Duke Pearson had always displayed a flair for arranging, even on small combo albums, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he would attempt his own big band record. What is a surprise is how successful Introducing Duke Pearson’s Big Band actually is. Pearson leads 13 other…
During the prime Blue Note years (1958-1962) of the Three Sounds (a trio comprised of pianist Gene Harris, bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy), the group did an awful lot of recording for the label. This 1998 CD has a dozen titles that had never been released previously from four sessions in 1959 and…
Recorded in 1958, this legendary date with the still-undersung Sonny Clark in the leader’s chair also featured a young Jackie McLean on alto (playing with a smoother tone than he had before or ever did again), trumpeter Art Farmer, and the legendary rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and…
Recorded in 1957, Sonny’s Crib features a front line of Curtis Fuller, Donald Byrd, and John Coltrane with Sonny Clark on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Paul Chambers on bass. Truly still a bebop recording, done a full year before the landmark Cool Struttin’ session, nonetheless the set…
Pianist Sonny Clark sounds very much at home on this trio set with bassist Paul Chambers and drummerPhilly Joe Jones. Sticking to bop standards, Clark essentially plays his version of Bud Powell, carving out his own approach to the influential style. The CD reissue adds three alternates to the six selections and includes such gems as…
Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, On This Day…At the Vanguard is saxophonist Joe Lovano’s first recording with his award-winning nonet since the release of 52nd Street Themes in 2000. Having recorded in a variety of settings ranging from those of big-band leaders Woody Herman and Mel Lewis to…
Joe Lovano’s joint project with the vaunted WDR Big Band & Rudfunk Orchester from Germany (recorded live in concert on November 26, 2005, aside from the studio track “His Dreams”) is one of many collaborations combining an American jazz artist with the horns and strings of this classically oriented,…
Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and pianist Hank Jones make for a perfect combination on this set of live duets. They had played together on an occasional basis for the two years prior to this project, collaborating on the Joyous Encounter recording. Jones has a timeless style that since 1944…
Joe Lovano can always be relied upon to switch gears from one project to another, constantly exploring new music and fresh variations of older pieces. On Streams of Expression, he contributes the five-part “Streams of Expression Suite,” a three-part “Birth of the Cool Suite” (conducted by Gunther Schuller) that…