Pent

The cultured piano style of Kenny Barron has graced many albums in the last half century. He is an easy swinger deeply admired for his nonpareil musicianship and innate sensitivity to the needs of his musical companions of the moment. Born in 1943 he was gigging with Philly Joe Jones at sixteen and soon playing in a band with his tenor saxist brother Bill. In 1962 he was hired by Dizzy Gillespie and the five year stint he had with Dizzy established him firmly on the jazz scene throughout the world.

Didier Lockwood - Tribute To Stephane Grappelli (2000) {Dreyfus Jazz FDM 36611-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 302 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 151 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2000 Dreyfus Jazz | FDM 36611-2
Jazz / Post-Bop / Violin

Violinist Didier Lockwood tackled a formidable task by dedicating an entire CD to the legendary violinist Stephane Grappelli, who died just shy of his 90th birthday in December, 1997. Although Grappelli's influence on his playing is obvious at times, he is no carbon copy. He generally has a darker tone and doesn't use nearly as many up-tempo runs. With two brilliant partners, bassist Niels Pedersen (who worked with Grappelli on a few dates) and guitarist Birelli Lagrene, Lockwood does a credible job.

Pepper Adams - Urban Dreams (1981) {Quicksilver Records QSCD-4006 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 27 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1981, 2003 Palo Alto / Quicksilver Records | QSCD-4006 | 24bit digital from original analog tape
Jazz / Post-Bop / Hard Bop / Baritone Saxophone

It is a real pity that this session from baritonist Pepper Adams was for a now-defunct label for it is one of his best recordings. Adams, accompanied quite tastefully by pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist George Mraz and drummer Billy Hart, sticks primarily to straightahead material and he often roars through such songs as "Dexter Rides Again," "Three Little Words" and "Pent Up House"; the ballad "Time On My Hands" and his title cut are fine change of paces.

Chet Baker - Chet Is Back! (1962) {Bluebird First Editions Series rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 296 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 153 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 2003 RCA / Bluebird | 09026-64020-2
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet

Having been reissued numerous times over the years under various titles, this Bluebird version of Chet Is Back! stands out as the definitive packaging of one of Chet Baker's best early-'60s recordings. Besides featuring the original artwork and liner notes – as well as detailed new liner notes from James Gavin, author of Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker – the real impetus to pick this up is the inclusion of four orchestral pop singles Baker recorded with Ennio Morricone around the same time as the album. Never before released in the U.S., these tracks were purportedly composed by the trumpeter/vocalist while serving jail time in Lucca, Italy after obtaining fake drug prescriptions.

During his extended "stay" in Europe circa the late '50s and early '60s, Chet Baker produced half a dozen albums for the Riverside Records subsidiary label Jazzland. On Chet Baker in Milan – the first of his overseas sides – Baker revisits the familiar stomping grounds of West Coast cool, even though he is the only American in the band. The basic quartet includes Chet Baker (trumpet), Renato Sellani (piano), Franco Serri (bass), and Gene Victory (drums). However, on a majority of the cuts, that unit is upgraded to a sextet with sax players Glauco Masetti (alto) and Gianno Basso (tenor). According to Peter Drew's brief liner notes essay, these Italian players were found by a local record label and arrangements were essentially retrofitted to suit Baker.