Elmo Hope Trio

Of the collections of Elmo Hope's '50s recordings, Trio and Quintet is the one to get. It includes his prime Blue Note sessions and features a stellar cast of hard bop musicians including Art Blakey, Frank Foster, Philly Joe Jones, and Harold Land. The majority of the tunes are Hope originals which, in their angular introspection, bear the influence of both Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Things begin with ten mostly hard bop swingers from a trio date in 1953. Prominently featured is Hope's Powell like, single line attack. Solos stay brisk and straightforward on uptempo numbers like "Hot Sauce," but turn a bit mercurial on slower pieces like "Happy Hour." Standout tracks include Hope's "Mo Is On" with its "off to the races" opening statement and "Carvin' the Rock," which falls somewhere between Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare" and "So Sorry Please." Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones provide sympathetic support throughout. The Quintet tracks start with an East Coast session featuring Foster and Blakey. The opening number is the convoluted, yet hard swinging original "Crazy"; it causes some problems for trumpeter Freeman Lee, but finds Foster in command with a vigorous solo statement.

Elmo Hope Trio is an album by jazz pianist Elmo Hope recorded in 1959 and originally released on the Hifijazz label but rereleased on Contemporary Records.

The highly original works of composer/pianist Elmo Hope included in this collection are certainly a landmark in his career and a source of unalloyed joy to his many admirers. Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, two of the most exciting jazz musicians, are the remaining two-thirds of this extraordinary trio. Within the dazzling framework of Hopes vivid compositions, they form an aggregation with a strikingly individual style.

Elmo Hope - Elmo Hope with Jimmy Bond & Frank Butler (1959) {Contemporary OJCCD-477-2 rel 1990}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) +CUE+LOG -> 227 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 105 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1990 Contemporary / Fantasy | OJCCD-477-2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Piano

The boppish and fairly original Elmo Hope performs seven of his obscure originals, many of which are well worth reviving, plus "Like Someone In Love" in a trio with bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Frank Butler. Bop and straight-ahead jazz fans wanting to hear a talented pianist play fresh tunes should explore Elmo Hope's valuable music.

Elmo Hope - Meditations (1955) {Prestige OJCCD-1751-2 rel 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) +CUE+LOG -> 198 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955, 1990 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1751-2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Piano

Although Elmo Hope was one of the more interesting jazz composers of the 1950s, the emphasis on his trio set with bassist John Ore and drummer Willie Jones is on Hope's piano playing. Influenced greatly by Bud Powell (his contemporary), Hope performs standards (such as "All the Things You Are" and "Falling in Love with Love") along with some originals, most of which are based on the chord changes of earlier songs. Fans of bop piano and Bud Powell will want this enjoyable CD reissue.

Twenty of the jazz world's greatest piano players with 20 of their most influential albums. The spectrum ranges from Bill Evans or Duke Ellington via Ramsey Lewis or Ahmad Jamal to Red Garland or Tommy Flanagan, through to Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Horace Silver, or the debut album's of Herbie Hancock and Cecil Taylor, or the first recordings of Thelonious Monk.

Brian Marsella Trio - Outspoken: The Music of the Legendary Hasaan (2018) {Tzadik TZ 4026}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 379 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 145 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Tzadik | TZ 4026 | Tzadik Spectrum Series
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Jazz PIano Trio

This remarkable project features three Philadelphia musicians paying tribute to one of Philly’s most enigmatic and important musical visionaries—the Legendary Hasaan. Hasaan Ibn Ali was born in 1931 and made only one commercial release in his lifetime which has of course become a cult classic. Combining the craggly dissonances of Monk with the spidery lines of Elmo Hope,and the muscular intensity of Cecil Taylor, his music and theories were a huge influence on Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and countless others. Here Brian Marsella, Christian McBride and Anwar Marshall interpret the quirky compositions of this obscure musical master with a deep respect and a fresh imaginative voice. Included are an unrecorded Hasaan original and a tribute piece by Brian Marsella.