The Modern Jazz Quartet ~ Scandinavia (1960)

tracks
01. Django (5:31)
02. Bluesology (4:32)
03. La Ronde (3:07)
04. I Remember Clifford (5:09)
05. Vendome (2:29)
06. Odds Against Tomorrow (6:58)
07. Pyramid (8:44)
08. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It A (5:32)
09. 'Round Midnight (3:48)
10. Bags' Groove (5:10)
11. I'll Remember April (4:50)
12. Skating In Central Park (6:08)
13. I Should Care (5:23)
14. Festival Sketch (4:23)

Bluesology

Dave Koz & Friends ~ A Smooth Jazz Christmas

Cohesiveness is what separates this all-star Christmas release from the others. During the last four years, Dave Koz, vocalist Brenda Russell, pianist David Benoit, guitarist Peter White, and trumpeter Rick Braun have hit the road spreading holiday cheer among the smooth-jazz masses and their collaborative ease is palpable throughout these 14 tracks. Benoit is featured on "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," while Koz adds one of his best solos. Braun has the spotlight on "Little Drummer Boy," where Benoit shines too, and White highlights "Silent Night." All five players are credited for arrangements on most tracks, the craftiest of which is the '50's doo-wop of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," where you can almost hear the Drifters singing in the background. Russell also does a holiday version of her hit "Get Here," which is as powerful now as it was 10 years ago.

Friends are: David Benoit (piano), Rick Braun (Trumpet), Peter White (Guitar) with Brenda Russell and Kenny Loggins on vocals. 

tracks

01. Smooth Jazz Christmas Overture (8:32)

02. The Christmas Song (4:55)

03. O'Tannenbaum O'Tannenbaum, Sleigh Ride Medley (4:04)

04. Silent Night (4:34)

05. Beneath The Moonlit Sky (3:04)

06. Little Drummer Boy (4:27)

07. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (4:09)

08. December Makes Me Feel This Way (3:39)

09. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (3:19)

10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (3:49)

11. White Christmas (3:22)

12. Eight Candles (3:36)

13. Get Here (4:58)

14. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (3:57)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Chet Baker ~ Albert's House (1969)

Although this album has been proscribed and described as “possibly the worst ever” the songs themselves are not terrible. Most are simple, pretty tunes written by comedian Steve Allen. Allen was a big fan of Baker, he had him on his variety show several times in the 60's. This was his way of helping Chet get his career started again. This recording inexplicably keeps getting re-issued on CD. The CD versions rename the tracks, and they are remixed at a lower speed (actually, I think this was a correction, as it sounds more natural than the LP versions). ~ chetbakertribute.com

tracks

01  Albert's House 2:25

02  Farewell San Francisco 4:40

03  Time 4:21

04  I Should Have Told You 4:20

05  How Dare You Sir 3:19

06  End Of The Line 3:16

07  Pretty People 3:21

08  Sunday In Town 4:36

09  A Man Who Used To Be 3:18

10  Never Had This Felling Before 3:24

11  Life 4:05

12  Nice Little Girls 3:48 

Jazz Manouche Vol 5

tracks
cd1
01.Django Reinhardt-Charleston 02:52
02.Rocky Gresset-Swing 48 02:38
03.Oscar Aleman-Russian Lullaby 02:57
04.Jimmy Rosenberg-Aladdins Theme 03:40
05.Birelli Lagrene-Embraceable You 02:27
06.Cyrille Aimee Daudel-Stormy Weather 03:02
07.Samson Schmitt-Tango for Piazzolla 04:46
08.Florin Niculescu-Opportunity 03:02
09.Ensemble Zaiti-Impromptu 02:56
10.Les Doigts De L Homme-Stenay Vous Bien 02:41
11.Raphael Fays-Melodie Au Crepuscule 02:43
12.Caravan Palace-L Envol 03:48
13.Moreno Trio & Angelo Debarre-Moreno Wal 02:47
14.Franck Vignola-I Surrender Dear 01:59
15.Pmb Trio & Daniel Givone-Valse D August 05:28
16.Tchavolo Schmitt-L Indien 03:39
17.Stephane Grappelli-Souvenir De Vilingen 01:47

cd2
01.Romane-Strange Eyes 02:50
02.Noe Reinhardt-Vette 03:26
03.Josho Stephan-Train to Paris 02:48
04.Yorgui Loeffler-Valse De Wasso 01:23
05.Angelo Debarre-There Will Never Be Anot 03:41
06.Christophe Lartilleux-Montagne Ste Gene 04:16
07.Oscar Aleman-Melancolica 02:44
08.Marcel Loeffler-Joshua Fit the Battle o 02:29
09.Aurelien Trigo-Shine 03:31
10.Rodolphe Raffali-Je Me Suis Fait Tout P 02:05
11.David Reinhardt-Love Remembered 04:17
12.Rosenberg Trio-Armandos Rumba Live 04:01
13.Sanseverino-Les Embouteillage 03:08
14.Marcel Bianchi-Minor Swing 03:04
15.Django Reinhardt-Liebestraum N3 03:19
16.Fapy Lafertin-Blue Lou 03:13
17.Bireli Lagrene-Vague A L Ame 06:08

