Johnny Hodges & Earl Hines - Swing's Our Thing [1967] (vinyl>flac)

Re-upped from the old Crypt and as far as I know still no CD reissue.

Review by Sinclair Traill, Jazz Journal, March, 1969:

“Another fine album in the Hodges-Hines series, even if it is in some ways a trifle more uneven than the previous two. It is mostly imbued with a great sense of purpose, but there are places where the inspiration flags a little. The questionable Moose doesn't amount to much and although Buster Cooper's approach to Over The Rainbow is distinctly original, it doesn't quite catch on somehow. Buster sounds much better on Bustin' a virile vehicle for his ejaculatory trombone written by Jimmy Hamilton, and plays a noteworthy augmentative chorus behind Hodges on Doll Valley. This 32 bar original by Tom Whaley has some fine tenor from Hamilton and an easy going turn from Hines. Two good themes by Cat, who has the knack of writing catchy tunes, are Night Train (a slow blues) and Do It Yourself. Both tracks swing mightily and Hines shows of his amazing interdigitory skill on the latter. He plays great clusters of notes, but nothing impedes the drive and tremendous power of his playing. Pity this great track is so short. The interpretation of Mean To Me is novel and quite original, particularly from Hodges. Cat, who eschews his 'screamers' throughout the whole album, plays a thoughtful, muted solo and Hines again shows his extraordinary powers of invention.
The lively Cannery Walk and the melodious Trinidad were both penned by Hines, the former in honour of 'The Cannery' the new San Francisco showplace where Earl will work for five months a year on a lifetime contract. Open Ears (by Hodges) is another blues with solos all round. Cat struts his stuff with easy relaxation and Hines is again all over the keyboard in an astounding display of piano playing.
A most professional album by a set of the world's best jazz masters.”
Sinclair Traill, Jazz Journal, March, 1969

Although the review mentions three Hines-Hodges collaborations, I’m only aware of two, at least for Verve – this and ‘Stride Right’. The latter is available on CD.

Thanks to chu - the third album is 'Once Upon A Time' recorded for Impulse.

01 - Open Ears
02 - Mean To Me
03 - Doll Valley
04 - Can A Moose Crochet
05 - One Night In Trinidad
06 - Night Train To Memphis
07 - Bustin' With Buster
08 - Over The Rainbow
09 - Do It Yourself
10 - The Cannery Walk

Cat Anderson (tp) Buster Cooper (tb) Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts) Johnny Hodges (as) Earl Hines (p) Jeff Castleman (b) Sam Woodyard (d)).
San Francisco, November 13 & 14, 1967.

PAUL GONSALVES - TELL IT THE WAY IT IS! (1963) 24~48 VINYL

1963
Impulse A-55
My Vinyl Rip
Front, Back, & Inside Covers
DR Value 12
WAVE 460 MB

When Duke Ellington's sidemen recorded on their own, the Duke's influence often had a way of asserting itself even if he was nowhere near the studio. This was true in the 1930s and 1940s, and it was true on some of Paul Gonsalves' recordings of the 1960s. Nonetheless, Gonsalves was his own man, and this excellent LP points to the fact that the breathy tenor saxophonist wasn't afraid to enter a variety of musical situations.  Tell It the Way It Is unites Gonsalves with the great Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson and pianist Walter Bishop, Jr. as well as such Ellington alumni as Johnny Hodges (alto sax) and Ray Nance (cornet, violin). The strong Ellington influence asserts itself on pieces that range from Hodges' "Rapscallion in Rab's Canyon" to "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Duke's Place." ....AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson

The Tracks: 

01 Tell It The Way It Is! / 02 Things Ain't What They Used To Be / 03 Duke's Place / 04 Impulsive

05 Rapscallion In Rab's Canyon / 06 Body And Soul

JOHNNY HODGES - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED RECORDINGS - 1963 - WAVE

1963

Verve V6-8834

My Vinyl Rip + Front and Back Covers

DR value 13

WAVE

I ripped this back in 2012 and posted it at The Lair.  This is a NEW RIP and NEW LINKS

Johnny Hodges enjoyed his greatest success as one of the most important solo stars of the Duke Ellington Orchestra.  It’s hard to believe none of these tracks found their way on to vinyl while Hodges was still alive.  Over the years, record companies have always managed to discover unreleased, lost, or hidden sessions for post mortem profit releases.   These tracks however are a real treasure, and well worth the short wait.  The audio quality is excellent and Hodges’ tone is brilliant.  The album was produced by Creed Taylor and features the piano work of Lalo Schifrin, who wrote and contributed two of the more memorable tracks.  And what a nice surprise to find Dave “One Foot In The Gutter” Bailey on drums.  It’s tough to select the best tracks. Hodges’ fan or not, all of them deserve attention.

