The Tenor Scene

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis & Johnny Griffin - The Tenor Scene (1961) {Prestige OJCCD-940-2 rel 1997}
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© 1961, 1997 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-940-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

Formerly knows as The Breakfast Show, the music on this CD reissue was one of four albums cut by the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis-Johnny Griffin quintet during a single evening. With swinging support provided by pianist Junior Mance, bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley, the two combative but complementary tenors stretch out on lengthy versions of Lockjaw's "Light and Lovely," "Straight No Chaser" and "I'll Remember April," plus more concise renditions of "Woody'n You" and Davis' "Bingo Domingo." The straight-ahead music contains plenty of sparks; this was a classic group.

King Curtis - The New Scene Of King Curtis (1960) {Prestige-New Jazz OJCCD-198-2 rel 1992}
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© 1960, 1992 Prestige-New Jazz / Fantasy | OJCCD-198-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

When most listeners think of King Curtis, jazz comes to mind. It is instrumental jazz that has strong R&B and even rock 'n' roll sensibilities. Some might even consider what King Curtis played as simply instrumental R&B. Forget about all of that. Set aside the King Curtis that you thought you knew. This is the King playing straight jazz. As one of King Curtis' first albums, this is a serious, straight jazz effort. This 1960 release is a timeless gem.

Still riding the success of his triumphant concert at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Duke Ellington in 1958 decided to reduce his touring orchestra to a nonet dubbed "the Spacemen" in 1958, and recorded this lone project with them for the Columbia label…

In 1949, producer Norman Granz released a remarkable album of 78s that consisted of a dozen selections (many of them specially recorded for the occasion) that perfectly summed up the modern jazz scene of the time. The deluxe set consisted of two Duke Ellington features for baritonist Harry Carney with strings, a pair of complex Neal Hefti arrangements, small-group sides by Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and altoist Willie Smith, Machito's "Tanga," major works by arrangers Ralph Burns and George Handy and, the piece de resistance, Coleman Hawkins' pioneering unaccompanied tenor solo "Picasso."

Duke Ellington's Spacemen - The Cosmic Scene (1958) {Mosaic Singles MCD-1001 rel 2006}
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© 1958, 2006 Columbia / Mosaic Records / Sony BMG Music | MCD-1001 | Mosaic Singles Series
Jazz / Small Group / Progressive Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Piano

Still riding the success of his triumphant concert at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Duke Ellington in 1958 decided to reduce his touring orchestra to a nonet dubbed "the Spacemen" in 1958, and recorded this lone project with them for the Columbia label. Perhaps inspired by the first orbiting satellites, Ellington is not taking cues from George Russell or Sun Ra, whose extraterrestrial inspirations led them down even more progressive paths.