For this entry in Dave Brubeck's series of Time albums, his Quartet with altoist Paul Desmond performs "Elementals" with an orchestra and plays five briefer originals including four that have unusual time signatures; "World's Fair" is in 13/4 time.
One of the hardest albums to acquire for most Dave Brubeck fans is In Berlin, a 1964 concert by his quartet released only in Germany by CBS. Since the set list includes two songs that were recorded at the 1963 Carnegie Hall concert, that may be why it wasn't also issued in the United States by Columbia, though the performances are sufficiently different and well played. Desmond is witty as usual in "St. Louis Blues," though Brubeck adds an amusing Charlie Parker lick in his solo and bassist Eugene Wright also shines. Brubeck's "Koto Song," which had just been recorded a few months earlier for the LP Jazz Impressions of Japan, gave the audience a taste of something new. The composer's economical solo contrasts with his supposed reputation for heavy-handed playing. The group's breezy rendition of "Take the 'A' Train" is followed by the inevitable "Take Five"…
Conductor, composer, violinist, and pianist Mantovani was one of the most popular and prolific easy listening artists of all time. His trademark "cascading strings" (or "tumbling strings") effect gave him an instantly recognizable sound, and his heavy reliance on the string section in general helped map out the blueprint for much of the light orchestral music that followed in his wake. His repertoire did feature original compositions, but was built chiefly on lush adaptations of familiar melodies: TV and movie themes, show tunes, pop hits (chiefly of the MOR variety), classical material, and the like. Starting his career in the '20s, Mantovani was very much a product of the recording age: he focused almost entirely on recording, instead of live performance…
Originally this compilation was released in 1964 as "The Beatles Featuring Tony Sheridan - The Beatles' First." The title of this compilation has varied many times over the years but they are all based on the original 1964 Polydor release with the same track listing and running order. Most of the tracks feature vocals by Sheridan. The album includes all eight of the Beatles' first pro recordings made in '61 and '62 in Germany as Tony Sheridan's backing band plus four of Tony's tracks with the Beat Brothers!
Squarely taking in some prime Chess real estate, the third edition of the Blues series mostly spotlights such royalty as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Thankfully, there's the relatively obscure likes of Washboard Sam, Jimmy Rogers, and Jimmy Witherspoon to enjoy as well. So, whether you prefer some horns-aplenty R&B touches (Little Milton) or raw juke joint harp playing (Little Walter), you will certainly appreciate this somewhat slim yet solid compilation.
Hammond's debut recording from 1964 - much of which remains in his live repertoire to this day.
John Hammond, Jr. is one of a handful of white blues musicians who was on the scene at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-'60s. That revival, brought on by renewed interest in folk music around the U.S., brought about career boosts for many of the great classic blues players, including Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, and Skip James. Some critics have described Hammond as a white Robert Johnson, and Hammond does justice to classic blues by combining powerful guitar and harmonica playing with expressive vocals and a dignified stage presence…
Veteran singer Jimmy Witherspoon (who bridges the gap between jazz and blues) mostly sticks to the latter on this spirited set. His backup group (organist Paul Griffin, guitarist Lord Westbrook, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Herbie Lovelle) is fine in support, but the spotlight is almost entirely on Witherspoon throughout these ten concise performances, only one of which exceeds four minutes. Highlights include "No Rollin' Blues," "S.K. Blues" and "Around the Clock." Witherspoon is in fine voice and, even if nothing all that memorable occurs, the music is enjoyable.
Part of a refreshing series of two-fers from major vocalists of the '60s, British EMI issued this compilation pairing Sarah Vaughan's 1963 LP, Snowbound, with 1964's The Lonely Hours. As could be expected, the two work well together, both being sets of nocturnally oriented standards. The former is a cozy collection of romantic ballads arranged by Don Costa, while the latter is more isolated, with arrangements from jazzman great Benny Carter. Though both LPs aren't among Vaughan's more famous releases, they're nearly as good as a classic like Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi or Sarah Vaughan With Clifford Brown.
This studio date came about as a result of Albert Mangelsdorff's appearance at the Third Yugoslavian Jazz Festival, where pianist John Lewis was impressed enough with his performance to set up a recording session a few days later. With bassist Karl Theodor Geier and drummer Silvije Glojnaric also on hand, none of the musicians had ever played together, though it made little difference as they quickly absorbed the originals of Lewis and Mangelsdorff, along with the familiar standard "Autumn Leaves" (a trio arrangement omitting Lewis) and Gary McFarland's "Why Are You Blue." The leader's judgment is validated with Mangelsdorff's impressive work. The final track showcases a separate group, the Zagreb Jazz Quartet, featuring pianist Davor Kajfes, vibraphonist Bosko Petrovic, bassist Miljenko Prohaska and Glojnaric on drums.