1.  Mama Knows

2.  I'm In Another World

3.  Dreary Days

4.  I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me

5.  B. A. Blues

6.  Wanderlust

7.  All Too Soon

8.  Somebody Loves Me

Johnny Hodges, sax;  Lalo Schifrin, piano; Barry Galbraith, guitar;

George Duvivier, bass;  Dave Bailey, drums

NYC, March 26, 1963 Released 1973

JOHNNY HODGES - CREAMY - 1955 - WAVE

1955
Norgran MGN-1045 (Mono)
Verve 70-5706
My Vinyl Rip
Front & Back Covers
WAVE
DR Value 11

 Johnny Hodges' small group dates for various Norman Granz-owned labels (Norgran, Clef, and Verve) pleased fans of Duke Ellington, due in part to the frequent presence of fellow sideman from the band. The 1955 Creamy session is no exception, with Clark Terry (trumpet and flügelhorn), baritone saxophonist Harry Carney, clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton (who doubles on tenor sax), and trombonist Lawrence Brown joining Hodges in the front line. The rhythm section consists of Billy Strayhorn, bassist Jimmy Woode, and drummer Sonny Greer. In addition to a long ballad medley with individual features for each player (except for Greer), the remainder of the date is devoted to originals by Hodges or Strayhorn, along with "Scufflin'," an impromptu-sounding swinger credited to the alto saxophonist's wife, Cue Hodges. While there are no real surprises anywhere on this record, it is well worth acquiring...AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden

01 The Ballad Medley:  Whispering, Tenderly, Don't Take Your Love From Me, But Not For Me, Prelude To A Kiss, Polka Dots And Moonbeams, Passion Flower / 02 Scufflin' / 03 Honey Bunny / 04 Passion / 05 Pretty Little Girl / 06 No Use Kicking

Johnny Hodges - Blues A Plenty (1958)

Review by Steve Arloff:

When you listen to this disc you have to keep reminding yourself that these were recorded over 50 years ago and that Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges first recorded together in Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1935! This is a fabulous disc that shows off the talents of both Johnny and Ben to perfection. Johnny Hodges had a beautifully silky smooth singing tone while Ben's tenor was gutsy and raunchy but nevertheless had its soft edge too at times. The record kicks off with a really lovely example of I didn't know about you with Johnny's magic alto exemplifying the phrase `laid back' and Billy Strayhorn's piano framing the whole beautifully and eloquently. Ben joins in on track two together with Roy Eldridge and Vic Dickenson for the bluesy Cool your motor. Johnny solos again in Gone with the wind in a lovely dreamy style. Eldridge's trumpet screams out to kick off Honey Hill and Vic Dickenson's trombone gives us another taste of his mastery of this instrument with Ben's muscular tone on tenor taking the baton from Vic and then passing it to Eldridge; everyone gets his turn in the spotlight here apart from the rhythm section who simply perform sterling support in the background. Track 5 is the album's title number Blues-a-plenty, a Johnny Hodges original. It is a great little song that is a brilliant demonstration of the talents of all these wonderful musicians who have carved their well merited place in jazz history. If you ever want to be lulled to sleep to jazz try the gorgeous Don't take your love from me with Johnny's soporifically breathy blowing sending you happily off to the land of nod. There are no duds on this disc and other highlights include the hugely popular and well covered Ellington, Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer composition Satin Doll which I'm willing to bet you'll never have heard in a more lyrically perfect version with Hodges' singing tone so incredibly voice like. If you tried the suggested sleeping pill in the shape of Don't take your love from me you'll have another chance to drift off again with its alternate take included as track 10 in a slightly longer version. With Reelin' and rockin' you also get two takes and two chances to enjoy Dickenson's beautifully mellow trombone. On the second take you also get some amusing banter from the recording engineer when, the band having decided after a few bars that they'll start again in a different chord, he says he'll release the intro on its own as a single!

