Shelly Manne And His Men At The Blackhwak (1959)

Now, what can be said about this great hipster, club owner and breeder of horses? His musicality was unparalleled, always unassuming, always serving the music. He almost singlehandedly defined West Coast Jazz, he played behind everyone who was someone and his music graced tons of TV programs and movies we still love today. These recordings, maybe the finest, most relaxed live recordings I've heard with his Men Joe Gordon, Richie Camuca Monty Budwig and Victor Feldman at his now defunct club serve as a fine testament to the man's genius.

Dave Pike - Charles McPherson : Bluebird (1989)

A classic straight ahead bop set from two real jazz veterans. Dave Pike’s vibes and Charles McPherson’s horn have been gracing our ears since the 60’s and this Bird - inspired set displays their magnificent skills to great effect - timeless indeed…

1. Scrapple From The Apple
2. Embraceable You
3. Visa
4. Old Folks
5. Bluebird
6. Anthropology
7. Ornithology
8. Bluebird

as a bonus, a McPherson clip from my channel on Dailymotion with the great Kenny Barron on piano, enjoy.

Charles McPherson Quartet - Tenor Madness - Club Date
Uploaded by Delta_Mike

Dave Pike - Manhattan Latin (1964)

A great Latin - tinged album as the title suggests from 1964, with loungey artwork to die for to boot, featuring the combined talents of Messrs Dave Pike on vibes, the great Hungarian Attila Zoller on guitar, Joseph Grimaldi on flute, Hubert Laws on piccolo and tenor saxophones, Dave Burns on trumpet, Ray Copeland on flugelhorn, a young Chick Corea and Don Friedman sharing piano duties, Israel "Cachao" Lopez and Jack Six on bass and last but not least legend Willie Bobo on drums.