Retro Reviews

The Modern Jazz Quartet was never as stuffy as their critics claimed. Their music changed and evolved subtly through concerts and recordings. Lost Tapes, a new CD of recordings from Germany offers the opportunities for fresh comparisons, and in this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe traces the changes in MJQ arrangements through this and previously released albums.

The 1962 LP Money Jungle brought together the prototypical power trio: Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach. The personal tensions between these giant personalities was reflected in the music, which was less like sparks flying and more like landmine explosions. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe examines this classic recording and a new tribute album by Terri Lyne Carrington.

In the 1960s, Nancy Wilson’s popularity rose as jazz’s audience waned. Much of her success was due to an extraordinary series of albums on Capitol. In his first contribution to our pages, Michael Canty offers his thoughts on one of those classic albums, Yesterday’s Love Songs/Today’s Blues.

Few albums had the impact of Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come and Change of the Century. They generated an incredible amount of critical buzz, and there was little middle ground: either you loved it or hated it. In 1960 (and today), Amy Duncan loved it, and she shares her reactions to the albums in this Retro Review.

It’s hard to go wrong with an all-star recording featuring Bobby Hackett, Urbie Green, Zoot Sims, Hank Jones, Slam Stewart, Mel Lewis and leader Peter Appleyard. While reviewer Thomas Cunniffe praises the music on the newly-released The Lost 1974 Sessions, there are severe problems with the production of the disc which call for a new edition.

In 1978, Phil Woods composed and arranged I Remember…, an album-long suite which memorialized eight jazz masters: Cannonball Adderley, Paul Desmond, Oscar Pettiford, Oliver Nelson, Charlie Parker, Willie Rodriguez, Willie Dennis and Gary McFarland. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that the album is also a memorial for Dr. Herb Wong, whose liner notes graced the original LP.

In 1950, Ella Fitzgerald had the good sense to partner with pianist Ellis Larkins for the LP Ella Sings Gershwin. That classic album and its followup Songs in a Mellow Mood were reissued on CD several years ago on a disc appropriately titled Pure Ella. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe details why these recordings are among Fitzgerald’s greatest.

In September 1956, 23-year old Quncy Jones assembled a truly all-star band for his first LP as a leader, This Is How I Feel About Jazz. In ensembles ranging from nine to fifteen pieces, Jones provided brilliant showcases for Art Farmer, Jimmy Cleveland, Phil Woods, Lucky Thompson, Milt Jackson, Billy Taylor and Charles Mingus. Thomas Cunniffe reviews this landmark recording in this month’s Retro Review.

When Red Garland left the Miles Davis Sextet in 1958, his career continued on with recordings for Prestige and a busy schedule of sideman appearances. But in 1962, Garland moved to Dallas to care for his ailing mother, and he didn’t return to active playing for nearly a decade. Elemental’s new 2-CD set. Swingin’ on the Korner finds Garland in exceptional form, leading a trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Philly Joe Jones in live sets recorded in 1977 at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner.

In 1979, Sarah Vaughan was a newlywed. Her husband was trumpeter Waymon Reed, a competent but hardly original soloist. Vaughan insisted on featuring Reed on her recordings, including her 2-LP Duke Ellington Songbook. Concord has now reissued the set on CD with a previously unissued session conducted by Benny Carter. In his review of the CD, Thomas Cunniffe speculates that Reed may have been the catalyst for some of Vaughan’s greatest late-career performances.

When Sarah Vaughan first heard Clifford Brown in 1951, she wanted to make a record with him, even though he was unknown and had not recorded. Three years later, with Brown established as a rising trumpet star, the collaboration became a reality. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe discusses that album, rightly acknowledged as a jazz classic.

Satchmo at Symphony Hall has long been considered one of Louis Armstrong’s greatest concert recordings. In commemoration of the 65th anniversary of this recording, Universal Music has released the concert complete for the first time. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the new version in this Retro Review.

One of jazz’s greatest storytellers, Shirley Horn created a masterpiece for the ages with her 1992 CD, Here’s To Life. The album was her first collaboration with Johnny Mandel, and it features three of Mandel’s best songs. However, as Thomas Cunniffe writes, it is the title song–written especially for Horn–that ties this album together..

The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz has undergone several transformations since its initial release in 1973. Thomas Cunniffe evaluates the various editions of the set as one of this month’s Retro Reviews.