Roy Eldridge (t) Vic Dickenson (tb) Johnny Hodges (as) Ben Webster (ts) Billy Strayhorn (p) Jimmy Woode (b) Sam Woodyard (d)
NYC, April 5, 1958

01 - I Didn't Know About You
02 - Cool Your Motor
03 - Gone With The Wind
04 - Honey Hill
05 - Blues-A-Plenty
06 - Don't Take Your Love From Me
07 - Saturday Afternoon Blues
08 - Satin Doll
09 - Reelin' And Rockin'

MGV 8358 also issued on Verve MGVS 6123.

Johnny Hodges - Don't Sleep In The Subway (Vinyl>flac)

Re-up from the old Crypt, never issued on CD this is from mono vinyl.

Review by Sinclair Traill, Jazz Journal, March, 1968:

“Albums by 'Rabbit' continue to roll off the line, the amazing thing is that despite this profusion of activity in the studios, the standard doesn't drop or lose interest. Johnny's playing is now obviously a saleable proposition with the general public, and yet he still manages to play as much jazz as he always did—the tone is without equal, ranging from a thoughtful probing of the ballads to a more stringent rollicking delivery on the swingers. The effortless control and cool lyricism are there as always and although he doesn't try anything new, it is just because he doesn't have to. Much of the real value in this album is the interesting, colourful scores provided by Jimmy Jones, who except for Some Fun, (arranged by Jimmy Hamilton) conducted the whole session. The writing, throwing up the thick textured ensembles, is exceedingly adroit, whilst the clean voicings for the sections is masterly and, as expected, very reminiscent of the arranging of Duke Ellington. Plenty of hot solo work peeps through, and in addition to Rab's contributions, there is some lovely trumpet playing to be heard from Ernie Royal. He solos on both trumpet and flugelhorn on the lively Heel Kickin' and plays a kind of running duet with Hodges on Wonder Of You. Everytime She Walks, Wisteria, and Subway (rather a tiresome tune, I find) feature the bluesy harmonica of Buddy Lucas. He inspires Hodges on Jimmy Jones' very attractive Walks, and provides a telling background to the pretty Wisteria. The playing time is a bit on the short side—pity!”

01 - Don't Sleep In The Subway
02 - The Wonder Of You
03 - Blues Serenade
04 - Everytime She Walks
05 - Wisteria
06 - Heel Kickin'
07 - You've Changed
08 - Some Fun
09 - Eydie-Dee Dee

Johnny Hodges (as) with band arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones (full details in post)
NYC. August, 1967.

Billy Strayhorn's Septet - Cue For Saxophone

Another superb gem from the Felsted label, reissued by Affinity.  Johnny Hodges plays under the pseudonym Cue Porter, and the rest of the group need no introduction.

A real great feel to this side as the band swing through an incredible songlist.  This copy is super minty and an absolute joy to listen to... enjoy!!!

Composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn led surprisingly few sessions throughout his career, and this was only his second full-length album. Actually, the main star is altoist Johnny Hodges (who goes here under the pseudonym of "Cue Porter"), while Strayhorn (who plays piano on the seven songs) only co-wrote two basic tunes ("Cue's Blue Now" and "Watch Your Cue") with Hodges and played a fairly minor role. Also in the septet are three fellow Ellingtonians (trumpeter Shorty Baker, trombonist Quentin Jackson and clarinetist Russell Procope), along with bassist Al Hall and drummer Oliver Jackson. The results are a fine mainstream session (which has been reissued on this CD) with highlights including "Gone With the Wind," the ten-minute "Cue's Blue Now" and "Rose Room." ~ Scott Yanow/AMG

Affinity AFF-166

1986

Recorded in NYC Apr. 14th, 1959

Billy Strayhorn (piano), Quentin Jackson (trombone), Cue Porter [a.k.a. Johnny Hodges] (alto saxophone), Harold "Shorty" Baker (trumpet), Russell Procope (clarinet), Al Hall (bass), Oliver Jackson (drums).