Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson - Kidney Stew (1969-1978, 1996)

Here’s another remastered compilation of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson output spanning the years 1969 through to 1978 by Black & Blue Records and released in 1996. It is accurately packaged with more information, liner notes and photos. Most remarkedly, it includes two additional tracks Person To Person and Alimony Blues from a session in 1972 with Al Grey & Wild Bill Davis. Eddie truly showcases his versatility as great altoist and jazz-blues singer. 

Black & Blue Records, BB 878.2 ND 215, 1996
Recorded 28th March, 1969 (#1-10) at Pathé Studio, Paris, France
Recorded 28th July, 1972 (#11,12) at Seed Studio, Vallauris, France
Recorded 14th July, 1978 (#13,14) at Black & Blue Studio, Nice, France 

Musicians:
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Alto Sax, Vocals
Al Grey - Trombone (#11,12)
Hal Singer - Tenor Saxophone (#1-10)
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Tenor Saxophone (#13,14)
Jay Mc Shann - Piano (#1-10)
Wild Bill Davis - Organ (#11,12)
Bill Doggett - Organ (#13,14)
T. Bone Walker - Guitar (#1-10)
Floyd Smith - Guitar (#11,12)
Roland Lobligeois - Bass (#1-10)
Milt Hinton - Bass (#13,14)
Paul Gunther - Drums (#1-12)
J.C. Heard - Drums (#13,14)

Tracks:
01. Kidney Stew {Leona Blackman, Eddie Vinson} (3:04)
02. Wait A Minute Baby {Eddie Vinson} (3:16)
03. Old Maid Boogie {Eddie Vinson} (3:49)
04. Somebody's Got To Go {B.B. Broonzy} (3:20)
05. Things Ain't What They Used To Be {Mercer Ellington, Ted Persons} (4:50)
06. Wee Baby Blues {Pete Johnson, Big Joe Turner} (3:21)
07. Juice Head Baby {Eddie Vinson, Louis Zito} (4:35)
08. I Had A Dream {B.B. Broonzy} (3:40)
09. I'm In An Awful Mood {T-Bone Walker} (3:20)
10. Please Send Me Someone To Love {Percy Mayfield} (4:12)
11. Person To Person {Eddie Vinson} (2:55)
12. Alimony Blues {Eddie Vinson} (5:44)
13. Hey Little Doggey {Bill Doggett} (7:24)
14. Totsy {Eddie Vinson} (5:25) 

Total Time: 58:55 

Credits:
Recording Engineer - Serge Remi
Digital Remastering - Gilbert Préneron
Photograph - Jean-Pierre Tahmazian
Design, Liner Notes - Jean-Marc Fritz, Jean-Michel Proust
English Translation - Jeff and Patricia Kresser 

Alimony Blues

Al Grey & Jesper Thilo Quintet - Al Grey & Jesper Thilo Quintet (1987)

This studio session in which the great swing trombonist Al Grey leads a fine quintet through a set of mostly standards is exactly what journalist Eddie Cook calls "Happy Jazz" in the liner notes. Grey is right at home with tunes such as "God Bless the Child," "The Girl From Ipanema," and "A Night in Tunisia." The surprise of the session is "On the Sunny Side of the Street," which is played at a slow though compelling pace. Grey came to favor the tenor-bone front line in his small groups, and the Dane, saxophonist Jesper Thilo, does a commendable job as his partner. Thilo's thick, rich tone recalls Coleman Hawkins, a perfect foil to the trombonist's brash, brassy sound. While Grey's best work was performed as a big-band sideman, both with Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, his excellent solo work here and in other intimate settings is nonetheless an important part of his discography. His unique tone and style are in full bloom, and this recording should appeal to anyone who enjoys the sound of the jazz trombone in a joyous, no frills, and straight-ahead role. ~ by Steve Loewy, AMG. 