Yorgui Loeffler-Valse De Wasso

Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli ~ The Gold Collection (1934 - 1937)

Classic Early Recordings by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli

tracks
01. Dinah (2:37)
02. Tiger Rag (2:36)
03. Lady Be Good (2:56)
04. Swanee River (3:07)
05. Clouds (3:16)
06. Chasing Shadows (3:02)
07. Djangology (2:58)
08. St. Louis Blues (3:30)
09. Limehouse Blues (3:11)
10. I Got Rhythm (3:13)
11. Swing Guitars (2:25)
12. Charleston (2:53)
13. You're Driving Me Crazy (3:00)
14. Ain't Misbehavin' (2:51)

Charleston

Patty Ascher ~ Bossa, Jazz ‘n’ Samba

Ascher is the kind of interpretive singer who can handle almost any mood and almost any kind of song—from one that is narrative to one that springs from the depths of the soul. Moreover she has such an instinct for the exact nature of the song’s emotional centre that she hits the spot almost all the time. This is something like having perfect pitch; only in this instance it does not matter whether she does have perfect pitch, because her accent is on the key moment in the emotion; on the exact twist of the moment of pain or joy or whatever it is she is expressing. A marvellous example of this extraordinary ability is in the aching ballad, “How Much I Care”. So slowly do the moments pass throughout the song that it seems Ascher is caressing every word, almost making love to each beautiful twist and turn in the lyric of the song.

Appropriately Bossa, Jazz ‘n’ Samba boasts a stellar cast of musicians from Brasil, who have come together to arrange Ascher’s songs from this beloved adventure. Dori Caymmi turns Michel Legrand/Alan Bergman’s classic “The Summer Knows” into a slow-burner with a proverbial blue flame. The magnificent Gilson Peranzetta is responsible for the tortured sighs of “How Much I Care”. Cristovão Bastos conjures up a bleak desolation in “The Winter”. And there is much more breathtaking work in the arrangements throughout the album. Of course, the majesty of the arrangements comes to life with largely due to Patty Ascher’s brilliance in interpreting the songs themselves. Guitarist, Roberto Menescal is also there to make sure that it all comes to pass—every bit of music as unforgettable as the next.

It is never easy for a vocalist to translate emotions that are so deeply felt in the vernacular. An appropriate example would be “Saudade”. This is an emotion so unique to the Portuguese sensibility that it is next to impossible to render the word in another language—much less recreate the subtle hues of the palette of its emotions. While Ascher does make a brave attempt to do so, it might not have worked at all were it not for the extraordinary delicacy with which she renders the emotion. She appears to be on much firmer ground on the Portuguese of “Talvez”. “Pela Manhã” is another example. Although some of the subtlety of “Saudade” might be somewhat hidden in English, Ascher does make almost all of it work, thanks to a voice that soars with mysterious and magical beauty throughout.

tracks

01. Springtime (2:33)
02. The Summer Knows (3:53)
03. Girls just want to kiss (3:54)
04. Booking time (2:49)
05. How much i care (4:46)
06. The Winter (3:42)
07. Saudade (3:35)
08. Sunrise (amanhecendo) (3:18)
09. The sun (3:11)
10. Talvez (3:00)
11. Pela manhã (3:35)

Springtime

Melody Gardot ~ The Absence

2012 release, the third album from Grammy nominated singer/songwriter. Produced by Heitor Pereira, renowned for his work as a film composer and world-class session guitarist (Sting, Seal, Caetano Veloso), the Brazilian-born, US-based artist shared Melody's enthusiasm for driving off the beaten path of Western pop, jazz, blues and soul. And he was as adventurous as Melody when it came to inventive sonic ideas. From the deserts of Morocco to the streets of Lisboa, from the tango bars of Buenos Aires to the beaches of Brazil, The Absence captures the essence of each of these exotic locales, while at the same time remaining quintessentially Melody Gardot.

tracks

01. Mira (4:13)

02. Amalia (3:00)

03. So long (3:46)

04. So we meet again my heartache (4:24)

05. Lisboa (5:25)

06. Impossible love (3:47)

07. If I tell you I love you (3:32)

08. Goodbye (3:38)

09. Se Voce Me Ama (4:52)

10. My heart won't have it any other way (2:35)

11. Iemanja (4:05)

Goodbye 

So long 

Bill Evans Trio ~ Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Jazz pianist Bill Evans began a quiet revolution in the early 1960s. Before Evans, jazz piano trios spotlighted the pianist while the others essentially accompanied him or her. Evans envisioned a trio where all three musicians were on an equal footing, where they'd truly interact. Sunday at the village vanguard, recorded live in 1961, captures the original Bill Evans Trio at its peak. Drummer Paul Motian plays with grace, subtlety, and restraint that are equal to Evans's, and bassist Scott LaFaro (who also played with Ornette Coleman) has a rapport with the others that seems telepathic. Evans absorbed the bebop approach to the keys but also took inspiration from the suave pianism of Nat "King" Cole and 20th-century classical Impressionism. Sunday is piano trio jazz that's executed so beautifully one might not notice how complex it really is.

