The Bebop Shop : West Coast & Cool: Baker, Mulligan, Getz & More : Playboys: Other West Coasters
Mel Lewis is now best remembered for his big band work, particularly the famed Thad James-Mel Lewis Orchestra, but as these small-group sessions show he was a master regardless of context. (Discovery Records) Price: £17.99
They rehearsed at Westbrook’s apartment at 2021 Sta. Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, where this unreleased material was recorded at the end of that month. It was an amazing session, in which Carmell, oozing confidence and assertiveness, demonstrated a fresh, virile and imaginative style, with a warm ballad tone and an authoritatively implacable swing at up tempo. The highly responsive rhythm section locked right on him all the way, and also revealed Forrest Westbrook as a highly talented and sensitive pianist, with an advanced concept of improvisation, and a built-in propensity for swinging hard. Along with the pungently powerful Peacock and the driving Schwemmer, they provided an ideally vigorous support for Carmell Jones, who, unbelievably soon, would come to be regarded as among the finest trumpeters on the West Coast. These never before released recordings, his first on the Coast, show why. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
Limited edition, high definition 180g vinyl LP. Price: £22.99
A much travelled jazz guitarist Jimmy Raney was born in Louisville Kentucky in 1927, the son of a prominent newspaperman. Starting his musical career in 1944 with the Jerry Wald band, Jimmy would spend time with among others Max Miller and Lou Levy, toured with Woody Herman, worked with Al Haig, Buddy De Franco and Artie Shaw and in 1950 joined up with the Stan Getz Quintet to produce a unique sounding combo sound during their two years together. By 1953 he was on the move again this time hooking up with Red Norvo. Along the way Jimmy found time to make his own music and take the opportunity of being the frontman instead of the sideman. Our four selections find him joined by among others Hall Overton on piano, Red Mitchell on bass and Osie Johnson on drums for "A" and our single track from "In Three Attitudes" the wonderful "Indian Summer". For "Jimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmeyer" Jimmy is joined by surprise, surprise the superb valve trombonist ( and, sadly, recently deceased) Bob Brookmeyer alongside two pianists Hank Jones and Dick Katz, with Osie again on drums and Teddy Kotick on bass. In 1954 Jimmy recorded "Jimmy Raney Visits Paris" having just been voted French magazines "Le Hot Jazz", Number One Guitarist!. The album was cut with local musicians while Jimmy took a break from touring in Paris For "Jimmy Raney Plays" we can delight in hearing three Raney compositions (and one Monk for good measure!) This album is also important as it features Jimmy very much in the foreground having for so long played a subordinate role in his previous bands. Joined by stalwarts Osie Johnson and Red Mitchell and on tenor sax a chap called "Sven Coolson" (otherwise known to you and me as Stan Getz). "Jimmy Raney Plays" features some of Jimmys’ best recorded work to date. A fitting way to conclude our tribute to a great if underrated and perhaps unsung guitarist, Jimmy Raney
All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered for probably the finest ever sound quality! (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
The subject may be "Jazz and Romantic Places" and the locations may range from Paris to Rio but the jazz is strictly West Coast and Cool! Dave Pell on tenor sax is joined by the cream of jazz players from the Les Brown band with whom Pell had played for many years. The band having found time between their lucrative "day job" on the Bob Hope TV show to join their old band mate for the trip! For "Jazz Goes Dancing" Dave Pell writes in the original sleeve notes that for this project he was determined to create a jazz album to dance to, just like in the old dance band days. The swing was away from the clubs and concert stages and back to the dance halls, colleges and proms where Pell’s band were making an enjoyable and lucrative living! Pell’s octet here includes three members of the Les Brown band, Pell himself on tenor, Dan Fagerquist on trumpet and Ray Sims on trombone., while the other members included Tony Rizzi on guitar from the Lena Horne TV Show and Bob Barnes on bass from the original Dave Brubeck Quartet. What a line up!! The Dave Pell Quartet with the following arrangers-Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Bob Holman, Andre Previn, Jack Montrose and Wes Hensel. It’s no wonder that "I Had the Craziest Dream" the Octet’s album most steeped in the original jazz tradition became one of Dave Pell’s most popular albums and one he would get requests both for the arrangements and the playing some forty years after release! "A Pell of a Time" finds Dave Pell getting a little more serious about his jazz! As he writes in the original sleeve notes up till then his style of jazz playing had been dance and fun orientated, tightly arranged , relatively short numbers and with little room for traditional jazz improvisation. For this album he decided to get top arrangers Marty Paich, Bill Holman, Paul Moer and Jack Montrose to loosen up a little and give the Octet room to get "funky" and blow! Joining regulars were some new faces in Jack Sheldon on trumpet and Pepper Adams on baritone sax. Dave Pell’s final comments in the original sleeve notes best some up his style and philosophy to playing jazz! "it’s been fun all the way, and that’s how it should be to listen to"! All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered. (AVID Enetertainment) Price: £8.99
"Plays"; "Sextette"; "Fire In The West" and "Plays Selections From Gypsy"
Another musician lucky enough to be born into a musical family, Herb's mother played piano for silent movies in Hollywood. A friend of the family brought him his first alto sax at age 8 and two years later he was also playing the clarinet. At his school Dorsey High he played in the band alongside future sax and flute genius Eric Dolphy. By the age of 16 Herb began his professional career playing alto in the Joe Venuti band. By 21 he had heard the music of Charlie Parker and had moved to New York to play with, amongst others, Claude Thornhill and Paul Desmond. Herb was influenced by Charlie Parker, Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges and would go on to play with countless great jazz men during his long and illustrious career. A few names to mention would be Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Clifford Brown, Billy May, Shorty Rogers, Max Roach and Quincy Jones. Along the way Herb also learnt to play the piccolo, flute, oboe and English horn. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
Audiophile grade 180g vinyl. Price: £33.99
• Freeman made innumerable appearances on record with just about everybody who was anybody of consequence on the West Coast scene but the music and his compositions were more important to him than seeing his name on the cover of an LP. The first three tracks here, recorded during the Chet Baker sessions but with Baker absent, were never issued on LP while much of the other material was issued on compilation albums such as "Jazz Swings Broadway" and "Jazz West Coast". (Discovery Records) Price: £17.99
Buddy’s first stay in Europe is, fortunately, well-documented by his frequent visits to the recording studios in Milan. Ten sessions made between March 10 and March 25, 1961, present him in a number of different settings, featuring some of the pillars of the Italian jazz scene of the sixties, such as Gianni Basso, Oscar Valdambrini, Renato Sellani, Amadeo Tommasi, Sergio Fanni, as well as other well-known jazzmen, including Serbian Dusco Gojkovic, Belgian Jacques Pelzer, and Americans George Joyner and Jimmy Pratt.
