Mcmaster

Jackie McLean - Tippin' The Scales (1962) {Blue Note CDP 7 84427 2, Ron McMaster rel 1989}
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© 1962, 1989 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7 84427 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Recorded in between his modernist masterpieces Let Freedom Ring and One Step Beyond, Tippin' the Scales finds Jackie McLean returning to a safer, more straightforward hard bop scenario for a short spell. Since the album wasn't really in keeping with the direction McLean was heading (and since that direction proved to be successful), it stayed in the vaults for 22 years before finally seeing the light of day in 1984. As one might expect, given the nearly universal quality of McLean's Blue Note output, Tippin' the Scales is solid from top to bottom, even if it's not nearly as forward-looking as its predecessor.

Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit Complete Sessions (1961) {2CD Ron McMaster 24-bit Deluxe Edition}
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© 1961, 2000 Roulette Jazz / EMI | 7243 5 24546 2 4
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were (and are) two of the main stems of jazz. Any way you look at it, just about everything that's ever happened in this music leads directly – or indirectly – back to them. Both men were born on the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries, and each became established as a leader during the middle '20s. Although their paths had crossed from time to time over the years, nobody in the entertainment industry had ever managed to get Armstrong and Ellington into a recording studio to make an album together. On April 3, 1961, producer Bob Thiele achieved what should be regarded as one of his greatest accomplishments; he organized and supervised a seven-and-a-half-hour session at RCA Victor's Studio One on East 24th Street in Manhattan, using a sextet combining Duke Ellington with Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars.

Jimmy Smith - Standards (1959) {Blue Note 21282, Ron McMaster, rel 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 407 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb
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© 1957-59, 1998 Blue Note / Capitol Records | 7243 8 21282 2 9
Jazz / Hard Bop/ Soul Jazz / Organ

Jimmy Smith's "Standards" album is a delightful look at the greatest of all jazz organists in a relaxed trio setting. Recorded over three sessions from 1957-59, "Standards" is not a greatest hits type collection. If anything it should be viewed as a companion piece to "Home Cookin" (much like "The Sermon" and "House Party" go together) as both CDs derive most of their material from 7/15/58 and 5/24/59 sessions. Like so many jazz releases, all the upbeat numbers from the recording dates went to one title ("Home Cookin") and all the contemplative ballads to another (originally on vinyl as "On The Sunny Side" and now on CD as "Standards", as it should be noted that the last half of "Standards" had never previously been issued.)

Art Blakey & James Moody - New Sounds (1948) {Blue Note, Ron McMaster rel 1991}
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© 1947-48, 1991 Blue Note / Capitol-EMI | CDP 7 84436 2
Jazz / Bop / Drums / Saxophone

This historically significant LP collects together two sessions led by tenor saxophonist James Moody in 1948 (when he was a member of Dizzy Gillespie's big band) along with drummer Art Blakey's first recording date as a leader. Moody's music features boppish arrangements by Gil Fuller and solos by trumpeter Dave Burns, altoist Ernie Henry, and baritonist Cecil Payne, while the Blakey set (originally released under the title of Art Blakey's Messengers) features an octet that includes trumpeter Kenny Dorham, altoist Sahib Shihab, and pianist Walter Bishop. Classic and rare music.

Sonny Clark - Standards (1958) {Blue Note 724382128328, Ron McMaster rel 1998)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 402 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 148 Mb
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© 1958, 1998 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 8 21283 2 8
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Piano

The sessions that comprise the 14-track Standards were recorded by Sonny Clark at the end of 1958, with the intention that his interpretations would be issued as 45-rpm singles. His takes on these 12 standards (two of the tracks are alternate takes) are exceptional. Supported by drummer Wes Landers and, on varying dates, either Paul Chambers or Jymie Merritt on bass, Clark turns in lyrical, sensitive renditions of "Dancing In the Dark," "All of You," "I Cover the Waterfront," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Black Velvet" and "I'm Just a Lucky So And So," among others. Although some of the performances are a little brief, limiting his opportunity to solo, Standards is a lovely collection of beautiful music that's a welcome addition to Clark's catalog.

Don Cherry - Complete Communion (1965) {Blue Note 22673 rel 2000, Ron McMaster}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 266 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
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© 1965, 2000 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 5 22673 2 3 | Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Cornet

Arguably the best of Cherry's albums for Blue Note – and a real masterpiece of soulful avant playing! The group features Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor (and he's incredible, by the way!), Henry Grimes on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. Grimes and Blackwell are more than just timekeepers – and deliver a lot of the melody of the session, yet still never lose their sense of swing. Barbieri's fragile raw tone proves to be a good one to work with Cherry, even if there are a few touches of Ornette in his playing. The album's divided up into 2 long suites – "Complete Communion" and "Elephantasy" – both of which are excellent. A real treat – with no sloppiness, lots of fresh ideas, and a good sense of both freedom and control!

Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures (1966) {Blue Note CDP 7 84237 2 rel 1987, Ron McMaster}
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© 1966, 1987 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7 84237 2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative / Piano

One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade!

Hank Mobley - Far Away Lands (1967) {Blue Note CDP 7 84425 2 rel 1995, Ron McMaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 223 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
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© 1967, 1995 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7 84425 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Of all the Blue Note artists of the 1960s, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley may very well be the most underrated. A consistent player whose style evolved throughout the decade, Mobley wrote a series of inventive and challenging compositions that inspired the all-stars he used on his recordings while remaining in the genre of hard bop. For this lesser-known outing, Mobley teams up with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Billy Higgins for four of his songs (given such colorful titles as "A Dab of This and That," "No Argument," "The Hippity Hop," and "Bossa for Baby"), along with a song apiece from Byrd and Jimmy Heath. An excellent outing, fairly late in the productive career of Hank Mobley.

Booker Little - Booker Little 4 & Max Roach (1958) {Blue Note, CDP 7 84457 2 rel 1991, Ron McMaster}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 268 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 121 Mb
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© 1958, 1991 Blue Note / Capital-EMI Music | CDP 7 84457 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet / Drums

This CD reissue features trumpeter Booker Little at the beginning of his tragically brief career. The first six selections find the distinctive soloist playing with a quintet also including the young tenor George Coleman, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Art Davis, and drummer Max Roach (who was his regular employer at the time). Little contributed three now-obscure originals and also plays two standards and an early version of Miles Davis' "Milestones." The remainder of the CD has lengthy versions of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Blue 'n Boogie" from a jam session that matched Little with fellow Memphis-based players including Coleman, altoist Frank Strozier, and the masterful pianist Phineas Newborn. Overall, this forward-looking hard bop set is easily recommended.