Satin Doll

Although Charlie Byrd recorded dozens of quality albums, the 1960s weren't one of his best decades. Although his guitar work was excellent, as always, it tended to get buried in awkward arrangements of the latest Beatles' songs. As a result, his music often sounded cheesy. It's a rare pleasure, then, to listen to Solo Flight, which was recorded for Riverside in 1965. With no distracting accompaniment, Byrd cuts to the musical chase and delivers 11 lovely, succinct guitar suites. He combines a smooth blend of chords and solo runs, much as Joe Pass would later do, on favorites like "Satin Doll" and "Easy Living," along with fun oddities like "House of the Rising Sun." Unlike Pass, Byrd approaches a song like "Am I Blue" in a fairly simple, straightforward manner, more interested in the melody than virtuosity…

This is an eight-CD set more for Duke Ellington fanatics than for general listeners. Originally, some of the music came out as a two-LP set (Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur) and a single album (Ellington's Soul Call), but the great majority of the material was previously unreleased when this box came out in 1998.

Duke Ellington - The Complete Capitol Recordings Of Duke Ellington (1995) {5CD Box Set Mosaic MD5-160 rec 1953-1955}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.84 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 799 Mb
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© 1953-55, 1995 Capitol Records / Mosaic Records | MD5-160
Jazz / Big Band / Swing

Historians and some Duke Ellington fans look askance at the brief period he spent on Capitol Records (1953-55). This was a hectic period in jazz, with bebop in the near-view, hard bop coming along as well, and the big band was considered by many to be a relic of bygone eras. Yet Ellington persevered, and not without another adversity: the temporary loss of signature alto player Johnny Hodges, who was off leading his own bands. The resulting five CDs worth of material collected here show an Ellington band more aimed at repetition, both of its own repertoire, which had sounded better in the 1940s, and of other bands' material.

Buddy Rich - Argo, Emarcy & Verve Small Group Sessions (1953-61) [7CD Set] (2005) {Mosaic MD7-232}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.17 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.02 Gb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Mosaic / Universal | MD7-232 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Bop / Drums

Buddy Rich, the most remarkable drummer to ever play jazz, can easily have his career divided into three. During 1937-1945 he was a notable sideman with big bands including those of Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey. In 1966 he formed his own successful orchestra that capitulated him to his greatest fame. During the 20 years in between, Rich led short-lived bebop big bands, a variety of combos, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recorded with all-star groups, and had stints with the orchestras of Dorsey and Harry James. This seven-CD set draws its material from Rich's second period and it can also be divided into two. The first half has Rich recording for producer Norman Granz in a variety of combos.

Los Angeles based composer/arranger/band leader Onzy Matthews was in many ways a poor man's equivalent to peers like Gerald Wilson, Oliver Nelson, Manny Albam, and Bill Holman. Perhaps as obscure a jazz musician as there has been in recent memory, Matthews was no less talented, but in fact a specialist whose style was based in blues, also veering into other areas that showcased his interest in diverse music.

A Classical concerto performed by the Orchestra and also American Songbook Standards performed by Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Laub (guitar duets). Here’s another gem from Bucky Pizzarelli and Arbors Records. It opens with a classical ensemble by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedeso: Tedesco Concerto No. 1 in D, opus 99. This work is about twenty-two minutes long and Bucky is accompanied by a ten-piece ensemble with players whose careers encompass both classical and jazz. Remainder of the recordings on this CD are from the Great American Songbook. Most, if not all, the songs will be familiar to the average jazzfan. They include: Send in the Clowns, Laura, Stardust, Satin Doll, I’m Through with Love and I’ll Never Be the Same. The recording concludes with that great Gordon Jenkins tune, Goodbye, which was for many years Benny Goodman’s closing theme…