Beautiful work from Jimmy Giuffre – and a key album in the development of his spare sound of the late 50s! The record features Jimmy on clarinet – as you'd guess by the title – but this is no hokey set of Benny Goodman or Buddy DeFranco-type tunes. Instead, Giuffre's using the clarinet in a way that predates 60s modernist styles – working in washes of sound and color that explore the instrument like few other players had even imagined at the time. The backing differs from track to track – as "So Low" features only a tapping foot behind Giuffre's clarinet, "Deep Purple" has backing on piano, and others like "The Sheepherder", "Quiet Cook", and "The Side Pipers" feature some larger group backing, often with no piano. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal middle period album from Jimmy – one recorded right before he really opened it up, but still with more modern touches than some of his earlier work! The group's a quartet – with the great Lawrence Marable on drums, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Red Mitchell on bass – and although this rhythm section-based style is quite different from Jimmy's freer trio work, there's still a magical approach to the music – taking Giuffre's horn to places you really wouldn't expect for the instrument at the time. Recorded with a really loose and easy feel by Bones Howe – and mostly improvised in the studio at the time of recording. Titles include "I Hear Red", "Problems", "Stella By Starlight", and "I Got Those Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Giuffre's first LP – and although not as completely sublime as his late 50s sides for Verve and Atlantic, still pretty incredible work from one of the freshest new voices in jazz at the time! The album takes tracks from an original 10" LP session, and adds in a few more – so that you've got Jimmy playing tenor, clarinet, or baritone – in groups that include west coast cool players like Jack Sheldon, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, Russ Freeman, and Ralph Pena. The writing's quite original, and Giuffre's already got that angular quality that will allow him to leap even further over the next few years. Titles include "Nutty Pine", "Wrought Of Iron", "Do It", "Ironic", "All For You", and "Sultana". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful reedwork from Jimmy Giuffre – blowing tenor, clarinet, and baritone in two different groups, on two different dates – one with Jim Hall on guitar and Ralph Pena on bass – the other with Hall and Bob Brookmeyer on trombone! LP, Vinyl record album

Overlooked 70s work from Jimmy Giuffre – a hip trio session that has all the free elements of his earlier recordings, but possibly an even greater focus on tone! Jimmy plays a range of reeds here – tenor, clarinet, and flute – and he works with bass and drum accompaniment, but often in a really gentle way that allows his own solo energy to dictate the tunes – coming out in space that's boldly soulful on the tenor, yet more fragile and intimate on the flute – kind of a cross between more expressive avant work and some of the more spiritual tones of the time. The tenor tunes are especially great – kind of opening a new chapter for Giuffre's career – and the group features Kiyoshi Tokunaga on bass and Randy Kaye on percussion. Titles include "The Bird", "Mosquito Dance", "The Chanting", "The Butterfly", "Dervish", "Phoenix", and "Night Dance". CD

Overlooked 70s work from Jimmy Giuffre – a hip trio session that has all the free elements of his earlier recordings, but possibly an even greater focus on tone! Jimmy plays a range of reeds here – tenor, clarinet, and flute – and he works with bass and drum accompaniment, but often in a really gentle way that allows his own solo energy to dictate the tunes – coming out in space that's boldly soulful on the tenor, yet more fragile and intimate on the flute – kind of a cross between more expressive avant work and some of the more spiritual tones of the time. The tenor tunes are especially great – kind of opening a new chapter for Giuffre's career – and titles include "The Bird", "Mosquito Dance", "The Chanting", "The Butterfly", "Dervish", "Phoenix", and "Night Dance". CD

One of Jimmy Giuffre's excellent early LPs for Capitol, and a nice blend of west coast styles with more modernist experimentation. Here, Giuffre begins his experiments in jazz without a "non-pulsating beat", that is, jazz without snapping cymbal, walking bass, or pounding piano to provide a steady pulse. The group on the LP includes Ralph Pena on bass, Artie Anton on drums, and Jack Sheldon on trumpet, and the four musicians play together in beautifully fragile little lines, which arc up and back, and come together with a sense of grace and surprise. Tracks include "The Leprechaun", "Scintilla Three", "Rhetoric", and "Chirpin Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The Easy Way? Jimmy Giuffre never did anything the easy way – and his classic albums from the late 50s, some of the strongest modern jazz sides of the time, are a great testament to that fact! This album's one of the most obscure – and features Jimmy in his groundbreaking percussion-less trio mode – blowing tenor, clarinet, and baritone in a group with Jim Hall on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The notes hang magically in air – still quite rhythmic, despite the freedom of the setting, but also stretching forth in an unfettered style that set the stage for countless jazz experiments to come. Titles include "Montage", "Time Enough", "Off Center", "A Dream", "Ray's Time", and "Careful". CD

