Four Trombones

J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Bennie Green & Willie Dennis - Four Trombones: The Debut Recordings (1953) {Prestige PRCD-24097-2}
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© 1953, 1991 Prestige Records | PRCD-24097-2
Jazz / Bop / Trombone

J.J. Johnson, along with Bennie Green, was a founding father of bop trombone; Willie Dennis's promising career was cut short by an early death; "Jay and Kai" had successfully collaborated on several projects in the Fifties. But the unique and legendary meeting of these trombone giants, which first appeared on the Debut label and is reissued here, was unprecedented in jazz. Almost as remarkable is the rhythm section on this CD, with John Lewis making a rare appearance outside the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Four Freshmen - Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1955) {2015 Japan Universal 100 Series UCCU-99192}
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© 1955, 2015 Capitol / Universal Japan | UCCU-99192
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Harmony Vocal Group / Early Pop / Mainstream Jazz / Trombone

A masterpiece – and possibly the greatest record ever by the Four Freshmen! The album is arranged by Kentonite Pete Rugolo, who gives it a very dark feel – similar to his amazing work on June Christy's Something Cool album (which is a perfect complement to this one) – and he's selected a core group of west coast jazzers to back the Freshmen up, including Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Frank Rosolino, and Claude Williamson. Don't worry about the "trombone" part, because the horns are used to provide dark deep washes of emotion to the songs – with the boys' vocals way out over the top, in mindblowing harmonies that could also exist perfectly without any backing.

The album, recorded for Savoy in July 1956, paired Wess on flute with four trombonists - Jimmy Cleveland, Henry Coker, Benny Powell and Bill Hughes. They were backed by Ronnell Bright (p), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). The gorgeous arrangements were by Frank Foster. At the time, Wess, Foster, Coker, Powell, Hughes, Green and Jones were all members of Count Basie's New Testament band while Ronnell Bright would periodically sub for Basie into the 1980s. In 1956, to hold his band together, Basie let his musicians make extra money recording as leaders during the band's down time…

Covering the breadth of Beethoven’s complete output, this updated 86-CD box set is a staggering collection featuring performers including Alfred Brendel, Sir Colin Davis, David Zinman, Herbert Blomstedt, Staatskapelle Dresden and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Featured works include: Symphonies, Piano Concertos, Violin Concerto & Romances, Overtures and other orchestral works, Fidelio, Leonore, Septet, Sextet, String Quintets, String Quartets, String Trios, Violin Sonatas, Cello Sonatas, Chamber music for flute, Music for winds and brass, Piano Quintet, Clarinet Trio, Piano Sonatas & Variations, Songs, Masses.

This truly international ensemble drawn from Japan, Germany and the USA discloses a Newly Planted Thuringian Pleasure Garden virtually unknown on disc. Johann Rudolf Able (1625-73) worked at St Blasius Church in Muhlhausen (a predecessor there of JS Bach), but his stylistic lineage is clearly from Venice and Gabrieli, via Schiitz. Into his ‘garden’ Ahle ‘transplanted… new spiritual musical plants with three to ten and more parts’. The selection here uses four lucid voices, a cornetto and four trombones, a pair of violins and continue organ.