Storyville Records, STCD 4136, 1987
Recorded Sunday 10th August, 1986 at Studio 39, Copenhagen, Denmark 

Musicians:
Al Grey - Trombone
Jesper Thilo - Tenor Saxophone
Ole Kock Hansen - Piano
Hugo Rasmussen - Bass
Alex Riel - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Just Jazz {Al Grey; Arr. Don Sickler} (5:25)
2. God Bless The Child {Arthur Herzog, Jr., Billie Holiday} (6:13)
3. The Girl From Ipanema {Jobim, Gimbel, De Moraes} (6:49)
4. I'm Hungry, Sabrina {Al Grey} (5:07)
5. The Vanguard Groove {Al Grey} (7:11)
6. A Night In Tunisia {Gillespie, Paparelli, Robin} (7:13)
7. On The Sunny Side Of The Street {Fields, McHugh} (6:55) 

Total Time: 44:56 

Credits:
Producer - Arnvid Meyer
Executive-Producer - Karl Emil Knudsen
Engineer - Hans Nielsen
Layout - Chris Olesen 

Just Jazz

Al Grey - Boss Bone (1964) [vinyl]

Soul jazz trombone session, recorded in Chicago, with players like John Young on piano, Leo Blevins on guitar, and Ike Isaacs on bass. The groove is tight and hard, and Grey wrote a lot of catchy originals for the session. Titles include "Tacos & Grits", "Salty Mama", "The Give Off", and "Grey Being Blue". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

This well-loved LP truly demonstrates that Al Grey at the time of recording was the ‘Boss Bone’. He has such a sweet tone that just literally sings along with the music. In addition, Al showcases his writing ability; six out of the nine compositions are his creation, the other three are reliable jazz standards which he plays with great finesse. This is all achievable by the wondrously harmonic playing of the rest of the group. Both the pianist and guitarist in particular blend perfectly with Al’s bone with some marvelous soloing. Considering the condition of the vinyl, with some tweaking the sound comes off well, Enjoy!

Argo Records, LP-731, 1964

Recorded 17^th December, 1963 at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago, Illinois

Musicians:

Al Grey - Trombone

John Young - Piano

Leo Blevins - Guitar

Ike Isaacs - Bass

Phil Thomas - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Smile {John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons, Charlie Chaplin} (2:38)

A2. Terrible Cap {Al Grey} (3:01)

A3. Mona Lisa {Jay Livingston, Ray Evans} (3:27)

A4. Tacos And Grits {Al Grey} (3:18)

A5. Can't You Feel It {Al Grey} (3:59)

B1. Salty Mama {Al Grey} (3:24)

B2. The Give Off {Al Grey} (4:06)

B3. Day In Day Out {Robe Bloom, Johnny Mercer} (5:13)

B4. Grey Being Blue {Al Grey} (3:45)

Credits:

Supervision - Esmond Edwards

Engineer - Ron Malo

Cover Photo - Don Bronstein

Liner Notes - Daddy-O Daylie

Ray Bryant Combo - Madison Time (1960) [re-rip]

Madison Time is an album recorded by American jazz pianist Ray Bryant recorded in 1959 and 1960 for the Columbia label. The album was released following the success of the Madison dance craze single "The Madison Time" which reached number 30 on the Billboard chart and number 5 on the R&B chart. The single also featured in the soundtrack to the 1988 film Hairspray.

Columbia Records, CL 1476, 1960

Recorded 16^th March, 1959 (#A1,A2); 20^th March, 1960 (#A3,B3,B4) and 12^th July, 1960 (#A4-B2) in New York City

Musicians:

Ray Bryant - Piano

Harry Edison - Trumpet

Urbie Green - Trombone (#A1,A2)

Benny Morton - Trombone (#A3,B3,B4)

Al Grey - Trombone (#A4,A5,B1,B2)

Buddy Tate - Tenor Saxophone

Tommy Bryant - Bass

Bill English - Drums (#A1,A2)

Jimmy Griffin - Drums (#A3,B3,B4)

Dave Pochonet [Gérard Pochonet] - Drums (#A4,A5,B1,B2)

Eddie Morrison - Caller (#A1,A4,B1)

Tracks:

A1. The Madison Time, Part I {Eddie Morrison, Ray Bryant} (3:01)

A2. The Madison Time, Part II {Eddie Morrison, Ray Bryant} (2:44)

A3. Centerpiece {Harry Edison} (4:14)

A4. Split T, Part I {Ray Bryant} (3:55)

A5. Split T, Part II {Ray Bryant} (5:11)

B1. Hit It!, Part I {Ray Bryant} (3:14)

B2. Hit It!, Part II {Ray Bryant} (4:02)

B3. Young Buddy {Ray Bryant} (3:54)

B4. The Huckle-Buck {Andy Gibson, Roy Alfred} (4:59)

The Al Grey ~ Jimmy Forrest Quintet - Live At Rick's (1978) [vinyl]

The short-lived Al Grey-Jimmy Forrest quintet was formed when the pair left Count Basie's Orchestra in 1977 and ended upon Forrest's death in 1980.

