Two early 60s albums from the team of Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt – both recorded in Chicago! Boss Tenors is a head to head classic from Jug & Stitt that perfectly captures the joy and fury of their live performances from years before! The record was cut here in our hometown with a very ... read moreCD
One of the few sessions ever recorded by tenor player Walter Benton – a great talent with a very strong voice, coming out of a gutsier 50s era, and growing into a capable hardbop player by the time of this set. The album's got Benton playing in a quintet that features Freddie Hubbard on ... read moreCD
3 tremendous albums from modern trombonist Eddie Bert – all of which stand as some of his greatest work of the 50s! The records were all originally recorded for Savoy, and all within a few months of each other – and there's a crystal-clear focus on all of them that you don't always ... read moreCD
Eddie Bert —
Kaleidoscope ... CD Discovery/Fresh Sound (Spain), Mid 50s. Used ...
Out Of Stock
A brilliant example of why Eddie Bert was one of the hippest trombonists of the 50s – a player who could bridge the worlds of Stan Kenton and Charles Mingus, and always come up with a sound that was one of the freshest on his instrument! The bulk of the CD features small combo work Bert ... read moreCD
Great live work from the Clifford Brown/Max Roach group of the 50s – including material recorded at Basin Street in 1956, but different than the classic Emarcy album of the same name! These Basin Street sides are from April and May of 1956 – and feature a group with Sonny Rollins on ... read moreCD
Featuring Chris Cheek on saxphones, Diego Urcola on trumpet, Freddie Bryant on guitars, Edward Simon on piano, Avishai Cohen on bass, Jordi Rossy on drums and Gilad on percussion. CD
Beautiful bass work from 50s LA player Red Callender – heard here on his classic Swingin Suite album for Modern, plus tracks from the MGM album Lowest! Swingin Suite is easily one of Red's tightest sessions – a date that has Callender's basslines strongly leading a nonet of players ... read moreCD
A brilliant tribute to one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of the 50s – featuring 3 full albums of material, plus some bonus tracks as well! Conte Candoli is a name that's appeared on countless sessions as a sideman or studio player, but here, Conte really sparkles as a leader – ... read moreCD
A treasure trove of west coast jazz work from the mid 50s – one that features a number of unusual sessions! First off, the set includes 4 tracks that were initially recorded under the leadership of Shorty Rogers, most likely for RCA – and featuring players that include Bud Shank, Bob ... read moreCD
A great look at west coast trumpeter Buddy Childers – a player who's name frequently shows up in larger group sessions of the 50s, but who rarely ever recorded as a leader at the time! The package brings together both of Childers' albums for Liberty – Sam Songs, recorded in 1955 with a ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Esaie Cid, Benjamin Dousteyssier, Alex Gilson, & Paul Morvan —
La Suite Audienne ... CD Fresh Sound/Swing Alley (Spain), 2022. Used ...
