097. Chet Baker & Art Pepper, Playboys

These Halloween 1956 sides originally appeared as Playboys in 1961 on Pacific Jazz. Myth and rumor persist that, under legal advice from the publisher of a similarly named magazine, the collection would have to be retitled. When the CD version of the same material was issued in the early ‘‘90s, it had been accurately christened Picture of Heath — as more than half of the tracks are Jimmy Heath compositions. Since then, a CD version sporting the original provocative ‘‘50s pinup cover and the name Playboys has also surfaced. Regardless of title, however, the music is the absolute same. These are the third sessions to feature the dynamic duo of Art Pepper (alto sax) and Chet Baker (trumpet). Their other two meetings had produced unequivocal successes. The first was during a brief July 1956 session at the Forum Theater in L.A. Baker joined forces with epper’‘s sextet, ultimately netting material for the disc Route. Exactly three months to the day later, Pepper and Baker reconvened to record tracks for the Chet Baker Big Band album. The quartet supporting Baker and Pepper on Playboys includes Curtis Counce (bass), Phil Urso (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano), and Larance Marable (drums). Baker and Pepper have an instinctual rapport that yields outstanding interplay. The harmony constant throughout the practically inseparable lines that Baker weaves with Pepper drives the bop throughout the slinky “For Minors Only.” The soloists take subtle cues directly off each other, with considerable contributions from Perkins, Counce, and Marable. With the notorious track record both Baker and Pepper had regarding other decidedly less successful duets, it is unfortunate that more recordings do not exist that captured their special bond. These thoroughly enjoyable and often high-energy sides are perfect for bop connoisseurs as well as mainstream jazz listeners.

Format: MP3/Variable (214avg)

01 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - For Minors Only
02 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - Minor Yours
03 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - Resonant Emotions
04 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - Tynan Time
05 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - Picture Of Heath
06 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - For Miles And Miles
07 - Chet Baker & Art Pepper - C.T.A

223. Chick Corea, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs

The original LP only had five selections, but the CD contains 13, with the added eight (from the same sessions) having first been released on the double-LP Circling In. Age 26 at the time, and on the brink of gaining major recognition in the jazz world, pianist Chick Corea is featured with a very strong trio that also includes bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes. The music includes 11 of Corea’‘s originals, including “Matrix,” “Windows,” and “Samba Yantra,” Thelonious Monk’‘s “Pannonica” and the standard “My One and Only Love” and is essentially advanced hard bop with an open-minded attitude toward free jazz. Listen to how part of “Steps-What Was” has hints of Corea’‘s future composition “Spain.”

Format:MP3/Variable (224avg)

01-Matrix
02-My one and only love
03-Now he beats the drum - Now he stops
04-Bossa
05-Now he sings - Now he sobs
06-Steps - What was
07-Fragments
08-Windows
09-Pannonica
10-Samba Yantra
11-I don’‘t know
12-The law of falling and catching up
13-Gemini

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296. Keith Jarrett, Standards Live

Standards Live, from 1987, continued at the same high level of previous Standards, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 with pianist Keith Jarrett often recalling his early influence, Bill Evans. The well-integrated trio (Gary Peacock, bass; Jack DeJohnette, drums) plays three frequently performed tunes and three obscurities. The interplay between the players was constantly impressive. ~ Scott Yanow, Cadence, All Music Guide

Format: FLAC/Lossless

01-Stella By Starlight
02-The Wrong Blues
03-Falling In Love With Love
04-Too Young To Go Steady
05-The Way You Look Tonight
06-The Old Country

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297. Keith Jarrett, Still Live

Once Keith Jarrett gets into a concept, he likes to keep those tapes rolling. This two-disc live outpouring from a Standards Trio gig at Munich’‘s Philharmonic Hall was the biggest offering from this group up to that time (it wouldn’‘t hold that distinction for long) — and once again, Jarrett treats his brace of pop and jazz standards with unpredictable, often eloquently melodic and structural originality. To cite a pair of highlights: “Autumn Leaves” always seems to bring out an endless flow of invention from Jarrett, and “The Song Is You” gets off to a rollicking start and maintains a nearly relentless energy level for 17 minutes, closing with a Spanish vamp. Again, the rapport with his onetime jazz-rock associate, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and bassist Gary Peacock is total; DeJohnette’‘s mastery of shifting cymbal patterns while maintaining the pulse acts on the trio like a loose tether made of carbon steel. There is a considerable amount of Jarrett vocalizing, though; sometimes he sounds like a tortured animal. CD buyers get “Billie’‘s Bounce” as a bonus.

