Jimmy Owens

The Jimmy Owens - Kenny Barron Quintet - You Had Better Listen (1967) {Atlantic-Collectables COL-CD-6170 rel 2001}
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© 1967, 2001 Atlantic / Collectables | COL-CD-6170
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet / Piano

Kenny Barron and Jimmy Owens' first recording was a solid debut. The exciting title cut, "You Had Better Listen," composed by Jimmy Owens, is good, basic, uptempo jazz, nothing fancy, no frills. The Jimmy Owens-Kenny Barron Quintet doesn't condescend like some jazz artists tend to do; casuals can groove, relate, nod their heads in approval and feel righteous about it. Owens plays some beautiful trumpet scales, while Barron keeps busy banging chord progressions. The other members of the quintet are Benny Maupin (tenor sax, flute), Chris White (bass), Freddie Waits (drums on tracks one, two and four), and Rudy Collins (drums on tracks three through five).

Jimmy Owens & Kenny Barron - You Had Better Listen (1967) {2013 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27235}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 222 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 85 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remaster
© 1967, 2013 Warner Japan / Atlantic | WPCR-27235
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet / Piano

Features 24 bit digital remastering. Comes with a description. An oft-overlooked and surprisingly soulful session on Atlantic – a sublime pairing of the talents of trumpeter Jimmy Owens and pianist Kenny Barron! The set's got a groove that's pretty unique – not really Blue Note or Prestige – but not like other Atlantic Records jazz as well – almost more like some of the more soulful sides that would emerge in the early 70s! The combo is great – and also features Benny Maupin on reeds and Freddy Waits on drums – and the tracks are all longish, with interwoven modal grooves that show off the best of Barron's rhythmic approach to the piano – nicely punctuated by Owens' fiercely blown solos. The whole thing's incredibly fresh – one of those jazz albums that you'll hear on the radio, and turn it up, thinking "What the heck is that? I must own that record!"

The Kansas City swing blues of the Sweet Baby Blues Band is very difficult not to enjoy. Jeannie Cheatham's exuberant vocals (propelled by her forcefully swinging piano) inspire the many soloists on the blues-oriented material, and there is plenty of variety in tempo and feeling to keep this set continually interesting. Among the main soloists are ageless trumpeter Snooky Young, tenorman Rickey Woodard (making his debut on clarinet on two cuts), and guest altoist Hank Crawford, who sits in on four songs.

Jays Blues is a fine collection of early-'50s jump blues sides that Jimmy Witherspoon cut for Federal Records. This 23-track collection offers a good retrospective of one of Witherspoon's most neglected – and admittedly, uneven – periods.

Bluegrass Champs - Live From The Don Owens Show (2018) {Yep Roc Records YEP-2555 rec 1958-1959}
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© 1958-59, 2018 Yep Roc Records | YEP-2555
Country / Bluegrass / Americana / Rockabilly

This recording is as much about rockabilly, ‘50s country and blues as it is about bluegrass - more a hybrid by a young, but seasoned, combo in changing musical times. The Bluegrass Champs held their own or even bested other Washington D.C. talents like Roy Clark, Patsy Cline, Link Wray and Charlie Daniels. They had spent most all of their lives in music and in the late 1950’s were soaking up all the new sounds without denying airy mountain roots. Made up of four members of Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Pop Stoneman’s family, the Bluegrass Champs were master musicians by 1958.