Thad Jones & Mel Lewis

One doesn't automatically think of big bands when remembering late-'60s jazz, though big bands like the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra continued to make stimulating recordings. Central Park North, recorded and released in 1969, testifies that one could be a big band and progressive at the same time. Flügelhornist Jones and percussionist Lewis are joined by a large cast of players, including tenor Joe Farrell, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and pianist Roland Hanna. The music runs the gauntlet from funky soul-jazz to more gentle traditional work, sometimes within the same piece. Jones' "Tow Away Zone" begins like a rather typical late-'60s composition (horns and organ with a soulful groove), but as the individual players cut loose with excellent solo work – built within a multi-layered arrangement – the piece takes on a character of its own.

This CD reissues one of Joe Williams' finest recordings. Accompanied by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, the singer is heard at the peak of his powers. The big band primarily functions as an ensemble (Snooky Young gets off some good blasts on "Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning"), but the inventive Thad Jones arrangements ensure that his illustrious sidemen have plenty to play. Many of the selections (half of which have been in the singer's repertoire ever since) are given definitive treatment on this set (particularly a humorous "Evil Man Blues," "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," and "Smack Dab in the Middle"), and Williams scats at his best on "It Don't Mean a Thing."

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra With Rhoda Scott (a.k.a. Rhoda Scott in New York with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra) is a 1976 big band jazz album recorded by jazz organist Rhoda Scott with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the Barclay (France) record label.

Thad Jones & Mel Lewis - The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Quartet (1977) {A&M CD-0830 rel 1989 remastered}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 352 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 149 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar | digitally mastered
© 1977, 1989 Artists House / Fantasy Records / A&M Records | CD-0830
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Cornet / Piano Trio

This is one of the finest small-group sessions of cornetist Thad Jones' career. With strong and very alert assistance from drummer Mel Lewis (his co-leader in their celebrated big band), pianist Harold Danko, and bassist Rufus Reid, Jones plays at his peak on six standards, two of which were issued for the initial time on this CD reissue. Four of the songs are at least nine minutes long (two are over 15 minutes), yet Jones never loses his momentum. The musicians constantly surprise each other and there are many spontaneous moments during this often brilliant outing.

The second recording by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra is the equal of the first. Most memorable here are "Little Pixie," Fats Waller's "Willow Tree," and particularly, the spirited "Don't Git Sassy." With arrangements by Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Garnett Brown, and an all-star cast that includes trumpeters Snooky Young, Marvin Stamm and Richard Gene Williams, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, the reeds of Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Joe Farrell, Eddie Daniels and Pepper Adams (all of whom solo), pianist Roland Hanna and bassist Richard Davis, among others, this was one of the great big bands.