Hank Jones Satin Doll

The Great Jazz Trio – N.Y. Sophisticate: A Tribute To Duke Ellington
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 236 MB | Artwork: 19 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Denon # 38C38-7097 | Country/Year: Japan 1984
Genre: Jazz | Style: Post Bop, Tribute

"Hank Jones has been known to be a quintessential sideman and occasional leader during his lengthy career as a premier jazz pianist. His most frequent project has been as the ostensible leader of the co-op group known as the Great Jazz Trio, a classic example of how the piano-bass-drums format has remained timeless, enduring, and ever challenging…"

Japans most famous Jazz pianist, Makoto Ozone, releases My Witch's Blue with the Makoto Ozone Trio. Makoto Ozone Trio features Christian McBride & Jeff Tain Watts.A soft Makoto that highlights the tone and the melody. There are also some upbeat that will take you away for a ride. But the main story here is a gentle Makoto Ozone with lovely intepretations of a well balanced bunch of tunes. Hank Jones is the name that comes to my mind if I have to compare his tone with someone. The rythm section is the best you can get and they do it.

The Count Basie Bunch - Too Marvelous for Words (1999) {Vanguard Records 79601-2 rec 1956-1958}
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© 1956-58, 1999 Vanguard Records | 79601-2
Jazz / Swing / Mainstream Jazz

Too Marvelous for Words compiles 12 highlights from John Hammond's late-'50s recordings of Count Basie and his band for Vanguard. Hammond didn't specifically record Basie, who only appears on four tracks on this compilation. Instead, he assembled various members of Basie's band, had them run through familiar items of their repertoire, adding a couple of stray songs and originals along the way. Since these recordings were made in the late '50s, when all of the members (apart from the odd newcomer, such as Kenny Burrell) were well established, these sessions aren't as revelatory as many of Hammond's blues and folk recordings, which had the wondrous element of discovery.

George Barnes and Carl Kress often teamed up to play guitar duets from 1962-65, although they made relatively few recordings. "Guitars Anyone?" was their last meeting on record, and it finds the pair in high spirits on a dozen selections. The second part of this CD features Barnes' Second Quartet with Dick Hyman, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Jo Jones and others.

Al Haig - Al Haig Today! (1965) {Mint Records Japan Mini LP XQAM-1635 rel 2014}
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© 1965, 2014 Del Moral Records / Mint Records Japan | XQAM-1635 | DSD remaster
Jazz / Bop / Jazz Piano Trio

This difficult to find recording is worth the search; it contains some of the finest recorded work of Al Haig's enigmatic career. Haig was an important figure in the early development of bebop piano and can be heard as a sideman on many seminal recordings from the 1940s, including Salt Peanuts and Hot House. His refined classical technique was relatively unique at the time, and he was admired as a superb accompanist. Between the mid-'50s and the early 1970s there is a curiously large gap in his recorded output evidently due to personal problems. In fact, Al Haig Today! appears to be his only release as a leader during the '60s.

Part 1. The tracks within this first of two volumes were drawn from two separate concerts recorded on the same evening at the Alhambra in Paris. Like many releases of quasi-legal origin, it is hard to say that Duke Ellington himself would have authorized the release of these performances, as there are some problems with a squeaky reed in spots. "Take the 'A' Train" is joined in progress, while there are numerous other live versions of medleys like "Black and Tan Fantasy/Creole Love Call/The Mooche" and "Kinda Dukish/Rockin' in Rhythm." That said, the band is in good form. Among the highlights are works of fairly recent vintage: "Newport Up" (showcasing a wild tradeoff of brief exchanges between Clark Terry, Paul Gonsalves and clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton), a medley of "Such Sweet Thunder" and "Sonnet to Hank Cinq," though "What Else Can You Do With a Drum" is a bit of a dud…

J.J. Johnson - The Complete Columbia J.J. Johnson Small Group Sessions (1956-61) {7CD Mosaic MD7-169 rel 1996}
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© 1956-61, 1996 Mosaic Records / Columbia / Sony Music | MD7-169
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trombone

This seven-CD limited-edition box set from Mosaic is another mind-boggling collection. The masterful trombonist J.J. Johnson recorded steadily for Columbia during the 1956-61 period, heading groups that ranged from quartets to sextets that performed solid hard bop. Johnson is joined on various selections by tenors Bobby Jaspar (doubling on flute) and Clifford Jordan; cornetist Nat Adderley; the young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard; pianists Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton, and Victor Feldman; bassists Percy Heath, Wilbur Little, Paul Chambers, Spanky DeBrest, Arthur Harper, and Sam Jones; and drummers Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Albert "Tootie" Heath, and Louis Hayes.