tracks

01. Gloria's Step (Take 2) (6:11)
02. My Man's Gone Now (6:24)
03. Solar (8:53)
04. Alice in Wonderland (Take 2) (8:34)
05. All of You (Take 2) (8:18)
06. Jade Visions (Take2) (3:43)
07. Gloria's Step (Take 3) (6:55)
08. Alice in Wonderland (Take 1) (7:02)
09. All of You (Take 3) (8:07)
10. Jade Visions (Take 1) (5:13)

Gloria's Step (Take 2) 

Patty Ascher ~ Bacharach Bossa Club

This CD presents 14 of Burt Bacharach’s greatest songs in Bossa Nova Style. This type of Brasilian cool soft jazz which revolutionized music in the 60’s is now ever present in the 21st Century as it’s style and charm will remain a timeless genre. Patty aces all of the 14 songs, but most notable are her renditions of “Wives and Lovers”, “Walk On By”, “There’s always something there to remind me” and many many more classics.

tracks

01. Wives & Lovers
02. Walk On By
03. I Say A Little Prayer
04. Do You Know The Way To San Jose
05. I’ll Never Fall In Love Again
06. One Less Bell To Answer
07. Rainbows Keep Falling On My Head
08. A House Is Not A Home
09. The Look Of Love
10. There Always Something There To Remind Me
11. Alfie
12. Close to You
13. This Guy’s In Love With You
14. What The World Needs Now Is Love

The Look Of Love

I Say A Little Prayer

Claude Bolling & Jean-Pierre Rampal ~ Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio

THE STORY OF A MUSICAL PHENOMENON
The idea of associating jazz with classical has often inspired musical personalities as diverse as George Gershwin, Dave Brubeck, Jacques Loussier, and even groups such as the Modern Jazz Quartet or the Swingle Singers. As far as Claude Boiling is concerned, this type of experience was first approached in 1965 with the "jazz Gang Amadeus Mozart", a savory recording in the form of a musical gag, where the "Turkish March" canters towards unbridled dixieland jazz, tinted with Spike Jones humor.

Later on, the young pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier, winner of the Tchaikovsky prize, who had performed with Claude Boiling in several televi­sion programs, asked him to compose a piece based on a dialogue between two pianos, one jazz, the other classical. From this exchange between two musical languages joining together in a single creation, the "Sonata for two pianists" was born in 1972, the first landmark in what the Americans would soon call "Crossover Music". Claude Boiling recalls, "The Sonata had just been released when I met Jean-Pierre Rampal whose truly exceptional talent I much appreciated. He told me 'I love jazz without knowing how to play it, but I dream of working with jazz musicians. Write something that stays in the classical field for my flute and in the jazz idiom for you.' I took this request seriously, considering it a real challenge. It was a rather crazy bet!"  As the weeks passed, three themes emerged from Claude Boiling's mind. Jean-Pierre Rampal heard them, liked them, and encouraged the composer to continue. When the number of compositions necessary for an album was achieved, the two accomplices decided to move on to the recording, adding Max Hediguer on double bass and Marcel Sabiani on drums. The "Suite for Flute" was born.

tracks

1. Baroque And Blue (5:18)

2. Sentimentale (7:45)

3. Javanaise (5:22)

4. Fugace (3:54)

5. Irlandaise (3:03)

6. Versatile (with Bass Flute) (5:09)

7. Véloce (3:39)

Baroque and Blue

Dusko Goykovich ~ In my dreams

tracks
01 In My Dreams 7:26
02 St. Germain de Pres 6:50
03 Sequoia Song 4:11
04 Introduction 4:57
05 Skylark 7:59
06 One Morning in May 5:17
07 All My Love 4:09
08 Little Theo 5:11
09 I Miss You So 7:30
10 Ballad For Belgrade 5:47
11 All My Love (4et version) 4:10

lineup
Dusko Goykovich- trumpet / flugelhorn
Bob Degen - piano
Isla Eckinger - bass
Jarrod Cagwin - drums

Dusko Goykovich ~ Swinging Macedonia

Swinging Macedonia was recorded in Germany with american sidemen, including Mal Waldron on piano, but the focus here is on Dusko's own compositions that attempt to fuse the sensibility of Balkan music with jazz. Several elements are at play here: most obvious are, of course, the skewed rhythms of 5/4 and 9/4 that are native to the dances of southeastern Europe - Romanian, Macedonian, and gypsy music.Macedonia and The Nights of Skopje are written in 5/4. Secondly, it's the modal harmonic elements: Saga Se Karame (later recorded as Slavic Mood) is built on Phrygian; Balkan Blue and Macedonia are modal tunes. Finally, there are structural elements; very few of the tunes utilize the AABA form so ubiquitous in jazz. American jazz was already experimenting with many of these features - odd meters of Take Five and Don Ellis recordings, modal music etc., but here they are very naturally fused into a single unity, the first recording of what later became known "Balkan jazz".


