Paul Gelder

Any 1950s Miles Davis recording could easily be called a “collector’s item,” but these selections have special claims to this description. The first four offer Charlie Parker in his only recordings in support of Miles, who had begun his disc career as Bird’s sideman. The last four feature a unique Davis/Mingus encounter. In between is Miles just before launching his first great Quintet, heading two groups loaded with top talent of the “post-bop” period. Recorded on January 30, 1953 (1-4) WOR Studios, New York City and March 16, 1956 (5-7) at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ.

John Coltrane - Blue Train (1957) {2003 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster} (ft. Lee Morgan)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 463 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 141 Mb
Full Artwork @ 400 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb
© 2003 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 4 95326 2 5 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone / Trumpet

With 1957's BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly, not only as individuals, but also as a cohesive unit–a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" ensembles would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly. Nineteen-year-old trumpeter Lee Morgan spins bop lines in a warm tone, belying his age with his extraordinary playing, while drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers keep BLUE TRAIN running with impressive agility.

Red Garland - Red Garland's Piano (1957) {2006 Prestige Rudy Van Gelder Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 262 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 103 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 32 Mb
© 2006 Concord / Prestige | PRCD-8109-2 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

Red Garland's third session as a leader finds the distinctive pianist investigating eight standards (including "Please Send Me Someone to Love," "Stompin' at the Savoy," "If I Were a Bell," and "Almost Like Being in Love") with his distinctive chord voicings, melodic but creative ideas, and solid sense of swing. Joined by bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor, Garland plays up to his usual consistent level, making this an easily recommended disc for straight-ahead fans.

This was a forerunner of the Miles Davis Quintet as it was his first session with Red Garland and Philly Joe Jones. Up to then his Prestige dates had been of the "all star" variety. (Oscar Pettiford fills that bill here.) By the fall, John Coltrane and Paul Chambers would come aboard to help form the first of a continuum of great Davis working groups. On "A Night in Tunisia" Philly Joe used special sticks with little cymbals riveted to the shaft. Recorded June 7, 1955 at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ. With Red Garland, Oscar Pettiford, Philly Joe Jones.

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane's album Settin' The Pacewas originally released in 1961. Coltrane had recorded some unissued recordings while under the label Prestige, after his fame grew and he was no longer with the label they used these recordings and released albums without Coltrane's approval. This was one such album. The decision to release this album now is to a certain extent determined by economic considerations, but it also happens to throw light on certain aspects of the jazz business which warrant discussion. Had the album been released at the time it was recorded it would have reached the small nucleus of Coltrane followers then active, and of the rest been largely ignored…

Here is one of the musical giants of the 20th century, poised on the precipice of greatness. Between the spring of 1957 and the winter of 1958, during which time Lush Life was recorded, the music of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967) was developing in giant steps, thanks in great part to a six-month 1957 stint with Thelonious Monk that had much to do with sharpening Coltrane’s harmonic conception and torrential attack. Lush Life contains Coltrane’s first recordings as sole leader, his initial date fronting a pianoless trio, and one of his first extended readings of a ballad, Billy Strayhorn’s resplendent title track. We also hear him at the helm of a quartet and quintet, featuring pianist Red Garland, with trumpeter Donald Byrd added to “Lush Life.”

Soultrane is one of the essential albums in John Coltrane’s career. Recorded during the first year of his Prestige contract, between his critical service in Thelonious Monk’s quartet and his return to the band of Miles Davis, it finds the tenor saxophonist displaying a new level of both technical and conceptual refinement, dispensing torrents of notes that annotator Ira Gitler famously dubbed "sheets of sound." The Red Garland Trio, a key component on many Coltrane recordings of the period, is at its eloquent best; and the program, with two compositions from the early days of modern jazz, two lesser-known standards, and a recently penned requiem for the late Ernie Henry…

The Miles Davis Quintet - Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (1956) {2006 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 266 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 95 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 23 Mb
© 2006 Concord / Prestige | 0888072300804
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Hard Bop

Preceded by Cookin' and Relaxin' , Workin' is a mix of standards and originals, up-tempos and ballads, and a trio number, "Ahmad's Blues." The music this quintet made in the mid-Fifties period will live forever: the excitement of the emerging John Coltrane; the informed, melodic swing of Red Garland; the tremendous snap and pop of the rhythm trio of Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones; and Miles's poignancy and intense swing.