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1951-1952 (2003). In response to shortsighted comments implying that Stan Getz and Zoot Sims sounded too much like each other and too similar to Lester Young, Ira Gitler liked to use the analogy of "…a friend calling you on the telephone. You know who it is immediately. It's the same thing when you hear a musician play." The secret, of course, is to listen so carefully and consistently that you feel as though you have become a friend of the artist. This sort of empathy is a vital ingredient in jazz - the empathy between composers, players, and listeners. Hearing Stan Getz recorded live in performance at Boston's Storyville club on October 28, 1951, spells it out marvelously. Backed by pianist Al Haig, guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Tiny Kahn, Getz sounds as though he has arrived at a hard-won maturity…

By the time Columbus Calvin Pearson Jr. arrived in New York in early 1959, he had studied piano, mellophone, baritone, trumpet, and bass. Although best known for his innovative arrangements for Blue Note, he was a pianist at heart, and Profile, recorded within the demanding context of the trio, was his first album as a leader. This is fine, mellow music that makes you feel good. "Like Someone in Love" is a bit up-tempo. "Black Coffee" is a slower composition that captures the need to shake off early-morning cobwebs. "Taboo" is mystical, with the introduction and bridge in different, yet completely complementary tempos. "I'm Glad There Is You" is soft. Mr. Pearson composed "Gate City Blues" and "Two Mile Run": the former is understated elegance; the latter is set in a minor key, with a nice exchange between piano and drums after a bass solo…

The complex music on this LP finds bassist Charles Mingus looking toward contemporary classical music in some of the rather cool-toned arrangements. It was not until later in 1955 that he found the right combination of influences in which to express himself best but these slightly earlier performances have their moments. Four of the selections feature tenor-saxophonist Teo Macero, pianist Wally Cirillo, drummer Kenny Clarke and Mingus in a quartet while the other five tracks showcase a sextet with Macero, George Barrow on tenor and baritone and clarinetistaltoist John La Porta.

Urbie Green has spent most of his career as a studio musician rather than leading many of his own recordings, but this early date as a leader (originally issued by Bethlehem) showed that the trombonist had lots of promise. With arrangements and several strong compositions by the now-obscure Marion Evans, Green is accompanied by a strong group, including Danny Bank, Oscar Pettiford, Osie Johnson, and Al Cohn (identified on the initial release under the pseudonym Ike Horowitz). The very hushed take of "On Green Dolphin Street" features the leader's mellow trombone and the fine muted trumpet of Doug Mettone, while "Three Little Words" is an effortless swinger. Cohn adds a twist with several top-notch bass clarinet solos. Finally reissued by Avenue Jazz in 2001, this rewarding cool jazz date has stood the test of time rather well and is worth purchasing.

On these 1955 quartet sessions, whether on alto or tenor saxophone, we hear Charlie Mariano play some of the strongest and most impressive sides he had recorded until then. He was backed by a solid rhythm section, featuring the stabbing and leanly imaginative pianist John Williams, the striding beat of Max Bennett, and the always tasteful drumming of Mel Lewis. All the tracks are marked by a pulse and a flow and deftness which demand satisfactory attention.

If you want to hear how Frank Morgan sounded during his youth, the first album to purchase is the 1955 gem Introducing Frank Morgan. After that, look for Bird Calls, Vol. 2, a reissue spotlighting Morgan in 1954 and fellow alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce in 1955. The main things that the two bop sessions have in common are the presence of drummer Kenny Clarke and the influence of Charlie Parker - Morgan and Gryce were both greatly influenced by Bird's playing yet had attractive tones of their own. Morgan was only 21 when the 1954 session was recorded, and the altoist forms a sextet with tenor saxman Walter Benton and pianist Gerald Wiggins as well as three-fourths of the Modern Jazz Quartet's original pre-Connie Kay lineup: Clarke, vibist Milt Jackson, and bassist Percy Heath…

Long regarded as one of the jazz worlds most unsung heroes, Hank Jones tasty fireworks and subtle improvisation finally started getting the recognition they deserved in the mid-Fifties. In fact, from 1953 practically every album released by Savoy in that era included Hank Jones on piano. Less than two years later he joined forces with the dependable bassist Wendell Marshall and the always-swinging drummer Kenny Clarke and found hisideal trio. As he put it, a good rhythm section must have the ability to think together as a unit, to all have the same type of drive. After they had worked as a unit on several recording dates for Savoy, most of the critics and jazz fans acclaimed The Trio (as they were called) as the most outstanding rhythm section of their time.

Various Artists - Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano (1935-1941) {3CD Set, Mosaic Select MS-030 rel 2008}
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© 1935-41, 2008 Mosaic Records / Sony BMG | MS-030
Jazz / Blues / Jazz Blues

While most Mosaic limited-edition boxed sets concentrate on recordings by an individual bandleader or a single record label, Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano features sessions by a number of different artists from several labels active in the 1930s and early '40s, when boogie-woogie was very popular. Fifteen different pianists are featured (if one counts Lionel Hampton playing two fingered-duo piano in a band setting), though it is the giants of the genre, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Jimmy Yancey who are given the most exposure.