These sessions resulted in three albums, initially released in Italy by the labels Music and Ricordi. The unissued tracks here were recorded in two sessions from March 23 and 25, organised by Collette’s friend George Moran, and except for Kelly and Jake, which appeared on two Ampex 8-track stereo cartridges, this is the first time they have been released. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £25.99
Featured personnel includes : Paul Horn (fl, piccolo, cl, as), Ed Leddy, Ken Bright, Stu Williamson (tp), Vince DeRosa, Dick Perissi (frh), Red Callender (tuba), Larry Bunker (vb), Gerry Wiggins (p, celeste), David Frisina, Dan Lube (violin), David Sterkin (viola), and Fred Katz (cello, piano).
There is constant change in this set; ebullience and restraint; soft, provocative swing and bucolic lushness. Everyone does extremely well, supporting and joining Horn in a variety of orchestral settings. Exceptional musicianship, fluidness, sensitivity and a thoughtful approach made these, Paul Horn’s first recordings as a leader, a showcase of the range and the technical prowess of his playing. (Discovery Records) Price: £25.99
How I usually work my songs is that, after I play the melody, the piano player solos first. After Alice played just 8 bars I knew that I was going to hire her. In 1963 Alice was an out an out be-bopper in the style of Bud Powell. Also John Dentz gave me what I was looking for: TIME. The more we played the better Alice sounded, she was a quiet shy lady and she got more aggressive as the jam session went on, you can hear her on this CD fitting in with everything that I was looking for in a piano player. Alice worked in my band for one year until I introduced her to John Coltrane and saw a love affair happen and that was why Alice left. That one year Alice was in my quartet was really fun playing because she was, as I said before, AN OUT AND OUT BE-BOPPER." (Terry Gibbs) (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
Teddy Edwards began his jazz career in the 1940's moving around constantly and playing with the likes of Ernie Fields and Howard McGhee. By 1944 he arrived in Los Angeles, switched to tenor sax and remained there for most of his career. He became one of the most respected and influential tenor saxophonists of his generation. It was not until 1959 when he formed his own Quartet that he finally came into his own. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
Gordon had a clean, crisp attack with a bright, brassy sound and a singing quality that made his solos flow easily. His July 1961 album “Looking’ Good!” reflects these considerable virtues and, in addition, introduced the hard-toned, fervid alto sax of Jimmy Woods. The other sides—with Woods’ group from his album “Awakening!”—were recorded in September that year. They were the last he made before his untimely death at the age of 35. (Discovery Records) Price: £17.99
Bob Cooper was perhaps one of the more unfairly under-rated and uncelebrated musicians from what was known as the West Coast School of Cool Jazz which came to prominence on the west coast of the U.S.A. in the 1950's. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
Born in 1929 and now 86 years old, Lennie Niehaus complemented his talents as an alto saxophonist with those of an arranger and composer, becoming a well-known figure on the West Coast jazz scene. After playing with the Stan Kenton big band, and various other jazz bands on the West Coast, Niehaus devoted himself to arranging and composing for motion pictures, including several produced by Clint Eastwood.
As a bonus, we have included three small group tracks that constitute Niehaus' only collaborations with Howard Rumsey, as well as a complete album by conductor and arranger Duane Tatro, again in a small group format that features Niehaus on alto on most tracks. (Proper Music) Price: £28.99
Presented in mini LP replica paper sleeve. (Discovery Records) Price: £12.99
We love the sound of the vibes here at AVID Acres! There is a very small and very elite list of classic vibes players and Cal Tjader is certainly high up on that list. Primarily known as a Latin jazz musician, Cal was however a fine straight ahead cool jazz musician as our four fine selections will show. Take a listen to Tjader Plays Tjazz where the great man switches from vibes to drums on a cooled out straight ahead jazz set. For more cool, fun sounds try San Francisco Moods where Cal and gang capture the special atmosphere of his adopted city, San Francisco on an excellent, mostly Tjader composed set. And live, he was something else, as the double album set Concert By The Sea Volumes 1 & 2, considerd by many to be one of the high points of Cal's career will show. Here Cal returns to his Latin influenced jazz to fabulously exhilarating effect, alongside such fine Latin musicians as Eddie Duran, Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