Two very different groups – both presented in unissued performances recorded on the same day in Copenhagen during the spring of 1959! First up is the Jimmy Giuffre trio with some tremendous guitar from Jim Hall – a key player who really helped Jimmy find that airy, open approach on his Atlantic Records gems at the end of the 50s – working here with just the bass of Buddy Clark for accompaniment. Giuffre mostly plays modern clarinet, in that famous style of his, but also handles a bit of tenor – on titles that include "Time Machine", "Careful", "The Little Melody", and "Song Of The Wind". And speaking of clarinet, that instrument gets a nice workout on the Gene Krupa tracks – as does tenor and flute, all handled by Ed Wasserman – who plays in a Krupa quartet that also includes Ronnie Ball on piano and Jimmy Gannon on bass. The music has that open, lively small combo vibe that marked some of Gene's best 50s sessions for Verve – and titles include long takes on "Undecided" and "Flamingo" – plus a 25 minute reading of "Sing Sing Sing". CD

A beautiful live counterpart to Jimmy Giuffre's crucial Verve recordings Fusion and Thesis – performed here with a similar trio that includes Paul Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on bass – really expanding upon ideas of jazz expression that Giuffre first put forth in his late 50s trio! Although piano has been reintroduced to the trio via Bley, its use is almost completely freed from rhythm – so that the keyboard notes float equally in space with Giuffre's leanly creative lines on clarinet and Swallow's spacious use of bass. There's a fragile beauty here that's simply breathtaking – and although relatively free, the work has a sense of cohesion and unified spirit that's really wonderful. 8 tracks recorded live in Stuttgart, including "Whirrr", "Emphasis", "Sonic", "Venture", "Jesus Maria", "Stretching Out", "Carla" and "Cry, Want". CD

An incredible batch of freely crafted tracks from Jimmy Giuffre's legendary early 60s trio! The group features Steve Swallow on bass and Paul Bley on piano, and the two young modernists were a perfect match of Giuffre's ever-developing ideas of freedom and harmony. The music is beautiful – with a sound that's like nothing else we can describe, and an approach that's free floating (or free falling), but never directionless, and never overindulgent. Perfectly measured, with a strong sense of melody and rhythm, even amidst the more outside moments. Titles include "Propulsion", "Threewe", "Dichotomy", "Man Alone", and "Divided Man". CD

A great addition to the Modern Jazz Quartet – as the clarinet of Jimmy Giuffre brings a sharp modern edge to the record! The album's similar to the other MJQ Music Inn date with Sonny Rollins – and shows how the addition of a reed player can really unlock new colors, tones, and possibilities in the sounds of the group. And in this case, given the Giuffre's at the height of his early powers – coming off some sublime trio dates for Atlantic – the pairing of players is completely sublime! Titles include "A Fugue At Music Inn", "Serenade", and "Fun". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from the Jimmy Guiffre trio – and two sessions that stand nicely next to his classic late 50s sides for Atlantic and Verve! The first 5 tracks on the set were recorded for the Stars Of Jazz TV show in Hollywood in 1957 and 1958 – and feature Jimmy first with Jim Hall on guitar and Ralph Pena on bass, then with Hall on guitar and Bob Brookmeyer on trombone. That lineup is continued on the last 5 tracks on the set – live material recorded at Newport in July of 1958. Together, the tracks are wonderfully recorded – with the lively, light feel that Guiffre was pioneering in his drum-less trios of the time. Titles include "Pony Express", "The Lonely Time", "That's The Way It Is", "Waltz", "The Train & The River", and "Gotta Dance". CD

We don't normally think of Herb as a bluesy player – but the title is pretty darn honest, given the great sound of this set! Herb's playing in a really mellow and laidback style for this session – working with Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, Ray Brown, and Stan Levey on a set of bluesy tunes that feature his guitar in the lead, working through some magical solos that are far more expressive than on some of his work on other albums from the time. The record's a genuine surprise, and a real lost Verve treasure – as Ellis steps out with a great tone and some nice rootsy solos on tracks that include "Patti Cake", "Blues For Junior", "Blues For Janet", "Pap's Blues", and "Tin Roof Blues". The second album here – Herb Ellis Meets Jimmy Giuffre – is a heck of a great little record – thanks in no small part to saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre! The style here is in a nice space between Giuffre's earlier work at Capitol and some of the gentler sounds of his later trio sides for Verve and Atlantic – and the lineup features the fuller horn lineup of the post-Four Brothers years, but also makes the instruments step out slowly and spaciously, using Ellis' guitar in a way that's not unlike Jim Hall's sound in Giuffre's later trio. Other players include Bud Shank, Art Pepper, Richie Kamuca, and Jim Hall (on rhythm guitar) – and titles include "A Country Boy", "My Old Flame", "Goose Grease", "You Know", "Remember", and "Patricia". CD

