Granz

A four-CD/digital box set titled The Founder, honouring the unique career of jazz figurehead Norman Granz, will be released by Verve/UMe on 7 December. It features a 44-track, chronological collection of music spanning his unique career, with recordings by most of the distinguished musicians he recorded.

From Norman Granz' great 1977 Festival, this DVD features Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with supporting performers Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Jimmie Smith.
Inarguably one of the most important figures in 20th-century American music, jazz impresario Norman Granz introduced live jazz to mainstream audiences with his Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series.

Various Artists - The Complete Norman Granz Jam Sessions (2004) {5CD Box Set Verve B0003252-02 QS01 rec 1952-1954}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 985 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 695 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 44 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1952-54, 2004 Verve / Universal | B0003252-02 QS01
Jazz / Bop / Bebop / Standards

The historic Norman Granz Jam Sessions, recorded between 1952-1954 for Clef and Mercury, are among the most treasured jam sets of all time. The nine separate albums featured the crème de la crème of New York's jazz community from Charlie Parker to Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Oscar Peterson, Lionel Hampton and Max Roach and dozens of others. This box set simply collects all nine LPs on five remastered CDs, containing original artwork in a slipcase that fits inside a handsome metal display box. The individual volumes are of consistently very high quality and are utterly indispensable to jazz aficionados. For those who already have the discs, this is merely superfluous. For those who don't, this is a pricey buy but a hell of a way to begin a jazz education.

Inarguably one of the most important figures in 20th-century American music, jazz impresario Norman Granz introduced live jazz to mainstream audiences with his Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series, founded four record labels including the legendary Verve Records, managed the careers of icons Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson, and produced a roster of some of the greatest artists in jazz history: Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Bud Powell, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, and many more. In addition, Granz was dedicated to fighting racism in America by refusing to play to segregated audiences, paying his artists well above average, and offering equal benefits to both black and white musicians all in the mid-1940s to late 1950s, years before the prominence of the burgeoning civil rights movement.

This two-DVD set includes several rare films featuring Duke Ellington in several different settings. Disc one documents his first appearance in the French Riviera at the Côte d'Azur in July 1966, with the pianist making intermittent commentary via voice-over between some selections. While the leader is stuck with an obviously substandard piano (with a horrid muddy bass range) and an outdoor setup that is not conducive to getting ideal sound, Ellington, being an old pro, does his best to make do with the conditions.

Norman Granz is one of the most important non-musicians in the history of Jazz and no one has made a greater contribution to the staging, recording and filming of Jazz concerts. This series of performances from the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival now makes a part of this legacy available on DVD for the first time.Milt Jackson is recognized as one of the finest vibraphone players ever to grace a Jazz stage, whether with the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet of collaborating with other great musicians.