Johnny Coles

Grant Green - Retrospective 1961-1966 (2002) {4CD Set Blue Note}
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© 1961-66, 2002 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 5 40851 2 3 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Guitar

Simply put, this is a very decent four-disc collection of the work of guitarist Grant Green. It features tracks from his many albums as a leader and some as a sideman with others, such as Lee Morgan, John Patton, Baby Face Willette, and Sonny Clark. His early-'60s sides are here along with most of his defining cuts from the '60s, from hard bop to soul-jazz to ballads to gospel – everything most fans would ever want is here, including his late blues sides recorded in the bars of Detroit in 1970. While Green's own albums can never be replaced, this is a solid portrait of one of the most influential jazz guitarists in history.

Duke Ellington was still touring in 1971, though his orchestra had lost many of his star soloists due to death or retirement, with the passing of Johnny Hodges being the greatest loss. The first ten tracks here initially appeared on the Polish bootleg LP Last Time, which utilized poorly edited excerpts of a radio broadcast of his Warsaw concert, resulting in losing the pacing of a typical show by the bandleader. At least this Gambit reissue identifies the songs correctly…

Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain (1959) {2CD Set, 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition rel 2009}
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© 1959, 2009 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | 88697 43949 2
Jazz / Modal Music / Cool / Trumpet

As most readers familiar with Miles Davis' music will know, `Sketches of Spain' recorded in 1959-60 was his third and final collaborative project with orchestral arranger Gil Evans. The original album release, distilled from the recording sessions, explored the musical styles of the Iberian Peninsula and has a distinctive feel quite different from Miles' other work: listeners familiar with classical music who never previously connected with jazz often found SoS to be an accessible gateway to other innovative jazz compositions of the era.

The great bassist and composer Charles Mingus had his diehard supporters and detractors. His explosive intermingling of devil may care attitude, imposing character and aggressive music was sure to rub some listeners the wrong way and was just as likely to attract adventurous fans. But his genius could not be denied; it just may have taken some time to break down barriers.

Clifford Jordan - Highest Mountain (1999) {2CD Set, Muse–Camden Deluxe 74321610752 rec 1976-1978}
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© 1976-78, 1999 Muse Records / Camden Deluxe / BMG | 74321 610752
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Saxophone

An excellent compilation containing all his four Muse albums less the vocal tracks from "Remembering Me-Me". Clifford Jordan really has not received the credit to which he is due , being very much in the shadow of other tenor titans of his generation - but that is a great shame,given the man's undoubted talent and ability. He first came to prominence under the inspired leadership of Charles Mingus in that great man's quintets/sextets of the mid-60's with no lesser band-mates than Eric Dolphy,Johnny Coles and Jaki Byard,and to my mind he certainly more than held his own in that exhalted company.

Miles Davis - Live In Den Haag (1960) {Lone Hill Jazz ‎LHJ10206 rel 2005}
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© 1960, 2005 Lone Hill Jazz ‎| LHJ10206
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Great live material from one of the most important pairings in modern jazz – recorded during the last months that John Coltrane was working with the Miles Davis Quintet! Recorded at the Kurhaus, Scheveningen, Den Haag, The Netherlands, April 9, 1960. Includes the complete concert plus rare radio and TV broadcasts by Miles & Coltrane from 1955 to 1959. Featuring John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb & Philly Joe Jones. Includes booklet with comprehensive liner notes.

This is part of the Columbia/Legacy Ken Burns JAZZ series.

Although Gil Evans had gained a lot of acclaim for his three collaborations with Miles Davis in the 1950s and his own albums, this CD contains (with the exception of two tracks purposely left off), Evans's only dates as a leader during 1961-68. The personnel varies on the six sessions that comprise the CD (which adds five numbers including two previously unreleased to the original Lp) with such major soloists featured as tenorman Wayne Shorter, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, trumpeter Johnny Coles and guitarist Kenny Burrell. Highlights include "Time of the Barracudas," "The Barbara Song," "Las Vegas Tango" and "Spoonful." Highly recommended to Gil Evans fans; it is a pity he did not record more during this era.

Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess (1958) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1205}
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© 1958, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1205 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Cool / Experimental Big Band / Trumpet

Of all Gil Evans' orchestral scores for soulmate Miles Davis, PORGY AND BESS is his richest and most ambitious–a watershed of modern jazz harmony which served to secure Davis' pop star stature and define his brooding mystique. Inevitably, even non-jazz listeners own a copy of PORGY AND BESS or SKETCHES OF SPAIN.