An unusual pairing, but a great Stitt set from Verve – recorded with a west coast group that also includes Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and even a bit of Jimmy Giuffre near the end! Titles include "Down Country", "Downtown", "Two For Timbucktu", "New York Blues", and "Giuff". Also includes A Little Bit Of Stitt, the album's a killer from Stitt's Roost years – a time when the player was really stepping ahead of the pack – moving past anyone's easy categorizations of his playing – and into territory that's completely Stitt-like overall! Sure, there's some roots of older jazz traditions – but Sonny manages to make the whole thing uniquely his own – hitting these moments that are crisp and modern, yet soulful and personal at the same time – really sparkling with work from a quartet that features Jimmy Jones on piano, Aaron Bell on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. The solos are mind blowing – and titles include "Laura", "JB Blues", "After The Late Late Show", "For All We Know", and "Star Eyes". Features two bonus alternate takes too! CD

A really unique collection – and one with a pretty unusual approach – as the set looks at music that helped inspire the more spiritual sounds of the late 60s – by bringing together music from a whole host of different genres, including some that you might not expect! Over the course of the 3CDs in the package, you'll hear modern classical, Indian music, avant jazz, spoken word, and other styles – all pulled from important records of the postwar years, coming together here to almost offer up an audio portrait of some of the intellectual currents that were helping to loosen things up before the really free years to come later on in the 60s. As with other El Records collections, the notes help illuminate some of the musical choices – an arran of work from Morton Feldman, Jimmy Giuffre, Daphne Oram, Ravi Shankar, Pierre Boulez, Maurice Ravel, Eric Dolphy, Edgard Varese, Lili Boulaner, Satyajit Ray, Edith Sitwell, Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg, and many others! CD

Includes selections by Miles Davis, JJ Johnson, John Lewis, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Teo Macero, Bob Prince, Teddy Charles, Charles Mingus, Harold Shapero, Duke Ellington, Milton Babbitt, and Gunther Schuller. LP, Vinyl record album

A great modern moment from trombone genius Bob Brookmeyer – and hardly the traditional album you might expect from the title – as Bob blows both valve trombone and plays piano, in a really cool combo with Jim Hall on guitar, and the great Jimmy Giuffre on baritone, tenor, and clarinet! The mix of the two horns and guitar is completely sublime – with all the sense of tone and spacing that Bob and Jimmy were bringing to their other late 50s work – and the tracks are longer extrapolations on familiar themes, but taken into fresh territory with the help of Dave Bailey on drums, and either Joe Benjamin or Ralph Pena on bass. Titles include "Truckin", "Some Sweet Day", "Jada", and "Louisiana". CD

Bob Cooper's smooth LA tenor is set in a band of "shifting wind" players like Jimmy Giuffre, Bud Shank, and Bob Enevoldson – along with other Kentonites like Shelly Manne and Stu Williamson. Kenton produced and presented this session, and it's one of the classic Capitol series releases that focus on his star sidemen from the early 50s. Tracks are short, with tight ensemble playing, and titles include "Drawing Lines", "Sunset", "Tongue Twister", and "Hot Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

A 31 track collection pulled from sessions in 1953 and 1954, featuring Shorty Rogers with His Giants and His Orchestra, with personnel that includes Art Pepper, Jimmy Giuffre, Hanpton Hawes, Shelly Manne, Pete Candoli, Bob Cooper, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Bud Shank, Herb Geller, Zoot Sims, and many more! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album featuring music from The Sound Of Jazz – the legendary 1957 TV show that brought together some of the greatest talents then working in jazz! Unusual for TV, the show really seemed to capture the players at their best – and recorded some tremendous live performances that were among the most moving ever filmed by the artists involved. Highlights include "The Train & The River" played by the Jimmy Giuffre Trio, "Fine & Mellow" sung by Billie Holiday, "Rosetta" and "Wild Man Blues" by the Red Allen All-Stars, "Blues" by Jimmy Giuffre & Pee Wee Russell, "I Left My Baby" by Count Basie with Jimmy Rushing, "Dickie's Dream" by Count Basie, and "Nervous", a solo piano number by Mal Waldron. CD

Carla Bley on piano and organ, Steve Swallow on bass with Andy Sheppard, Wolfgang Puschnig, Gato Barbieri, Dewey Redman, Jim Pepper, Jim my Lyons, Roger Janotta, Christof Lauer, Julian Arguelles, Jimmy Giuffre, Perry Robinson, Don Cherry, Lew Soloff, Michael Mantler, Guy Barker, Sharon Freeman, Frank Lacy, Ros well Rudd, Gary Valente, Annie Whitehead, Joe Daley, Bob Stewart, John McLaughlin, Paul Bley, Karen Mantler, Charlie Haden Paul Motian, Buddy Williams, Dennis Mackrel, Victor Lewis, D. Sharpe, Don Alias, Linda Ronstadt and many others CD