tracks
01. Macedonia (7:28)
02. Old Fishermans Daughter (5:06)
03. Jumbo Uganda (3:52)
04. The Gypsy (4:15)
05. Macedonian Fertility Dance (2:21)
06. Bem-Basha (4:33)
07. Saga Se Karame (4:19)
08. Wedding March of Alexander the Macedonian (4:06)
09. The Nights of Skopje (5:23)
10. Balcan Blue (4:45)

The Crusaders ~ Rhapsody and Blues (1980)

tracks
01  Soul Shadows (8:17)
02  Honky Tonk Struttin' (4:26)
03  Elegant Evening  (6:08)
04  Rhapsody and Blues (8:49)
05  Last Call (6:43)
06  Sweet Gentle Love (4:54)

Soul Shadows

Verve Jazz Masters ~ Antonio Carlos Jobim

The first Jobim tune I ever heard was "Desafinado". Dizzy Gillespie performed it at the Sutherland Lounge in Chicago in the winter of 1961-62, when Lalo Schifrin was playing piano with the group. Later, at my apartment, Lalo played the tune again on my piano, showing me the chord changes. Though he is from Argentina, he had lived in Brazil and was well aware of a new music that had emerged in Rio de Janeiro.
Soon after that I heard an imported album by Joao Gilberto, whom many people consider the father of the bossa nova (it really means nothing more than new thing), and this only intensified my interest in this remarkable, swinging, subtle, lyrical music, particularly the tunes of one Antonio Carlos Jobim.

When early in 1962 an opportunity came to me to spend six months in Latin America, including Brazil, I seized it, partly because I had long felt that we in North America knew far too little about the millions of people we share the Western Hemisphere with. In that regard, things haven't changed much. But part of the reason I wanted to go was to find out about this new music, this bossa nova.

And so in May or thereabouts, which is our spring but their autumn, I was in Rio de Janeiro. A music publisher had given me the telephone number of Joao Gilberto. He spoke no English and turned over the telephone to his wife, Astrud, who spoke it at least a little. She gave me Jobim's phone number, I called, and he invited me that evening to his home a short distance from the sea at Ipanema, a long, curved sand beach which is one of the glories of that city.

When I entered the small house, Joao Gilberto was sitting on a sofa surrounded by a vocal quartet called the Carioca Boys. He was playing guitar and, with them singing harmony, rehearsing a song by Jobim called "So Danco Samba". By now I had made a study of Jobim's tunes, and I understood a lot of the Portuguese lyrics. He and I went to the kitchen and he poured Scotch for both of us. I remember standing by the refrigerator with him when he said, "I'm crazy, but he" — indicating Joao in the other room — "is more crazy." Most of our conversation was in French, however. Jobim spoke little English then and I little Portuguese. His ancestry is French, hence the name. I told him I believed many of his songs could be translated into English, and I thought I knew how to do it. He encouraged me to try, and before I left Brazil, I had written English lyrics for "Corcovado" and "Desafinado", which became known respectively as "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" and "Off Key".

When Jobim came to New York for a Carnegie Hall concert, I introduced him to Gerry Mulligan, whose music—by the testimony of both Antonio and Joao—was an important influence in the development of bossa nova. Jobim told me: "The authentic Negro samba in Brazil is very primitive. They use maybe ten percussion instruments and four or five singers. They shout and the music is very hot and wonderful.

"But bossa nova is cool and contained. It tells the story, trying to be simple and serious and lyrical. Joao and I felt that Brazilian music had been too much a storm on the sea, and we wanted to calm it down for the recording studio. You could call bossa nova a clean, washed samba, without loss of the momentum. We don't want to lose important things. We have the problem of how to write and not lose the swing."
They didn't lose it. And they influenced American jazz almost as deeply as American jazz had influenced 

them. As the years went on, Jobim continued to develop. The samba is by no means the only rhythm indigenous to Brazil. Africa's influence runs very deep, particularly in the north, and the musical folklore is very rich. In later years Jobim reflected in his music this varied musical tradition; the bossa nova years were behind him. Increasingly his songs reflected his interest in the ecology of the planet and its disruption. "We are building a desert, my friend," he said to me once in Los Angeles.

tracks

01. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) (4:17)

02. Vivo sonhando (Dreamer) (2:39)

03. So danco samba (3:39)

04. Desafinado (Off Key) (2:47)

05. Aguas de Marco (Waters of March) (3:35)

06. O grande amor (5:29)

07. Agua de beber (2:53)

08. Chovendo na roseiro (Double Rainbow) (3:15)

09. O morro nao tem vez (6:55)

10. Fascinating Rhythm (2:12)

11. Insensatez (How Insensitive) (2:57)

12. Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape) (3:11)

