Johnny Coles

This is Pearson in full soul-jazz mode, driven deeply by the blues, with an all-star band (not all members play on all tunes): drummer Mickey Roker; Harold Vick on soprano; James Spaulding on flute and alto; bassist Bob Cranshaw; trumpeter Johnny Coles; tenor George Coleman; guitarist Gene Bertoncini; and Pearson on piano and celeste. Most of these tunes start out delicately, almost like chamber jazz (nearly MJQ style), moving around on small melodic figures. "The Fakir" begins with a tender, gentle flute solo by Spaulding, and uproots itself by turning into a massive Latin-style groover based on the rhythmic middle of "My Favorite Things." "Prairie Dog" opens with the horns playing a slow, drawling blues that Pearson fills with his piano…

James Moody - Return From Overbrook (1956-58) {Chess Original GRD-810 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 286 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 149 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-58, 1996 Argo / Chess / MCA / GRP | GRD-810
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Flute / Saxophone

Two of James Moody's better albums from the 1950's are reissued in full on this single Chess CD: Last Train From Overbrook and Flute 'N The Blues. The former session features Moody (on tenor, alto and flute) backed by ten horns and a four-piece rhythm section on a variety of strong straightahead material (including the title cut, "What's New," "Tico-Tico" and "The Moody One") while the latter is a septet outing that also has solos by trumpeter Johnny Coles, trombonist William Shepherd and baritonist Pee Wee Moore along with three memorable vocals from Eddie Jefferson. Recommended.

Like two of his other three albums, Tina Brooks' final session as a leader (in March 1961) was sequenced and prepared for release, but remained on the shelves until well after the tenor's tragically early death. That's why the title of The Waiting Game is not only apt, but sadly poignant. Despite Blue Note's reservations at the time, Brooks' output for the label was uniformly strong, demonstrating his skills as a smooth, graceful soloist and a composer of considerable dexterity within the hard bop idiom.

A.K. Salim - The Modern Sounds Of A.K. Salim, Complete Savoy Recordings 1957-1958 (2007) {2CD Set Fresh Sound FSR-CD 474}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 651 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 289 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 105 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957-58, 2007 Savoy / Fresh Sound Records | FSR-CD 474
Jazz / Bop

A.K. Salim (Ahmad Khatab Atkinson) was an ex-reed man who retired from playing in 1943 to arrange and compose for several jazz and Afro- Cuban bands. This 2-CD set draws together all the recordings he did as a leader for Savoy Records in 1957-1958. Most of his work here reflects Salim’s deep knowledge of blues and his arranger’s talent for setting down relatively simple lines combining down home traditionalism with harmonic sophistication. His unpretentious arrangements have an unmistakably visceral quality and offer a fine framework for the eloquently powerful soloists of both reed and brass sections.