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 | Gene Ammons All Stars: The Big Sound (CD: Prestige- US Import)
A blowing session typical of Prestige, this colourful octet, featuring Paul Quinichette and Pepper Adams, certainly creates a 'big sound'. It also offers us an almost unique opportunity at this time (1958) to hear John Coltrane playing alto on one track ('The Real McCoy'). It is only a brief novelty however, in contrast to Ammons' lengthy excursions on 'Cheek To Cheek' and 'Blue Hymn'.
Price: £15.49
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Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt: Boss Tenors In Orbit (CD: Verve)
Coltrane had chased his Trane, Rollins was crossing his bridge but some were just enjoying themselves early in 1962. 'In Orbit' is an engaging two-tenor and organ encounter from familiar duelling partners though, despite its title, it's no routine blowing contest. The contrasting horns of Stitt and Ammons had been playing together regularly in a working band for over a decade by this time and they'd clearly nothing to prove on this set of attractive ballads ('Long Ago and Far Away' is exquisitely bluesy and beautifully judged) and agreeable mid-tempo swingers ('Walkin', 'Bye Bye Blackbird'). The elegant packaging and extensive liner notes further enhance this master edition reissue.
Price: £9.99
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 | Johnny Griffin: Johnny Griffin (CD: Argo/ Verve LPR)
With his big sound and his lightning-fast attack, Johnny Griffin was one of the most dynamic saxophonists to emerge in the post-bebop years. This album, recorded in 1956, was one of his first as a leader, but it is suffused with, as the original liner notes put it, "the sound of a man with a full grown soul." (Verve Music Group)
Price: £9.99
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Johnny Griffin: The Congregation (CD: Blue Note RVG)
Price: £8.99
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 | Johnny Griffin: Introducing (Vinyl LP: Classic/ Blue Note- US Import)
with Wynton Kelly (piano), Curly Russell (bass) & Max Roach (drums). Recorded 1956.Quiex 200g audiophile pressing.
Price: £25.99
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Johnny Grifffin: Introducing (CD: Blue Note RVG)
Price: £8.99
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Johnny Griffin: A Blowin' Session (CD: Blue Note RVG)
Price: £8.99
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 | Johnny Griffin: Live In London (CD: Harkit)
Known as "The Little Giant", Johnny Griffin offers up over an hour of fine playing on these performances captured at Ronnie Scott's Club in London in December, 1963. A bonus is an excerpt from an interview with Johnny. (Harkit Records)Previously unissued performances, at Ronnie Scott's club, 1963, with "tough tenor" saxist Johnny Griffin, supported by house rhythm team---pianist Stan Tracey, bassist Malcolm Cecil, drummer Jackie Dougan. This Harkit archive series of American musicians making first U.K. appearances offers the authentic feel of live sessions. Griffin's fast-fingered, fluent tenor and exuberant attack gives extended work-outs to blues ("Wee Dot," "Straight, No Chaser") and standards (try "All the Things You Are" and "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day"), with admirably sympathetic support from Tracey's trio. Jazz journalist Les Tomkins, who taped these Scott sessions, writes full liner notes and provides excerpts from a Griffin interview. A collector's edition, and more to come. Very welcome. (Andrew Clark, Editor, Riffs & Choruses: A New Jazz Anthology. Continuum Publishing.)
Price: £13.99
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Johnny Griffin Quartet: Way Out! (CD: Riverside- US Import)
Although Way Out! was recorded in New York, the album's accent is on tenor titan Johnny Griffin's native Chicago. Windy City bassist Wilbur Ware plays, in the words of Down Beat reviewer Richard Hadlock, "uncommonly creative solos," and five of the six selections are from the pens of Chicagoans. Griffin, producer Orrin Keepnews notes, "puts across the full impact of his intricacy and dexterity of ideas and of fingering here without having to resort to blazing tempos. But just to show what he can do way up there, he takes on that durable old warhorse, 'Cherokee,' for a fresh and dazzling display of fireworks." (Fantasy, Inc.)
Price: £15.49
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 | Johnny Griffin Sextet (CD: Riverside- US Import)
with Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, Kenny Drew, Wilbur Ware & Philly Joe Jones.