13. Favela (3:25)

14. Por todo minha vida (2:06)

15. Triste (2:43)

16. Borzeguim (4:23)

Aquas de Marco

Borzeguim

Antonio Carlos Jobim ~ The Composer Plays

If Bossa Nova could be considered a revolution or a movement in American popular music, then Desafinado most certainly has been its battle cry. The perky, catchy melody was whistled, hummed, thought of, and quite possibly marched to during most of 1962. Stan Getz copped his first "Grammy" at the annual awards presentation of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for "Best Jazz Performance" of 1962. The vehicle, of course, was his version (with guitarist Charlie Byrd) of'Desafinado. Getz was nominated for eight "Grammy" awards, more than any other single performer in the Academy's history, and nearly all of them were for Desafinado or the parent album, "Jazz Samba" (V/ V6-8432).

So profound was the impact of Desafinado that Bossa Nova became the thing in pop music. Standards were performed in the "new rhythm" and we were deluged by such items as Stardust Bossa Nova, Fly Me To The Moon Bossa Nova, Bossa Nova Cha Cha Cha, and even Blame It On The Bossa Nova. Arthur Murray and other dance instructors exhorted us to learn to "do" the Bossa Nova.

And, somehow, in all the shuffle, the lightness and the delicacy and the depth of feeling of Bossa Nova got lost. The followers and the doers and the players-for-dancing either forgot or ignored the characteristically long structure of the authentic Brazilian Bossa Nova, its naturally-accented rhythm, and the minor feel of the music. It had become the new thing because it was the new way to make a buck.

This bit of generalized history is by way of introduction to the composer of  Desafinado, and one of the young musicians from Brazil who was in at the creation of Bossa Nova: Antonio Carlos Jobim.

tracks

01. The Girl From Ipanema (2:40)

02. O Morro (3:37)

03. Agua De Beber (2:51)

04. Dreamer (2:37)

05. Favela (3:21)

06. Insensatez (2:55)

07. Corcovada (Quiet Nights) (2:22)

08. One Note Samba (2:17)

09. Meditation (3:17)

10. Jazz Samba (So Danco Samba) (2:21)

11. Chega De Saudade (4:21)

12. Desafinado (2:44)

Desafinado

The girl from ipanema

Urbie Green ~ The Fox

Trombone player Urbie Green never was a household name but his two albums on the famous CTI label are excellent all-star jazz events featuring a host of guests like Eric Gale, Joe Farrell, Jeremy Steig, Mike Abene, Andy Newmark, Toots Thielemans, Jimmy Madison, Anthony Jackson and Mike Mainieri among others, delivering another slice of great CTI jazz. This session was produced by Creed Taylor and released 1976.

tracks
1. Another Star (7:16)
2. Goodbye (3:01)
3. Mertensia (4:59)
4. You Don't Know What Love Is (3:56)
5. Manteca (6:34)
6. Foxglove Suite (7:27)
7. Please Send Me Someone To Love (5:32)

Another star

You don't know what love is

George Benson ~ Shape of things to come

This A&M/CTI debut album by George Benson signaled the arrival of a true star in the jazz scene. Creed Taylor signed Benson immediately after Wes Montgomery's passing in 1968 -- he was being groomed for it by Verve's house producer, Esmond Edwards, and arranger, Tom McIntosh, before he ever came to CTI. Taylor paired Benson with arranger Don Sebesky (who had done plenty of work on Montgomery's A&M sides) and engineer Rudy Van Gelder. Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter (both members of the Miles Davis Quintet with whom Benson had guested earlier that year), bassist Richard Davis, and pianist Hank Jones were all guests. Benson's core band for these dates included organist Charlie Covington, drummer Leo Morris, and conguero Johnny Pacheco. The usual strings, supplemental horns, and backing voices in certain places (all Sebesky trademarks) are in place as well. All the stuff is here for Benson to fit neatly into the Montgomery mold -- except for one thing: Benson is a strong-willed artist. He wasn't going anywhere he didn't want to go and insisted on a certain amount of control on the date, and it's all for the better. This is one steamy little album that starts innocently enough with a lithe soul-jazz tune called "Footin' It," written by Benson and Sebesky. The flutes and cellos answer the head played by Benson. The strings fall in exotically as Benson begins to stretch and Covington answers with funk. Benson's guitar is not as smooth as Montgomery's; there is a defined edge in it and it's deep in the cut. Another interesting move was an experiment by Benson to use the Varitone device with Les Paul-like variable speed overdubs on his guitar. Covington alternately talks back and drones as Davis digs hard into the changes and keeps it simple but pronounced. Pacheco, like Benson, just goes nuts. By the time the strings and flute enter near the end your mind is already blown. Barry Mann wrote the cut as the theme song for a teensploitation flick called Wild in the Streets, and it was performed by Davie Allan & the Arrows. Benson turns it into a solid psychedelic soul-jazz number -- no grooves get lost; they just get under your skin. And so it goes through this set, from the radical revision of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" to Teddy White and Aretha Franklin's "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream," a sweeping, slightly Latinized soul number given full jazz treatment -- the only facsimile concession that Benson makes to the Montgomery memory on the disc. Sebesky's huge brass arrangements pump the tune into something really progressive and tight. Covington soars on it as well, but leaves plenty of space for Benson's righteous solo. Benson contributes his own nocturnal jazzy blues with "Shape of Things That Are and Were," as if to say "I'm not Wes; that was yesterday." Sebesky's horn chart is punchy and underscores the blues in the tune, and the guitarist plays a killer solo in a relaxed, open manner, seducing the listener for the closer. Introduced by a lonesome, blues-drenched harmonica playing solo, as if in a freight yard, Benson and Sebesky turn in a funky jazz rave-up of Boyce & Hart's hit "Last Train to Clarksville." Other than the overly familiar melody line, this cut just takes off, with big bright horns, Morris double-timing the band, Carter half-timing it, and Benson digging into both multi-string chord leads and single-string leads that he twins with Covington's organ about halfway through his break -- this is the sendoff this brilliant album deserves. Shape of Things to Come is the true signal of Benson's arrival, not only as a major soloist, but as an artist who refuses to be pinned down four decades later. He's a pop star, a genius guitarist, a singer, a songwriter, and even now his own man. This is an album that deserves its classic status and wears it well these many years later.

