-
Carol Sloane: “Live at 30th Street” (Columbia CS-8743)
On an August night in 1962, Columbia turned its fabled 30th Street Studio into a nightclub for a live recording by vocalist Carol Sloane. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that the rarely reissued, Live at 30th Street shows playful, swinging elements of Sloane’s style only hinted at on her orchestral debut LP, Out…
-
Art Pepper: “Unreleased Art, Vol. 8: Live at the Winery” (Widow’s Taste 13001)
When Art Pepper was released from Synanon in 1972, he was hesitant to resume his playing career. He realized that the music he loved to play was also the conduit for his substance abuse. Yet, with the encouragement of his wife Laurie, Pepper gradually started playing again. Thomas Cunniffe reviews a brilliant 1976 concert recording…
-
Art Pepper: “Live at Fat Tuesday’s” (Elemental 5990427)
For years, Art Pepper proved that being white and a Californian were not detriments to being a great jazz musician. However, even near the end of his career, Pepper believed he had to prove himself yet again. A newly released nightclub performance from New York’s Fat Tuesday’s finds Pepper performing exciting and emotionally ripe solos…
-
Duke Pearson: “The Right Touch” (Blue Note 84267)
Under-appreciated by the jazz public, but beloved by musicians, Duke Pearson recorded seventeen albums in just under 11 years. Michael Verity singles out Pearson’s 1968 Blue Note LP The Right Touch as his crowning achievement in this month’s Retro Review.
-
Charlie Parker with Strings (Deluxe Edition) (Verve 22596)
The exclusive recording contract between Charlie Parker and Norman Granz was beneficial to both parties. Signing Parker was a coup for Granz, who did not yet have the large stable of recording artists. Under Granz, Parker recorded with a wide range of musicians, and was able to realize a long-held dream of recording with strings.…
-
Beny Moré: “Lo Mejor de Lo Mejor” (The Best of the Best) (BMG Mexico 72826)
Known as the Wildman of Rhythm, Cuban singer and bandleader Beny Moré was beloved by fans and musicians. In a solo career that lasted just over a decade, Moré accumulated several hit records, 40 of which are compiled in RCA’s Lo Mejor de Lo Mejor. Jazz History Online’s Latin jazz expert Janine Santana revisits this…
-
Charles Mingus: “Pre-Bird” (aka “Mingus Revisited”) (Verve 314 538 636)
The music of Charles Mingus was always ahead of its time, and on his album Pre-Bird he presents compositions that he wrote before hearing Charlie Parker. In this Retro Review, Ellen Johnson discusses all of the music and how it related to Mingus’ life.
-
Carmen McRae at the Great American Music Hall (Blue Note 709)
Recorded in June 1976, Carmen McRae’s live album …At the Great American Music Hall is one of the singer’s least-heralded masterpieces. Featuring the outstanding rhythm section of Marshall Otwell, Ed Bennett and Joey Baron, plus four tracks with guest artist Dizzy Gillespie, the album finds McRae creating one memorable performance after another. In this Retro…
-
Eddie Jefferson: “The Main Man” (Inner City 1033)
In the mid-1970s, Eddie Jefferson finally received the popular and critical acclaim that was long overdue. His 1977 Inner City LP The Main Man has long been considered his finest work, with Jefferson singing definitive versions of his greatest vocalese pieces, backed by a remarkable all-star band. Thomas Cunniffe takes another listen in this month’s…
-
Billie Holiday: “All or Nothing at All” (Verve 314 529 226)
During seven recording sessions in August 1956 and January 1957, Billie Holiday recorded three albums which represented some of the best singing of her later years. Several years ago, these three albums, All or Nothing at All, Body and Soul and Songs for Distingué Lovers were combined on a 2-CD set. To commemorate Holiday’s centennial,…