Eddie Jefferson - Hipper Than Thou (1959, 1961)

Eddie Jefferson, one of the great jazz singers and an important pioneer of vocalese, is heard in peak form on this Evidence CD which reissues an Inner City LP and adds six previously unissued selections to the program. The bulk of the music is from 1959-1961, with Jefferson backed by several horns including trumpeter Howard McGhee and tenor saxophonist James Moody, and sometimes three other vocalists. There are many highlights including Jefferson's original classic versions of "Body and Soul" (a tribute to Coleman Hawkins, the "king of the saxophone") and "So What" (dedicated to Miles Davis), a remake of "Moody's Mood for Love" and vocalese adaptations of a few Lester Young and Charlie Parker solos. Most of the unissued tracks are from these sessions, but there is also "Silly Little Cynthia" from 1964 (a duet with pianist Tommy Tucker) and a meeting with guitarist Louisiana Red on 1965's "Red's New Dream." When one considers that Jefferson otherwise did not record during 1963-1967, it makes those two numbers not only enjoyable but historic. This CD is highly recommended for all jazz collections. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Le Chant Du Monde, LDJ 274 946, 1989
Recorded 1959 (2,4-12,17-18) / 1961 (1,3,13-16) in New York

Tracks:
01. So What {Miles Davis} (3:30)
02. Moody's Mood For Love {Fields, McHugh, Moody} (3:10)
03. Sister Sadie {Horace Silver} (2:44)
04. It's Only A Paper Moon {Arlen, Harburg, Rose} (3:03)
05. TD's Boogie Woogie {Pinetop Smith} (2:26)
06. Now's The Time {Charlie Parker} (3:01)
07. Body And Soul {Eyton, Green, Heyman, Sour} (3:33)
08. Workshop {Gil Fuller} (2:57)
09. Sherry {Hank Crawford} (3:04)
10. Baby Girl {Eddie Jefferson} (3:18)
11. Memphis {Eddie Jefferson} (2:52)
12. Honeysuckle Rose {Andy Razaf, Fats Waller} (2:18)
13. The Preacher [A Crazy Romance] {Horace Silver} (2:27)
14. Night Train {Forrest, Simpkins, Washington} (2:34)
15. NJR [I'm Gone] {Quincy Jones} (3:18)
16. I Got The Blues {Lester Young} (2:41)
17. Silly Little Cynthia (Eddie Jefferson} (1:57)
18. Red's New Dream (Eddie Jefferson} (4:43) 

Total Time: 52:43 

Credits:
Producer [Original] - Herb Abramson (#1-12)
Compilation Director - Jean-Louis Méchali
CD Release Coordinator - Nicole de Pretto
Photography - D.R.
Liner Notes - Jacques Denis 

#1-12 originally released as The Jazz Singer [Vocal Improvisations On Famous Jazz Solos]
Inner City Records [IC 1016] 1976 

Baby Girl

Benny Bailey, The Amazing - Mirrors (1971)

After the demise of the CBBB, Francy Boland plucked some of its best players for this 1971 date. While ostensibly a Benny Bailey outing it really is a Boland/Tony Coe production, with strings added to every cut. Bailey provides some nice, bluesy commentary along the way on trumpet, with his highly identifiable style. The namesake opener, Mirrors, immediately tells us what we're in for. With absolutely ravishing string-section support, Bailey dazzles on mute as does Boland on acoustic piano. An immersing experience and a great entry into this wonderful record. The next cut, Effluves, takes us right into the 12-tone area previously explored in Change of Scenes (and which pissed off Stan Getz no end). With Jean Warland's muscular walking underneath, this theme leads to a long disquisition by Bailey. Coe joins the 12-tone party on the next cut, Flunkania, and dazzles. Bailey really cannot match him in harmonic and melodic sophistication, but gamely tries. Boland punctuates nicely with electric piano. They slow things down a little on Sub Umbra, with long commentary by Bailey and Boland and by Shihab on flute. What a great player he was. Then comes Every Happens To Me, the Matt Dennis tune, that Bailey makes into the baldest statement of fact. Then Boland takes over on acoustic piano with a ringing, gorgeous solo. Finally comes the raucous At Ronnie's, a barn-burner from a few years earlier. Shihab gives off sparks on electric baritone (!) whilst Bailey finally gets to play the blues (about time!). Coe covers the universe with his staff-spanning gymnastics and Boland plays a fully Bolandesque solo on electric piano. ~ George Kaplan, Amazon.com.

