The Stan Getz Quartet @ Chet Baker - Quintessence V2

Fans of Chet Baker know that the trumpeter and vocalist's career is divided into two distinctly different periods: His elegantly minimalist 1950s work where he helped define the "cool jazz" sound of the period, and his later efforts that were maddeningly inconsistent. This aural document from his later years--recorded in Oslo in 1983--falls into the latter category, and it's a decidedly mixed bag. Baker's voice is, sadly, far from in its top form, and his vocal performances here on standards like "Just Friends" and "But Not For Me" show him straining. Still, there are plenty of reasons to like this live recording. Stan Getz himself is in fine form throughout, his tenor saxophone tone still as rich and full-bodied as ever (especially on his gorgeous opening solo on "I'm Old Fashioned"), and his backing group (Jim McNeely on piano, George Mraz on bass and Victor Lewis on drums) swings superbly. Baker's trumpet playing was also in much finer form than his voice, and during his better moments here--as on his interplay with Getz on a lovely version of "Star Eyes"--a bit of his old self shines through.

Miles Davis - Blue Haze

Blue Haze is an album recorded in 1953 and 1954 by Miles Davis, for Prestige Records. The first track on the album is from the 3 April 1954 session which resulted in half of the album Walkin' (and was originally included on the 10" vinyl version of that album). The remainder is the result of two sessions on 19 May 1953 and 15 March 1954, the first being a quintet with John Lewis, Charles Mingus (on piano, not bass), Percy Heath and Max Roach, and the second a quartet with Horace Silver, Heath, and Art Blakey. Tracks 2 and 7 are wrongly credited as Davis compositions - they are both in fact by Eddie Vinson (see also Donna Lee for possible explanation of this). However, Vinson supposedly wrote these tunes for Davis, and this is probably how the confusion has occurred.

1.I'll Remember April D. Raye, G. DePaul and P. Johnston 7:52
2.Four M. Davis and E. Vinson 4:00
3.Old Devil Moon B. Lane and E.Y. Harburg 3:22
4.Smooch M. Davis and C. Mingus 3:04
5.Blue Haze M. Davis 6:08
6.When Lights are Low B. Carter and C. Williams 3:25
7.Tune Up M. Davis and E. Vinson 3:52
8.Miles Ahead M. Davis and G. Evans 4:28

John Coltrane - Black Pearls

Recorded in the late-1950s, the John Coltrane of BLACK PEARLS is not the shining, legendary beacon of free jazz he eventually became by the mid-'60s. At the time of PEARLS, Coltrane was a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, and this was one of his solo ventures. Like many Prestige discs of this period, it's a straight-ahead hard-bop jam session. Featuring sterling accompaniment by Red Garland (also then with Davis) on piano and Donald Byrd's crackling trumpet, PEARLS displays Coltrane's surging sheets-of-sound approach in full flower.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on May 23, 1958. Originally released on Prestige

Horace Silver - Doin' The Thing

Doin' the Thing is a live album by jazz pianist Horace Silver released on the Blue Note label in 1961 featuring performances by Silver with Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, and Roy Brooks recorded at the Village Gate in New York City.

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars and states "This live set finds pianist/composer Horace Silver and his most acclaimed quintet stretching out". The All About Jazz review of the CD rerelease by Hrayr Attarian called the album "especially unique, not only because of its quality, but because it is the only live recording of his most famous quintet. Although it was recorded 45 years ago (1961), this CD has the power to transport one back in time to the smoky room at Village Gate where one feels the raw energy of the live performance"

Tomasz Stańko - Suspended Night

Tomasz Stańko - Suspended Night

It's entirely marvelous--and almost always unexpected--to encounter a first-class jazz performer moving from a position of prominence to one of absolute top rank. Without a doubt, that is what trumpeter Thomasz Stanko has accomplished on his latest release from ECM. Here he plays with a confidence and presence often glimpsed in his previous recordings but come fully to the fore on this transcendent disc.

As impressive as Stanko is (and he's mighty impressive!), the real heroes here are, perhaps, his Polish quintet. Especially standout are Marcin Wasilewski on piano and Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass. Not far behind is Michal Miskiewicz on drums. These players consistently set the table for the exact right moods and atmospheres for Stanko, be it elegy ("Song for Sarah"), acquiescence ("Suspended Variation I"), friskiness ("Suspended Variation II," a spirited tango), romance ("Suspended Variation III," a gorgeous ballad), hope ("Suspended Variation IV," another gorgeous ballad), joi de vivre ("Suspended Variation V," the closest thing these guys come to an up-tempo number), mystery ("Suspended Variation VI," a meditation of the vagaries and vicissitudes of life), and so on. This proves, as much as any recent recording, the magic that comes from playing with a working jazz band

Once again, as we have come to expect from engineer Jon Erik Konshaug and producer Manfred Eicher, the sound is ravishingly beautiful--with exquisite detail, presence, and warmth. ECM at the absolute top of its game. Hard to beat.

Surely one of the most purely stunningly beautiful jazz discs ever recorded, Suspended Night instantly vaults trumpeter Stanko to the very front ranks of trumpeters in the history of jazz.

