Jimmy Giuffre 3 Graz Live 1961

Controversial, misunderstood, and underappreciated, Jimmy Giuffre was an unlikely candidate to break as much ground as he did in the art of free improvisation. A swing orchestra veteran, Giuffre made his name as part of the West Coast school of cool jazz, but his restless creative spirit drove him to push the boundaries of texture, dynamic shading, counterpoint, and improvisational freedom in surprisingly avant-garde ways, despite maintaining a cool, cerebral exterior…

Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, Steve Swallow - The Life of a Trio, Sunday (1989) {Owl Records OWL060CD rel 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 214 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 160 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 91 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1990 Owl Records | OWL060CD
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Chamber Jazz

The second night of the 1989 reunion in New York of the 1961-1962 Jimmy Giuffre 3 with pianist Paul Bley and (now electric) bassist Steve Swallow in some ways eclipses the first. The fact that there is more integration between the trio members as a whole than on the first evening is certainly one place to start. At the very beginning, "Sensing" – with Giuffre on soprano and Bley playing bass notes in the lowest register as Swallow enters and takes over the role and Bley moves to the middle – is a stunner, though it is only four minutes and 13 seconds long.

Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, Steve Swallow - The Life of a Trio, Saturday (1989) {Owl–Universal 0147312 rel 2001}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 173 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 111 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) ->17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1989, 2001 Owl Records / Universal Music | 0147312
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Chamber Jazz

The venerable Universal Music label has re-released the two Life of a Trio nights – originally issued in the early '90s on CD by France's Owl label – that featured the 1989 reunion of the 1961-1962 Jimmy Giuffre 3 of Giuffre on reeds, pianist Paul Bley, and bassist Steve Swallow. The first evening, Saturday, December 16, began with a solo clarinet improvisation by Giuffre, followed by "Black Ivory," a duet between Giuffre and Bley, and then "Owl Eyes," by solo Bley, with the tension heating up as Bley duets with Swallow on "Endless Melody," until they come together all too briefly (5:22) for "Turns."

Jimmy Giuffre, Jim Hall Trio - Complete Studio Recordings, 1956-1959 (2008) {4CD Set Gambit Records 69300}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.40 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 723 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 49 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-59, 2008 Gambit Records | 69300
Jazz / Cool / Saxophone / Guitar

Jimmy Giuffre may not have gotten his due with American audiences outside very specific kinds of jazz circles, but he was loved and respected by other musicians and the audiences of Europe and Asia. His reputation among those groups of listeners and players is well deserved for the radical, if quiet and unassuming path he walked throughout his seven-decade career. These sides, recorded between 1956 and 1959 with guitarist Jim Hall, his most symbiotic collaborator and foil, are at the heart of his reputation as a pioneer – even more so than his killer early-'60s sides (à la Free Fall) with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow.

Jimmy Giuffre - Hollywood & Newport 1957-1958 (1992) {Fresh Sound Records ‎FSCD-1026}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 167 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957-58, 1992 Fresh Sound Records ‎| FSCD-1026
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Clarinet / Saxophone

This Fresh Sound CD compiles three separate broadcasts by the Jimmy Giuffre 3. The first three songs come from a 1957 appearance on the Stars of Jazz television show, featuring guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Pena. Giuffre plays baritone sax in his slippery "Gotta Dance," switching to tenor sax for a blistering take of "Four Brothers" and clarinet for his subtle yet spacious "Two Kind of Blues." Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer had taken Pena's place in the group by the time of the trio's return to the program the following year, which resulted in a great deal more freedom, as there was less emphasis on a pure timekeeping role for any one musician.