tracks

1 Footin' It 4:23

2 Face It Boy, It's Over 4:05

3 Shape of Things to Come [From Wild in the Streets] 5:15

4 Chattanooga Choo Choo 3:34

5 Don't Let Me Lose This Dream 4:42

6 Shape of Things That Are and Were 5:48

7 Last Train to Clarksville 5:32

Shape of Things to Come [From Wild in the Streets]

Romantic Jazz

A very nice collection of old jazz recordings.  The original recordings were not altered in any way so the authenticity of the original performance is preserved.  

tracks

cd1

01. Glenn Miller - Moonlight Serenade (3:24)
02. King Cole Trio - Sweet Lorraine (2:59)
03. Ivie Anderson - My Old Flame (3:23)
04. The Chocolate Dandies - Blue Interlude (3:26)
05. Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo (3:05)
06. Teddy Wilson - These Foolish Things (3:19)
07. Django Reinhardt - Nuages (4:08)
08. Coleman Hawkins - Body and Soul (3:02)
09. Frank Sinatra - Polka Dots and Moonbeams (3:22)
10. Duke Ellington - Solitude (3:34)
11. Casa Loma Orchestra - Smoke Rings (3:04)
12. Billy Taylor - Night Wind (3:05)
13. Dizzy Gillespie - Lover Man (3:18)
14. Jack Teagarden - My Kinda Love (3:33)
15. Lester Young - Blue Lester (3:25)
16. Art Tatum - Deep Purple (3:15)

cd2

01. Casa Loma Orchestra - Blue Prelude (3:11)
02. Frances Wayne - Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (3:30)
03. Hoagy Carmichael - Stardust (3:34)
04. Charlie Barnett - Lament for a Lost Love (3:19)
05. Billie Holiday - Man I Love (3:03)
06. Duke Ellington - Warm Valley (3:22)
07. Erroll Garner - Laura (2:45)
08. Duke Ellington - Prelude to a Kiss (3:00)
09. Benny Carter - Melancholy Lullaby (2:59)
10. Glenn Miller & His Orchestra - Sunrise Serenade (3:25)
11. Coleman Hawkins - Day You Came Along (3:40)
12. King Cole Trio - All for You (3:25)
13. Benny Carter - Cocktails for Two (3:04)
14. Frank Sinatra - I'll Never Smile Again (3:10)
15. Count Basie - Blue and Sentimental (3:09)
16. Tommy Dorsey - I'm Getting Sentimental over You (3:35)

Frances Wayne - Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe

Teddy Wilson - These Foolish Things

Café Jazz

A fine selection of uptempo jazz classics. 14 classic bop tracks form many of the finest and most innovative artists of their day, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Stan Getz, Milt Jackson (and separately the Modern Jazz Quartet), and Dexter Gordon, to name a few. Cafe Jazz CD music There are many ways to find a good introduction to bop, and although this is not necessarily the best, it is certainly a stomping compilation without a weak cut in the batch.

tracks

01. Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - Salt Peanuts (3:19)
02. Fats Navarro - Goin' to Minton's (2:51)
03. Stan Getz - Opus de Bop (2:33)
04. Duke Jordan - Night in Tunisia (5:09)
05. J.J. Johnson featuring Sonny Rollins - Bee Jay (2:27)
06. Kenny Clarke featuring Milt Jackson - Strollin' (4:25)
07. Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - Shaw 'Nuff (3:04)
08. Dexter Gordon featuring Bud Powell - Dexter Rides Again (3:14)
09. Modern Jazz Quartet - Moving Nicely (3:16)
10. Lester Young - Ding Dong (2:26)
11. Kenny Dorham - Groovin' High (4:22)
12. Miles Davis & Charlie Parker - Little Willie Leaps (2:52)
13. Ray Brown featuring James Moody - Moody Speaks (2:33)
14. Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - KoKo (2:54)

Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - Salt Peanuts 

Modern Jazz Quartet - Moving Nicely 

Platinum Glenn Miller

tracks

cd1

01. Chattanooga Choo Choo (3:30)

02. Elmer's Tune (3:09)

03. Star Dust (3:23)
04. Stairway to the Stars (2:54)
05. The Woodpecker Song (2:35)
06. Juke Box Saturday Night (3:06)
07. Over the Rainbow (2:31)
08. A String of Pearls (3:16)
09. When You Wish Upon a Star (2:54)
10. Imagination (2:50)
11. Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar (3:05)
12. Tuxedo Junction (3:29)
13. Serenade in Blue (3:28)
14. Danny Boy (2:17)
15. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (3:42)
16. Blue Rain (3:12)
17. Along the Santa Fe Trail (3:22)
18. Give a Little Whistle (2:32)
19. The Boogie Woogie Piggy (3:26)
20. Moonlight Cocktail (3:17)
cd2
01.  In the Mood (3:39)
02.  (I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo (3:17)
03.  My Blue Heaven (3:15)
04.  Little Brown Jug (2:51)
05.  Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me) (3:13)
06.  The Story of a Starry Night (3:31)
07.  At Last (3:06)
08.  Blueberry Hill (2:54)
09.  Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead (2:36)
10.  American Patrol (3:19)
11.  Bugle Call Rag (2:57)
12.  Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread) (2:35)
13.  The Nearness of You (3:14)
14.  Blue Orchids (2:56)
15.  Pennsylvania 6-5000 (3:15)
16.  Song of the Volga Boatmen (3:26)
17.  Moon Love (2:55)
18.  I'll Never Smile Again (2:36)
19.  Rhapsody in Blue (3:04)
20.  Moonlight Serenade (3:24)

Michel Legrand ~ Michel plays Legrand

If you think you are unaware of this master of a composer, pianist, conductor, and arranger--you have probably heard his works behind the scenes of some of the most classic movies, and only have known how glorious his music is, not his name. Michele Legrand has been performing his musical magic with the ivories since the 1960's. Performers such as Streisand, Shirley Bassey, and Liza Minnelli turn to him for the ultimate in orchestration and composition.
On this incredible cd we are treated to 12 tracks of harmonious, passion evoking music. "Watch What Happens" from the movie Umbrellas of Cherbourg was a successful stretch in an operetta. You might be more familiar with "Windmills Of Your Mind" which was highlighted in the Thomas Crown Affair. One of my very favorite Legrand tunes is "The Summer Knows" from Summer Of '42.
In my opinion, he is the greatest contempory composer of the 20th century. One cannot fake Michel Legrand. He is a master at the ABA form. However, his secret is using deceptive resolutions in his works yet making everything locigal by the end of the piece. For example, "What Are You Doing For The Rest of Your Life", begins in A minor, working so smoothly to A flat minor in the bridge and subtly transcending back to A minor. This is a grand CD of good audio quality highlighting Legrand's musical genius.

tracks

01. Summer Me, Winter Me (4:52)

02. What Are You Doig The Rest Of Your Life ? (6:53)

03. The Summer Knows (5:05)

04. This Quiet Room (5:04)

05. Brian's Song (The Hands Of Time) (5:20)

06. Watch What Happens (11:25)

07. You Must Believe In Spring (5:27)

08. How Do You Keep The Music Playing? (5:59)

09. One At A Time (5:21)

10. Little Boy Lost (3:26)

11. La Valse Des Lilas (Once Upon A Summertime) (4:28)

12. The Windmills Of Your Mind (4:49)

The Summer Knows

The Modern Jazz Quartet ~ Blues on Bach

The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was an influential music group established in 1952 and for most of their long career composed of John Lewis (piano, musical director), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy Heath (double bass), and Connie Kay (drums). Initially a side project for personnel from trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's hard-swinging big band, the MJQ gradually became a full-time endeavor and one of the more prominent jazz bands of the post-WWII era. Under Lewis's leadership they carved their own niche by specializing in an elegant, restrained music (touching on bebop, cool jazz, third stream and classical music) that used sophisticated counterpoint yet nonetheless retained a strong blues feel. They introduced several jazz standards, including "Django" and "Bags' Groove". Initially active into the 1970s until Jackson quit due to creative disagreement and frustration with their busy touring schedule, the MJQ reformed intermittently into the 1990s.

