This week’s theme: John Coltrane as a sideman on the Prestige label. Part one of perhaps four? Featured artists include, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Philly Joe Jones, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell and many more.
Tag: Philly Joe Jones
Podcast: Clifford Brown, Early Recordings
This week’s theme: Clifford Brown, Early Recordings.
Featuring 10-inch Blue Note and Pacific Jazz recordings, originals and Mosaic reissues/newly discovered tracks. Featured artists include Lou Donaldson, J.J. Johnson, Horace Silver, Jimmy Heath, Art Blakey, Zoot Sims, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Percy Heath, John Lewis, and more. Also some discussion of Michael Cuscuna of Mosaic.
Podcast: Jackie McLean, Prestige, Volume Two
This week’s theme: Jackie McLean on Prestige, Volume 2. Featured musicians include Gene Ammons, Art Taylor, Donald Byrd, Bill Hartman, Mal Waldron, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Red Garland, Arthur Phipps, Wade Legge, Doug Watkins.
Podcast: Jackie McLean, Prestige, Volume One
This week’s theme: Jackie McLean on Prestige. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Art Taylor, Donald Byrd, Bill Hartman, Mal Waldron, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Red Garland, Arthur Phipps, Wade Legge, Doug Watkins.
Podcast: Cannonball Adderley, Riverside
This week’s theme: Cannonball Adderley on Riverside. Featured artists include Blue Mitchell, Nat Adderley, Philly Joe Jones, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes, Bill Evans, Bobby Timmons, Vic Feldman, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, Wes Montgomery.
Podcast: A Jazz Collector Birthday Celebration
This week’s theme: Jazz records recorded on Feb. 4. Featured artists include Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Billy Taylor, Hal McKusick, Art Farmer, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Louis Smith.
Podcast: John Coltrane, Blue Note
This week’s theme is a simple one: John Coltrane on Blue Note. Enjoy.
What Really Went on in the Van Gelder Studio?
Speaking of playing favorites, the other night I had a little time to do some mindful listening, so I put on one of my all-timers, Sonny Rollins Plus Four, Prestige 7038, original pressing, original cover, as seen in the accompanying photo. As I’m listening, I’m picturing the musicians in Van Gelder’s studio playing live, looking at one another and giving signals and approvals, all young men in their primes discovering what they were capable of doing and, on this album, doing it as well as anyone ever did it. Then I put on a record I haven’t listened to nearly as often as Sonny Rollins Plus Four, which was Newk’s Time, Blue Note 4001, and I had the same picture in my head with the four musicians on that album, Sonny, Wynton Kelly, Doug Watkins and Philly Joe Jones. And then my mind started wandering and this is what I thought. Read more
One Record
I was driving in the car the other day and listening to a playlist on my phone. A usual car playlist will have a variety of music, from the Beatles to Ella, James Taylor, 60s rock and, of course, some jazz. I was listening for about a half hour, singing along a little, but nothing that necessarily put a smile on my face. But then came this: Paul’s Pal, by Sonny Rollins. As soon as it came on, my face lit up. For me, it’s one of those songs that always puts a smile on my face. Maybe it reminds me of the first time I heard it, or perhaps because it always seemed to me like Sonny was smiling while he played it. Anyway, I started thinking about the record, Tenor Madness, and the thought popped into my head: If I could keep only one record, Tenor Madness would be one of the contenders. Now, I realize this is silly because there is so much music available everywhere in digital formats, so I could listen to pretty much anything I would want at any time. But it’s my game, and here’s how I played it out. Read more
Not-So-Cool Struttin’
I happened to be perusing old DownBeats yesterday when I casually opened up the issue of Oct. 30, 1958. The “jazz record reviews” listed on the cover were for Harry Belafonte, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, Shorty Rogers and Bob Scobey. Nothing too interesting, and I almost passed up on reading the reviews. So I was a bit surprised to see that this issue contained reviews of two of the rarest and most highly treasured records in the entire Jazz Collector pantheon: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588 and Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568.
Let’s start with Cool Struttin’. The reviewer, Don Gold, gave it two and a half stars out of a possible five stars. To put it in perspective, Cool Struttin’ had a lower rating than these records, also reviewed in this issue: Steve Allen All Stars Featuring Terry Gibbs; Danny Alvin and His Kings of Dixieland Play Basin Street: Belafonte Sings the Blues; Paul Horn Plenty of Horn, and Moe Koffman, The “Shepherd” Swings Again. This is what the reviewer had to say about Cool Struttin’:
April is Jazz Month