Extract from the liner notes by Jerry Valburn, 1979:
It began with a telephone call. The soft spoken voice on the other end said, 'This is Al Grey. Jimmy Forrest and I would like to put out a record on your Aviva label." ... With the major companies concentrating on the disco and rock scene, recording activity with jazz musicians is completely overlooked and neglected. The result is for the small companies to fill this void and this in turn helps these musicians. … Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and honored that both Grey and Forrest would consider releasing their high quality and exciting blend of music on Aviva and I told Al this.
The quartet (with Shirley Scott on piano and Bobby Durham on drums) came into Hopper's in New York in May. Al came out to my studio along with Bobby Durham and brought some unmixed tapes of the group that had been made on location a few months earlier. As could be expected, these were excellent and exciting performance of the quartet. My only misgiving was one of a personal preference. It has always been my feeling that Shirley Scott, one of the most gifted women talents in jazz, has never been featured enough (on records) on the piano. Most recordings find her playing organ, and at the piano she has no peers. Over lunch, that day, I learned that the group would be going into Rick's on the Lake in Chicago for a two week engagement. Shirley Scott would be playing piano during that stand. We made a decision to record, and Al Grey decided to add the veteran bassist, John Duke for the engagement. My close friend, John Gill, is an outstanding recording engineer and audio expert. We asked John to handle the actual recording (John is one of the most talented sound engineers on the scene today, and he had done many pickups at Rick's and was thoroughly familiar with the acoustics of the room). John went in to record during the second week of their engagement (second week in July 1978) and some of the best captured performances of that week are combined on this album.

01 - In A Mellotone
02 - The Jumpin' Blues
03 - Summertime
04 - C.B. And Me
05 - Truly Wonderful
06 - I Can't Get Started
07 - Salty Papa

Al Grey (trombone) Jimmy Forrest (tenor sax) Shirley Scott (piano) John Duke (bass) Bobby Durham (drums)
"Rick's", Chicago, IL, July 19-21, 1978
(Aviva 6002)

Count Basie - Dance Along With Basie

Hey gang!!  More from our look at the "Atomic Band"... Basie during his Roulette years.  This offering is interesting for a few reasons, but overall, it's a solid and excellent album.

Looking at the tracklist, it's easy to deduce that this record is tackling pop/dance tunes of the day.  Unlike many of the other albums we've listened to thus far, there's no guest arranger here.  So the first "interesting" item is the fact that Basie himself has interpreted these songs, with input from Teddy Reig presumably.

I would say the other difference on Dance Along is the clear absence of that blues influence that is a staple of this band's sound.  The swing is always there, and heavy at times, but there's really no blues approach to this material.  I will let you ponder the reasons for that.  That said, there's a ton of extended and incredible soloing throughout all of these tunes.  The mood manages to stay upbeat, even through a ballad like Misty.

My record is near mint, and luckily, in glorious mono.  The dynamics and soundstage are everything they should be on a Basie album - HUGE!!!  I know you guys are gonna love this one.  Ripped at 24/48 and transferred to FLAC for your convenience... enjoy!!!

Roulette Records R-52036
1960

Count Basie - Easin' It: Music From The Pen Of Frank Foster

I hope you guys are excited to see this one here today... God knows I am excited to be sharing it.  More from our look at Basie's Roulette years.  This album has NEVER been issued on CD, with the sole exception of the Mosaic box set.  As you can see from the title, these compositions come from Frank Foster.  There's no doubt that this album remains in relative obscurity in spite of the overall quality and the fact that the title track was a huge hit for Basie's live show during this time.  I would say that "Kansas City Suite", an album of Benny Carter tunes, trumps this album in popularity.  That said, I prefer this LP in both compositions and performance - its excellent!!!

The band heard here is at its height as a unit, "The Atomic Band" as some like to call it.  As much as I love the old two track mono LPs, this stereo version does alot to showcase the power and nuance of this band.  I've said it on previous reviews:  Basie was a master of subtlety and could make his orchestra sound both like a freight train passing, or like a pin dropping in a quiet room.  As time continues to pass, his music ages like a fine wine.  The appreciation for exactly what his orchestra was capable of grows and grows.  This well oiled machine is firing on all cylinders on Easin' It.  

