Junior Mance - The Soul Of Hollywood (1962)

The Soul of Hollywood was an interesting departure for Junior Mance. Most of the time he has been heard in small-group settings, but on this album the pianist is backed by an orchestra arranged and conducted by trombonist Melba Liston. With Orrin Keepnews serving as producer, Mance and Liston turn their attention to film music -- and the films that they acknowledge range from musicals (West Side Story) to Westerns (One-Eyed Jacks). Because the material is heavily arranged, Mance doesn't have as much room to stretch out and improvise. Nonetheless, he manages to get in his share of noteworthy solos, and Liston's tasteful arrangements make The Soul of Hollywood well worth the price of admission. In some cases, albums of film music can become albums of background music, but that isn't a problem on this release (which was recorded in 1961 and early 1962). Liston's arrangements are always in good taste, and that is true whether the participants are tackling "Maria" from West Side Story, "Tara's Theme" from Gone With the Wind, or Greek star Manos Hadjidakis' charming theme from Never on Sunday. Meanwhile, "On Green Dolphin Street" and the haunting "Invitation" are both well-known Bronislaw Kaper standards from films that starred Lana Turner. The interesting thing is that, even though "Invitation" has been recorded countless times over the years, the movie that Kaper wrote it for was far from a box office smash; "Invitation" is from 1950's very underrated A Life of Her Own, which stars Turner as a supermodel who falls in love with a married man but ultimately decides against breaking up his marriage. The Soul of Hollywood isn't quite in a class with Gil Evans or Oliver Nelson's best work, but it's still a decent example of orchestral jazz. ~ by Alex Henderson, AMG.

Jazzland Records, JLP 63, 1962

Recorded October, December, 1961 and January, 1962 At Plaza Sound Studios, New York City

Personnel:

Junior Mance - Piano

Ernie Royal, Clark Terry - Trumpet

Jimmy Cleveland, Britt Woodman - Trombone

Romeo Penque - Flute

Jerome Richardson - Flute, Tenor Saxophone

Danny Bank - Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet

George Duvivier - Bass

Osie Johnson - Drums

Melba Liston - Conductor, Arranger

+ Unidentified Orchestra

Tracks:

A1. Never On Sunday {Manos Hadjidakis} (2:48)

A2. Maria [From West Side Story] {Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim} (2:51)

A3. Tara's Theme [From Gone With The Wind] {Max Steiner} (4:00)

A4. Fanny {Harold Rome} (4:01)

A5. On Green Dolphin Street {Bronislaw Kaper, Ned Washington} (2:37)

A6. One-Eyed Jacks {Hugo Friedhofer} (2:33)

B1. Exodus {Ernest Gold, Miklós Rózsa} (2:30)

B2. Invitation {Bronislaw Kaper} (4:03)

B3. The Apartment {Charles Williams, John Moran} (3:36)

B4. Goodbye Again {Georges Auric, Dory Langdon} (4:09)

B5. Spellbound {Miklós Rózsa} (3:33)

Credits:

Producer - Orrin Keepnews

Recording Engineer - Ray Fowler

Mastering Engineer - Neal Ceppos, Plaza Sound, NYC

Album Design - Ken Deardoff

Photography - Steve Schapiro

RAMSEY LEWIS - DANCING IN THE STREETS - 1967 (FLAC)

1967
Cadet LPS 794
My Vinyl Rip
Front & Back Covers
DR Value 16
FLAC

Only a little over a year old at the time of recording, this incarnation of the Ramsey Lewis Trio -- Ramsey Lewis, Cleveland Eaton, and Maurice White (later of Earth, Wind & Fire) -- were well on their way to the pristine and symbiotic gel that would define their style. They were, however, still undergoing that process when they laid down this "live" set at San Francisco's Basin Street West club in July 1967. It's that somewhat formative vibe that makes this particular performance such a complete and utter joy. Dancing in the Street is this trio's recorded debut and, across a wide range of covers and styles, it's a captivating portrait of contemporary jazz. The title track, a cover of the Martha & the Vandellas R&B classic, is so smooth and stylish that it nearly outshines the original. "Django," meanwhile, is a delightful tribute to the Belgian Gypsy musician Django Reinhardt. Lewis pays further homage to the greats across his cover of the Billy Taylor classic "Mood for Mendes." Also of note is the Ramsey Lewis Trio's rendition of the country song "You Don't Know Me." Originally a hit for Jerry Vale in 1956, it was revisited in 1960 by Lenny Welch and again in 1962 by Ray Charles, and it's from that great bluesman's version that Lewis took his cue with this wonderful jam. These three musicians are a joy to hear, and it's within their far-reaching vision, and the effortless incorporation of so many styles into contemporary jazz, that they were -- and remain -- among the genre's finest.
....AllMusic Review by Amy Hanson

