Granz

Various Artists - The Complete Norman Granz Jam Sessions (2004) {5CD Box Set Verve B0003252-02 QS01 rec 1952-1954}
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© 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.

JATP concerts from the 1940s were documented in 1998 on a 10-CD Verve boxed set. But until now, the 1950s concerts have been passed over for a retrospective. In fact, since the CD era began very little of the material from that span has been available at all.

Various Artists - Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl (1956) {2CD Hip-O Select-Verve B0015738-02 rel 2011}
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© 1956, 2011 Hip-O Select / Verve | B0015738-02
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Swing

This double LP was the first jazz concert ever recorded at the Hollywood Bowl (and only the second one held at that L.A. institution). Although not an official Jazz at the Philharmonic concert, it has the same basic format and was also produced by Norman Granz. Trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Harry "Sweets" Edison, tenors Flip Phillips and Illinois Jacquet, the Oscar Peterson Trio and drummer Buddy Rich all jam on "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and there is also a ballad medley and a drum solo by Rich. In addition the Oscar Peterson Trio plays two numbers, the remarkable pianist Art Tatum (in one of his final appearances) has four, Ella Fitzgerald sings six songs (including a scat-filled "Airmail Special") and collaborates with Louis Armstrong on two others. For the grand finale nearly everyone returns to the stage for "When the Saints Go Marching In" which Armstrong sings and largely narrates, cheerfully introducing all of the participants. This is a historic and very enjoyable release featuring more than its share of classic greats.

As the Classics Chronological Series works its way into the early and mid-'50s, the magnitude of producer Norman Granz's achievement becomes increasingly apparent. Some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time - Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, Lester Young - were signed by Granz at a time when many Afro-American jazz musicians were struggling to get steady work, and jazz in general was beginning to take a back seat to pop vocals, R&B and rock & roll. Drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich had only just begun to lead a big band when the post-WWII restructuring of the entertainment industry edged him out. He was able to continue making records by working with smaller groups, oftentimes at recording sessions supervised by Norman Granz…

John Coltrane - Afro Blue Impressions (1963) {2CD Pablo 40 Years rel 2013}
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© 1963, 2013 Pablo / Concord Music | 00 8880 723 460-5 5
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

Two-CD set commemorates both the 40th anniversary of Pablo Records and the 50th anniversary of the recordings. LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Concord Music Group will reissue a remastered and expanded edition of John Coltrane’s Afro Blue Impressions album on August 20, 2013 (international release dates vary). Enhanced by 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, three bonus tracks, and new liner notes, the new reissue celebrates the 40th anniversary of Pablo Records, the jazz label founded by Norman Granz in 1973.

Miles Davis - So What: The Complete 1960 Amsterdam Concerts (2013) {2CD Japan Edition FNCJ-5612~13}
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© 2013 Dutch Jazz Archive / 55 Records | FNCJ-5612~13
Jazz / Modal Music / Hard Bop / Trumpet

Some performances get talked about decades after they happened. It's all about "you had to be there" and if you would believe all the people who claimed to be present at such a show, the venue would have collapsed. Two of those shows are now released in full. Trumpet maestro Miles Davis performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on April 9 and October 15, 1960. John Coltrane was on sax in April and his replacement Sonny Stitt played in October. With Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Miles Davis was on fire both nights.

Oscar Peterson - Debut: The Clef/Mercury Duo Recordings 1949-1951 (2009) {3CD Set, Verve–Hip-O Select ‎B0012950-02}
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© 1949-51, 2009 Verve / Hip-O Select ‎| B0012950-02
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Bop / Piano

Piano giant Oscar Peterson's professional career spanned approximately 60 years and produced a prolific amount of recordings, though most of what he waxed during his first two decades was for labels launched by jazz impresario Norman Granz. But Peterson's early duo recordings have been neglected during the CD era until this comprehensive, three-CD set of his duets with Ray Brown or Major Holley made between 1949 and 1951.