Really unusual large group work from bassist Ray Brown – already a key small combo player in the Verve Records universe, and here exploring some of the larger ideas in his music! The set features arrangements from Marty Paich – and players include Herb Geller on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on tenor, Pete Candoli on trumpet, and Herb Ellis on guitar – all working in a way that still allows Brown to get plenty of exposure, right up front in the mix! Brown is totally exposed on the haunting "Solo For Unaccompanied Bass" – and other titles include "Little Toe", "Alone Together", "Blues for Sylvia", and "All Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Previously unreleased material from the duo of Bobby Bradford and John Carter – two players who created ferocious energy together in their famous LA quartet of the late 60s and early 70s, but who here get at a completely different sound of their talents! In a way, the record really represents the growth that Carter had as a musician by this time – his wonderfully lyrical, evocative work on clarinet – which carries some echoes of Jimmy Giuffre's freeness on the instrument, but a more deeply personal quality as well – quite earthy and organic at times, with these really beautiful tones! Bradford's cornet really seems to follow suit strongly – beautifully blown, but at a level that's more intimate than we've heard from Bobby before – really wonderful phrasing that's free, but still always quite tuneful too. The set features a few tracks with solo clarinet, and one solo cornet – and titles on this first volume include "Tandem","Petals", "Angles", "Portrait Of JBG", "Woman", and "Echoes From Rudolph's". CD

Previously unreleased material from the duo of Bobby Bradford and John Carter – two players who created ferocious energy together in their famous LA quartet of the late 60s and early 70s, but who here get at a completely different sound of their talents! In a way, the record really represents the growth that Carter had as a musician by this time – his wonderfully lyrical, evocative work on clarinet – which carries some echoes of Jimmy Giuffre's freeness on the instrument, but a more deeply personal quality as well – quite earthy and organic at times, with these really beautiful tones! Bradford's cornet really seems to follow suit strongly – beautifully blown, but at a level that's more intimate than we've heard from Bobby before – really wonderful phrasing that's free, but still always quite tuneful too. The set features a few tracks with solo clarinet, and one solo cornet – and titles on this second volume include "Woman", "Woodman's Hall Blues", "Sweet Sunset", "Swiss Account", "Les Masses Jigaboo", and "And She Speaks". CD

Great vibes from the legendary Teddy Charles – a set that brings together some of his best early moments for Prestige Records! This full set combines two earlier 10" sessions recorded by Charles – both done in LA in 1953, in small group formations with Shorty Rogers on trumpet, Curtis Counce on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums – plus Jimmy Giuffre on tenor on a few added tracks! The tunes have more of a west coast groove than some of Charles later 50s work – but his tone and approach still keeps things nice and edgey – filled with those great tones and colors that made Teddy one of the most inventive players on vibes at the time. The other west coast players definitely rise to the occasion, playing with an modern style that's greater than usual – and titles include "Variations On A Motive By Bud", "Wailing Dervish", "Further Out", "Boabalob 1 & 2", and "Margo". Added to the original album are 4 more tracks from the similar Ezz-thetic album – quartet numbers that feature Charles with Jimmy Raney on guitar, in a wonderfully chromatic mode. Tunes include "Nocturne", "Edging Out", "Composition For Four Pieces", and "Night In Tunisia". 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". LP, Vinyl record album

Marty Paich takes on a host of Broadway tunes from the 50s – but as always with his best work, the result is something quite far from its roots – an amazing batch of jazzy instrumentals that owes very little to the original conception of the tunes! Paich's got an incredible ear for arrangements here – one that manages to make a large ensemble swing with even more dynamic modes than some of his 50s LA contemporaries, but never in ways that fall into some of the more hi-fi oriented tricks or gimmicks of the time. There's always great space for solo voices and personal feelings in the music – which is important, given that the lineup includes Art Pepper on alto, Bill Perkins on tenor, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone, and Stu Williamson on trumpet – not to mention the legendary Scott LaFaro on bass. Titles include "I Love Paris", "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face", "It's All Right With Me", "Just In Time", "Lazy Afternoon", "If I Were A Bell", and " Younger Than Springtime". LP, Vinyl record album

Perry Robinson is one of those players who's never dimmed with age – an amazing modernist clarinetist back at his start in the 60s, and a musician who's continued to grow wonderfully in records like this on the European scene! The format is simple – a trio with Robinson's clarinet snaking out in lean, captivating lines over relatively free sounds from bassist Ed Schuller and drummer Ernst Bier – but there's an inherent magic that really makes the whole thing work wonderfully – very much in the manner of some of Jimmy Giuffre's best later work with a bit of rhythm – and proof that the clarinet can yield incredible sounds when in the right hands. Titles include "Loose Nuts", "Sooner Than Before", "Joe Hill", "Switchbacks", and "AKA Snake". CD

Includes tracks by Jimmy Giuffre, Duke Ellington, June Christy, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Bud Shank, Andrew Hill, Chico Hamilton, the Capitol Jazzmen, and Count Basie. CD

