C.& e European Legal Mater. Sup.2 Rel.4

Lennie Niehaus - Vol. 4: The Quintets & Strings (1955) {Contemporary OJCCD-1858-2 rel 1995}
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© 1955, 1995 Contemporary Records / Fantasy / OJC | OJCCD-1858-2
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Saxophone

This CD reissue brings back one of Lennie Niehaus' finest recordings of the 1950s. His alto is featured throughout the dozen selections and the varied settings (Niehaus is backed by a string quartet, a standard rhythm section, and sometimes two other saxophonists in addition to performing four numbers with a standard quintet) give him an opportunity to show off his writing abilities. Niehaus varies tempos a lot (the strings are often heard on faster material), there is solo space for the tenor of Bill Perkins, baritonist Bob Gordon, and Stu Williamson on trumpet and valve trombone, and the leader's boppish alto is heard at the peak of his playing powers. Bop collectors can consider this disc to be essential.

Gilberto Gil - Quanta Gente Veio Ver (1998) {2CD Set, Warner Music Brasil 092746050-2 rel 2002}
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© 1997-98, 2002 Warner Music Brasil | 092746050-2
Jazz / Brazilian Jazz / Música popular brasileira / Brazilian Traditions / Brazilian Pop

Gilberto Gil's world tour in 1997 was a startling revelation for North American audiences who had not heard from him live in several years, if at all. Quanta Live was recorded in Rio not long before his appearance at the Hollywood Bowl – and unlike the latter concert, which was strongly rooted in the samba, this CD more fully reflects Gil's role as a pioneer of Brazil's cosmopolitan "tropicalismo" music movement.

Stan Getz - Captain Marvel (1972) {Columbia COL 468412 2 rel 1997}
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© 1972, 1997 Columbia / Sony Music | 468412 2
Jazz / Post Bip / Fusion / Saxophone

One of the more remarkable aspects of Stan Getz's 1972 masterpiece is just how organic he was able to keep the sound. The band surrounding Getz on this Columbia date was led by Chick Corea with his Return to Forever (electric) bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Tony Williams, and Brazilian master percussionist Airto. With the exception of Clarke, all the rest had played with Miles Davis in his then-experimental electric bands. Corea's Return to Forever was just getting itself off the fusion ground, while Williams had been with John McLaughlin and Larry Young in Lifetime on top of his experience with Davis.

Pat Martino - Baiyina (The Clear Evidence) (1968) {Prestige OJCCD-355-2 rel 1989}
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© 1968, 1989 Prestige / OJC / Fantasy | OJCCD-355-2
Jazz / Psychedelic / Post Bop / Soul Jazz / Guitar

Pat Martino's fourth of five Prestige albums contains plenty of intriguing music. The innovative guitarist is joined by Bobby Rose on second guitar, Gregory Herbert on alto and flute (making his recording debut), bassist Richard Davis, drummer Charlie Persip, Reggie Ferguson on tabla, and Balakrishna on tamboura. Together they perform Martino's four-part suite, whose sections are named after aspects of the Koran. The use of Indian instruments, drones, and unusual time signatures (including 7/4, 9/4, and 10/8) gives the performances the flavor of early fusion, and some of the effects sound a bit dated. However, the results were not overtly commercial, and the leader gets in several noteworthy improvisations.

Chet Baker - Stairway To The Stars (1965) {Prestige PRCD-24173-2 rel 1996}
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© 1965, 1996 Prestige / Fantasy | PRCD-24173-2
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Flugelhorn

During a three-day period in 1965, trumpeter Chet Baker (who during the era was exclusively playing flugelhorn) recorded five albums for Prestige that were soon forgotten, despite their quality. In 1997, the entire program was reissued on three CDs (which also include Lonely Star and On a Misty Night), showing that Baker was in excellent form at the time. Chet is teamed with tenor saxophonist George Coleman, pianist Kirk Lightsey (in top form), bassist Herman Wright and drummer Roy Brooks; the one-time gathering group on the whole sometimes recalls the Miles Davis Quintet of 1956.

Sonny Simmons - Burning Spirits (1970) {Contemporary CCD-7625/26-2 rel 2003}
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© 1970, 2003 Contemporary Records / Fantasy | CCD-7625/26-2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

When Lester Koenig produced Burning Spirits for Contemporary in 1970, jazz was moving in many different directions. Commercially, jazz had lost a lot of ground to rock and R&B, but creatively, it was incredibly healthy and offered a wide variety of options – everything from fusion, soul-jazz, and funky organ combos to bossa nova, Afro-Cuban jazz, modal post-bop, cool jazz, and Dixieland revivalists. Sonny Simmons represented free jazz, which was considered jazz's lunatic fringe (certainly in bop circles) but was exciting and invigorating if you understood what was going on.

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars - Music For Lighthousekeeping (1956) {Contemporary OJCCD-636-2 rel 1992}
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© 1956, 1992 Contemporary Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-636-2
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Bop

The title of this Howard Rumsey date referred to the Lighthouse jazz club, where Rumsey (bass) was a regular with his various Lighthouse All-Stars. Although a good enough bassist to play with Stan Kenton's big band, Howard Rumsey's main importance was as the organizer of the Lighthouse All-Stars and manager of the Lighthouse. Originally a drummer, Rumsey switched to bass while at college. He played with Vido Musso in the late '30s, and when Stan Kenton formed his first band in 1941, Rumsey became its bassist. A year later he started freelancing in the Los Angeles area.

George Coleman - At Yoshi's (1987) {Evidence - ECD 22021-2 rel 1992}
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© 1987, 1992 Evidence Music Inc. | ECD 22021-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music | Tenor Saxophone

When any recording made by George Coleman is issued, it's an instant event. Though Coleman has always been busy performing, writing, and especially teaching, scant few LPs or CDs have come listeners' way. It is especially thrilling to hear him live in concert performance at the initial site of the then newly minted Yoshi's in Oakland, CA, as his extended techniques and heightened sense of tonal ideas come fully to the fore. Coleman and pianist Harold Mabern, both originally from the fertile jazz scene in Memphis, make the perfect tandem, ably supported by super pros in expatriate drummer Alvin Queen and veteran New York bassist Ray Drummond, both of whom Coleman played with when he was in Europe.

The Curtis Counce Group - Sonority (1958) {Contemporary CCD-7655-2 rel 1989}
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© 1956-58, 1989 Contemporary Records / Fantasy | CCD-7655-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / West Coast Jazz / Bass

This CD, which adds "Drum Conversation" (a Frank Butler feature) to the earlier LP, contains material taken from bassist Curtis Counce's Contemporary sessions which resulted in three other albums but these particular performances were not released until 1989. Half of the program features Counce's 1956 quintet (which includes trumpeter Jack Sheldon, tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Carl Perkins and drummer Frank Butler) while the remainding selections are from 1958 when the group had Gerald Wilson on trumpet and pianist Elmo Hope (who contributed three originals). "Sonor" and "Landslide" are heard in alternate versions and "Woody'n You" has also been since reissued as a "bonus" cut on the CD You Get More Bounce with Curtis Counce. The playing is quite rewarding, and all four of the Counce reissues are easily recommended to hard bop collectors.