisted of two side-long avant-garde jams on bebop standards in its LP form("Now's the Time" and "Epistrophy" which both clock in at over 22 minutes apiece), this live session was expanded upon its CD reissue with the inclusion of a version of Clifford Jordan's "Highest Mountain." Although tenor saxophonist Jordan, pianist Joe Bonner, drummer Freddie Waits and bassist Richard Davis were on the date, trumpeter Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson is the most dominant force, both as a player and in his conception of opening up the music. These very unpredictable renditions reward repeated listenings.

Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Mickey Roker

In the autumnal phase of his recording career, Dizzy Gillespie was reunited with Jazz At The Philharmonic producer Norman Granz for a series of finely crafted recordings on his Pablo label (so named because Granz financed the label by selling off some of his valuable Picassos).

These later recordings are often mistakenly undervalued by critics, despite their superb production values, dynamic acoustic sound, and generally provocative mix of players and musical materials. DIZZY'S BIG 4 is one of the very best, featuring a dream team rhythm section that responds to all of Gillespie's virtuoso challenges, and then some. Ray Brown is one of the all-time greats, who startled the jazz world when he first emerged as Dizzy's bassist while still in his teens; drummer Mickey Roker is a commanding percussionist and long-time Gillespie collaborator, while guitarist Joe Pass is a stellar virtuoso, with a series of excellent recitals of his own on Pablo.

Gillespie is in a particularly puckish mood on these sessions. Where the youthful Gillespie might have ordinarily opted for more of the bravura pyrotechnics, represented herein by the relentlessly uptempo changes of "Be Bop (Dizzy's Fingers)," DIZZY'S BIG 4 is distinguished by the ballads "Hurry Home," "Russian Lullaby" and "September Song." Here the trumpeter's rich timbral shadings plumb deep new meaning from these familiar melodies. Most impressive is Dizzy's depth and range as a blues player, which further enlivens his improvisations on Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz," his own latin styled funk on "Frelimo" and the hard bopping "Birks Works."

Tracklisting:
1.Frelimo 8:06 (Gillespie)
2.Hurry Home 6:20 (Meyer/Emmerich/Bernier)
3.Russian Lullaby 6:46 (I. Berlin)
4.Be Bop (Dizzy's Fingers) 4:26 (Gillespie)
5.Birks Works 8:48 (Dizzy Gillespie)
6.September Song 2:45 (M. Anderson/K. Weill)
7.Jitterbug Waltz 6:49 (Fats Waller)

Personnel:
Dizzy Gillespie t
Joe Pass g
Ray Brown b
Mickey Roker d

Recorded at Cherokee Recording Studios, Hollywood, California on September 17 & 19, 1974. Originally released on Pablo (2310-719). Produced by Norman Granz.Includes liner notes by Benny Green.
Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie

Amazon.com essential recording
This 1977 date joins two jazz giants with contrasting approaches: Gillespie's explosive bop trumpet virtuosity and Basie's laconic piano style. The bare-bones quartet format--with the sterling rhythm team of bassist Ray Brown and drummer Mickey Roker--does nothing to conceal the differences, but it sets up a comfortable middle ground that accommodates swing and bop nuances alike. Differences apart, the co-leaders share infectious warmth, a deep feeling for the blues, and an absolute compulsion to swing. Basie's understatement triggers some of Gillespie's most thoughtful playing of his later career, developing long, intricate solos that combine harmonic exploration and direct, speechlike inflections, often with the distinctive burr of a harmon mute. The settings--two Gillespie tunes, the ancient "St. James Infirmary," and a series of impromptu collaborations--are casual, doing nothing to encumber the musicians in a session they're clearly enjoying. --Stuart Broomer

Tracklisting
1.Back To The Land 7:20
2.Constantinople 8:28
3.You Got It 5:21
4.St. James Infirmary 6:54
5.Follow The Leader 6:24
6.Ow 6:18

Personnel:
Count Basie p
Dizzy Gillespie t
Ray Brown b
Mickey Roker d

Recorded at Las Vegas Recording Studio, Las Vegas, NV; February 3, 1977 for Pablo Records. Produced by Norman Granz. Remastering 1996 - Phil De Lancie.