One of the most obscure 50s releases from Blue Note Records – part of a pair of 10" albums recorded on the west coast – which was quite a change from the label's usual east coast home! The album's originally came with no full artist information, and were released as a "blindfold test" under the supervision of Leonard Feather – in which the listener was supposed to guess the players! The musicians on the original record were not named – probably because of contractual reasons – but artists include the cream of the LA scene of the time – Conte Candoli on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre and Charlie Mariano on reeds, Howard Roberts on guitar, and Marty Paich on piano – all coming together with a fresh, clean sound that's more like the classic 50s sessions on the Mode or Bethlehem labels instead of Blue Note. Titles on volume 1 include "Santa Anita", "Culver City", "Santa Monica", and "Blindfold Test No 1". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Jim Hall is a player who's always realized he sounds best in a small, intimate setting – whether in his 50s trio recordings with Jimmy Giuffre, or his 60s classics with Bill Hall, or his 70s experiments with bassist Ron Carter – and this live date for Concord really revives the latter, by bringing together two of the most sensitive string players in jazz for a really wonderful performance! The liveness of the setting – an introductory announcement, and some occasional applause – sometimes reminds us that the pair aren't off in a small room, creating magic on their own – but the overall focus of the material and the players' very careful sound still create this deeply personal sound that really holds us breathless. Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Telephone", "Indian Summer", "Chorale & Dance", "Candlelight", and "Two's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest vocal jazz albums ever recorded for Bethlehem Records – a set that's got a lot more energy than some of the moodier, mellow vocal sets on the label – thanks to dynamic backings from the great Russ Garcia! Garcia's working here with his hip Wigville band – which features Charlie Mariano on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone, Bill Holman on tenor, and both Pete Candoli and Stu Williamson on trumpets – all horn players who work real magic with Garcia's charts – and craft these soulful, seductive lines next to Peggy's lyrics! Connelly's got all the modern sex and slink you'd guess from her image on the cover – and titles include "Gentleman Friend", "Alone Together", "That Old Black Magic", "Why Shouldn't I", and "Trav'lin Light". LP, Vinyl record album

Herb Ellis gets a hearty helping of horns on this set – working with key performances from Jimmy Giuffre, Charlie Mariano, and Harry Edison – all of whom really round out the sound of the record! Herb's guitar is certainly at the forefront of the record, but it's sitting nicely in a lineup that features Harry Edison on trumpet and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor sax, baritone, and clarinet – plus the alto of Charlie Mariano for all of side two of the record – and rhythm by Oscar Peterson on piano and Ray Brown on bass (with whom Ellis was then working in the Peterson Trio), plus Alvin Soller on drums. Ellis' solos dominate most of the record, but they're often set in some slightly tight, freshly modern, and unfortunately uncredited arrangements that have lots of Giuffre touches – warmed up considerably by Edison's trumpet. Titles include "Pogo", "Detour Ahead", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "A Simple Tune", "It Could Happen To You", and "Ellis In Wonderland". CD

A sublime little set – one of Art Farmer's seminal quartet recordings from the mid 60s, and a blend of modern lyricism with an ease and economy that's hardly ever been matched again! There's a careful, measured style here that's really tremendous – one that's never too sleepy or lazy with its approach, and which almost seems to carry on the modes of expression first begun by Jimmy Giuffre in the 50s – although in completely different ways! The group features Pete LaRoca on drums, Steve Kuhn on piano, and Steve Swallow on bass – but it's Art's effortless trumpet solos that really make the album sparkle, as they drift over the top of the album's hip original tunes, written by Carla Bley and LaRoca. Titles include "Ad Infinitum", "Petite Bell", "Tears", and "One For Majid". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most inventive albums we've ever heard from trombonist Herbie Harper – and that's saying a lot, given some of his other records! The group's an unusual one – with some key members that are likely – Jimmy Giuffre on tenor and baritone, Charlie Mariano on alto, and Jimmy Rowles on piano – mixed with other more compelling choices, such as Corky Hale on harp and Paul Sarmento on tuba – both instruments that really expand the sonic range of the session, in ways you might not expect to work this well! Harper was one of the more inventive leaders of the west coast scene at the time, and really does a great job of putting the whole thing together – managing both the unique group, and to find plenty of space for his own well-crafted solos too. Titles include "Topsy", "Angus", "Now You Know", "I'll Take Romance", and "Anything Goes". Nice goofy cover, with a picture of a dog, and the words "Please, no more shaggy dog stories! I'd rather listen to Herbie Harper!" CD

A pretty darn great record – the first full length LP cut by Shelly, issued by Contemporary in the mid 50s, and pulling together side from sessions in 1953, some of which were issued previously, others of which appear for the first time here. The tracks are short and playful – very much in the "west coast sound" noted in the title, with Shelly playing the kit in a creative and lyrical way, joined by horn work by players that include Joe Maini, Bill Holman, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Enevoldsen, Art Pepper, and Bob Cooper. Titles include "Gazelle", "Sweets", "Mallets", "Fugue", "Grasshopper", and "Afrodesia". 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 fantastic bit of modern jazz from the 50s – and one of the few albums issued as a leader by reedman Hal McKusick – a player who's right up there with Lee Konitz and Jimmy Giuffre at the time! The "triple" here means that Hal blows alto, tenor, and clarinet – in a cool quintet with Billy Byers on trombone, Eddie Costa on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – players who maybe give the record a slightly bit stronger dose of soul than some of Hal's other records of the time. 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

