Short stints with Lee Young, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong's big band preceded his move to New York in December 1944 and becoming part of Billy Eckstine's Orchestra, trading off with Gene Ammons on Eckstine's recording of Blowin' the Blues Away. Gordon recorded with Dizzy Gillespie (Blue 'N' Boogie) and as a leader for Savoy before returning to Los Angeles in the summer of 1946. He was a chief part of the Central Avenue scene, trading off with Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards in many legendary tenor clashes. After 1952, drug struggles resulted in some jail time and periods of indolence during the '50s (although Gordon did record two albums in 1955).
The compositions herein are performed by two of the famed Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop groups and they are considered among his best recorded works. These 1954 recordings represent the grass roots from where all the innovative forms and expressions of tomorrows jazz conceived by Mingus really began. From then on, Mingus became the most influential composer and bassist of various generations in jazz history. After its first date, he said about the improvised interplay between every instrument: I feel that it is usually impossible to attempt such delicacies with musicians who do not enjoy the unusual freedom or understand the thought of the leading instrument. Teo Macero, John LaPorta, George Barrow and Mal Waldron, of course, are just as responsible as I am for the final construction.
Chet Baker in New York features the trumpeter in the company of a strong New York unit including Johnny Griffin, Al Haig, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. These tracks mark the only collaborative recordings by Baker and Griffin. A reading of “Soft Winds” that completes the sessions (originally released on the various artists album New Blue Horns), and a full date that was recorded in New York the following year (on which Baker plays four songs by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) have been added as a bonus.
This is the expanded 'I Got Kinda Lost' unofficial Big Star box set. Previously this set contained four discs and was jam packed with all kinds of Big Star related tracks. Like the previous incarnations of 'I Got Kinda Lost', this expanded 2013 release attempts to tell the story chronologically of Big Star through their studio outtakes and alternate versions by keeping it more Big Star centric through the prism of Chris Bell and Alex Chilton - the architects of the band.
Some Time in New York City… This album was not kicked off with a good start. After John and Yoko moved to New York, they started to get involved in anti-war protests, and protests to get John Sinclair out of prison. All of these were followed with Richard Nixon's attempts to deport John Lennon, which would last for around 5 years afterwards…