Russ Freeman

Curves Ahead may be the perfect description to talk about music that is firm like a female but it is the title of a 1991 collaborative album between guitarist Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons (or just Rippingtons, as the cover art shows). This was released via GRP.

With the growing popularity of Chet Baker's first vocal album, Chet Baker Sings, Pacific Jazz producer Richard Bock wanted to capitalize on both facets of his young star's abilities. Hence, the trumpeter turned vocalist entered the studio in 1955 with both his quartet featuring pianist Russ Freeman and an expanded sextet including bassist Red Mitchell, Bud Shank on flute, and various string players. The resulting album, Chet Baker Sings and Plays, helped set in stone the image of Baker as the jazz world's matinee idol and icon of '50s West Coast cool. His laid-back style – a mix of '30s crooner and Miles Davis' nonet recordings – appealed in its immediacy to a jazz public tiring of the hyper, athletic musicality of bebop.

Chet Baker Sings and Plays (subtitled With Bud Shank, Russ Freeman and Strings) is an album by jazz trumpeter Chet Baker recorded in 1955 for Barclay Records and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

True Stories is the 30th Anniversary release from The Rippingtons.Russ Freeman has been at the forefront of the contemporary jazz, smooth jazz, and instrumental pop music genres! They have sold over 3 Million albums to date.

This three-CD set from the prestigious Mosaic Select label has the Pacific Jazz trio performances led by pianists Russ Freeman, Richard Twardzik, Jimmy Rowles, and Clare Fischer. One of the Rowles' sessions is actually a quartet date with guitarist Al Hendrickson added, but it certainly has the feel of a trio. The first disc has 14 titles featuring Freeman from 1952-1957 and the only seven studio sides led by the ill-fated Twardzik (other than a rehearsal session released elsewhere). The music was originally issued as Russ Freeman/Richard Twardzik, Russ Freeman Trio and Jazz Swings Broadway. Freeman shows that he was the definitive West Coast jazz pianist of the '50s while Twardzik hints at an original style that was never allowed to fully develop. The second disc showcases the sparse and witty style of Jimmy Rowles on its first 11 numbers (mostly from the album Rare But Well Done) while the remainder of the disc and all of CD number three have the music from Clare Fischer's First Time Out and Surging Ahead, some of the rarest material on the three-fer. All in all, this is a highly enjoyable and logical reissue, bringing back some particularly rewarding performances from four underrated pianists.

The absolute paradise for all jazz piano lovers. I decided to reupload this excellent work of our friend Oceandrop in the quality and artwork extend of his initial upload, adding simply an mp3 version and putting it all in a single post. An amazing collection with 5 booklets full of historical and musical information for the piano jazz from the ragtime till today. Enjoy "a full day" (24 hours) of wonderful piano jazz.