It would not be an overstatement to say that organist Jimmy Smith was busy during February 11-13, 1957, for he recorded enough material for these three CDs, 21 often lengthy performances that originally appeared on five LPs plus three others that had been previously unissued. Smith is not only heard early in his career with his regular trio but in a sextet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, altoist Lou Donaldson, tenor-saxophonist Hank Mobley, and drummer Art Blakey, in duets with Donaldson and with a quartet that also stars guitarist Kenny Burrell.
An amazing run of music – some of our favorite albums ever recorded for the Blue Note label, and the legendary second chapter of the career of tenor genius Hank Mobley! Hank was already a hell of a tenor player when he came on the scene in the 50s – graced with this deeply soulful style that helped usher in a whole new generation of talents on the instrument – but during his final years at Blue Note, he really took off with amazing new ideas, unusual rhythms, mindblowing arrangements, and the kind of compositional skill she never showed at the start!
This stunning edition features Lou Donaldson backed up by jazz legends as the Modern Jazz Quartet; Thelonius Monk, Max Roach & Kenny Dorham; Horace Silver, Gene Ramey & Art Taylor; Art Blakey, Blue Mitchell & Percy Heath on these highly inspired studio sessions. High Resolution - 24Bit Edition.
Introducing Kenny Burrell is the debut album by American jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell, recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label. In 2000, it was released on the 2 CD-set Introducing Kenny Burrell: The First Blue Note Sessions along with Kenny Burrell Volume 2, plus bonus tracks.
To say that this limited-edition six-LP Mosaic box is overflowing with classics is an understatement. Included are a variety of small-group sessions (with overlapping personnel) from the early days of Blue Note. The Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet has five songs that are the only existing examples of Charlie Christian playing acoustic guitar; clarinetist Hall, Meade Lux Lewis (on celeste), and bassist Israel Crosby complete the unique group. The king of stride piano, James P. Johnson, is heard on eight solos; other combos are led by Johnson, Hall (who heads four groups in all), trumpeter Sidney DeParis, and trombonist Vic Dickenson (heard in a 1952 quartet with organist Bill Doggett).
The use of multiphonics in jazz has been mastered by very few players, and while at times shrill and thin, can be enlivening and exciting. Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Albert Mangelsdorff set the gold standard, while several trumpeters like Rayse Biggs and Corey Wilkes have tried it with two brass instruments, and contemporary saxophonist Jeff Coffin gives it ago. George Braith holds a singularly unique place in the pantheon of these stylistas, following the path of Kirk in playing two saxophones while combining bop and soul-jazz. This set represents the complete works of Braith on Blue Note in 1963 and 1964 from the albums Two Souls in One, Soul Stream, and Extension.