$8.99
Esaie Cid on alto saxophone and clarinet, Benjamin Dousteyssier on baritone and soprano saxophone, Alex Gilson on bass, and Paul Morvan on drums. CD
A really great little live jazz date from the mid 50s – one that features a unique pairing of east and west coast players, working together as part of a Birdland Stars package tour! The group's an exceptionally balanced one – with players who are all strong enough to work together ... read moreCD
A new reissue of this obscure 1959 session recorded by Sonny Criss, one of our favorite alto players of all time! Criss recorded this album in Chicago, as Sonny Criss At The Crossroads, and it's one of the only jazz records ever on the Peacock label, which put out mostly gospel and blues – ... read moreCD
One of Kenny Dorham's best records ever – and one of his rarest too! The set was cut for the short-lived Jaro label, home to a few great jazz sides during its short-lived American tenure – and the set features Kenny grooving at a level that's extremely tight, very much in the best ... read moreCD
Seminal modern jazz from Art Farmer & Gigi Gryce – a pair of records the players recorded together on Prestige Records in the mid 50s! First up is When Farmer Met Gryce – one of Art Farmer's pivotal mid 50s sides – recorded in the company of altoist Gigi Gryce, a great player ... read moreCD
Michael Feinberg —
Hard Times ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 2021. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Michael Feinberg on bass, Godwin Louis on alto saxophone, Noah Preminger on tenor saxophone, Billy Buss and Randy Brecker on trumpet, Orrin Evans on piano, Leo Genovese on keyboards and organ, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums, and Gabriel Globus-Hoenich on percussion. CD
A great set from Maynard Ferguson's "Dream Band " – a small orchestra that featured Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, Mel Lewis, Paul Moer, and Nino Tempo – and which was a perfect vehicle for Ferguson's hard-swinging approach to jazz. There's some slight Kenton touches here – ... read moreCD
Fletcher Henderson All Stars —
Big Reunion ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), Mid 50s. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins on alto saxophone, Bill Pemberton on bass, Buster Bailey on baritone clarinet, Jimmy Crawford on drums, Al Casey on guitar, Red Richards on piano, Garvin Bushell and Hilton Jefferson on saxophone, Haywood Henry on tenor saxophone, Benny Morton, Dickie Wells, and J.C. ... read moreCD
A new take on Duke Ellington's score for Anatomy Of A Murder, with new arrangements by Bob Freedman, and performed by Herb Pomeroy and his orchestra, plus themes from Perry Mason, M-Squad, Peter Gunn, The Thin Man, 77 Sunset Strip, and more. CD
Herb Geller —
Birdland Stomp ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1990. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Herb Geller's one of those players that almost sounds hipper in the later part of his career – he's lost none of the sharpness of his earlier years, and really starts to open up even more on his solos – as you'll hear on this early 90s session with Kenny Drew on piano! The pair are ... read moreCD
A gem of a record – easily one of Herb Geller's best! There's a bite to the record we really love – a quality in Geller's tone that really blows us away – and which has had us going back and re-evaluating his career after hearing this set. Part of the strength is the setting ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Bill Goodwin —
No Method ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1990. Used ...
$6.99
Bill Goodwin on drums, Hal Galper on piano, and Billy Peterson on bass. CD
With Leroy Vinnegar on bass, Lawrence Marable & Stan Levey on drums, Kenny Drew & Lou Levy on piano, Dextor Gordon on tenor saxophone & Frank Rosolino on trombone. CD
An excellent document of two key players on the west coast scene of the late 50s – both of whom passed away at too far young an age! Trumpeter Joe Gordon was one of the most soulful players on the LA scene of the period – almost a Lee Morgan in his sense of timing and space – and ... read moreCD
A selection of work by one of the most enigmatic talents on the LA scene of the mid 50s – French Horn player John Graas, an artist with a talent as unique as his horn! Unlike other jazz artists who used the French Horn, Graas managed to keep things cool and light – working in a cool ... read moreCD
A wealth of great work from Chico Hamilton in the 50s! First up is the self-titled Chico Hamilton Quintet album – Pacific Jazz 1225 – not to be confused with other similar-titled Chico Hamilton albums at the time! This one sports an abstract painting on the cover, and was recorded in ... read moreCD
A rare set of work by Chico Hamilton's original quintet – the groundbreaking lineup that features Buddy Collette on flute and saxes, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar, and Carson Smith on drums – all working together in a really unique blend of rhythm and melody! The sound here is ... read moreCD
Incredible work from composer/arranger George Handy – a brilliant set of inventive tunes that easily place him on a level with better-known 50s arrangers like Ralph Burns, Gil Evans, and George Russell! There's as much modernism here as in the work of any the three above – but also a ... read moreCD
Fantastic work from Hawkins – recorded for a small label at a time when his star had fallen a bit, but with some AMAZING tone that really makes the album cook! The group's a combo that features piano and organ by Earl Knight, trumpet by Ernie Royal, trombone by Eddie Bert, and guitar by ... read moreCD
Long, lean, and later work by Coleman Hawkins – recorded in a beautifully stripped-down and free setting at the Village Gate! The tracks are all pushing the 10 minute mark – and feature Hawk soloing in that open, exploratory way he was using during the time – a mix of older ... read moreCD
A great collection that brings together 2 of the last albums ever issued by piano genius Elmo Hope – both of which are overflowing with original tunes in Hope's best modernist mode! The style here is a bit more far-reaching than some of his other work from earlier years – not ... read moreCD
Four great albums from Lurlean Hunter – a singer who's sadly overlooked these days, but who was a real up-and-comer from the Chicago scene in the 50s! Lurlean's got a style that's surprisingly smooth at times – much richer and more jazz-based than the sometimes-bluesy cover images she ... read moreCD
JJ Johnson & Al Cohn —
Birdlanders ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1954. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Includes the songs "Jay Jay's Blues", "I'll Remember April", "There's No You", "Gerry Old Man", "Indiana", "Out Of Nowhere", "If I Had You", "Lisa", "Boo Wah", "Something For Lily", and "Walling ... read moreCD
Jo Jones —
Jo Jones Trio ... CD Everest/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1959. Used ...
