Social Call (Charlie Rouse & Red Rodney)

A late reunion of two bop warriors with a wonderful rhythm section (Albert Dailey on piano in one of his last sessions), featuring some bop classics, a standard and a quirky Rouse original (Uptown, 1984).

MP3 @ 320 VBR

1. Little Chico 

2. Social Call 

3. Half Nelson 

4. Greenhouse 

5. Darn That Dream 

6. Casbah 

7. Social Call 

8. Darn That Dream 

9 Half Nelson

Autobiography (Peter Leitch)

Montreal-born guitarist Peter Leitch in a program of beguiling originals and standards, topped by a rather charming misinterpretation of Albert Ayler’s Ghosts, taken back to its supposed calypso roots. With George Cables on piano. (Reservoir Music RSR CD 179, 2004)

MP3@320 VBR

1 - For D.T.
2 - Theme from Mr. Lucky
3 - Segment
4 - Medley: Little Girl Blue / Girl Talk
5 - Ghosts
6 - Clifford Jordan
7 - Femme Fatale
8 - East of the Sun
9 - Allyson

Jigsaw (Jeremy Steig)

One of not many outings of flutist Jeremy Steig, with LeeAnn Ledgerwood on piano and Joe Chambers on drums, produced by Walter Becker (Steely Dan). I direct your attention to his take on the seldom heard B. Kaper’s ballad While My Lady Sleep, following closely Coltrane’s 1957 rendition (from «Coltrane») with its characteristic piano-bass ostinato. (Triloka 320190-2, 1991)

MP3@320 VBR

1 - Washington Place (4:00)
2 - Seascape (4:46)
3 - While My Lady Sleeps (5:50)
4 - Tears for Charles Street (4:52)
5 - Circular Norton (5:16)
6 - Sifu's Song (Dedicated to Kenny Gong)(5:19)
7 - Et Tu Tweetus (3:53)
8 - Jigsaw (5:25)
9 - Spring Street (5:08)
10 - Naima (6:43).

This One’s for Bill (Kenny Drew, Jr.)

A solo set by Kenny Drew, Jr. cut in 1995 at NYC’s Masonic Temple, and dedicated to Bill Evans. It includes the first (and probably last) recording ever of Evans’ composition It’s Love-It’s Christmas. TCB 99352

MP3@320 VBR

1 - This One's For Bill
2 - Remembering the Rain
3 - Suicide Is Painless
4 - It’s Love-It’s Christmas
5 - On Green Dolphin Street
6 - Two Lonely People, The
7 - Days of Wine and Roses, The
8 - Nardis

Round Trip (Phil Woods)

An unusual period piece from Phil Woods with an a star-studded orchestra plus strings, arranged by Johnny Pate and Woods himself. All in all, more interesting than one would expect (Verve  1969).

MP3@320 VBR

1. Round trip
2. Here’s That Rainy Day
3. Love Son for a Dead Che
4. I’m All Smiles
5. Solitude
6. How Can I Be Sure?
7. Fill the Woods with Laughter
8. This Is All I Ask
9. Flowers

The Cry! (Prince Lasha Quintet feat. Sonny Simmons)

«Lost session» for Contemporary by two minor but intriguing figures of the historical fee music movement of the very early Sixties. It was to be their only ever wide exposure. With Gary Peacock on bass.

MP3@320 VBR

1 - Congo Call

2 - Bojangles

3 - Green and Gold

4 - Ghost of the Past

5 - Red's Mood

6 - Juanita

7 - Lost Generation

8 - A. Y.

Jackie McLean & Co. Featuring Ray Draper

One of a number of Prestige dates by Jackie McLean, when necessity was the mother of invention and before his Blue Note prime. Tuba player Ray Draper makes for an unusual choice of instrumentation. With Bill Hardman, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, Art Taylor. 1957

MP3@320 VBR

1. Flickers

2. Help

3. Minor Dream

4. Beau Jack

5. Mirage

Live at Jorges Jazz Club (Wes Montgomery, 1961)

Live date of the brothers Montgomery plus Billy Hart at Jorges club, St. Louis, Mo, August 1961 (VGM).

MP3@320 VBR

1. All of You

2. Heartstrings

3. Summertime

4. Back to Bach to Bock

Live in Bollate (George Cables, 2005)

Covermount CD, Musica Jazz magazine (Italy), March 2006. Live session with George Cables, piano; Essiet Essiet, bass; Victor Lewis, drums. “Special guest”: Piero Odorici, tenor sax. Bollate (Italy), March 22, 2005.

