A key recording in the 50s career of modernist Hal McKusick – a spare and breezy session that really lets him display his unique approach to the alto sax! Hal's playing here in a very spare quartet – with only the guitar of Barry Galbraith, bass of Osie Johnson, and drums of Milt Hinton to back him up – so spare, in fact, that at times, it almost sounds like McKusick is blowing solo – working in that crisp, fresh tone of his on a few familiar numbers, plus some great Manny Albam compositions that have a playfully modern feel. Titles include "Minor Matters", "Give Em Hal", "By-Ian", "Blue-Who", and "Taylor Made". CD

Sublime work from Hal McKusick – one of those mid 50s modernists who offered up such hope for new ideas at the time, and who seemed to all but disappear by the middle of the next decade! This album's one of Hal's finest – an optimistically crafted batch of tunes written by many of the 50s best modernists: Gil Evans, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, and others – played by a group that includes Art Farmer, Barry Galbraith, Jimmy Cleveland, and Milt Hinton. The approach is east coast chamber jazz – a refreshing change from the west coast version, made all the better by McKusick's crisp tone and precise blowing. Titles include "Alto Cumulus", "Tommy Hawk", "Lydian Lullaby", "One Score & Eight Horns Ago", "Jambangle", and "Just Leave It Alone". CD

A classic session from one of the leading lights in RCA's modernist swing stable of jazz musicians during the 50s. Pianist Schaefer's working here with a number of different small groups that include players like Phil Woods, Hal McKusick, Nick Travis, and Milt Hinton – on varying styles that feature either a frontline of multiple altos, multiple trombones, or multiple trumpets. Schaefer wrote many of the tracks on the album – and titles include "This One's For Jack", "Song Of Love", "Real Lee", "Of Thing's Gone By", and "Let's Have A Cerebation". CD

One of a few albums cut in America by French 50s modernist Andre Hodeir – a set of compositions arranged and conducted by Hodeir himself, featuring American players that include Idrees Sulieman and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Hal McKusick on alto and bass clarinet, Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, Jay Cameron on baritone and clarinet, Eddie Costa on vibes, and Frank Rehak on trombone. Annie Ross does a very nice vocal obligatto on the track "The Alphabet", and other tunes include "On A Standard", "On A Riff", "On A Blues", "Criss Cross", and "Paradoxe II". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little session of chamber-type jazz – and the only record we've ever seen by drummer Freddy Merkle. The set is very much in the manner of some of the other tightly-arranged RCA sessions from the mid 50s – with a style that's kind of "New York modern", in a similar mode to the work of Hal McKusick. Pianist Bill Potts wrote and arranged the sessions, and most tracks are relatively short, but still have strong breakaway solos. Half the material's played by a 10-tet, and the rest are played by Merkle's core quintet, with Potts on piano and Earl Swope on trombone. Titles include "Proto Cool", "Shhhh!", "DC Current", "Lunch Box", "Pernod 806", and "Pottsville, USA". CD

Features Phil Woods on alto, Eddie Costa on vibes and piano, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Buzzy Brauner on tenor, and Frank Rehak on trombone! Also features one track by "The Men" – with Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman on trumpets, Hal McKusick on alto, and Bobby Jaspar on tenor. 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 include Nick Travis, Gene Quill, and Jerome Richardson. Next up is the Tony Scott quintet with Jimmy Knepper – on a version of "Scrapple From The Apple" – followed by 2 tracks by Steve Allen – one trio, one with a quartet with Georgie Auld – "Rose Room" and "The Fast Thing In C". Paul Horn follows up with "Give Me The Simple Life" – and the set's completed by "Dougy's Buggy" performed by the Don Elliott Quintet, with Elliott on trumpet and vibes, plus bass clarinet by Hal McKusick. CD

A key set of modern jazz from the late 50s – not so much a Bill Evans album, as it is a collection of larger group recordings that feature his piano. The first 6 tracks on the set are from the 1957 Columbia album Modern Jazz Six – a series of recordings at the Brandeis Festival arranged and conducted by Gunther Schuller and George Russell – and about as hip as you can get for modern jazz from the 50s! Sure, Gunther and George can have their sleepy moments on wax, but this set's great – thanks to a very hip lineup that includes Hal McKusick, John La Porta, Teddy Charles, Bill Evans, Jimmy Knepper, and Louis Mucci. The tunes aren't in that stodgy "classical meets jazz mode", but more in a swinging larger group style – featuring tunes by Jimmy Giuffre, Charles Mingus, Russell, and Schuller – as well as more serious numbers by Harold Shapero and Milton Babbitt. Titles include "All Set", "Revelations", "All About Rosie", and "Suspensions". Added to these are 3 more live tracks from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival – featuring a group led by Don Elliott on vibes and bongos, plus Evans on piano – on titles that include "Dancing In The Dark", "I Love You", and "S Wonderful". CD

