Wilbur Ware

Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane - The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings (2006) [2CD]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 652 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 239 Mb
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© 2006 Concord / Riverside | 88807230279 | 24-bit Remastering
Jazz / Hard Bop / Cool

This fine two-disc set brings together all the recordings Thelonious Monk made for the small, influential Riverside label in 1957. The piano eccentric cut excellent versions of some of his best compositions during that year, including "Off Minor," "Epistrophy," "Well, You Needn't," and the lovely "Ruby My Dear." The exhilarating saxophone work of John Coltrane makes these dates instant classics. Like most "complete sessions," the set features plenty of false starts and alternate takes that might seem extraneous to the casual fan, but Monk fanatics will be overjoyed at being provided with a glimpse into the brilliant artist's studio process.

Hank Mobley - The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions (1998) {6CD Box Set, Mosaic MD6-181 rec 1955-1958}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.88 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 960 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 209 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955-58, 1998 Blue Note / Mosaic Records / EMI | MD6-181
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

This is a typically remarkable box set from Mosaic. The six-CD limited-edition package has all of tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley's recordings as a leader for Blue Note from a three-year period, all of the music originally included in the albums titled The Hank Mobley Quartet, Hank Mobley Sextet, Hank Mobley & His All-Stars, Hank Mobley Quintet, Hank, Hank Mobley, Curtain Call, Poppin', and Peckin' Time; not a lot of imagination went into these records' original titles.

Sonny Clark - Dial "S" for Sonny (1957) {Blue Note 7243 8 75338 2 0, RVG Edition rel 2005}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 344 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 110 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 26 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2005 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 8 75338 2 0
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Piano

Dial "S" for Sonny, Sonny Clark's first session for Blue Note Records and his first session as a leader, is a terrific set of laidback bop, highlighted by Clark's liquid, swinging solos. Clark leads a first-rate group – Art Farmer (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Wilbur Ware (bass), Louis Hayes (drums) – through four originals and two standards, balancing the selections between swinging bop and reflective ballads. There are traces of Bud Powell in Clark's style, but he's beginning to come into his own, developing a style that's alternately edgy and charmingly relaxed. Mobley, Farmer and Fuller have their moments, but Clark steals the show in this set of fine, straight-ahead bop.

Archie Shepp - For Losers & Kwanza (2011) {Impulse! 2-on-1 Series Remaster rec 1970-1974}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 486 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 188 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 34 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970-74, 2011 Impulse! / Verve / Universal Music | 06007 5334722
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Spiritual Jazz / Modal Music / Saxophone

Archie Shepp started his career as a new thing firebrand, an acolyte of John Coltrane and a fierce advocate for civil rights. By the time these sessions were recorded in the late 60's and early 70's, Shepp had changed—developing a funky style of R&B tinged jazz that wasn't exactly fusion, but definitely showed an awareness of what people like James Brown and Sly Stone were up to. The first album on this 2-fer, is the rare disc For Losers, and it surprises you right from the jump with a straight up R&B tune called “Stick 'em Up," which wouldn't have sounded out of place on the AM radio of the time.

This largely successful Savoy reissue CD brings back an obscure session led by Charles Moffett who here mostly plays vibes and a bit of trumpet in addition to drums. He is teamed up with the underrated (and largely forgotten) tenor-saxophonist Paul Jeffrey, bassist Wilbur Ware and drummers Dennis O'Toole and seven-year old Codaryl Moffett. On some selections both O'Toole and Codaryl play drums and the latter proves to be able to hold his own even at such a young age; in fact Codaryl contributed two of the five originals. The songtitle "Avant Garde Got Soul Too" pretty well sums up this adventurous but often surprisingly melodic set.