Various Artists - Jazz For When You're Alone (1999)

The 32 Jazz label, under the leadership of Joel Dorn, continues to release compilations designed to fit a particular mood or state of being. Thus, there have been albums as Jazz for a Rainy Afternoon, Groove Jammy, and Songs That Made the Phone Light Up. Now we have an album dedicated to being alone, not loneliness as Dorn explains his liner notes. But with this play list, the line between the two gets really blurred. Whatever, this is a comprehensive collection of tracks by the top jazz luminaries for albums they cut for the now defunct Muse label and all of them are outstanding regardless of the mood you're in. The Sonny Stitt performance of "Sweet and Lovely" is one of the album's highlights as his sax works in, out, under, and through the piano of Duke Jordan and Sam Jones' bass. The credits list Stitt playing a soprano, but it's the alto he has in his hands for introspective blowing of this classic standard. Wallace Roney is the ostensible leader on "Lost." But his Miles Davis-like trumpet is subordinated to the classical oriented piano of Jacky Terrasson who penned this song. Donald Byrd, sounding even more like Miles than Roney, is united with Joe Henderson for a ruminative rendering of his "That's all There Is to Love." A memorable track is Houston Person's "Everything Happens to Me." Not only does Person's Ben Webster influenced tenor fit nicely with the tune's theme, but there's major soloing by Cecil Bridgewater's muted trumpet and the under recorded Stan Hope piano. The quintessential "alone" song, Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight," has been assigned to major electric guitar improviser Larry Coryell who gets considerable assistance along the way from Stanley Cowell's piano. Phil Woods creates a vision of a summer ending with "The Summer Knows" as his engages in musical discussion with bass player Richard Davis. Woods, and all the other artists on this album, are in fine fettle resulting in another superior compilation from jazz impresario Dorn's 32Jazz label. 

32 Jazz, 32106, 1999 

Personnel:
See included Tracks [Personnel].txt for further details. 

Tracks:
01. Willis Jackson, Pat Martino - Blue Velvet (7:41)
02. Red Garland - The Second Time Around (3:15)
03. Houston Person - Everything Happens To Me (6:06)
04. Les McCann - Sunny (8:09)
05. Larry Coryell - 'Round Midnight (4:39)
06. Sonny Stitt - Sweet And Lovely (7:09)
07. Wallace Roney - Lost (3:50)
08. Vincent Herring - Stars Fell On Alabama (6:25)
09. Donald Byrd - That's All There Is To Love (5:47)
10. Phil Woods - The Summer Knows (6:25)
11. Pat Martino - You Don't Know What Love Is (4:46)

Total Time: 64:17 

Credits:
Compilation Producer - Adam Dorn
Producer [Series] - Joel Dorn

Newport in New York '72, The Soul Sessions, Vol. 6

Well I'm finally getting around to the last album of the series!

Newport in New York '72, The Soul Sessions, Vol. 6
Cobblestone Records, Vinyl LP

A1 Billy Eckstine –     I Apologize

    Bass – Art Koenig, Composed By – A. Goodhart*, A. Hoffman*, E. Nelson*, Drums – Charlie Persip, Piano – Bobby Tucker, Vocals – Billy Eckstine
       
A2     Billy Eckstine –     Jelly Jelly

    Bass – Art Koenig, Composed By – B. Eckstine*, E. Hines*, Drums – Charlie Persip, Piano – Bobby Tucker, Saxophone [Tenor] – Sonny Stitt, Trombone – Kai Winding, Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie, Vocals – Billy Eckstine
    
A3     Curtis Mayfield –     Stone Junkie

    Bass – Lucky Scott* Bongos, Congas – Master Henry Gibson* Composed By – C. Mayfield* Drums – Scott Harris* Guitar – Craig McMullen Guitar [Lead], Vocals – Curtis Mayfield
    
A4     Curtis Mayfield –     Pusherman

    Bass – Lucky Scott* Bongos, Congas – Master Henry Gibson* Composed By – C. Mayfield* Drums – Scott Harris* Guitar – Craig McMullen Guitar [Lead], Vocals – Curtis Mayfield
   
B1     B.B. King –     I Need My Baby

    Bass – Wilbert Freeman Composed By – King*, Taub* Drums – Sonny Freeman Guitar – Milton Hopkins Guitar, Vocals – B.B. King Piano – Ron Levy Saxophone [Alto] – Earl Turbinton Saxophone [Baritone] – Louis Hubert Saxophone [Tenor] – Bobby Forte Trombone – Joseph Burton* Trumpet – Ed Rowe*
    
B2     Herbie Mann –     Hold On, I'm Comin'

    Bass – Andy Muson Composed By – Hayes/Porter* Drums – Reggie Ferguson Electric Piano – Pat Rebillot Flute – Herbie Mann Guitar – Sonny Sharrock Saxophone [Tenor] – David 'Fathead' Newman*
    
B3     Les McCann –     The Price You Got To Pay To Be Free

    Bass – Jimmy Rowser Composed By – N. Adderley, Jr.* Congas – Buck Clarke Drums – Donald Dean Guitar – David Spinnoza* Piano, Vocals – Les McCann
    
B4     Roberta Flack –     Ain't No Mountain High Enough

    Bass – Terry Plumeri Bass [Fender] – Jerry Jemmott Composed By – N. Ashford/V. Simpson* Drums – Grady Tate Electric Piano – Richard Tee Guitar – Eric Gayle Percussion – Ralph McDonald* Piano, Vocals – Roberta Flack
    
B5     Roberta Flack –     Somewhere

    Bass – Terry Plumeri Bass [Fender] – Jerry Jemmott Composed By – L. Bernstein*, S. Sondheim* Drums – Grady Tate Electric Piano – Richard Tee Guitar – Eric Gayle Percussion – Ralph McDonald* Piano, Vocals – Roberta Flack

"Compared to the first five volumes in this series (which contain jam sessions), this single LP is easily the weakest, particularly from the jazz standpoint. Billy Eckstine is fine on two numbers, welcoming Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt to a remake of his hit blues "Jelly Jelly." Otherwise the music is more in the R&B field with performances by Curtis Mayfield, an okay blues from B.B. King, Les McCann's vocal on "The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free," a decent jam by flutist Herbie Mann and two songs from Roberta Flack. Nothing too unique occurs during this fairly lively program." scott yanow

Ouch! Scotty didn't like it! I will point out the title of the volume in response to his lack of jazz comment but in the end I have to agree with him for the most part.