The Serge Chaloff

Count Basie's Columbia years have long been debated, subject to apocryphal written data and legend because of the willy-nilly nature of his tenure with the label and its subsidiaries. Producer Orrin Keepnews has thus assembled America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years, a compilation of Basie's Columbia years that not only makes sense historically; it is a treasure trove for listening. Aesthetics played a grand part in the decision-making process here, as did sound reproduction and discographical accuracy. Over four CDs, the Basie/Columbia collaboration is split into three parts. On disc one and roughly half of two, the small-group recordings are presented, from the original Smith-Jones quintet sessions in 1936 through the 1957 octet recordings…

The Rein De Graaff Trio With Ronnie Cuber And Nick Brignola - Baritone Explosion! - Live At Nick's (1995) {2016 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 454 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 153 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 234 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995, 2016 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6429
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Baritone Saxophone / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering and the original cover artwork. Comes with a description written in Japanese. We'd hate to get caught in the force of a baritone explosion – as the horns are so big, that's a lot of metal to have to deal with! Fortunately, pianist Rein De Graaf's got the proceedings here on rock-solid territory – providing just the right sort of swing to keep things moving, yet also keep things in control – while both Ronnie Cuber and Nick Brigola open up on the bigger horns – reminding us why they're some of the few players able to carry forward the deftly soulful legacies of earlier baritone greats like Pepper Adams or Serge Chaloff! The album's a live one, and tracks are nice and long – plenty of room for solos on titles that include "Caravan", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "Crack Down", "Night In Tunisia", and "Blue Train" – plus two short beautiful ballads, "What's New" and "In A Sentimental Mood".

One of the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Stan Getz was known as "The Sound" because he had one of the most beautiful tones ever heard. Getz, whose main early influence was Lester Young, grew to be a major influence himself and to his credit he never stopped evolving. Getz had the opportunity to play in a variety of major swing big bands while a teenager due to the World War II draft. He was with Jack Teagarden (1943) when he was just 16, followed by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945-1946)

Pepper Adams - The Complete Regent Sessions (1957) {Fresh Sound FRS-CD 491 rel 2008}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 356 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 143 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 38 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2008 Fresh Sound Records | FRS-CD 491
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Baritone Saxophone

A companion release to Hollywood Quintet Sessions, The Complete Regent Sessions (including tracks from the LPs Art Pepper/Sonny Redd, Jazz Is Busting Out All Over, and The Cool Sound of Pepper Adams), also from 1957, features emerging baritone saxophone star Pepper Adams in a series of lengthy jazz jams, unlike the shorter and compact studio recordings he did with West Coast musicians. These two East Coast dates done during the early winter in Hackensack, NJ, at Rudy Van Gelder's house studio feature Adams' running mates who matriculated from Detroit to New York City with him, including Doug Watkins (who was also on the Hollywood tracks), Elvin Jones on all selections, Hank Jones, and Bernard McKinney.

The legendary Four Brothers reed section of Woody Herman's famous "Second Herd" big band of 1947, (Herbie Steward, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Serge Chaloff) is reimagined and reinvigorated by jazz icons Harry Allen, Eric Alexander, Grant Stewart and Gary Smulyan on the exciting, swinging and audacious recording of The Candy Men by Harry Allen's All Star New York Saxophone Band. Offering a sensational set of twelve bop-infused tunes containing some hard-driving, mid-tempo swing pieces to breathy and bossa-styled ballads, one sampling of this disc is just not enough. The material and the musicianship is so outstanding, that the late, great bandleader Woody Herman himself, would be proud of the way this group of jazz icons, has so elegantly represented the original Brothers section.