MP3@320 VBR

1. Looking for the Light

2. Helen’s Song

3. Señorita de Aranjuez

4. Mr Baggy Pants

5. Yo Todavia La Quiero

6. ’Round Midnight

7. I Mean You

Plays Monk (Franco D’Andrea, 2002)

Franco D’Andrea, stalwart of Italian jazz since the early Sixties, recreates twelve of Monk’s songs in this live recording from 2002 (Philology).

MP3@320 VBR

1. Pannonica

2. Blue Monk

3. Rhythm-a-Ning

4. Round Midnight/Epistrophy-Well You Needn't-I Mean You

5. Monk’s Mood

6. Misterioso

7. Monk’s Dream

8. Light Blue

9. Let’s Call This

Deconstruction Zone (Ethan Iverson, 1998)

Ethan Iverson’s (pianist of the power trioThe Bad Plus) third record under his own name, for the Spanish imprint Fresh Sound. Stunningly personal and mature statement about seven of the most worn-out standards, by mean of the most inflated of formats, the piano trio. With Reid Anderson and Jorge Rossi.

MP3@320 VBR

1. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You

2. The Song Is You

3. This Nearly Was Mine

4. All of Me

5. I’ll Remember April

6. SMoke Gets in Your Eyes

7. Have You Met Miss Jones?

Up in Dodo’s Room - The Complete Dial Sessions (Dodo Marmarosa, 1946-1947)

The California sessions of legendary pianist Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa, solo, in a trio with cello and drums (with alternate takes), with Charlie Parker and with Howard McGhee. Jazz Classics CD-JCZL-6008

MP3@320 VBR

1. Deep Purple

2. Tea for Two

3. Bird Lore

4. Dialated Pupils

5. Up in Dodo’s Room

6. Tone Paintings I

7. Tone Paintings II

8. Bopmatism

9. Dodo's Dance

10. Trade Winds

11. Dary Departs

12. Cosmo Street

13. Bopmatism (alt.)

14. Dodo's Dance (alt.)

15. Trade Winds (alt.)

16. Dary Departs (alt.)

17. Dary Departs (alt.)

18. Cosmo Street (alt.)

Griff ’n’ Bags (Johnny Griffin & a., 1967-1969)

Like for the Rearward set below, these four sessions (1967-1969) were recorded in Cologne by members of the Clarke-Boland Big Band. The title of the collection is deceptive, since Johnny Griffin (“Griff”) only appears on tracks 12 to 16, while Milt Jackson (“Bags”), who can also be heard singing, only in 7 to 11; never once the two play together. The Griffin tracks use two drummers, Kenny Clarke and British Kenny Clare. Tracks 1 to 3 belong to a piano trio of Boland, Woode and Clarke. (Rearward RW103)

MP3@320 VBR

1. Gamal Sady'n Em 

2. Lonely Girl

3. Gyson's Bag

4. The Turks's Bolero

5. The Girl and the Turk

6. Muvaffak's Pad

7. Just Friends

8. I’m a Fool to Want You

9. Blues for K.

10. Like Someone in Love

11. Just You, Just Me

12. Foot Patting

13. Please Send Me Someone To Love

14. Deep Eight

15 The JAMF Are Coming

16 Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz

And All Those Cats (Sahib Shihab, 1964-70)

The sessions collected on this italian reprint  under the nominal leadership of baritonist and flutist Sahib Shihab, come from spin-offs of the Clarke-Boland Big Band. Fun, upbeat music, faultlessy executed by expatriates Shihab, Kenny Clarke, Benny Bailey, Jimmy Woode, plus pianist Boland and some top-notch European soloists such as trombonist Åke Persson.

MP3@320 VBR

1. Set Up

2. Peter's Waltz

3. Yah, Yah Blues  

3. End Of A Love Affair

4. Om Mani Padme Hum 

5. Bohemia After Dark (

6. Campi's Idea

7. Jay-Jay 

8. Waltz For Seth

9. Herr Fixit

10. Stoned Ghosts

11. Companionship (I+II) 

12. Ct+Cb

13. Dijdar 

14. Talk Some Yak-Ee-Dak 

McPherson’s Mood (Charles McPherson, 1969)

  A delightful set from 1969 by the Apollinean altosax man. In their own subtle way, these six tracks push the envelope of Sixties modal bop, even in tackling Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour. Barry Harris almost steals the show (Prestige/OJCCD).

MP3@320 VBR

1. Explorations
2. McPherson’s Mood
3. Opalescence
4. My Cherie Amour
5. Mish-Mash-Bash
6. I Get a Kick Out of You


Charles McPherson, alto; Barry Harris, piano; Buster Williams, bass; Roy Brooks, drums.