Format: MP3/192Kbps

01- My Funny Valentine
02 - Autumn Leaves
03 - When I Fall In Love
04 - The Song Is You
05 - Come Rain Or Come Shine
06 - Late Lament
07 - You & The Night & The Music +
08 - Billie’‘s Bounce
09 - I Remember Clifford

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300. Chet Baker, Chet

While Chet Baker was famous for his almost evanescent singing voice and was strongly associated with West Coast jazz, this all-instrumental, all-ballad album recorded with some of New York’‘s finest musicians may have been his most beautiful recording. These 1958-59 sessions place Baker in groups ranging from quartet to sextet, and his trumpet playing is strong, secure, and clear, capable of the subtlest inflections. The settings simply couldn’‘t be better. Pianist Bill Evans was in the midst of redefining the piano ballad, and he’‘s masterful at creating fresh harmonic underpinnings for Baker from the opening chords of “Alone Together,” here reminiscent of “Blue in Green.” Guitarist Kenny Burrell adds comparable support on a wistful treatment of “September Song,” while Pepper Adams’‘s baritone saxophone, present on seven tracks, is a craggy, rough-hewn complement to Baker’‘s smoothly melodic trumpet. Herbie Mann contributes flute and arrangements to several sextet tracks, while the rhythm section, with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones and Connie Kay sharing the drumming, is resilient and lightly propulsive. The concluding “Early Morning Mood” is a long, slow Baker blues that’‘s a nice addition to the well-chosen set of standards. The 20-bit K2 super coding system results in excellent sound, capturing every drum detail and particularly enhancing Adams’‘s broad, overtone-rich sound.—Stuart Broomer

Format: MP3/320Kbps

01 - Chet Baker - Alone Together
02 - Chet Baker - How High The Moon
03 - Chet Baker - It Never Entered My Mind
04 - Chet Baker - ‘‘tis Autumn
05 - Chet Baker - If You Could See Me Now
06 - Chet Baker - September Song
07 - Chet Baker - You’‘d Be So Nice To Come Home To
08 - Chet Baker - Time On My Hands (You In My Arms)
09 - Chet Baker - You And The Night And The Music
10 - Chet Baker - Early Morning Mood

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007. Miles Davis, My Funny Valentine

Miles Davis’’ concert of February 12, 1964, was originally divided into two LPs, with all of the ballads put on My Funny Valentine. These five lengthy tracks (which include “All of You,” “Stella by Starlight,” “All Blues,” “I Thought About You,” and the title cut) put the emphasis on the lyricism of Davis, along with some strong statements from tenor saxophonist George Coleman and freer moments from the young rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. This hour-long LP complements the up-tempo romps of Four & More. The original CD issue was as a double disc with extra material. Thankfully, Legacy issued this as a single disc in 2005 as it appeared on LP, keeping the integrity of the original release.

Format: MP3/320kbps

01 My Funny Valentine
02 All of You
03 Stella by Starlight
04 All Blues
05 I Thought About You

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009. Mel Torme, Torme

Most of Mel Tormé’‘s albums for Verve and Bethlehem during the 1950s concentrated on material either carefree (usually up-tempo) or reflective (mostly down-tempo), but 1958’‘s Tormé blended the two. For every bouncy single like “That Old Feeling” or “I’‘m Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life,” Tormé sinks into the depths with “Gloomy Sunday,” “The House Is Haunted (By the Echo of Your Last Goodbye),” or his dramatic eight-minute reading of “Blues in the Night.” All this makes for a bit of emotional confusion while listening to Tormé, but the LP pulls together for the most part.

01 That OldFeeling
02 Gloomy Sunday
03 Body and Soul
04 Nobody’‘s Heart
05 I Should Care
06 The House is Haunted by the Echo of Your Last Goodbye
07 Blues in the Night
08 I Don’‘t Want to Cry Anymore
09 Where Can I Go Without You
10 How Did She Look
11 ‘‘Round Midnight
12 I’‘m Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life
13 I’‘m Shooting High
14 These Desperate Hours
15 Her Face
16 Yes, Indeed!

Format: MP3/VBR (V0)

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045. Sonny Rollins, The Bridge

The music on this 1996 CD has been reissued many times, including in the Bluebird series. Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins’’ first recording after ending a surprising three-year retirement found the great saxophonist sounding very similar to how he had played in 1959, although he would soon start investigating freer forms. In a pianoless quartet with guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Ben Riley, Rollins explores four standards (including “Without a Song” and “God Bless the Child”) plus two fiery originals (highlighted by the title cut). The interplay between Rollins and Hall is consistently impressive, making this CD a near-classic and a very successful comeback.

01 - Without A Song
02 - Where Are You
03 - John S.
04 - The Bridge
05 - God Bless The Child
06 - You Do Something To Me

Format: MP3/VBR (V0)

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053. Sonny Rollins, What’‘s New

This excellent album deserves to be reissued in full on CD but some of its music remains out-of-print. Many of these songs find Sonny Rollins utilizing the Latin rhythms of Candido in addition to his regular quartet members (guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Ben Riley) and, on the calypso “Brownskin Girl,” a vocal chorus interacts with the group. The highpoint is a lengthy “If Ever I Would Leave You” that is quite exciting. This underrated music is well worth an extensive search.

01 - If ever I would leave you
02 - Don’‘t Stop The Carnival
03 - Jungoso
04 - Bluesongo
05 - Tha Night Has a Thousand Eyes
06 - Brownskin Girl

Format: MP3/192kbps

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075. Horace Silver, Finger Poppin’‘

Finger Poppin’’ was the first album Horace Silver recorded with the most celebrated version of his quintet, which featured trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and (this time around) drummer Louis Hayes. It’‘s also one of Silver’‘s all-time classics, perfectly blending the pianist’‘s advanced, groundbreaking hard bop style with the winning, gregarious personality conveyed in his eight original tunes. Silver always kept his harmonically sophisticated music firmly grounded in the emotional directness and effortless swing of the blues, and Finger Poppin’’ is one of the greatest peaks of that approach. A big part of the reason is the chemistry between the group — it’‘s electrifying and tightly knit, with a palpable sense of discovery and excitement at how well the music is turning out. As a bandleader, Silver helps keep the ensemble’‘s solo statements as concise and rhythmic as his own, concentrating the impact of the performances and keeping the pieces moving along without ever letting the listener’‘s attention span wane. There’‘s a nice variety of tempos and moods over the well-paced program; particularly memorable are the hard-swinging, bluesy “Juicy Lucy”; the bopping, up-tempo “Cookin’’ at the Continental”; and the gritty groove of “Come on Home.” Also breaking things up are a couple of spare, reflective ballads and a frenetic exploration of Brazilian rhythms, “Swingin’’ the Samba.” Finger Poppin’’ is everything small-group hard bop should be, and it’‘s a terrific example of what made the Blue Note label’‘s mainstream sound so infectious.

1 Finger Poppin’’ 4:47
2 Juicy Lucy 5:46
3 Swingin’’ the Samba 5:17
4 Sweet Stuff 5:32
5 Cookin’’ at the Continental 4:54
6 Come on Home 5:30
7 You Happened My Way 5:29
8 Mellow D 5:37

Format: MP3/320kbps

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084. Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Composer of Desafinado, Plays

In his first American album, Antonio Carlos Jobim presents a dozen of his songs, each one destined to become a standard — an astounding batting average. Jobim, who claimed to have been out of practice at the time of the session, merely plays single notes on the piano with one hand, punctuated by chords now and then, sticking to his long, undulating melodies with a few passages of jazz improvisation now and then. Yet it is a lovely idea, not a gesture is wasted. Arranger Claus Ogerman unveils many of the trademarks that would define his Creed Taylor-produced albums with Jobim — the soaring, dying solo flute and spare, brooding unison string lines widening into lush harmony; flutes doubling on top of Jobim’‘s piano chords — again with an exquisitely spare touch. The songs include “Desafinado,” “Corcovado,” “Chega de Saudade” (No More Blues), “The Girl From Ipanema,” “Meditation,” “One Note Samba,” and half-a-dozen others (every one of which is included on The Man From Ipanema set).