A really fantastic album from singer Helen Merrill – and quite an obscure one as well! The set was recorded after Helen's initial burst to fame on the Mercury label in the 50s – and has her taking on a more laidback, more open-minded approach here in a very hip setting that includes a fair bit of work from guitarist Charlie Byrd – fresh off his fame of recording with Stan Getz, and able to bring some of his unique phrasing to the record in a really great way! The material is nicely varied – different than what Merrill would have recorded in the previous decade – and definitely indicates the step into hipper territory that some of the rising vocalists of the 60s, such as Nina Simone or Oscar Brown Jr, were taking at the time. Other musicians include Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet, Hal McKusick on flute, and Jimmy Raney on second guitar – and titles include "The River", "Minha Rocca", "Forbidden Games", "John Anderson My Love", "Cannetella", "Itsuki No Komoriuta", "Quiet Nights", and "Careless Love". CD

One of our favorite of Verve's "genius of" collections of Charlie Parker's work – largely because it includes some wonderful and oft-overlooked vocal tunes! 4 of the tracks on the set feature Bird blowing with a vocal chorus arranged by Dave Lambert – in a style that shouldn't work, but does – thanks to Lambert's keen bop sensibilities (heard here before his Lambert Hendricks & Ross years), and to players in the group that include Hal McKusick, Max Roach, and Charles Mingus. Other tracks have Parker either playing in a quartet with Buddy Rich, Ray Brown, and Hank Jones – or in a different group with Kenny Dorham and Tommy Turk. Titles include "Cardboard", "Visa", "Segment", "Passport", "Diverse", "I'm In the Mood For Love", "If I Love Again", and "Star Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest bandleaders of his generation, even if his group wasn't as famous as those of Basie or Kenton! Pierce was a bit like the former in the heavy swing of his group, but also a fair bit like the latter in that he had a great ear for finding young modernists – players who would work well within the tighter ensemble of the larger group, but also be willing to try out new ideas on their solos – even in a relatively short span on record! The Pierce style was always subtle, but extremely rewarding – especially when given a few repeat listenings. Players here include Joe Newman, Bill Harris, Hal McKusick, Freddie Green, Oscar Pettiford, and Nat Pierce. Includes "Old Rev", "Trip To Nathan's", "Maple Leaf Rag", "That's All", "Sioux City Sue", "Rojiserro", and "The Bearded One". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-named LP, as this hard-grooving blowing session is one of Kenny Burrell's earthiest performances – a no-nonsense, stripped-down batch of hardbop tunes that really lets him let loose! The format here is in the best late 50s Prestige blowing session mode – with rhythm from the trio of Mal Waldron on piano, Teddy Kotick on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums – plus added solo work from Art Farmer on trumpet, Al Cohn on tenor, and Hal McKusick on alto – all nicely loosened up, and good company for Kenny! Tracks are all longish, and titles include "Earthy", "Dayee", "The Front Line", "I Wouldn't", and "What's Not". CD

Don Elliott puts down his mellophone and starts to sing – and the results are a surprisingly strong set that's one of his standouts of the 50s! Don's got a limited range, but more than makes up for it with his sense of personality – a mode that's a bit like Jackie Paris or Matt Dennis at the time, with qualities that are quite far from mainstream male pop vocals of the period! Backing is by a core cool combo that includes Billy Byers on trombone and Hal McKusick on alto and flute – and the tunes have a sweet modern quality that's mighty fresh. Titles include "Ooh Baby It Scares Me", "I Hadn't Anyone Til You", "Every Time", "Let's Fall In Love", "Whatever Happened To You", and "Looking For A Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice set of "mood jazz in hi fi" – featuring Don on the mellophone, trumpet, and vibes – working with a surprisingly hip group that features Bill Evans, Hal McKusick, Paul Motian, and Barry Galbraith. A number of tunes feature backings by a vocal choir of 6 voices – dreamily setting a field of sound for the main soloists to work through – creating a style that actually works better here than some of Elliott's straighter jazz sides of the time. Titles include "A Waltz", "Blue Waltz", "Poinciana", "Summer Scene", "Tired Of Me", and "A Million Dreams Ago". Quite nice, with some dark and modern edges that you wouldn't expect! LP, Vinyl record album

