(1944)

Up until he suffered a stroke at age 70 in 1996, singer Mel Tormé continued to improve with age and seemed to have inexhaustible energy. This four-CD set from Rhino does a fine job of covering Tormé's pre-Concord output, although the omission of his Concord work of 1986-1995 is unfortunate for that catalog contains many of Tormé's most exciting recordings. In general, the earlier selections (some of which were with his vocal group the Mel-Tones) feature Tormé on hip (for the period) swing tunes and ballads. Things greatly improve once the singer reaches the year 1975 and there are enough high points throughout the set to justify its purchase by Tormé's many fans. Three previously unreleased selections (best is "Walkin' Shoes" with Shorty Rogers in 1962) are a plus and the colorful 84-page booklet is quite definitive.

William Kapell - Broadcasts and Concert Performances 1944-1952 (2016) {3CD Set Marston 53021-2}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 534 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 490 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 110 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1944-52, 2016 Marston | 53021-2
Classical / Piano

William Kapell, 1922-1953, is a name that still resonates with pianophiles more than 60 years after his tragic death in an airplane crash near San Francisco. We are pleased to announce a three-CD set of Kapell performances that have never been issued on CD. In fact more than two thirds of the set is previously unpublished in any form. Among the highlights are two 1952 half-hour studio broadcasts from New York's WQXR that have only recently come to light. The set will also include a 1949 performance of Richard Strauss's Burleske, a 1951 performance of Debussy's Suite Bergamasque, and Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat with the Fine Arts Quartet dating from the same year. The booklet will include several photos that have not previously been published and an unpublished piece on Kapell by pianist Raymond Lewenthal, 1923-1988.

Benny Goodman - The Complete Capitol Small Group Recordings Of Benny Goodman 1944-1955 (1993) {4CD Mosaic MD4-148}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.12 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 575 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 118 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1944-1955, 1993 Capitol Records / Mosaic Records | MD4-148
Jazz / Swing / Bop / Bebop / Clarinet

Benny Goodman took some stylistic chances during his 11-year tenure with Capitol. He listened closely to, then flirted with, bebop during this time, not altering his own swing-based playing but inserting it into a bop framework. He also played traditional swing in various small groups. The sessions covered on this most recent Mosaic four-disc (six-album) set were originally issued on a number of 10" and 12" albums, as well as the CDs BG in Hi Fi and The Benny Goodman Story, a Japanese issue.

One thing about chronologically arranged reissues - you never know exactly what you're going to bump into. The third volume of the complete recordings of Mary Lou Williams, for example, opens with a pair of tunes sung by Josh White. It's good to hear the lyrics to Williams' cool, bluesy "Froggy Bottom," but "The Minute Man" is one of those obligatory, rhetorical patriotic numbers that cropped up everywhere during WWII and are relevant today only as historical curiosities. Most of the music reissued in this compilation originally appeared on scratchy 78-rpm records bearing the Asch label. Tenor sax archetype Coleman Hawkins is featured on the lush "Song in My Soul" and trumpeter Bill Coleman presides over a laid-back strolling blues with the worrisome title "Carcinoma"…

André Francis and Jean Schwarz, two of the greatest lovers and connoisseurs of jazz, have designed this chronological anthology which brings together the greatest rare or essential masterpieces in the history of jazz, with its greatest creators, from 1944 to 1951.