01 - The Girl From Ipanema
02 - Amor Em Paz (Once I Loved)
03 - Agua De Beber
04 - Vivo Sonhando (Dreamer)
05 - O Morro Nao Tem Vez (AKA ‘‘Favela’‘)
06 - Insensatez (How Insensitive)
07 - Corcovado
08 - Samba De Uma Nota So (One Note Samba)
09 - Meditation
10 - So Danco Samba (Jazz Samba)
11 - Chega De Saudade
12 - Desafinado

Format:MP3/320kbps

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098. Tony Bennett And Bill Evans, The Tony Bennett & Bill Evans Album

Tony Bennett has always had an affinity for good pianists, and many of his best performances have been with trios or solo piano, so when he got the chance to make the kind of records he wanted to in the mid-1970s, a pairing with jazz pianist Bill Evans was a natural. This is a true duet, with Evans getting considerable solo time. A low-key effort, but an effective one.

01 - Young And Foolish
02 - The Touch Of Your Lips
03 - Some Other Time
04 - When In Rome
05 - We’‘ll Be Together Again
06 - My Foolish Heart
07 - Waltz For Debby
08 - But Beautiful
09 - Days Of Wine And Roses

Format: MP3/192kbps

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105. George Benson, White Rabbit

For George Benson’‘s second CTI project, producer Creed Taylor and arranger Don Sebesky successfully place the guitarist in a Spanish-flavored setting full of flamenco flourishes, brass fanfares, moody woodwinds and such. The idea works best on “California Dreamin’’” (whose chords are based on Andalusian harmonies), where, driven by Jay Berliner’‘s exciting Spanish rhythm guitar, Benson comes through with some terrifically inspired playing. On “El Mar,” Berliner is replaced by Benson’‘s protégé Earl Klugh (then only 17) in an inauspicious — though at the time, widely-heralded — recorded debut. The title track is another winner, marred only by the out-of-tune brasses at the close, and in a good example of the CTI classical/jazz formula at work, Heitor Villa-Lobos’’ “Little Train of the Caipira” is given an attractive early-’‘70s facelift. Herbie Hancock gets plenty of nimble solo space on Rhodes electric piano, Airto Moreira contributes percussion and atmospheric wordless vocals, and Ron Carter and Billy Cobham complete the high-energy rhythm section. In this prime sample of the CTI idiom, everyone wins.

01 White Rabbit
02 Theme from Summer of ‘‘42
03 Little Train {from Bachianas Brasileiras #2}
04 California Dreamin’‘
05 El Mar

Format:MP3/VBR

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109. Bob James, Touchdown

Playing uninspired background “Muzak” had brought Bob James commercial success, and financially, he certainly had no incentive to change. Despite employing such talent as David Sanborn (alto sax), Hubert Laws (flute), Ron Carter (bass), and Idris Muhammad (drums), Touchdown is a bland throwaway. Overproduction is the rule here, and their talents are largely smothered by James’’ excessive production and trite arrangements. This CD does contain James’’ likeable “Angela (Theme from Taxi),” but most of the songs on Touchdown are pure schlock.

1 Angela [Theme from Taxi]
2 Touchdown  
3 I Want to Thank You (Very Much) 
4 Sun Runner
5 Caribbean Nights

Format: MP3/160kbps

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184. Miles Davis, Sorcerer

Sorcerer, the third album by the second Miles Davis Quintet, is in a sense a transitional album, a quiet, subdued affair that rarely blows hot, choosing to explore cerebral tonal colorings. Even when the tempo picks up, as it does on the title track, there’‘s little of the dense, manic energy on Miles Smiles — this is about subtle shadings, even when the compositions are as memorable as Tony Williams’’ “Pee Wee” or Herbie Hancock’‘s “Sorcerer.” As such, it’‘s a little elusive, since it represents the deepening of the band’‘s music as they choose to explore different territory. The emphasis is as much on complex, interweaving chords and a coolly relaxed sound as it is on sheer improvisation, though each member tears off thoroughly compelling solos. Still, the individual flights aren’‘t placed at the forefront the way they were on the two predecessors — it all merges together, pointing toward the dense soundscapes of Miles’’ later ‘‘60s work. It’‘s such a layered, intriguing work that the final cut, recorded in 1962 with Bob Dorough on vocals, is an utterly jarring, inappropriate way to end the record, even if it’‘s intended as a tribute to Miles’’ then-wife, Cicely Tyson (whose image graces the cover).

01-Prince of Darkness
02-Pee Wee
03-Masqualero
04-The Sorcerer
05-Limbo
06-Voneta
07-Nothing Like You

Format: FLAC/Lossless

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