Ca. Quintet

Chico Hamilton - The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings Of The Chico Hamilton Quintet (1954-1959) {6CD Mosaic MD6-175 rel 1997}
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© 1954-59, 1997 Mosaic / Pacific Jazz / Blue Note / EMI-Capitol | MD6-175
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Bop / Drums / Percussion

The original Chico Hamilton Quintet was one of the last significant West Coast jazz bands of the cool era. Consisting of Buddy Collette on reeds (flute, clarinet, alto, and tenor), guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Carson Smith, and the drummer/leader, the most distinctive element in the group's identity was cellist Fred Katz. The band could play quite softly, blending together elements of bop and classical music into their popular sound and occupying their own niche. This six-CD, limited-edition box set from 1997 starts off with a Hamilton drum solo from a 1954 performance with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet; it contains three full albums and many previously unreleased numbers) by the original Chico Hamilton band and also has quite a few titles from the second Hamilton group (which has Paul Horn and John Pisano in the places of Collette and Hall).

The first volume Legacy’s Miles Davis bootleg series offered audio and video evidence of his second great quintet playing the Newport Jazz Festival in Europe in 1967. Acclaim from critics and fans was universal. This second entry, Live in Europe 1969: Bootleg Series, Vol. 2, showcases almost an entirely different band – only saxophonist Wayne Shorter remains. Bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and pianist Chick Corea made up Davis' road band, and other individuals participated in sessions for Filles de Kilimanjaro and In a Silent Way. These fire-breathing performances offer a band at fever pitch hearing and playing what they knew even then was a new chapter in jazz history.

3-CD Box set, 60-page booklet including comprehensive biography, original liner notes and cover art, rare photos, unseen memorabilia and extensive discography. Shelly Manne (1920-1984) was one of the most important drummers in jazz history. Opening with his first recordings as a leader for Dee Gee Records in 1951 (Chicago) and 1952 (Los Angeles), this collection covers both these septet sessions and the great series of all-star septet and quintet recordings made for Contemporary by Shelly Manne and His Men between 1953 and 1958. Here’s that Manne.

Calefax is an internationally acclaimed ensemble of reed players renowned for performing their own arrangements and newly commissioned compositions for the unique combination of oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet and bassoon. Switching genres and periods with consummate ease, this adventurous new release for PENTATONE from the reed quintet Calefax is a superb collection of well-honed arrangements of less familiar works, all played with the ensemble’s customary verve, passion, and mellow sound. From the frothy virtuosity of Corelli and Locatelli to the haunting beauty of Gesualdo, Satie, and the heartfelt introspection of Nina Simone, it’s an astonishingly varied and intriguing programme. As well as pieces by Franck and Janáček, it includes one commission, Look for Me by Nico Muhly, based on an American folk song, and an arrangement of the Chinese popular song Er Quan Ying Yue. All these pieces have regularly featured in Calefax’s concerts and they fully showcase the ensemble’s versatility and mastery.

V.S.O.P. The Quintet - Herbie Hancock - The Quintet (1977) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4050}
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© 1977, 2014 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4050 | DSD remaster
Jazz / Post Bop

Reissue with latest DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. With the cheers and huzzahs from their 1976 one-off reunion still resounding, the reconstituted Miles Davis Quintet minus Miles went on the road in 1977, spreading their 1965-vintage gospel according to the Prince of Darkness to audiences in Berkeley and San Diego, CA. In doing so, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, plus interloper Freddie Hubbard seem to pick up where they left off, with a repertoire mostly new to the five collectively and developed from there.

The Curtis Counce Quintet - Exploring The Future (1958) {Boplicity CDBOP 007 rel 1996}
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© 1958, 1996 Dooto / Ace Records / Boplicity | CDBOP 007
Jazz / Hard Bop / West Coast Jazz / Bass

Although he lived for another five years after this session, this seems to be bassist Curtis Counce's last date as a leader. His quintet was in fine form playing originals by band member Elmo Hope and tenor saxophonist Harold Land, also playing standards like "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Angel Eyes" with convincing chops. Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson, who became better known to jazz fans while with Duke Ellington in the '60s, fits in beautifully with the cool-sounding hard bop style of this tight unit. Originally released on the long-defunct Dootone label, this highly sought-after record was finally reissued as a CD on the English label Boplicity in 1996.

Cy Touff - His Octet & Quintet (1955) {Pacific Jazz CDP 93162 rel 1998}
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© 1955, 1998 Pacific Jazz / Capitol | CDP 7243 4 93162 2 5
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Bass Trumpet

Cy Touff was one of the few specialists on the bass trumpet, an instrument that does not sound all that different from a valve trombone. This 1998 reissue CD finds Touff in two different settings. The first four numbers feature an octet (comprised of trumpeters Harry "Sweets" Edison and Conrad Gozzo, Touff, tenor-saxophonist Richie Kamuca, Matt Utal on reeds, pianist Russ Freeman, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Chuck Flores) performing three Johnny Mandel arrangements and one by Ernie Wilkins ("What Am I Here For").

Authentic and authoritative, these 1985 recordings of Mozart and Beethoven's quintets for piano and winds have almost everything going for them. Performing on a pianoforte modeled on a 1790 Viennese instrument, Jos van Immerseel is an adroit player, while the quartet drawn from the period instrument wind band Octophoros – Paul Dombrecht on oboe, Elmar Schmid on clarinet, Piet Dombrecht on horn, and Danny Bond on bassoon – are likewise all skillful instrumentalists. But while their playing is beyond contention – listen to their keen balances, their smooth ensemble, their unified rhythms – their interpretations miss the one thing that defines these works: their sense of fun..

The Buddy DeFranco Quintet - Sweet And Lovely (1956) {2012 Japan Jazz The Best Series 24bit Remaster UCCU-9955}
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© 1954, 1955, 2012 Verve / Universal Japan | UCCU-9955 | Verve LP MG V-8224
Jazz / Bop / Clarinet

Sweet and lovely – but plenty darn soulful too – and one of the excellent early 50s Verve dates that features the piano of Sonny Clark with the clarinet of Buddy DeFranco ! The album's got an even more unusual twist in that it features a bit of organ from Clark too – one of his only recordings on the instrument – as well as guitar from Tal Farlow on a number of tracks – another leading light of the fresh Verve sound of the 50s, really working some great music next to Buddy's horn.