Personally I think the tenors win the day here.  Its fitting of course as the music was penned by a tenor player!!  The countless solos are as riveting as they are appropriate - always tasteful and suited to the mood.  Another stand out characteristic is Freddie Green's guitar.  The mix really favours him here and he can be heard really well.  Overall I find this album ebbs and flows much like "Kansas City Suite", so much that its hard to believe that it's not a suite itself.  This stereo LP was ripped at 24/48 and transferred to FLAC for your convenience.  The near mint, flawless transfer will have your jaw on the floor - gorgeous hi-fi sound, exactly what a stereo album should be.  Full hi-res scans are included at 300dpi...  enjoy!!!!!

Roulette Records ‎– SR-52106
1963

A1 Easin' It - Basie

A2 Brotherly Shove
A3 Blues For Daddy-O
B1 Four, Five, Six
B2 Misunderstood Blues
B3 Mama Dev (Blues)
B4 It's About That Time

Tracks A1 to A3 recorded in New York City, December 14 & 15, 1960.
Track B1 recorded in New York City, July 1, 1962.
Tracks B2 to B4 recorded in New York City, July 25 & 26, 1962.

Alto Saxophone – Frank Wess, Marshall Royal

Baritone Saxophone – Charlie Fowlkes
Clarinet – Marshall Royal
Composed By – Frank Foster
Double Bass – Art Davis (tracks: B1), Eddie Jones (tracks: A1 to A3), Ike Isaacs (tracks: B2 to B4)
Drums – Louis Bellson (tracks: B2 to B4), Sonny Payne (tracks: A1 to B1)
Flute – Eric Dixon (tracks: B1 to B4), Frank Wess
Guitar – Freddie Green
Piano – Count Basie
Tenor Saxophone – Billy Mitchell (tracks: A1 to A3), Eric Dixon (tracks: B1 to B4), Frank Foster, Frank Wess
Trombone – Al Grey (tracks: A1 to A3), Benny Powell, Henry Coker, Quentin Jackson (tracks: B1 to B4)
Trumpet – Al Aarons (tracks: B1 to B4), Flip Ricard (tracks: B1 to B4), Joe Newman (tracks: A1 to A3), Snooky Young (tracks: A1 to A3), Sonny Cohn, Thad Jones

Count Basie and Joe Williams - Just The Blues

Re-upped by request... even if only one person benefits from this re-up, it was worth it to me.  A must own album for any jazz fan.  I also want to let you guys know that "Basie Rides Again" is still active.

This is without a doubt my favorite Basie/Williams side, and overall, one of my favorite Basie albums.  Some of you have undoubtedly picked it up from me at a couple of other blogs, but it's never seen light at the Crypt.

Basie and Williams masterfully interpret the blues using all of their skill.  At moments, Basie has the band roarin while at others, you would think it's little more than a trio backing Williams.

This has never seen a CD reissue but was infact included on the Basie Mosaic set.  My copy is actually an EMUS reissue, which I bought still sealed.  I can tell you that this is one of my greatest rips - ever.  For those of you who have followed my posts, I think you know that I don't make statements like that too often.  The dynamics are perfect and this album will really hit you in the gut at different points.

Just The Blues was ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC.  My hope is to share my Basie Roullette vinyl, most of which is unavailable and OOP.  The last iteration of The Crypt was seriously lacking Basie, lets change that.  Enjoy!!!

Roullette Records
R-52054
1960

A1 Confessin’ The Blues
A2 Mean Old World
A3 Trav’lin’ Light
A4 Key To The Highway
A5 Lyin’ Woman
B1 Chains Of Love
B2 Mean Mistreater
B3 Keep Your Hand On Your Heart
B4 Night Time Is The Right Time (When The Sun Goes Down)
B5 Tomorrow Night

Sonny Cohn, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Snooky Young (tp)
Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (tb)
Marshall Royal (cl,as)
Frank Wess (as,ts,fl)
Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell (cl,ts)
Charlie Fowlkes (bar)
Count Basie(p)
Freddie Green (g)
Eddie Jones (b)
Sonny Payne (d)
Joe Williams (vcl)

Al Grey - Basic Grey

Mwha...MMMwhaaaaaaaa.