The Tracks:

01 Dancing In The Street / 02 Mood For Mendes / 03 Struttin' Lightly / 04 You Don't Know Me / 05 Django / 

06 Medley From 'Black Orpheus' / 07 What Now My Love / 08 Quiet Nights (Corcovado)

The French Market Jazz Band - Direct From New Orleans (24/48 vinyl rip)

A long time ago poppachubby asked me why I never post any Trad Jazz. I made some excuse about it not being a common part of most New Orleans record collections because it is our everyday soundtrack and that is partially true. The other part of the equation is that there aren't all that many Trad albums that are all that interesting.

That leads us here; I originally ripped this solely because my deceased friend Les Muscutt was on banjo. My friend Cliff located a copy and we made a cd for Les' widow, Babs. Much to my joy and surprise  the record turned out to be some of the better Trad. I've ever heard on LP. Played properly, but with imagination and spirit that is too often lacking in albums of this genre. I am proud my dear friend was a part of this (he's the dude with the banjo).

Credits

    Banjo – Leslie Muscutt
    Clarinet – Johnny Mince
    Drums – Walter Lastie
    Electric Bass – Erving Charles Jr.
    Percussion – Shannon Barbarin
    Producer – Bob Thiele
    Tenor Saxophone – David Lastie Sr.
    Trombone – Scott Hill
    Trumpet – Frank Trapani
    Tuba – Donald Tidwell

Ron Escheté - Spirit's Samba (1977) [vinyl>flac]

Ron Escheté (born Houma, Louisiana, August 19, 1948) is an American seven-string jazz guitarist. His early influences were jazz guitarists Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, and Howard Roberts. When he was 14, he got his first guitar and performed in clubs while he was in high school. He studied classical guitar and flute at Loyola University in New Orleans. After he graduated, he toured with singer Buddy Greco. He moved to California in 1970 and worked with vibraphonist Dave Pike, then pianist Gene Harris in 1975. He has played with Ray Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, and Diana Krall.

This LP is his first as a leader. He is joined by Tom Ranier on pianos, bassist Luther Hughes, drummer and percussionist John Perett and partner Carol Escheté as Vocalist. It showcases a broad range of jazz styles and the majority of the tunes are his compositions. He went on to do a few albums on Muse. Enjoy!

JAS Records, JAS-4003, 1977

Recorded 18^th & 22^nd October, 1976

Musicians:

Ron Escheté - Guitar

Tom Ranier - Acoustic & Electric Piano

Luther Hughes - Bass

John Perett - Drums, Percussion

Carol Escheté - Voice

Tracks:

A1. Spirit's Samba {Ron Escheté} (6:16)

A2. Mama's Song {Ron Escheté} (5:50)

A3. Is Dis It Or Whut {Ron Escheté} (3:36)

A4. Desert Air {Chich Corea} (6:48)

B1. Metz {Ron Escheté} (7:36)

B2. Why Did I Choose You {Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin} (6:38)

B3. Isn't She Lovely {Stevie Wonder} (4:28)

Credits:

Producer - Bill Metz

Engineer - James Mooney

Album Design - The Image Machine

Illustration - Dirk Wunderlich

Liner Notes - Mundell Lowe

Woody Shaw/Anthony Braxton - The Iron Men [24/49 vinyl rip]

From 40 year old Mint vinyl!

"This is a particularly interesting set by Woody Shaw because it teams the trumpeter with the great saxophonist Anthony Braxton and such forward-thinking players as altoist Arthur Blythe, pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Joe Chambers. Highlights are versions of Eric Dolphy's "Iron Man" and Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz" that are based on renditions Shaw had recorded with Dolphy back in 1963; the latter has Braxton playing clarinet. A couple of brief free improvisations by the trio of Shaw, Abrams and McBee in addition to Andrew Hill's "Symmetry" and the trumpeter's epic "Song Of Songs" round out this continually intriguing and adventurous program."