Retro Reviews

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.

When Sonny Rollins signed with Impulse Records in 1965, his first recording project was a live outdoor concert at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. During the concert, Rollins wandered all around the performing space as he improvised, and the off-mike recording was shelved for 13 years, when it was issued as There Will Never Be Another You. While the album reflects an important milestone in Rollins’ live recordings, it is frequently misunderstood. Thomas Cunniffe examines the recording and the music in this Retro Review.

There are all-star sessions, and then there’s Dizzy Gillespie’s Sonny Side Up. This album, featuring the twin tenors of Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt, contains one of the greatest tenor sax battles ever recorded. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe explores both Sonny Side Up and its companion album Duets.

One of Stan Getz’ last masterpieces was The Dolphin, a quartet recording made at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner. New JHO contributor Chris Coulter offers his thoughts on the album and its companion disc, Spring Is Here.

While Wes Montgomery was not well-known in the jazz world before 1960, he had been a semi-professional musician in his home town of Indianapolis since 1944. Following on their acclaimed album Echoes of Indiana Avenue, Resonance Records has issued a new collection called In the Beginning which traces Montgomery’s playing back to 1949. Thomas Cunniffe offers his thoughts on the set in this Retro Review.

The legacies of many jazz legends have been enriched with posthumous releases. Resonance’s Echoes of Indiana Avenue is the first album of unissued Montgomery in a quarter-century, and as reviewer Thomas Cunniffe notes, the album has clues that more unissued Montgomery may still be forthcoming.

Tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes has been nearly forgotten in the United States, but in the United Kingdom, he is revered as one of the greatest jazz musicians Britain ever produced. Hayes died over 40 years ago, but his legacy has been kept alive through an avalanche of live and unissued Hayes recordings issued in the past decade. In this expanded Retro Review. Thomas Cunniffe examines the wide-ranging music of this sometimes neglected giant.

Resonance Records’ latest Wes Montgomery issue will not be new to seasoned fans. The guitarist’s 1965 Paris concert has been available as a bootleg for many years. However, Resonance’s edition offers the concert in its entirety, mastered from the original ORTF master tapes. It is also the first legitimate release of this material. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the recording, which also features Harold Mabern, Arthur Harper, Jimmy Lovelace and Johnny Griffin.

One of the finest ensembles of the 1970s was the Los Angeles big band co-led by Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin. Their double LP, Road Time documented their 1976 tour of Japan, and netted the group a Grammy nomination. Amy Duncan examines this out-of-print classic in this month’s Retro Review.

Teddy Wilson was one of the most prolific jazz musicians of the 1930s, recording with Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, and many others. No single CD box set could ever cover all of Wilson’s recordings from this period, and Mosaic’s new collection contains some–but not all–of Wilson’s best sides as a leader, including all of his solo tracks, several combo sessions and all of his big band tracks. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the contents of the set in this month’s Retro Review.