Thelonious Monk Live at the It Club 1964

A lost Thelonious Monk treasure from the 60s -- a really open-ended live set recorded in LA in 1964, but not issued by Columbia until the early 80s -- making the package a wonderful re-discover of Monk's genius during these years! The tunes are much more freewheeling than some of the studio work cut by Monk's quartet at the time -- stretched out takes on Monkish favorites, played by Thelonious on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums -- all with plenty of room for extended solos. This wonderful 2CD package brings together the complete recordings from the show -- offering up many tracks in their full recorded versions, and adding in a few unreleased tracks too -- titles that include "Bemsha Swing", "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Misterioso", "Gallops Gallop", "Teo", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "All The Things You Are", "Blues Five Spot", "Evidence", "Bright Mississippi", and "Nutty". Dusty Groove America

Recorded over two evenings in Los Angeles in 1964 and arranged in order, this recording presents the great Thelonious Monk at the peak of his considerable talents--and with his most enduring sidemen, including saxophonist Charlie Rouse and drummer Ben Riley. This version also restores 11 (!) cuts to their entirety (previous versions edited or offered shortened bass and drum solos). Aside from the now-complete versions of the set's songs, this It Club also offers three previously unreleased songs ("Teo," "Bright Mississippi," and "Just You, Just Me") and 20-bit digital remastering. The result is perhaps as close as we can come to a great-sounding complete show by one of the most fertile minds in the history of jazz. While not one of Monk's wilder live sessions, this set nonetheless effortlessly communicates the pianist's offbeat genius. From the first note, the sound (which thanks to the remaster, begs for high volume) is classic Monk: inquisitive right-hand chord exploration, thundering left-hand exclamations, and intoxicating runs up and down the keyboard fly from his fingers while the band gives him enough room so that every thought, strategy, and wild hare is allowed to range free. Highlights include an exquisitely gorgeous "I'm getting Sentimental over You", a spicy "Rhythm-A-Ning," and an uptempo "Bright Mississippi." With excellent liner notes by Bob Blumenthal and some new photos, this package rates as a must-buy for all Monkophiles. amazon.com

...Very little of his recorded legacy has more of the feeling of spontaneity and joy at music-making than this set, recorded in 1964.... Never before released in its entirety, the set contains 27 minutes of previously unreleased titles plus original tracks restored to their full length for the first time. BBC magazine

Tracklisting
Disc 1: Blue Monk; Well, You Needn’t; ‘Round Midnight; Rhythm-a-Ning; Blues Five Spot; Beshma Swing; Evidence; Nutty; Epistrophy (Theme).

Disc 2: Straight, No Chaser; Teo; I’m Getting Sentimental Over You; Misterioso; Gallop’s Gallop; Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-are; Bright Mississippi; Just You, Just Me; All The Things You Are; Epistrophy

Personnel
Thelonious Monk (piano)
Charlie Rouse (tenor sax)
Larry Gales (bass)
Ben Riley (drums)

Recorded live at the “It” Club, Los Angeles CA, on October 31st and November 1st 1964.

Billy Cobham

Coming to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham is, in the words of critic Steve Huey, "generally acclaimed as fusion's greatest drummer," and "one of the best [drummers] in the world" with an influential style that combines explosive power and exacting precision.

This 1987 compilation documenting his Atlantic period ably demonstrates what a hell of a musician Cobham is (and a great guy speaking from personal experience). Snoopy's Search/Red Baron from his mega-hit Spectrum LP alone warrants the price of admission.

tracklisting

1 Quadrant 4 4:30
2 Snoopy's Search / Red Baron 7:39
3 Spanish Moss 4:08
4 Moon Germs 4:55
5 Stratus 9:50
6 The Pleasant Pheasant 5:11
7 Solo / Panhandler 4:06
8 Do What Cha Wanna 4:35

notes
Tracks 1,2 and 5 from Atlantic SD 7268 ''Spectrum'' LP.
Tracks 3 and 6 from Atlantic 7300 ''Crosswinds'' LP.
Track 4 from Atlantic 18121 ''Total Eclipse'' LP.
Track 7 from Atlantic SD 18149 ''A Funky Thide Of Sings'' LP.
Track 8 from Atlantic SD 18194 ''The Billy Cobham / George Duke Band Live'' LP.