Tracklist

1. Song for Sarah [05:30]
2. Suspended Variations I [08:52]
3. Suspended Variations II [08:24]
4. Suspended Variations III [07:13]
5. Suspended Variations IV [07:04]
6. Suspended Variations V [04:20]
7. Suspended Variations VI [08:54]
8. Suspended Variations VII [03:25]
9. Suspended Variations VIII [04:21]
10. Suspended Variations IX [05:52]
11. Suspended Variations X [04:47]

Personnel:
Sławomir Kurkiewicz - double bass
Marcin Wasilewski - piano
Tomasz Stańko - trumpet
Michał Miśkiewicz - drums

Grant Green - Solid

Grant Green divides opinion. While many see him as a lesser player to the likes of Kenny Burrell or Wes Montgomery, there are those, like Michael Cuscuna (writing on the liner notes of "Solid") who see him as a thread linking Charlie Christian (the virtual inventor of hollow body jazz guitar) with great jazz guitarists of today such as Peter Bernstein and John Scofield. Grant Green was "a major link to... Charlie Christian..... he absorbed Christian, then bypassed such heroes of the day as Tal Farlow, Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery, and moved directly to the formation of his own identity."

Tracklist:

01 Minor League 7:05
02 Ezz-Thetic 10:41
03 Grant's Tune 7:00
04 Solid 7:23
05 The Kicker 6:23
06 Wives And Lovers 9:00

Personnel:
Grant Green (guitar);
James Spaulding (alto saxophone);
Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone);
McCoy Tyner (piano);
Bob Cranshaw (bass);
Elvin Jones (drums).

Miles Davis & Milt Jackson - Quintet & Sextet (1955)

Miles Davis & Milt Jackson - Quintet & Sextet (1955)

Lesser heralded than their collaboration with Monk (as documented on BAGS' GROOVE and MILES DAVIS AND THE MODERN JAZZ GIANTS), this August 5, 1955 session with vibraphonist Milt Jackson was Miles' last all-star collaboration before the formation of his first classic quintet. It marked a farewell to an older generation of acolytes and fellow travellers. Miles was entering a new era of leadership and international stardom, and generally he would only record with his working groups.

QUINTET/SEXTET is notable for two compositions by Jackie McLean: "Dr. Jackle" and "Minor March" (it appears on his famous 1959 Blue Note date NEW SOIL as "Minor Apprehension"). The former is a Charlie Parker-ish line featuring a masterful Milt Jackson symposium on the blues--Miles' typically lyric approach, a tart, spacious flight from McLean, and a soulful, dancing Ray Bryant. The latter is a mysterious minor figure with jabbing rhythm breaks and a joyous bridge that recalls "Tempus Fugit." McLean's vaulting cadences and fervent cry anti****te the rapture of his mature style, and Bryant takes a harmonically adventuresome solo.

Elsewhere the group digs into the Bud Powell-like changes of Ray Bryant's low, slow "Changes" (over the rock solid groove of Percy Heath and Art Taylor), and the quirky harmonies and angular melodies of Thad Jones' "Bitty Ditty." "Changes" inspires a lovely muted statement from Davis, and illustrates Bryant's unique blend of blues, sanctified gospel and bebop. Davis and Jackson combine for pungent voicings on the head to "Bitty Ditty," then demonstrate their elegant mastery of harmony and swing. Both are inspired by the shape of Jones' line, completely unfazed by its intricacies.

Tracklist:

01 Minor League 7:05
02 Ezz-Thetic 10:41
03 Grant's Tune 7:00
04 Solid 7:23
05 The Kicker 6:23
06 Wives And Lovers 9:00

Personnel:
Miles Davis ( trumpet )
Milt Jackson ( vibraphone )
Jackie McLean ( alto saxophone )
Ray Bryant ( piano )
Percy Heath ( bass )
Art Taylor ( drums )

Miles Davis - Seven Steps to Heaven (1963)

Opis:
"Seven Steps To Heaven" is one of those albums that you have to take in stride and listen to track by track and not so much as a cohesive album. Miles was in a state of flux in 1963. His quintet with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb had been disbanded, and Miles had been recording with Gil Evans. When the time came for a new lp, Miles was still working on getting a steady group together. So, in fact, this lp is in fact 2 ep's, as 2 different groups play on this lp, each with a very different character from the other.

Group 1- Miles, George Coleman (tenor), Victor Feldman (piano), Ron Carter, (Bass), Frank Butler (dr) (tracks 1,3,5). This group is quite traditional in outlook, and the tracks played show this. Miles' beautifully heartfelt performances are backed perfctly by Feldman's supple and understated piano. This group proved that Miles could pack a wallop on the standards. The tenor of Coleman and Carter's bass compliment Miles and Feldman very well. As a fan of jazz, I very much enjoy what this very short lived quintet did (2 days in April 1963 was the life of this group).

Group 2- Miles, Coleman, Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams. 4/5 of what would be the 2nd great quintet are in action on tracks 2,4,6. The character of the band is immediatly felt on "Seven Steps to Heaven" (group 1 also recorded the song, as well as "So Near So Far"- track 4- and "Summer Nights", which landed on the "Quiet Nights" lp; perhaps at some point both takes of both of these songs will be on a remastered version of this lp to showcase the very different interpretations of the songs by the old and new guard), as Ron Carter's walking bass is pushed by Williams' drumming. Herbie Hancock's style is also apparent- a more open style as opposed to Feldman's more traditional block chord style.



This album definitely is an overlooked classic. The original versions of "Joshua" and the title track are worth the price of admission; "So Near, So Far" is absolutely beautiful. Add to that a chance to hear the underrated Victor Feldman on the ballad portion of the album (especially "I Fall in Love Too Easily"). But the greatest thing about this recording is the debut of what was the rhythm section to end all rhythm sections: even this early as a unit, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and the late Tony Williams sound awesome.

Tracklist:

01 Basin Street Blues
02 Seven Steps to Heaven
03 I Fall in Love too Easily
04 So Near, So Far
05 Baby Won't You Please Come Home
06 Joshua

Personnel:
Miles Davis (trumpet);
George Coleman (tenor saxophone);
Victor Feldman, Herbie Hancock (piano);
Ron Carter (bass instrument);
Frank Butler, Tony Williams (drums).