The Modern Jazz Quartet with a very noteworthy addition – the great Sonny Rollins, whose work on this record really makes it a cut above the usual MJQ outing for Atlantic! As on the quartet's previous Music Inn album with Jimmy Giuffre, the addition of a reed player really inflects their trademark sound with a new range of sounds and feelings – and Rollins himself cuts back on the hardbop influences, and shows some great restraint in matching some of the group's more modern modes. Sonny only plays on 2 of the album's 6 tracks – but that's enough to open it up nicely – and on other numbers, the MJQ begin in their usual mellower mode, but then seem to step things up with more boppish inflections, almost anticipating Rollins' arrival on the last 2 numbers. Sonny plays on the tunes "Bag's Groove" and "Night In Tunisia" – and other titles include "Midsommer", "Festival Sketch", "Yardbird Suite", and an opening medley. LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure 50s session by Canadian reed player Phil Nimmons – a great player who even at this early age was cutting some fantastic records! The album's got Phil in the lead on clarinet, cutting lines that have the sharpness of Jimmy Giuffre's early 50s work, combined with the swing of some of the best Buddy DeFranco sides with Sonny Clark. The album's got a lot more punch than you might expect, and it's filled with short and swinging tracks that make it one of the better under-discovered Verve sides of the 50s. Titles include "Kicks", "Swing Softly", "Blue Lou", "Little Poppy", and "Who Walks". LP, Vinyl record album

A "with strings" session with a difference! This one's not the sleepy orchestral jazz set that you'd expect. Instead, it's a cool modernist batch of trio recordings – featuring the vibes of Norvo in front of the guitar of Tal Farlow and the bass of Red Mitchell. We'll be the first to admit that Norvo's made some snoozy recordings, but the stuff on here is pretty darn cool – and has that icy modern sound that we'd compare to the work of the Jimmy Giuffre trio or the Blue Note work of Gil Melle. Titles include "How Am I To Know?", "Who Cares", "I Brung You Finjans For Your Zarf", and "Lullaby Of Birdland". LP, Vinyl record album

Sparkling work from arranger Marty Paich – one of our favorite large group talents of the 50s! Marty's working here with a great lineup throughout – west coast players that include Art Pepper, Bill Perkins, Jimmy Giuffre, Jack Sheldon, Conte Candoli, and Victor Feldman – all of whom come together perfectly under the masterful hands of Paich! Marty's got a way with a group that few other arrangers can match – a style that has the instruments gliding together in a really fluid mode, yet which also lets individual soloists break out for solos that are dramatic and individual, but which never lose the flow of the tune! The work here is from 2 Warner Brothers albums from 1959 – both recorded in a very similar mode that features an array of tunes from different shows, plus standards, all transformed into soaring jazz vehicles given the Paich touch. Titles include "It's All Right With Me", "Too Close For Comfort", "If I Were A Bell", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "Moanin", "Warm Valley", "Love For Sale", and "No More". CD

One of the few albums we've ever seen from bassist Ralph Pena – a player we known mostly from his work in the Jimmy Giuffre trio of the late 50s, and who's working here in a very similar format! The CD features live Pena recordings from 1961 – most of which showcase a trio with Joe Albany on piano and Herb Geller on alto sax – blowing in a freely swinging mode that really recalls the drumless sound of the Giuffre group, but which is a bit more rhythmic, given Albany's approach to the keys. The remaining tunes on the set feature Pena in duets with pianist Pete Jolly – heard here in a style that's much more introspective than on his Ava albums of the time, and which is a perfect complement to the rounded and well-shaped work of Pena on bass. All work is very well recorded, so much so you'd hardly guess it was live – and titles include "Birdtown Birds", "Dewey Square", "Old Old Friends", "Whims Of Chambers", "Speak Low", and "While A Cigarette Was Burning". CD

A key moment in the career of pianist Michel Petrucciani – and a set that features an amazing collaboration with guitarist Jim Hall, and a fair bit of great tenor and soprano sax from Wayne Shorter too! Hall's guitar is heard on every track on the set – ringing out in those wonderfully spare, openly flowing notes he first started crafting in the 50s – a surprisingly wonderful counterpart to the piano of Petrucciani, which seems to take on an even more sensitive and evocative feel for the date. Shorter comes in on a few of the album's tracks – arcing great lines over the colors of the pair, in a way that's a bit like some of the Jimmy Giuffre experiments with Hall in the 50s – but more tuned towards Shorter's own sense of tone and timing. Titles include "Careful", "Bimini", "Morning Blues", "Limbo", and "Waltz New". CD

The title only partly gives the record away – because the set's not just comprised of favorites of guitarist Max Light and saxophonist Noah Preminger – it also includes some well-done original material by the pair! Yet even the covers are hardly served up in familiar ways – as the album just features guitar and tenor – moving together without any other support at all – almost like some variation of the way that Jimmy Giuffre used to interact with Jim Hall – with a similar blend of freedom and inherent swing that really holds the whole thing together! Titles include "Kiss Me", "Bird", "Meditation For NW", "Landslide", "If You Could Would You", "Burning Man", "Still Crazy After All These Years", "Call & Answer", and "Hallelujah". CD

