Benny Golson

A solid recording from top to bottom with no filler or cereal, and showcasing a good chunk of Golson's many great works, this comes easily recommended to all modern mainstream jazz lovers without hesitation.

~AMG

Gary Keys' 1986 film capturing Dizzy Gillespie and band live in Redondo Beach, CA. The trumpeter/bandleader is in great form, leading his crack band through classics from various parts of his career. Filmed in Gary Keys signature style, with lots of closeups of the players, capturing all of the impish comedy and good times of the elder statesman of jazz.

Vol. 3 is Lee Morgan's final recording from a series done in the spring of 1957, an important year not only for the teenage trumpeter, but for the dominant hard bop sound that swept the landscape of modern jazz. Morgan preferred the sextet format at this time, recruiting alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce and retaining tenor player Benny Golson, while grabbing bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Wynton Kelly from the Miles Davis/John Coltrane combo. The selection of lesser-known but very talented drummer Charlie Persip for this date is a wise choice, as he is more homogeneous to the composed jazz of Golson, which comprises this entire set. Because of the Golson factor, the music is consistent, but not the hard bop blowing session some may have expected…

Sweet Georgia Peach is one of 1998's most compelling mainstream jazz releases. Guitarist Russell Malone (b. 1963), known better for his sideman roles with Jimmy Smith, Harry Connick, Brandford Marsalis, Diana Krall and Mose Allison, has produced quite a fine jazz document here, in only his third effort as a leader. He's a musician of many gifts, who never seems consciously influenced by any particular guitarist or even a direct musical style. Indirectly, he can suggest the moodswings of Larry Coryell. But such a declaration subjugates the quality of Malone's individual conceptions…

Lee Morgan - The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions (1995) [4CD] {Mosaic MD4-162}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 1.63 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 615 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 52 Mb
© 1995 Mosaic Records / Blue Note | MD4-162
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet

Lee Morgan recorded for Blue Note in the late '50s, playing seven dates between 1956 and 1958. Morgan was still in his teens at the time and half of the joy of The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions is hearing the trumpeter develop at a rapid rate. The four-disc box set The Complete Blue Note encompasses sessions with Horace Silver, Paul Chambers, Benny Golson, Wynton Kelly, Sonny Clarke, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor. Morgan may have been young at the time these were recorded, but he was impressive even at the beginning, playing blistering hard bop and lyrical ballads with equal ease. He may have gone on to record greater, more influential albums but this music remains exciting, vital, and simply joyous.

Lee Morgan - The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions (1956-58) [4CD BoxSet] {1995 Mosaic Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.64 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 614 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 52 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995 Mosaic Records / Blue Note | MD4-162
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet

This incredible 4-CD boxed set from Mosaic chronicles trumpeter Lee Morgan's complete sessions as a leader in the 1950's for Blue Note. Through the set, one can hear the progression from a Clifford Brown influenced player(although the unmistakable Morgan touch is there) to a fiery, highly inventive soloist that would catapult him to superstardom later on. Morgan is surrounded by all star players that include: Hank Mobley, Arthur Taylor, Philly Joe Jones, Horace Silver etc. and they inspire Lee to perform at a very high level. Highlights include a August 25, 1957 date featuring George Coleman, Curtis Fuller and Art Taylor. As well as a 9/29/57 date(recorded two weeks after John Coltrane's historic Blue Train album) featuring Pepper Adams, Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones.