Belii4qobuz Member Norman Granz' Jam Session #1 And #2 Benny Carter, Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Barney Kessell, Oscar Peterson, Ben Webster, Flip Phillips And Charlie Shavers

This 1959 release from Oscar Peterson is dedicated to Harry Warren and Vincent Youmans, one of several Song Book albums the pianist recorded in the 1950s. While not exactly household names, both Warren and Youmans are credited for writing many familiar songs and standards, as demonstrated here by Peterson and his trio of bassist Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen on drums.

Esoteric Recordings are proud to release of a newly re-mixed edition of the classic instrumental album by GENESIS founder member ANTHONY PHILLIPS, “Slow Dance”. Released in 1990, the album is regarded by aficionados of Anthony’s music as one of his finest and a two part orchestral rock suite which reflects him at his best and most imaginative.

This 1959 Verve record is a collaboration between Ellington and saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Hodges takes the lead on most of the tracks, backed by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano and well-known jazz musicians like Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison and Jo Jones.

Shavers and Hodges were genii: unflawed musicians, total original minds, two of the great burnished talents that were ablaze in those fiery jazz years. Both seminal figures: Johnny Hodges, one of the three classic alto-saxophonists in jazz, Charlie Shavers, one of the two or three greatest trumpeters of his era. Both had the gift of making perfection sound easy, and both revelled – with an almost Casanova sensuality – in every tonal, and technical richness that their instrument was capable of. On this record, the two old masters perform in two settings each, both with the kind of ripe luscious talent that grows only in the summertime of an art.

A follow-up album to "Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues". Ellington takes the back seat to saxophonist Hodges in this jam session album, only playing in three of the nine tracks. The album features Hodges, a prominent member of Ellington's legendary band, backed by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano among other notable musicians. The ablum includes works, "Let's Fall in Love", "Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)", and "Going Up".

Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" guitarist for studio, film, and television recording sessions. Kessel was a member of the group of session musicians informally known as the Wrecking Crew.

"Soulville" is one of the highlights of Ben Webster's golden era. From 1953 to 1959 Webster recorded 10 landmark albums showcasing his swing tenor saxophone, and this album from 1957 is considered a classic. Soulville has it all: there's cool groovy jazz, a bit of soul, a bit of blues, a sense of longing and a whole lot of romance on this ballad-heavy collection. The quintet in the credits consists of Webster, drummer Stan Levey and the Oscar Peterson Trio.

This 1956 album of standards from Billie Holiday has long been out of print, despite receiving a five star review in DownBeat magazine when released. Holiday was always very demanding about the quality of her musicians and this session was no exception; she is backed by a superb sextet that features Benny Carter on alto sax, Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar and Larry Bunker on drums.

The title track is one of the most recorded jazz songs in history and Billie Holiday's interpretation on this 1957 release is arguably considered one of the best, if not the definitive version. Producer Norman Granz brings out the best of her voice on this album from late in her career, accompanied by a superb band that includes Ben Webster on tenor sax.