One of Shorty Rogers' greatest records – and a very nice set of tight west coast arrangements that really shows off the Rogers sense of sparkle and swing – a vibe that definitely comes through in the famous cover image too! Shorty wrote nearly all of the tracks, and the writing's a great example of the good side of the west coast style – when the tightness of arranging is used to bring out the best elements in the players, and bend them around in some nice twists and turns, with good solos, and lots of nice little surprising bits. And in this case, the players are all great – with Jimmy Giuffre and Bud Shank on reeds, Pete Candoli and Don Fagerquist on trumpets, and Lou Levy on piano. Titles include "Lotus Bud", "Martians Come Back", "Chant Of The Cosmos", and "Astral Alley". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest sets issued under the name of the Lighthouse All-Stars – that hip assemblage of west coast players headed by bassist Howard Rumsey – hardly a household name on his own, but well-remembered for all the great work done at this famous club! The lineup is a who's who of key players on the west coast at the time – Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Milt Bernhart on trombone, and Shelly Manne on drums – and some tracks are a bit longer than usual, offering up freer solo space than you're likely to get on other west coast dates – a key contribution of the All-Stars recording mode. Titles include "Creme De Menthe", "Four Others", "La Sonicalli", "Morgan Davis", "Bernie's Tune", "Viva Zapata", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Gary Smulyan – a baritone saxophonist who may well be one of the few really standout players on his instrument these days – working in a legacy that puts his mighty talents right up there with Pepper Adams, Serge Chaloff, and a rare few others who could really make the baritone swing! Smulyan plays here in just a trio – David Wong on bass and Rodney Green on drums – and the tracks are long, flowing, and open – really illustrating Gary's strength as a soloist, and his deft imagination on an instrument that doesn't easily give itself to some players. The song list is great, too – titles by Ted Curson, Al Cohn, Mal Waldron, and Jimmy Giuffre – plus one tune by Gary too. Titles include "Ahma See Ya", "Vodka", "Deep People", "Cohn Pone", "Tale Of The Fingers", and "Hanid". CD

Brilliant modernism from Chicago reedman Jason Stein – a set that draws strong energy from the work of Lennie Tristano, but also instantly grabs us with a bold statement of Stein's own genius as well! The group features Stein on bass clarinet, and Keefe Jackson on contrabass clarinet and tenor – horns that are often presented in counterpoint, tangling around each other beautifully – but always in a way that inspires further flights of sound – ala Jimmy Giuffre on the thinner reeds. There's no piano in the group – just deft drums by Tom Rainey and bass by Josh Abrams – and the intersection of Stein and Jackson is breathtaking throughout! Titles include Tristano-era gems "Marshmallow", "April", and "Wow" – plus versions of "Dexterity" and "Little Rootie Tootie" – and Stein's own "I Know You Were", "Ryder's Uncle Dragon", and "Halls & Rooms". CD

Genius work from one the the most overlooked soundtrack composers of his generation – and 2 very jazzy scores, reissued beautifully back to back on one CD! Although The Wild One was Marlon Brando's famous film of biker violence in rural California, Stevens gave the movie a wickedly jazzy score – one that might have been more at home in a crime or detective film at the time, but which also seems to pick up a real sense of "drive" from all the biking scenes as well! Music is both by a Shorty Rogers group with John Graas, Jimmy Knepper, Bob Shank, Bill Perkins, Jimmy Giuffre, and Herb Geller – and by the Leith Stevens All Stars, which features many of the same players under Stevens' leadership. The CD features a total of 16 numbers from the film – way more than we've seen on any other issue of the material – with titles that include "Chino", "Windswept", "Hot Blood", "Scramble", "Hotshoe", and "Beetle". Added to this are 9 more numbers from the film Private Hell 36 – a mid 50s vehicle for Ida Lupino, directed by a young Don Siegel, and also featuring Lupino herself on piano and vocals on one track! The style and the group here is very similar – led by Stevens, and featuring Shorty Rogers, Pete Candoli, John Graas, Bob Enevoldsen, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper, Lennie Niehaus, and Bud Shank. Lupino sings on the moody "Didn't You Know" – and other tracks include "Daddy Long Legs", "Easy Mood", "Havana Interlude", and "Dance Of The Lilliputian". CD

Starkly modernist work from the overlooked Duane Tatro – a wonderful writer with an incredibly fresh voice! Tatro flourished in the LA scene of the 50s, doing work for Stan Kenton and Red Norvo at the time – but oddly, this album is one of the few documents of his work! Tatro's leading a larger group that features well-matched modernists that include Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Gordon, Stu Williamson, Bob Enevoldsen, Lennie Niehaus, Bill Holman, and Shelly Manne – coming together in arrangements that are complex, yet still very nicely swinging – crackling with an electric edge that sets the whole album on fire! The music has the kind of beautiful surprising sparkling modernism that you'd find in the best work of Tatro contemporaries like Jimmy Giuffre or Gil Melle – and titles include "Backlash", "Outpost", "Easy Terms", "Dollar Day", "Low Clearance", and "Turbulence". CD

