Kay Parker

Depending on the nature of the person involved, success either dictates more and more compulsive activity, or else it permits relaxation. With Cannonball Adderley, the latter certainly appears to be the case; and this album can, among other things, serve as a testimonial to the truth of this impression. Adderley is undeniably a successful, widely-acclaimed artist, and it may seem to some that his success came quickly. But it is more in the nature of what one night-club comic once referred to bitterly as "my overnight success after fifteen years." To recap briefly, Cannonball came up to New York in the mid-'5Os with a thorough background as a player and teacher in Florida, and soon found himself lauded, recorded, and a working bandleader.

In the process of offering a survey of great Ellington vocalists, this collection provides a seredipitous overview of the sound of the band itself from the 1930s through the 1950s. Of course, Ellington's output was enormous, and enormously varied, and no one collection of 16 tracks could do the diversity of his oevre justice, but focusing on vocal arrangements provides an intriguing window on this situation. Among other pleasures, this collection provides the thrill of going to the source. "It Don't Mean A Thing," is heard here in its debut incarnation, with Ivie Anderson's stealthy opening scat, and wah-wah plunger riffs played by the very trumpet section that was in the process of defining that style for all time…

The Complete Capitol Singles Collection is a 1996 box set by the American singer Frank Sinatra. This four-disc set contains all the singles —A-sides and B-sides—that Sinatra recorded for Capitol Records between 1953 and 1960. Among them are duets with Bing Crosby, Keely Smith, June Hutton, and the Nuggets, who provided vocal backing at a 1955 session where Sinatra made two forays into rock 'n' roll. Those songs, along with about 20 others, make their first appearance on compact disc with this set. The packaging includes many photographs, detailed session notes, and a long essay by Will Friedwald, who explains that Sinatra followed a "singles aesthetic" that set these songs quite apart from the "concept" albums he was recording simultaneously for Capitol.

Sonny Stitt - Sonny Stitt Meets Sadik Hakim (1978) {Progressive Records PCD-7034 rel 2013}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 376 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 142 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1978, 2013 Progressive Records | PCD-7034
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone / Piano

Sadik Hakim (whose original name was Argonne Thornton) played with a few notable names from the bop era (including Charlie Parker) but has long been a somewhat obscure pianist. His "meeting" with Sonny Stitt (who splits his time here evenly between alto and tenor) was about as high profile as he ever got. With bassist Buster Williams and drummer J.R. Mitchell completing the quartet, Stitt is in his usual fine form on five veteran standards, a pair of blues-based originals and Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." The music is not essential but has its heated moments; recommended for bop fans.