Freedom Records, FLP 40163, 1975
Schema Records, RW132 CD, 2013
Recorded 11^th September, 1971 At Cornet Studios, Cologne, Germany 

Musicians:
Benny Bailey - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Tony Coe - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet
Sahib Shihab - Baritone Saxophone, Flute
Francy Boland - Piano, Arranger, Conductor
Jean Warland - Bass
Tony Inzalaco - Drums
plus 12 strings section 

Tracks:
1. Mirrors {Benny Bailey} (6:51)
2. Effluves {Francy Boland} (5:51)
3. Flunkeyania {Francy Boland} (5:43)
4. Sum Umbra {Francy Boland} (6:44)
5. Everything Happens To Me {Matt Dennis} (5:21)
6. At Ronnie's {Benny Bailey} (7:29) 

Total Time: 37:59 

Credits:
Producer - Gigi Campi
Engineer - Wolfgang Hirschmann
Photography - Bob Richards
Design - Heinz Bähr 

Reissue of this 1971 album from the Jazz trumpeter. To share in his return to the studios as a leader, Bailey naturally looked to his colleagues in the Clarke - Boland Big Band. From the wealth of resources there he plucked Tony Coe, Sahib Shihab and bassist Jean Warland. As drummer, he brought in another expatriate, Tony Inzalaco, a young man with a very broad vision of what music is about. Between them, Coe and Shihab handle various flutes, tenor saxophone and clarinet, enough of a tonal palette for arranger Boland to feel free and unhindered. ~ Rearward.

CAT ANDERSON - CAT ON A HOT TIN HORN - 1959 - 24/48 VINYL

1958
Mercury SR 80008
My Vinyl Rip
DR Value 9
Front & Back Covers
WAVE

Cat Anderson, taking a day off from the Duke Ellington Orchestra, is heard on this out-of-print Lp playing on his first full album as a bandleader (he had previously cut eight selections during two sessions in 1947 and 1949). With arrangements by Anderson (who contributed six of the nine tunes) and (on two songs) Ernie Wilkins, the all-star big band has plenty of opportunities to blow even if only one piece exceeds four minutes. In addition to Cat's powerful trumpet, other soloists include tenor-saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, baritonist Sahib Shihab and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland. Hopefully this swinging session will get reissued on CD eventually by Polygram.
...AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

The Tracks:
01 Little Man / 02 Cat's In The Alley / 03 Blue Jean Beguine /
04 My Adorable 'D' / 05 June Bug / 06 Don't Get Around Much Anymore /
07 Birth Of The Blues / 08 You're The Cream In My Coffee / 09 Nina

Sahib Shihab - Sentiments (vinyl to FLAC rip)

I can think of no higher praise for this album other than to say that more than one person when hearing this "blind" at my house was convinced it was an unknown Roland Kirk album. Now in MY world that is high praise indeed!

Was anyone more lastingly 'touched' by their association with Monk than Sahib Shihab? He always maintained a quirky edge, a 'different' slant that seemed to have it's genesis in his participation in the Blue Note Monk sessions.

On this session it is very clear that our ex-patriot jazzmen had their ears wide open to what was happening here and were making albums of equal depth that would have played well here in the States if we had only known...

Sahib Shihab, James Moody, Jeremy Steig & Chris Hinze - Flute Summit

Credits

• Bass – John Lee (3)
• Congas, Percussion – Ivanir "Mandrake" Do Nascimento*
• Drums – Aldo Romano
• Engineer – Norbert Klövekorn
• Flute – Chris Hinze, James Moody, Jeremy Steig, Sahib Shihab
• Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Joachim Kühn
• Producer – Joachim E. Berendt*

Notes

Recorded live in two concerts Oct. 20/21, 1973
Stereo situation: Hinze left - Shihab half-left - Moody half-right - Steig right

Sahib Shihab - Conversations (Polydor LP Vinyl Rip)

Looking at my Sahib Shihab files, I have to admit to an ulterior motive in making this post - I see that I need upgrades on most of my stuff and this is one way to generate a global collaboration.

This one here is a fresh LP rip that I'm hoping will set off a run of others from my colleges to fill in the thin, but fabulous Shihab catalog in 'high def'.