$11.99
A real classic from drummer Jo Jones – and the kind of a spare session that really lets his work on drums come to the forefront! Jo's working here with Ray Bryant on piano and brother Tommy Bryant on bass – in a mode that's got some of the soulful undercurrents of the Bryant recordings ... read moreCD
A surprisingly nice record – and one of Roger Kellaway's best straight jazz sessions of the 60s! The set's a gently grooving one, featuring many original compositions by Kellaway – played in a playful and freewheeling style that's a lot better than we would have imagined. Roger's a ... read moreCD
Not one of the original Vee Jay albums recorded by pianist Wynton Kelly – but a really sweet set that has him stretching out in a live setting recorded by Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society in 1968! Wynton's trio – with Ron McClure on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – is joined by ... read moreCD
One of the best-remembered jazz albums from singer Bev Kelly – partly for the record's great use of guitar by Johnny Smith, but also for the great vocals from Bev herself! The album's one of a few that really set a new standard for small combo jazz in the 50s – different than the ... read moreCD
Brilliant early work from Charlie Mariano – key proof of his genius, and one of the main albums we'd recommend by him! The album has Charlie coming of his years in the Boston scene – boppish at some level, but blowing with a raspy soulfulness that really opens up his horn into new ... read moreCD
A beautiful little record that's one of the toughest to find by Charlie Mariano, and which represents a rare "with orchestra" session that was put together by a young Don Sebesky! The backing's got all the moody overtones that show up in Sebesky's best arranging, and the group includes ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Charlie Mariano Quintet —
Boston Days ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1953. Used ...
Out Of Stock
We don't know what they were putting in the water in Boston during the 50's, but whatever it was, it sure made Bostonians play great jazz – especially all the white guys who picked up alto saxophones. Charlie Mariano was one of those guys, and from the start, his playing on the alto had a ... read moreCD
Charlie Mariano With The Tete Montoliu Trio —
It's Standard Time Vol 2 ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1989. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Charlie Mariano on alto saxophone, Tete Montoliu on piano, Horacio Fumero on bass, and Peer Wyboris on drums. CD
A great pairing – just Warne Marsh on tenor and Red Mitchell on bass! Tracks include "Cherokee", "It's You Or No One", "Everything Happens To Me", "Sippin' At Bells", and "These Foolish Things". CD
A quartet session that features Les McCann working with Leroy Vinnegar on bass, Ron Jefferson on drums, and Joe Pass on guitar. Pass' guitar opens the group up nicely – expanding Les a bit past some of the gospel drenched work of earlier yesr. Tracks include "Maichen", "Bernie ... read moreCD
A wonderful album from the great Gary McFarland – and completely sublime all the way through! The record's part jazz, part easy, and all McFarland, with a cool compressed breezy vibe that's just about impossible to describe accurately. Gary's vibes are wonderfully set in a small combo with ... read moreCD
A 2CD collection that features some incredible live work from one of Lee Morgan's greatest years! The title says "Lighthouse", but there's actually some discussion that the material may be from a live set recorded in San Francisco slightly before the famous Live At The Lighthouse album ... read moreCD
A fitting title for this scorching set tracks led by the incomparable Lee Morgan – captured over several dates throughout 1960 at the legendary Birdland club – and backed up by Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers! Nothing but legends on the stage here – with Morgan's trumpet out ... read moreCD
Lee Morgan & Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers —
More Birdland Sessions ... CD Fresh Sound (Switzerland), 1960. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons and Walter Davis Jr on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. CD
Obscure late work from Lee Morgan – the bulk of a live concert recorded in Baltimore in 1968, and featuring a group co-led with the great Clifford Jordan! The recording is one of many taped by Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society at the time – and like others you might have heard on disc ... read moreCD
Joe Newman —
Count's Men ... CD Jazztone/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1955. Used ...