History
Milt Jackson, John Lewis, and drummer Kenny Clarke had originally played together in a quartet while in the Dizzy Gillespie orchestra from 1946 to 1950. Together with bassist Ray Brown they played during interludes designed to give the trumpeters time to recover from the challenging upper-register parts. This line-up recorded as the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951. Bassist Percy Heath joined the line-up in 1952 and the group became known as The Modern Jazz Quartet after John Lewis took over as Musical Director, a position which Jackson and Lewis had previously shared. Connie Kay replaced Clarke as drummer in 1955.
In their middle years the group often played with classical musicians, but their repertoire consisted mainly of bop and swing era standards. Among the original compositions from the band's book are "Django" by Lewis (a tribute to the Belgian jazz guitar player Django Reinhardt), "Afternoon In Paris," also by Lewis, and Jackson's "Bags' Groove", the latter borrowing its composer's nickname.

The group was first signed by Prestige and later in the fifties with Atlantic. In the late 1960s, in between their two periods with Atlantic, they signed with Apple, the Beatles' label (the sole jazz group on the label), and released two albums: Under the Jasmine Tree (1968) and Space (1969). Both Apple albums were re-released on one CD at the end of October 2010, with a previously unreleased rendition of the Beatles' "Yesterday" (recorded during sessions for Space) added as a bonus track. The MJQ came to Apple through the first head of the label, Ron Kass. Kass was a jazz fan, and Under The Jasmine Tree was recorded in America prior to signing with Apple. The second Apple album Space was recorded at London's Trident Studios under the supervision of Apple A&R man, Peter Asher (of Peter and Gordon).
Jackson left the group in 1974 partly because he liked a freer flowing style of playing and partly because he was tired of playing for little money (compared to rock and roll stars). As there could be no Modern Jazz Quartet without the two principals Lewis and Jackson, the group disbanded after going out with a rollicking concert in November at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.
In 1981 the MJQ reorganized to play festivals and later on a permanent six-months-per-year basis. When Kay's health began to suffer, he was replaced first by Mickey Roker and then by Albert "Tootie" Heath, Percy's brother. The MJQ's last recording was issued in 1993. Percy Heath, the last surviving original member, died in 2005.

Style
The enigma of the MJQ's music-making was that each individual member could improvise with an exciting vibrancy but in toto the group specialised in genteel baroque counterpoint. Their approach to jazz attracted promoters who sponsored "jazz packet" concerts during the 1950s. One show would consist of several contrasting groups. The MJQ were ideal participants because no other group sounded like them. They provided a visual contrast as well, formally attired in their customary tuxedos.
The group played blues as much as they did fugues, but the result was tantalising when one considered the hard-swinging potential of each individual player. Their best-selling record, Django, typified their neo-classical approach to polyphony.

This album has an interesting concept, alternating four original blues with five adaptations of melodies from classical works by Bach. Vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist John Lewis (doubling here on harpsichord), bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay were still all very much in their musical prime during the 21st year of the MJQ's existence.

tracks

1. Regret? (2:06)

2. Blues in B flat (4:58)

3. Rise Up in the Morning (3:25)

4. Blues in A minor (7:54)

5. Precious Joy (3:15)

6. Blues in C minor (8:00)

7. Don't Stop this Train (1:48)

8. Blues in H (B) (5:47)

9. Tears from the Children (4:24)

Dave Brubeck ~ 1954 -1966

Dave Brubeck has long served as proof that creative jazz and popular success can go together. Although critics who had championed him when he was unknown seemed to scorn him when the Dave Brubeck Quartet became a surprise success, in reality Brubeck never watered down or altered his music in order to gain a wide audience.

In 1951, Brubeck was persuaded by altoist Paul Desmond to make the group a quartet. Within two years, the band had become surprisingly popular. Desmond's cool-toned alto and quick wit fit in well with Brubeck's often heavy chording and experimental playing; both Brubeck and Desmond had original sounds and styles that owed little to their predecessors. Joe Dodge was the band's early drummer but, after he tired of the road, the virtuosic Joe Morello took his place in 1956; while the revolving bass chair finally settled on Eugene Wright in 1958. By then, Brubeck had followed his popular series of Fantasy recordings with some big sellers on Columbia, and had appeared on the cover of Time (1954). The huge success of Paul Desmond's "Take Five" (1960) was followed by many songs played in "odd" time signatures such as 7/4 and 9/8; the high-quality soloing of the musicians kept these experiments from sounding like gimmicks. Dave and Iola Brubeck (his wife and lyricist) put together an anti-racism show featuring Louis Armstrong (The Real Ambassadors) which was recorded, but its only public appearance was at the Monterey Jazz Festival in the early '60s.

tracks

01. Take Five (5:25)

02. Flamingo (6:26)

03. Heigh-Ho (3:57)

04. One Song (5:00)

05. Blue Rondo a La Turk (6:49)

06. Unsquare Dance (2:03)

07. St. Louis Blues (8:22)

08. Someday My Prince Will Come (6:22)

09. A Fine Romance (3:52)

10. Lover (5:06)

11. I Get a Kick out of You (5:15)