We've got a long-standing love affair with the music of Gil Melle, and this CD's a perfect example of why we think he's so great! Melle was an enigmatic baritone player who recorded for Blue Note and Prestige in the 50's, and his recordings for both labels have a strange other-wordly quality that's very difficult to describe, and which sets him apart from any other practitioner of the instrument at the time. Far from the clunky sounds you might expect from such a giant instrument, Melle produces these amazingly light waves of sound, which are interpolated by the members of his quartet – guitarist Joe Cinderella, bassist Vinnie Burke, and drummer Ed Thigpen – in a tangled web of spooky delights. The group's augmented here by some famous guests that are perfect choices for Melle's sound – like Art Farmer, Hal McKusick, Julius Watkins, and Don Butterfield – and the CD's filled with great compositions like "Soudan", "Block Island", "Funk For Star People", "Herbie", "Tomorrow", and "Ghengis". Also includes 3 bonus tracks, for a total of 9 tracks in all! CD

Poor Tony Perkins! He actually does a pretty nice job on this early album as a vocalist, and we imagine that he forever regretted having that part of his career closed down once he played the part of Norman Bates in Psycho. Still, there's a bit of a psycho feel to this album – from the cover shot of Tony walking down a wet street, to the eerie choice of material played by a small jazz group that includes Hal McKusick, Chuck Wayne, and Jerome Richardson. Titles include "The World Is Your Balloon", "Why Was I Born", "I've Got Sand In My Shoes", "You Came Along", and "Darn That Dream". CD

Wonderful work by Oscar Pettiford! Manhattan Jazz Septette is a nice mid 50s effort from– with a sound that ranges from an easy-going, lightly swinging style to full on, dexterous workouts! The arrangements by Manny Alban really allows for a lot of tight grooving from a stellar group – including Herbie Mann on flute and tenor, Barry Galbraith on guitar, Osie Johnson on drums, Urbie Green on trombone, Hal McKusick on alto, and Eddie Costa on piano and vibes! Titles include "King Porter Stomp", "Never Never Land", "Like Listen", "Rapid Transit", the great Herbie Mann showcase "Flute Cocktail", My Shining Hour" and more. CD

A 70s issue of 2 seminal sides from George Russell, originally recorded in the 50s. The first, New York New York is a wonderful album from George Russell – and a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast that includes John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Max Roach, and Hal McKusick – all working together to paint tones on the tunes that George has crafted to set up his scene of New York in the 50s. Most importantly, though, Jon Hendricks acts as the narrator of the album – talking and scatting in hipster mode, laying out a bit of beat rapportage about the Big Apple, all done in a very cool 50s style that's a bit different from his own vocal work. Titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". And don't let the title of the second, Jazz In The Space Age, mislead you into thinking it's a record of bachelor pad musi. The set's one of Russell's finest recordings of the 50s, and it features some wonderful work in odd tones and scales, executed by another awesome cast of players, including Bill Evans, Paul Bley, Hal McKusick, Bob Brookmeyer, and David Young. An essential chapter in Russell's career, and nice to have in any form. Titles include "Chromatic Universe (parts 1, 2, & 3)", "Dimensions", "Waltz From Outer Space", and "The Lydiot". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from George Russell – a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work – and a brilliant bit of new ideas with some very down to earth expression! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast who really flesh out the ideas in the music – linked together with these fantastic spoken bits by Jon Hendricks – patter about the city and the scene that really make the whole thing come alive! The lineup is virtually a who's who of modern jazz at the moment – John Coltrane and Benny Golson on tenors, Art Farmer on trumpet, Bill Evans on piano, Hal McKusick and Phil Woods on alto, and Max Roach on drums – coming together under some of the clearest leadership that George Russell has ever provided. The whole thing is great – and titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". CD

Hard-swinging big band material – with a heavy emphasis on drums! The album is a suite of six tracks – all written by either Manny Albam or Ernie Wilkins, both of whom arrange the groups on the set – really letting them open up nicely on the album's longish tracks. Manny and Ernie were two of the more soulful arrangers of their day – and they get some strong performances out of the groups, letting players like Conte Candoli on trumpet, Hal McKusick on alto, Al Cohn on tenor, and Freddie Green on guitar open up in longer tracks driven to intensity by some great drum work handled by the lesser-known (but excellent) Ted Sommer. Titles include "Skinning The Valves", "Dancers On Drums", "Bristling", and "The Octopus". CD

An obscure album – but one that features tenor solos from Al Cohn, alto from Hal McKusick, and trumpet from Nick Travis! LP, Vinyl record album