Pent

Chet Baker - Chet Is Back! (1962) {Bluebird First Editions Series rel 2003}
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© 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.

Paul Bley - Play Blue. Oslo Concert (2014) {ECM}
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© 2014 ECM Records | ECM 2373
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Free Improvisation / Piano

A rare solo performance by one of jazz’s great originals, Canadian pianist Paul Bley, recorded live at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2008 by Jan Erik Kongshaug and Manfred Eicher. There is nothing else quite like a Paul Bley concert. As the New York Times noted, “Mr. Bley long ago found a way to express his long, elegant, voluminous thoughts in a manner that implies complete autonomy from its given setting but isn't quite free jazz.

Pepper Adams - Urban Dreams (1981) {Quicksilver Records QSCD-4006 rel 2003}
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© 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.

Recorded just a year before his death, this English album (releasing previously unknown music for the first time in 1986) is about the only one released from Bobby Jaspar's final four years.

With Torvik's strong melodies leading the way, Kaldefoss Tveite and Aarnes Vik tread assuredly but lightly close by. Focused, attentive, and understanding rather than reined in, sometimes taking center stage as Torvik leans back. The approach is one of openness and fluidity, the trio moving seamlessly from one stage to the next, investigating new connections between various pop form and jazz. As such, Northwestern Songs is proof that there is still plenty of ways to explore the piano trio format.

The Rosenberg Trio continues the tradition of the Gypsy swing of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, though in a stripped-down format consisting of lead guitar (Stochelo Rosenberg), rhythm guitar (Nous'che Rosenberg), and bass (Nonnie Rosenberg). While the trio successfully delves into the 1930s repertoire of Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, including a vigorous workout of their "Minor Swing" and a lyrical setting of "Nuages," along with swing tunes from the era, they are very open to other styles. Their rapid-fire take of Sonny Rollins' "Pent-Up House" (a favorite of Grappelli during the 1970s) and an engaging take of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" demonstrate their ability to convert bop vehicles into Gypsy swing, something they accomplish equally well with the music of Chick Corea…

Paul Bley & Sonny Greenwich - Outside In (1994) {Justin Time Just 69-2}
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© 1995 Justin Time Records | Just 69-2
Jazz / Progressive Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano / Guitar

RIP Paul Bley. In memory of Paul Bley. Paul Bley, a jazz pianist whose thoughtful but intuitive commitment to advanced improvisation became widely influential, died of natural causes Sunday. He was 83. This duet set by pianist Paul Bley and guitarist Sonny Greenwich, after two melodic solos by Greenwich and Bley's feature on "Arrival," becomes a loose bop session. "Meandering" is a blues and, in the tradition of Lennie Tristano, the origins of the originals "Willow" and "You Are" are not too difficult to figure out. The music does meander a bit but mostly swings in a floating way. Although there are some freer moments, this is as straight as Paul Bley has played on records in years and Sonny Greenwich also sounds fairly conservative, at least if one does not listen too closely. It's a relaxed and very interesting set.