Frank Sinatra with the Red Norvo Quintet Live in Australia 1959

Unreleased until 1997, these tapes were recorded during two stops on Sinatra's brief Australian tour of 1959, during which he was backed by the quintet of jazz vibraphonist Red Norvo. The 16-song set list (including "I Get a Kick Out of You," "One for My Baby," and a truly inspired version of "Night and Day") is prime Sinatra, and the Chairman is obviously enjoying his easy rapport with the Melbourne audience and the swinging playing of the Norvo Quintet. It is considered one of the wildest performances he has ever recorded, as he exhibits great freedom in his lyric choice, often switching and twisting entire phrases. For example, just as Sinatra begins "I've Got You Under My Skin", a woman in the audience screams. He responds between lyrics with "Get your hand off that broad!". It is a rare delight to hear the Sinatra of this period singing in front of a stripped-down jazz combo. The overall sound is a little muddy, but most Sinatra aficionados will be so enthralled by the performances that they won't even notice or care.

Tracklisting:

1. "Perdido" (Instrumental) (Ervin Drake, Hans Jan Lengsfelder, Juan Tizol) - 5:22
2. "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (Instrumental) (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) - 5:08
3. "I Could Have Danced All Night" (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) - 2:45
4. "Just One of Those Things" (Cole Porter) - 2:30
5. "I Get a Kick Out of You" (Porter) - 3:05
6. "At Long Last Love" (Porter) - 2:26
7. "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell) - 3:49
8. "I've Got You Under My Skin" (Porter) - 3:15
9. "Moonlight in Vermont" (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) - 3:43
10. "The Lady is a Tramp" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) - 4:41
11. "Sinatra Speaks" - 1:34
12. "Angel Eyes" (Earl Brent, Matt Dennis) - 2:53
13. "Come Fly with Me" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) - 2:53
14. "All the Way" (Cahn, Van Heusen) - 2:40
15. "Dancing in the Dark" (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) - 2:17
16. "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" (Arlen, Johnny Mercer) - 5:14
17. "All of Me" (Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons) - 3:02
18. "On the Road to Mandalay" (Oley Speaks, Rudyard Kipling) - 4:15
19. "Night and Day" (Porter) - 4:16

personnel:

Frank Sinatra vcls
Red Norvo v
Jerry Dodgion fl, as
Bill Miller p
Jimmy Wyble g
Red Wooten b
John Markham d

Recorded on April 1, 1959 at the West Melbourne Stadium, Australia, except #1,2,16 & 19 which were recorded on March 31, 1959.
1997 Cello Remastered

Al Haig Plays the Music of Jerome Kern (1978)

Veteran bop survivor Al Haig plays four unaccompanied piano solos, has four duets with bassist Jamil Nasser, and backs singer and producer of this obscure album Helen Merrill on "They Didn't Believe Me." Although Jerome Kern did not care for jazz, his songs have long been viable vehicles for jazz improvisations, and Haig picked out some of the best ones for the date, including The Way You Look Tonight, All the Things You Are and The Song Is You.


Original LP cover

"...There is a curious sense of history revisited, or rewritten, in the release of this album by Al Haig. More than three decades ago, in 1947, Haig was a member of the large orchestra (woodwings, strings, French horns) conducted by Johnny Richards for a Dizzy Gillespie record session. The date was dedicated to Jerome Kern; in fact, two of the four songs recorded, The Way You Look Tonight and All the Things You Are are found in the present Haig collection.

As one of the first and most gifted pianists to become involved in the revolutionary new jazz of the period, Haig was in and out of the bebop scene for several years, working from time to time with big bands such as Charlie Barnet’s or Jimmy Dorsey’s, but also answering calls from Dizzy or Bird.

The present album finds Al in his element, provided with material from the long-prolific pen of Jerome Kern. Haig’s version of Yesterdays (introduced in a 1933 musical, Roberta) finds him in a reflective mood, with fills and ornamentations that are at times evocative of Art Tatum. It is interesting that even on the up tempo pieces such as I’m Old Fashioned, Al bears little resemblance to Bud Powell, who was generally accepted in his day as the pace-setting bebop pianists. The supple bass work on this and other tracks is by Jamil Nasser..." ~from the 1980 liner notes.



tracklisting:
The Way You Look Tonight
Yesterdays
Dearly Beloved
Can I Forget You
I'm Old Fashioned
All The Things You Are
The Song Is You
They Didn't Believe Me (Helen Merrill, vcl)
The Folks Who Live on The Hill


personnel: Al Haig (p), Jamil Nasser (b), Helen Merrill (vcl, producer)

rec Downtown Sound, NYC, 1978