Out Of Stock
With Frank Wess on flute and tenor, Frank Foster on tenor, Benny Powell on trombone, Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Ed Jones on bass, and Shadow Wilson on drums. CD
Hod O'Brien on piano, Tom Warrington on bass, and Paul Kreibich on drums. CD
(Out of print.)
Dave Pell Octet —
Plays Again ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1984. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Featuers Dave Pell on tenor sax, Med Lorly on baritone sax, Bill Watrous on trombone, Bill Berry on trumpet, Bob Florence on piano, Frank Capp on drums, Buddy Clark on bass, and Tony Rizzi on guitar. CD
Great stuff by Art Pepper – originally issued only on tape, and kind of lost in his catalog – and like many albums of his 50s work released after the fact, this one almost blows away some of his best known records! The material was recorded in 1957, and was only ever issued on pre-recor ... read moreCD
Interesting sides from Bud Powell – billed on the front as "his first new recordings since 1958", which isn't really the case, since he did cut some work while living in Paris. And even more interesting, the liner notes describe Powell as "back on the US jazz scene, cured of ... read moreCD
It's hard to overstate the influence of Max Roach and Clifford Brown on the west coast scene of the 50s – as the two players helped draw out the bop sound of LA that was quickly getting lost in the cool jazz shuffle of the time, and gave it a strength and focus that not only made the group ... read moreCD
Includes three albums and features work with Tommy Flanagan, Roy Haynes, Oscar Pettiford, and Philly Joe Jones! CD
Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes —
Couriers Of Jazz ... CD Carlton/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1958. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Killer jazz from the UK! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Jazz Couriers group that starred England's greatest tenor players ever – Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes. The album is darn tough to find in the original, and this reissue is long long overdue – especially as ... read moreCD
Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes —
Couriers Of Jazz ... CD Carlton/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1958. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Killer jazz from the UK! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Jazz Couriers group that starred England's greatest tenor players ever – Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes. The album is darn tough to find in the original, and this reissue is long long overdue – especially as ... read moreCD
Key early work from trumpeter Jack Sheldon – a set that captures his talents at their most basic and most stripped-down – very much in the spirit of the best LA jazz coming out on the Pacific Jazz label at the time! If the cover makes the set look a bit like a Chet Baker album, that's ... read moreCD
Two great albums from Chicago's Argo label brough together on one great CD! Norman Simmons is a wonderfully soulful piano player, of the rare kind who always seems to bring something "extra to the table"! The set's more than the usual piano trio side of the time, as Simmons contributes ... read moreCD
Johnny Smith with Stan Getz —
Jazz At NBC Series ... CD Roost/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1952/1953. Used ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
Some of the best early work by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith – featuring his group that included Stan Getz on tenor! The sides were recorded in the early 50s, when Smith was virtually pioneering the light touch on jazz guitar, a sound that was perfect for the breezy tone of Getz. Tracks on ... read moreCD
One of Sonny Stitt's amazing albums for Roost – a record with a beautifully mature conception of bop soloing, and a totally confident tone throughout! There's an understated brilliance here that's nearly impossible to describe in words – a sense of placement, timing, and phrasing that's ... read moreCD
Beautiful Roost material from Sonny Stitt – solid, mature, and extremely well-placed lines on the alto sax – all caught at a level that's higher than most of his contemporaries were dising out at the time! The boppier side of Stitt's roots is nicely suppressed here – and in its ... read moreCD
Three killer albums from pianist Frank Strazzeri – all brought together in a wonderful demonstration of his genius during the 70s! First up is Taurus, a record that's also known as View From Within – a date that has Frank playing Fender Rhodes with a wonderful sound – that open ... read moreCD
