Avid Jazz presents four classic Phil Woods albums, including original liner notes on Volume Three of a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD. “Pairing Off”; “Woodlore”; “Sugan” and “Rights to Swing”.
To continue the tennis analogy taken from the original liner notes of our first serving, “Pairing Off”, we have an ace album to start the first set! Enjoy the fantastic line up as the main protaganists pair off against each other for a swinging set of volleys! Phil Woods and old doubles partner Gene Quill on tenors, Donald Byrd and Kenny Dorham on trumpets, assisted by more than capable “ball boy” Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Liner notes writer Ira Gitler was obviously a sports fan as he again uses a sports analogy on our second selection “Woodlore”…
During his lifetime, pianist and composer Hasaan Ibn Ali (1931-1980) was a jazz enigma. The Philly musician practiced with John Coltrane during the early '50s and is credited as the primary influence on the saxophonist's "sheets of sound" harmonic approach first articulated on Giant Steps - a sound that exploded across his Impulse! work. Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album is a genuine jazz holy grail, one of only two albums to feature the pianist's compositions and unique playing style. The first, The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan, was credited to Roach because it was the only way to get Atlantic's Nesuhi Ertegun to sign the pianist. Pleased, the label commissioned an album from Ibn Ali. Using bassist Art Davis, drummer Kalil Madi, and saxophonist Odean Pope, Ibn Ali completed the session…
Many of Erroll Garner's sessions from the 1960s have been reissued by Telarc. This single CD brings back all of the music from two former LPs. Garner and his quartet (bassist Ike Isaacs, drummer Jimmie Smith and percussionist Jose Mangual) romp through 13 songs taken from movies (including "You Made Me Love You," "I Found a Million Dollar Baby," "It's Only a Paper Moon" and even "Sonny Boy") during the first half of the set while the later session finds the group backed by seven horns arranged by Don Sebesky on nine diverse tunes ranging from swing standards to "The Girl from Ipanema," "Groovin' High" and Garner's lone original "Up in Erroll's Room." All of the Telarc Erroll Garner CDs are easily recommended (the pianist never seems to have made an uninspired record) and this one is no exception.
One of the greatest debuts in the history of rock, Mr. Tambourine Man was nothing less than a significant step in the evolution of rock & roll itself, demonstrating that intelligent lyrical content could be wedded to compelling electric guitar riffs and a solid backbeat. It was also the album that was most responsible for establishing folk-rock as a popular phenomenon, its most alluring traits being Roger McGuinn's immediately distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker jangle and the band's beautiful harmonies. The material was uniformly strong, whether they were interpreting Bob Dylan (on the title cut and three other songs, including the hit single "All I Really Want to Do"), Pete Seeger ("The Bells of Rhymney"), or Jackie DeShannon ("Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe")…