This limited-edition three-CD set will be hard to acquire but it is a gem. Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Jimmy Raney had very complementary cool-toned but hard-swinging styles. Their gig at Storyville in Boston resulted in some classic music that, along with five studio sessions, is included in this box. The supporting cast includes pianists Al Haig, Horace Silver, Duke Jordan, and Hall Overton; the music was originally recorded for Roost, Clef, Norgran, and Prestige. This essential set is filled with exciting performances from Stan Getz when he was first becoming a highly influential force in jazz.
The complete, legendary recordings made by Ahmad Jamal with the guitarist Ray Crawford in Trio and Quintet context. ‘Listen to the way Jamal uses space. He lets it go so that you can feel the rhythm section and the rhythm section can feel you. It’s not crowded. Ahmad is one of my favourites. I live until he makes another record.’ Miles Davis, 1958. The complete, legendary recordings made by Ahmad Jamal with the guitarist Ray Crawford in Trio and Quintet context. Jamal’s trios are considered to be amongst the most important in the history of jazz, creating unique articulations of space, openness and light, which still seem so far ahead of their time and which made such a profound impression on Miles Davis and his arranger, Gil Evans.
Johnny Smith's best-known album, 1952's Moonlight in Vermont (also the title of his signature song), assured the guitarist a place in jazz history. While saxophone legend Stan Getz is a prominent guest on the record, and certainly threatens to steal the show on numerous occasions, the spotlight never strays too far from Smith, who easily entrances with his supremely laid-back style…
Quite a rare set from this important Swedish player - one recorded in Sweden by Metronome, but issued here in the US on the short-lived East-West imprint of Atlantic. The tracks all feature Gullin on baritone sax - in a variety of settings that range through quartet, quintet, sextet, octet, and big band. As always, Lars pulls far more out of the instrument than any of his contemporaries could hope to - and the backing he gets from Swedish modernists like Arne Domnerus, Rune Ofwerman, Bert Dahlander, and Sven Ake Persson really help keep things moving along at a strong pace.
This eight-CD set captures Miles Davis's second great quintet at its fiercest, loose with both the blossoming of familiarity between the players and the broadness of its attacks on the mostly well known tunes the group called during two nights at Chicago's Plugged Nickel in 1965. And you can hear it all, from "The Theme" that closed the quintet's sets to multiple, radically different takes of several tunes. Davis formed this band with just its heated potential in mind, opting for youth in Wayne Shorter's tenor sax, Herbie Hancock's piano, Ron Carter's bass, and, especially, Tony Williams's unlocked rhythmic energy.
The two obscure sets reissued on this single CD from Original Jazz Classics were originally released as 10" LPs by the Nocturne label. The first six numbers are West Coast cool jazz by a sextet featuring baritonist Virgil Gonsalves, valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, and tenor saxophonist Buddy Wise. These concise renditions of five standards and the obscure "Bounce" find the musicians in excellent form, making the most of each note. The second half of the CD is an unrelated quartet date by the eccentric tenor saxophonist Steve White, who is joined by pianist Jimmie Rowles, bassist Harry Babasin, and drummer Roy Harte; trombonist Herbie Harper is a big asset on "Topsy." White's sound was quite influenced by Lester Young, while his odd singing (heard on "My New Jet Plane") is certainly unique. An interesting if not essential reissue.
Jazz Ballads - the ultimate musical expression of feelings. A CD sets with the most beautiful ballads in the history of jazz. Lyrical, imaginative, sensuous and melodic jewels from the art of music. Precisely for those people who have maintained their taste for lasting musical values. Jazz in its most gentle form.