Some of the most beautiful, introspective work we've heard in years from Ken Vandermark – spare duets with pianist Pandelis Karayorgis – done in a mode that almost recalls the best experiments of Lee Konitz or Jimmy Giuffre from many years back! The sound is spare, but never too sleepy or lacking for inspiration – as Vandermark really opens up in this setting, matching the angular piano work of Karayorgis with some beautifully thoughtful lines on a variety of saxophones and clarinet. Some tunes have a slow-building approach that hangs the sound in the air almost magically – while others come on with a full attack, then slow things down for a bit of contemplation. As always with Vandermark, the influences of the music are given full credit throughout – and titles include "JCT", "United Forces Of One", "Lifgatowy", "Betwixt", "Title Without Year", and "Absolute Camel". CD

Music from Stan Getz, Erroll Gardner, Shelby Davis, Art Pepper, Shelly Mann, Chet Baker, Jimmy Giuffre, Gerry Mulligan, and Shorty Rogers with Bud Shank & the Lighthouse All Stars. CD

An unusual Dave Brubeck set from the start of the 60s – surprisingly on Fantasy, given his Columbia fame of the time – and with a slightly different lineup that features the great Bill Smith on clarinet! Smith's got a cool modern sound that's not unlike Jimmy Giuffre – icy but expressive too, and both a great fit for the band because and apart from their usual work with Paul Desmond! Eugene Wright's still on bass, and Joe Morello plays some wonderfully time-kept drums – on titles that include "The Piper", "Frisco Fog", "Lydian Line", "Ballade", "One For The Kids", "Catch Me If You Can", and "Peace Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest work we've ever heard from German tenorist Joki Freund – a player who'd trip out a bit more in later years, but who blows here with a sound that's sharp, modern, and very swinging throughout! The group features trombone from Albert Mangelsdorff, who's also on the straighter side of the spectrum here – plus alto from Emil Mangelsdorff, sounding a lot more modern than on other recordings – really matching the energy of both hornmen, as they all step out in a piano-less group that only features the bass of Harry Schell and drums of Rudi Sehring on rhythm! The music has echoes of better-known 50s modernists – like Lee Konitz or Jimmy Giuffre on our side of the Atlantic, or Hans Koller in Freund's German scene – and the package features live material from a 1957 album, plus additional studio tracks from the rare Joki's Sparkle EP. Titles include "Nico", "Freund Point", "Vie La France", "Swinging Pigeons", "Domicile", "Rudy's Theme", and "From Lighthouse To Frankfurt". CD

Quincy turns his soul jazz arranging style to a band filled with West Coast players, and he gets them to groove a lot more than you'd expect! Players include Herb Geller, Art Pepper, Charlie Mariano, Bill Perkins, and Walter Benton. The tracks are short, with tight solo space, and most of them were written and arranged by West Coasters like Jimmy Giuffre, Lennie Niehaus, and Johnny Mandel. Titles include "Be My Guest", "London Derriere", "Kings Road Blues", "The Oom Is Blues", and "Bright Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of modernist chamber jazz from Hal McKusick, and one of his rarest albums of the 50s! The set's got Hal blowing on alto, in a group with guitar by Barry Galbraith, bass by Milt Hinton, and drums by Osie Johnson – all grooving in style that's cool, mellow, and almost has the open touches of some of Jimmy Giuffre's work from the same period. George Russell wrote arrangements for 6 of the 10 tunes on the album, and tracks include "Give Em Hal", "Serenade In Blue", "Out Of This World", "When The Sun Comes Out", and "This Is New". CD

A long-overdue collection of mid 50s work by arranger Marty Paich – a tremendous talent on the west coast scene, but one who's often heard in the context of other singers or instrumentalists! This set brings together 4 rare sessions done by Paich as a leader and pianist, many for the GNP label – all a perfect example of Marty's rich talents, and his great way of putting together a track. In the cool scene of the 50s, Paich was a real standout – as he was always swinging and always jazzy – with plenty of room for the soloists to do their thing, and song structures that were never too modern or too in love with their own whimsicality. First up are 4 tracks by a septet with Conte Candoli, Bob Enevoldsen, and Bob Hardaway – titles that include "Tempo De Sylva", "Tomjean", and "Stranger In The Rain". These are followed by 8 more from an octet that includes Candoli, Enevoldsen, Harry Klee, and Bob Cooper – on the "Ballet Du Bongo (parts 1 & 2)", plus "The Dragon", "Paich-Ence", "Jacqueline", and "Tenors West". More octet material follows – 4 tracks by a group with Candoli, Enevoldsen, Klee, and Jimmy Giuffre – on versions of "Shorty George", "Line For Lyons", and "There's No You". And last are 4 more original tunes by Marty – played by a larger orchestra with Richie Kamuca and Bill Perkins on saxes – on titles that include "Lonely Time", "Four Blow Fours", and "Times Square". CD