Price: £15.49
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Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: Tough Tenors (CD: Jazzland- US Import)
Price: £15.49
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 | Johnny Griffin: The Best Of (CD: Riverside)
Price: £9.99
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Johnny Griffin: Live At Ronnie Scott's (CD: In + Out)
In May 2008 tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin played a couple of nights at Ronnie Scott's in a belated celebration of his 80th birthday. He was accompanied by trumpeter Roy Hargrove, James Pearson or David Newton on piano, bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Billy Cobham. Sadly he died just two months later. In + Out Records had the good fortune to record those sessions and the resulting album captures the veteran saxophonist in top form ably supported by the all-star lineup. (New Note)
Price: £13.99
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 | Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Big Band: Trane Whistle (CD: Prestige- US Import)
Although Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis played with Count Basie’s band for two stretches in the 1950s, his own recordings in that decade were exclusively with his organ trios. But the passion of Davis’s tenor saxophone took on even more authority and swagger in a big band setting, so in 1960 producer Esmond Edwards hired a bandful of New York’s best players and engaged the practically unknown arranger Oliver Nelson to craft charts for Davis. The result was this powerful album. Among Nelson’s three blues compositions is “The Stolen Moment,” which later, with a slight title change, became his best-known piece, “Stolen Moments.” In addition to some of Jaws’s best playing and Nelson’s rich arrangements, there is the excitement of all-out trumpet competition between Clark Terry and Richard Williams on “Whole Nelson” and “Jaws.” (Fantasy, Inc.)
Price: £15.49
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Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis & Johnny Griffin: Battle Stations (CD: Prestige- US Import)
One of the soul-satisfying joys of the second half-century of jazz was the tenor saxophone partnership of Lockjaw Davis and Johnny Griffin. Regardless who was in their rhythm section, creative sparks flew when Jaws and Griff locked horns. In this case, driven by Norman Simmons, Victor Sproles, and Ben Riley, the tenor terrors were, if anything, hotter than usual. There were other wonderful two-tenor teams in the post-bop era--Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, Frank Foster and Frank Wess; in one unforgettable encounter Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane faced off. But Davis and Griffin had something special and it was honed in appearance after appearance and record date after record date. The album title, Battle Stations, may overstate their contention. They were not at war, but they did compete, and when they did, everybody won. (Fantasy, Inc.)
Price: £15.49
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 | Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: Cookbook Vol.1 (CD: Prestige RVG)
Price: £9.99
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Illinois Jacquet: The Illinois Jacquet Story (CD: Proper, 4 CDs)
Illinois Jacquet was the tenor saxophonist who informed the world that something new in tenor saxophone stylings had been forged with his famous solo on Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home" in 1942. The master of the Texas tenor style proves hisversatility and command of the horn in this 4CD set that ranges from stomping swingers to romantic ballads and down-home blues performances. Among the supporting cast on this essential 79 track set are: Charles Mingus, Sir Charles Thompson, Johnny Otis, Shadow Wilson, Bill Doggett and Art Blakey. (Proper Records)
Price: £15.49
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 | Illinois Jacquet: Jumpin' At The Apollo (CD: Delmark)
Price: £13.99
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Illinois Jacquet with Kenny Burrell: The Message (CD: Lone Hill Jazz)
Price: £10.99
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 | Illinois Jacquet with Kenny Burrell: Desert Winds (CD: Argo/ Verve LPR)
Price: £9.99
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John Hardee: Hardee's Party (CD: Ocium)
Price: £11.99
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 | Jimmy Forrest: Black Forrest (CD: Delmark)
Price: £13.99
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Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore: Blowin' In From Chicago (CD: Blue Note RVG)
Jordan and Gilmore were big guns in Chicago and unknown elsewhere when they made this album with the dream team of Horace Silver, Curly Russell and Art Blakey. Jordan would become a kingpin of the New York hard bop scene and Gilmore would immerse himself in the world of Sun Ra, but these tenor masters were complete in sync for this great Blue Note session. (Blue Note Records)
Price: £8.99
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Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore: Blowin' In From Chicago (Vinyl LP: Blue Note- US Import)
Price: £11.99
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 | David 'Fathead' Newman: Song For The New Man (CD: HighNote)
Price: £13.99
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Arnett Cobb: Blows For 1300 (CD: Delmark)
Arnett Cobb is a powerful Texas tenor soloist and bandleader. His years with Lionel Hampton in the 40s prior to these sessions allowed Cobb to grow in strength and versatility, He's just as capable of knocking 'em dead at Birdland or at a more intimate setting. Who or what the 1300 Arnett blows for on this CD is unclear but one thing is certain: he'll definitely blow you away. (Delmark Records)
Price: £13.99
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 | Booker Ervin with Don Patterson: Hip Cake Walk (CD: Groove Hut)
The complete, rare LP ‘Hip Cake Walk’, featuring Booker Ervin in a trio format with organist Don Patterson and drummer Billy James. Five outstanding tunes from the same sessions have been added as bonus tracks. (Discovery Records)
Price: £10.99
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Booker Ervin: The In Between (CD: Blue Note- Jap Import)
Price: £16.99
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 | Booker Ervin: Tex Book Tenor (CD: Blue Note Connoisseur)
Price: £13.99
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