One of the best pre-1960 sessions by Cecil Taylor, recorded in Boston in 1956, and originally issued on the totally rare Transition label in a very small pressing! Taylor's playing here with the great bassist Buell Neidlinger, one of his prime compatriots in the early days, plus the great drummer ... read moreCD
Lucky Thompson —
Accent On Tenor ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 1954. Used ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
Nearly lost work by Lucky Thompson – recorded in New York shortly before he departed for a very productive stay in Europe! Some of the material has shown up on other reissues over the years, but this set's the first time we've seen all 9 tracks from the session together, with the sort of ... read moreCD
A rare and sublime set from Lucky Thompson – recorded at a real turning point in his career! The title refers to the fact that Lucky's working back on American shores after some extended time in Europe – and that fact is nicely hammered home by the cover image, which has Lucky standing ... read moreCD
An obscure French session cut by the great American tenor player Lucky Thompson, with a group of Parisian players that includes Martial Solal on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, Michel Hausser on vibes, and Gerard Pochonet on drums. Thompson's sweet tenor sound is given nice backing by the ... read moreCD
A great collection of work that documents the rich talents of the Claude Thornhill group – one of the best of the later large groups of the 40s – thanks to some superb arranging talents on their recordings! The first 11 tracks on the set feature Gil Evans arrangements, often on more ... read moreCD
Great live work from Mel Torme – a 2CD set that features his best concert performances of the 50s! CD 1 features a live date originally issued on Decca – a whopping 20 track set that's done with spare backings from the Al Pellegrini Trio – possibly the most stripped-down Torme ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
David Weiss —
Mirror ... CD Fresh Sound (Spain), 2004. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Features Craig Handy and Marcus Strickland on tenor, Norbert Stachel on baritone sax and bass clarinet, Steve Davis on trombone, Xavier Davis on piano, and others. CD
Cootie Williams & Rex Stewart —
Big Challenge ... CD Jazztone/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1957. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Nicely relaxed jam session material by a group of late swing players that includes Williams, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart, Bud Freeman, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, and Billy Bauer. The tracks are all trad standards – like "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "When Your Lover Has ... read moreCD
Don't get this John Williams confused with the bigger-name soundtrack composer of later years – because this set is pure piano jazz all the way through, played by an artist who shined briefly with Stan Getz in the mid 50s! Although little-known, Williams is a great link between bop and ... read moreCD
Jack Wilson (with Roy Ayers) —
Ramblin' ... CD Vault/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1966. Used ...
Out Of Stock
A beautiful set of modal jazz tracks – recorded by the great LA pianist Jack Wilson with a young Roy Ayers! The set is amazing, and features haunting piano and vibes interplay between Ayers and Wilson – in a style that could best be summed up as LA modern modal, but which is also ... read moreCD
Miguel Zenon on alto saxophone, Hans Glawischnig on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums, Ben Monder on guitar, Pernell Saturnino and William Cepeda on percussion, Luis Perdomo on piano, David Sanchez on tenor saxophone, and Diego Urcola on trumpet. CD
An assortment of tracks recorded together under the Downbeat name, but which was really designed to showcase the budding jazz talents on late 50s Dot Records! The set kicks off with a big band, Basie-ish number – "Blues Over Easy", performed by Manny Alban and jazz greats that ... read moreCD
A massive overview of work from the Barcelona scene of the mid 20th century – most of it music we'd never heard before! The package was done in conjunction with the book of the same name – and it's divided up into 3 different sections – trad jazz from the 20s and 30s, mainstream ... read moreCD