1952

Johnny Smith - The Complete Roost Johnny Smith Small Group Sessions (1952-64) {8CD Box Set Mosaic MD8-216 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.55 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.29 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 67 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1952-64, 2002 Roost / Mosaic Records / EMI | MD8-216
Jazz / Cool / Guitar

Johnny Smith is an exquisite jazz guitarist known mostly to fellow musicians and serious jazz fans. This beautifully packaged and expertly annotated eight-CD limited-edition boxed set from Mosaic includes his complete small-group recordings for Roost, most of which have languished out of print for decades. Smith's unique voicings on his instrument set him apart from other players, yet he maintains a lush, crystal-clear tone no matter the tempo or setting.

By 1952 the Philharmonia Orchestra, in its seven years of existence, had evolved into one of Europe's finest ensembles. Its reputation was in many respects consolidated by Herbert von Karajan's role as music director and orchestra builder, and was further shaped by legendary guest conductors Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Victor de Sabata, and Sir Thomas Beecham, and emerging podium figures such as Guido Cantelli, Issay Dobrowen, Igor Markevitch, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Carlo Maria Giulini. Otto Klemperer's long, productive Indian Summer at the helm of the Philharmonia lay just ahead. - Jet Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Genius Of Modern Music Volume One (1952). Volume 1 of the two-volume Genius of Modern Music set comprises the first sessions Thelonious Monk recorded as a leader, on October 15 and 24 and November 21 of 1947. It's impossible to overstate the importance of these sessions. They include some of the earliest recordings of Monk compositions that would become standards, despite their angularity and technical difficulty: the strange, sideways chord progression of "Thelonious"; the bouncy and cheerful but melodically cockeyed "Well, You Needn't"; the post-bop Bud Powell tribute "In Walked Bud"; and, of course, "'Round Midnight," which is now one of the most frequently recorded jazz compositions ever…

King Curtis - Wail Man Wail! - The Best Of King Curtis 1952-1961 [3CD Set] (2012) {Fantastic Voyage}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 815 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 506 Mb
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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.

Chet Baker - Live At The Trade Winds 1952 (1991) {Fresh Sound FSCD-1001}
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© 1952, 1991 Fresh Sound Records | FSCD-1001
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet

Monday night jam sessions recorded live at the Trade Winds Club, Inglewood, California 1952. Top notch musicians on this wonderful album.

Sonny Stitt - The Complete Roost Sonny Stitt Studio Sessions (1952-65) {9CD Box Set Mosaic MD9-208 rel 2001}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 3.05 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.37 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 110 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1952-65, 2001 Mosaic Records / Capitol / EMI | MD9-208 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Under the watchful eye of famed producer Michael Cuscuna, this nine-CD set serves as a compilation of Stitt's 1950s and 1960s Roost LPs. This release also features a 28-page booklet consisting of comprehensively annotated liners. Moreover, the record label does its best to convey the artistic element via a series of black-and-white photos of Stitt and his sidemen amid anecdotes by many of the late saxophonist's affiliates. Interestingly enough, seven of the original LPs did not list personnel. In some instances, guesses were made, although most of these tracks are well-documented, thanks to the producer's diligence and painstaking research. Artists such as drummer Roy Haynes, bassist/composer Charles Mingus, and pianist Harold Maber represent but a few of Stitt's accompanists.