Monk, Trane, Miles

Larry Coryell - Monk, Trane, Miles & Me (1999) {HighNote Records HCD7028 rec 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 307 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 135 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 HighNote Records | HCD 7028
Jazz / Post Bop / Guitar

This recording properly acknowledges Coryell's main influences, swings nicely, delves into his under-appreciated mellow side, and reaffirms his status as an enduring jazz guitarist who still has plenty to say. Gone are the flash and the kamikaze riffs in favor of lean chords and structured, sensible, slightly gritty linear improvisations. Tributes to his heroes fall along standard company lines. Still, there's a lingering trace of the steely, hair-trigger old days of fusion in his interpretation of Thelonious Monk's spastic "Trinkle Tinkle" with tenor saxophonist Willie Williams. For contrast is the warm, spiritual blanket of John Coltrane's "Naima" and the forthright reading of the 12-bar blues "Up 'Gainst the Wall" featuring Williams.

Universally regarded as one of the greatest collaborations between the two most influential musicians in modern jazz (Miles Davis notwithstanding), the Jazzland sessions from Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane should be recognized on other levels. While the mastery of the principals is beyond reproach, credit should also be given to peerless bassist Wilbur Ware, as mighty an anchor as anyone could want. These 1957 dates also sport a variety in drummerless trio, quartet, septet, or solo piano settings, all emphasizing the compelling and quirky compositions of Monk. A shouted-out, pronounced "Off Minor" and robust, three-minute "Epistrophy" with legendary saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Gigi Gryce, and the brilliant, underappreciated trumpeter Ray Copeland are hallmark tracks that every jazz fan should revere…

With MMTC, the rock-solid torchbearer Freddie Hubbard pays tribute to his illustrious influences. With a tight and reverent ensemble of hot young players behind him, Hubbard delivers eight uncompromising classics, mixing his own compositions with those of Coltrane, Monk, and Davis. There's also the tender "Song My Lady Sings," by Charles Lloyd, the echo of a live '60s recording by Cannonball Adderley. Hubbard fires through a charged tempo in Coltrane's "Naima," showcasing the talents of his young accomplices, among them Javon Jackson on tenor saxophone and Vincent Herring on alto. The tunes penned by Hubbard, "Spirit of Trane," "One of a Kind," "Monk," and "Cannon" demonstrate a deep understanding of each of these legendary figures. This effort was recorded in 1995 and is, in a sense, a collaboration of the best three generations of jazz have to offer.

Miles Davis - Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings 1951-1956 (1987) {Prestige, 8PCD 012-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 3.07 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.28 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 44 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1951-56, 1987 Prestige / Fantasy / ZYX | 8PCD 012-2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trumpet

This CD compilation presents, on 8 discs, 17 recording sessions made between 1951 and late 1956 by the extraordinary trumpeter, leader, composer, and perpetual catalyst–Miles Davis. Featured in this collection are such major artists as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, and the original Davis Quintet: John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. The expanse of Miles Davis's recordings for Prestige Records, the California analogue to New York's Blue Note, is huge. In terms of artistic development, the eight CDs in this box span Davis's development from tentative searching through the full bloom of his first great quintet, whose frontline boasted Davis and a young John Coltrane.

The first of 100 tunes in this collection is a 1937 recording of tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and guitarist Django Reinhardt playing Out Of Nowhere. It was recorded two years before Blue Note Records was founded. The taping was done for EMI’s Capitol label’s French division. This is an ominous hint as to the content of the 10-disc “100 Best of Blue Note” box set, which at first glance appears to have all the trimmings of a slick 21st century collection.

The seminal quartet recordings compiled on this collection were made during a transitional period in John Coltrane's musical career. He had first joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955 and would form his own celebrated quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones in 1960. In the intervening years, he overcame his narcotics addiction and began to expand on his own musical ideas while experimenting with both the Thelonious Monk Quartet and the Miles Davis Sextet (featuring Bill Evans and Cannonball Adderley). Although Trane belonged to both the Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk groups, he also recorded studio sessions with other musicians and presented his own albums during this period. Among them were many quartet sides, all of them featuring Red Garland on piano and Paul Chambers on bass (both of whom he had known from the Miles Davis Quintet).

John Coltrane - Side Steps (2009) {5CD Box Set, Prestige PRS-31345 rec 1956-1958}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.27 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 915 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 3.19 Gb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-58, 2009 Prestige / Concord | PRS-31345 | 24bit remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

The artistic prowess of saxophonist John Coltrane was so expansive and influential - even in his own short lifetime, let alone in the decades since his death - that it's difficult to quantify or differentiate his significance as a leader, a collaborator, a sideman or any other role in the jazz idiom. What's certain, though, is that some of his most pivotal session work took place on the Prestige label in the 1950s.