That one of a kind, distinct sound was Al Grey's calling card. Infact, he literally wrote the book on it. Grey's career is the stuff of jazz legend, setting the bar for all who follow. He did it all...composer, arranger, player, performer, recording artist, author, educator and all around purveyor of all things jazz.

Al Grey played for years with Count Basie, but luckily for us, set out to lay down his own path. For the most part, he brought his Basie bandmates along forming firstly the Al Grey/Billy Mitchell sextet, and The Basie Wing. During the 60's he recorded several wonderful sides for Argo/Cadet, the jazz arm of Chess Records.


Basic Grey is a collection from his Argo sessions. More specifically, it's actually 3 full length sides released on two LPs. This album was released on the Chess Jazz Masters Series, which took a close look at their jazz catalogue, re-issuing some greats. Unlike many of the two-fers that Prestige or Riverside released, Chess decided to give the listeners the full experience of each album, even keeping the track listings as they originally appeared. We are treated to Snap Your Fingers, The Al Grey/Billy Mitchell Sextet and The Last Of The Big Plungers. "Sextet" is actually a live album, recorded in NYC.

I will keep this review limited to generalizations. Clearly from the list of sidemen, this collection is a monster. Grey favours larger groups as far as the "small" group goes, usually between 6 - 9 players. The front line is generally weighed down with brass and as a result is real, real heavy. Dynamically the impact is just like a big band...fantastic.


All manner of tunes are called upon, but the consistent theme with Al Grey is the blues. It's best fit to his style, and he is relentless during a full on blues jam.


This double set is in NM condition. The fidelity of these recordings is outstanding making these transfers a real joy. Of course, they were ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC. The tracks from the live set are best enjoyed with no dead space or cross fade between. I have included all images from the original gatefold, and the notes will help to guide anyone wishing to re-tag these into single sides. And here we go again...Crypt style!! Enjoy!!

Snap Your Fingers:
Al Grey (tb); Billy Mitchell (ts); Dave Burns (tp); Bobby Hutcherson (vibes); Floyd Morris (p); Herman Wright (b); Ed Williams (d) also Al Grey (tb); Billy Mitchell (ts); Donald Byrd (tp); Herbie Hancock (p); Bobby Hutcherson(vibes); Herman Wright (b); Ed Williams (d)

The Last Of The Big Plungers: Al Grey (tb); Bennie Powell (tb); Joe Newman (tp); Billy Mitchell (ts); Charlie Fowlkes (bs); Floyd Morris (p); Ed Jones (b); Sonny Payne (d)

The Al Grey/Billy Micthell Sextet: Al Grey (tb); Billy Mitchell (ts); Henry Boozier (tp); Gene Kee (p); Art Davis (b); Jule Curtis (d); Ray Barretto (c)

Dave Burns - Warming Up!

Dave Burns is another one of those top flight players who was consistently overlooked by listeners, and grossly under recorded by the labels. Probably his biggest, and best known date, was on Art Taylor's Blue Note, A.T.'s Delight. Burns played as a member of the Al Grey/Billy Mitchell sextet and cut a couple albums on the Argo imprint with that group.

This outing is essentially a septet, but the core members are the same as the Grey/Mitchell group.
Although Mitchell and Grey make their presence
known on this side, there's no doubt it's under DB's leadership. He gets most of the shine as far as solo's are concerned, and two of his own compositions are used. Aside from this album, Burns cut another for Vanguard which makes this the follow up. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the best session to get to know Burns as an artist.

That said, this group was well experienced and at this point, ultra tight. All the players are at the top of their game and it"s evidenced in the loose and creative solos. Billy Mitchell in particular is a wild man, playing behind and on top of the beat, inside and outside...he's absolutely inspired.

This LP is absolute mint and of the highest fidelity. It's never seen a CD reissue. Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC, you guys are sure to be entertained to the utmost. Enjoy!!!

Vanguard (VRS-9143)
1964

Dave Burns (tp);  Al Grey (tb);  Billy Mitchell (ts);  Herman Wright (bass fiddle);
Harold Mabern (p);  Bobby Hutcherson (vh);  Otis Finch (d);  *Willie Corea (tymboli)
* on Richie's Dilemma and Rigor Mortez only

1. Day By Day   2. Now Ain't It   3. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
4. Richie's Dilemma   5. Slippers   6. Warm Up   7. My Romance   8. Rigor Mortez