Frank C. Clifford

Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Phil Woods - International Jam Sessions (1995) {Xanadu XCD1232 rec 1950-1957}
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© 1950-57, 1995 Xanadu Records | XCD1232
Jazz / Bebop / Saxophone / Trumpet

This Xanadu LP has an odd title because only half of the music can be described as international. There are four valuable selections that feature the remarkable altoist Charlie Parker with a group of Swedes (including trumpeter Rolf Ericson) and the great trumpeter Clifford Brown is heard playing a lengthy "Indiana" in 1953 with a group of erratic Danish musicians. Side two of the album is from New York with altoist Phil Woods, Frank Socolow on tenor and baritonist Cecil Payne in a sextet performing fairly long versions of "Yardbird Suite" and "Scrapple from the Apple"; those renditions have since been reissued by Savoy.

Clifford Jordan - Soul Fountain (1966) {Vortex–Wounded Bird WOU201 rel 2008}
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© 1966, 2008 Vortex Records / Wounded Bird Records | WOU 201
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Saxophone

A very unusual album from Clifford Jordan – a session of shorter soul jazz numbers cut in the years between his earlier hardbop albums and his later, more righteous sounds of the 70s! The style here is straightforward and to the point – very much in the Atlantic soul jazz style of the late 60s, but with some looser, freer touches – especially on Jordan's solos, which are especially nice! There's organ on a fair bit of tracks on the record – played by either John Patton or Frank Owens – and other players include Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Most tracks also have added percussion at the bottom (some by Ray Barretto) – making for a slightly more complicated groove that comes across with some headier sounds than you might expect! Jordan not only plays his usual tenor, but also flute and a bit of piano.

2009 five CD set. 101 Dinner Party Songs is the perfect collection for those intimate parties with family and friends. Featuring a wide array of genres and artists, there's something for almost everybody on this four disc set. Includes cuts from Julie London, UB40, Ann Peebles, Johnny Mercer, Bobby Womack, Eva Cassidy, Willie Nelson, Richard Thompson, The Beach Boys, Sigur Ros and many others. EMI.

2009 eight CD box set. The Blue Note Highlights Collectors Box was compiled by Jazz icon Hans Mantel commemorating the 70th Birthday of Blue Note Records. This box set contains four single CD's, and two double CD's, each with their own specific theme. The emphasis is on Blue Note's golden era between 1955 and 1967 with all material taken from commercially available recordings…

Here's a real grab bag of Top 40 hits from 1960 to 1966, some of them indeed very hard to find on CD or even hear on the radio. Some of them are not really not that hard to find on CD, though this disc (like every one in this series) takes pains to present original 45 RPM single versions, often in stereo.