everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

The seven-song Unique Thelonious Monk (1956) platter was the pianist’s second during his remarkable five-year tenure on Riverside. His debut for the label was the aptly titled Plays Duke Ellington (1955) and once again, on this disc, Monk’s song selection did not feature any original compositions. Rather, the well-chosen standards included exemplify and help further establish the pianist and bandleader within the context of familiar melodies at the head of a trio — consisting of Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). Regarding the personnel, while Pettiford had also accompanied Monk on the Ellington sides, Blakey replaces Kenny Clarke. The trio struts and glides as Monk’s intricate fingering simultaneously displays his physical dexterity as well as his ability to play so deftly in the moment. Both attributes would resurface ten-fold once Monk began to animate his own compositions on the genre-defining Brilliant Corners (1956). (allmusic)

Personnel: Thelonious Monk (piano); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey (drums).

Rappamelo’s favorite track.

everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

The Horace Silver Blue Note catalog would not be complete without Six Pieces Of Silver, a session that put the pianist on the map as a leader. After leaving the Jazz Messengers to Art Blakey, this session gave Silver a solid foothold as a solo hard bop contender, as witnessed by the ultra-funky “Senor Blues.” Though his classic quintet was a few years off, SIX PIECES features many of Silver’s Messengers cohorts including Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Doug Watkins, and the drummer that best suited the funky pianist, Louis Hayes.

The session gets off to a rocking start with “Cool Eyes,” a swinging testament to Silver’s writing and arranging strengths. Switching gears drastically, the somber ballad “Shirl” is one of his most introspective works. The often-covered hit “Senor Blues” is presented here in three versions: the regular album-length take, a shorter single version, and a vocal rendition by singer Bill Henderson, who was then a newcomer on the New York scene. The only standard of the set, the classic “For Heaven’s Sake,” is a touching ballad that remains a favorite of many pianists, and Silver performs it here with his usual superb taste.

Personnel: Horace Silver (piano); Bill Henderson (vocals); Hank Mobley, Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Doug Watkins, Gene Taylor (bass); Louis Hayes (drums).

Rappamelo’s favorite track.

everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Though he lacked the improvisational fire of John Coltrane or the restless curiosity of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins played with a rich, round tone that complemented his melodic inclinations, making him the most accessible of the postbop musicians. Saxophone Colossus is the most successful of the late 1950s albums that made his reputation. Rollins’s playing never falters; he’s backed by the redoubtable Max Roach on drums, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Doug Watkins on bass. Rollins is equally at home with the lilting Caribbean air of “St. Thomas,” standards (“You Don’t Know What Love Is”), blues (“Strode Rode,” featuring a driving Flanagan solo), and a smoldering version of Brecht-Weill’s “Moritat” (better known as “Mac the Knife”). If you are new to jazz, there is no better place to start than Saxophone Colossus. –Steven Mirkin

Rappamelo’s favorite track:

everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

One of the great figures in modern jazz, bassist Charles Mingus was the ultimate triple threat: a master of his instrument, a jazz composer of the first rank, and an insightful leader of a series of extraordinary and incendiary bands. Raised in Los Angeles, Mingus was a devotee of Duke Ellington, whose compositional style had an unsurpassed effect on the young composer. As a player, however, Mingus was drawn to his contemporaries, who included Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach (indeed, Roach and Mingus co-owned their own Debut Records during the ’50s). Perhaps his greatest contribution was bridging the gap between those two generations: in Mingus’s music, one could always explicitly hear the continuity between the big bands and the bebop era, the affinity between the romantic and the modern. Although he had recorded extensively for numerous labels including his own Debut Records, Mingus’s relationship with Atlantic would yield many of his greatest recordings. Cut in 1956, Pithecanthropus Erectus was his first date for the label, and it provided something of a breakthrough for Mingus in his use of extended compositions: the 10-minute title track, and the lovely “Profile of Jackie,” are among the bassist’s finest recordings. The band is notable for the inclusion of the under-recorded tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose.

Personnel: Charles Mingus (acoustic bass); Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); J.R. Montrose (tenor saxophone); Mal Waldron (piano); Willie Jones (drums).

Rappamelo’s favorite track:

everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

These Halloween 1956 sides originally appeared as Playboys in 1961 on Pacific Jazz. Myth and rumor persist that, under legal advice from the publisher of a similarly named magazine, the collection would have to be retitled. When the CD version of the same material was issued in the early ’90s, it had been accurately christened Picture of Heath — as more than half of the tracks are Jimmy Heath compositions. Since then, a CD version sporting the original provocative ’50s pinup cover and the name Playboys has also surfaced. Regardless of title, however, the music is the absolute same. These are the third sessions to feature the dynamic duo of Art Pepper (alto sax) and Chet Baker (trumpet). Their other two meetings had produced unequivocal successes. The first was during a brief July 1956 session at the Forum Theater in L.A. Baker joined forces with Pepper’s sextet, ultimately netting material for the disc Route. Exactly three months to the day later, Pepper and Baker reconvened to record tracks for the Chet Baker Big Band album. The quartet supporting Baker and Pepper on Playboys includes Curtis Counce (bass), Phil Urso (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano), and Larance Marable (drums). Baker and Pepper have an instinctual rapport that yields outstanding interplay. The harmony constant throughout the practically inseparable lines that Baker weaves with Pepper drives the bop throughout the slinky “For Minors Only.” The soloists take subtle cues directly off each other, with considerable contributions from Perkins, Counce, and Marable. With the notorious track record both Baker and Pepper had regarding other decidedly less successful duets, it is unfortunate that more recordings do not exist that captured their special bond. These thoroughly enjoyable and often high-energy sides are perfect for bop connoisseurs as well as mainstream jazz listeners.

Personnel: Chet Baker (trumpet); Art Pepper (alto saxophone); Phil Urso (tenor saxophone); Carl Perkins (piano); Larance Marable (drums).

Rappamelo’s favorite track:

everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Two of guitarist Kenny Burrell’s best sessions from the 1950s were this release and its companion, All Day Long. Burrell is teamed with an impressive group of young all-stars, including trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, Jerome Richardson on flute and tenor, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. In addition to the lengthy “All Night Long” and three group originals (two by Mobley and one from Waldron), the original LP program has been augmented by a medley of “Body and Soul” and “Tune Up” from the same session. Jam sessions such as this one are only as good as the solos; fortunately, all of the musicians sound quite inspired, making this an easily recommended set. ~ Scott Yanow

Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jerome Richardson (tenor saxophone, flute); Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Mal Waldron (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Doug Watkins (bass); Arthur Taylor (drums).

Rappamelo’s favorite track:

everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

In The Land Of Hi-Fi album by Sarah Vaughan was released Apr 06, 1987 on the Emarcy label. In the Land of Hi-Fi is one of Sarah Vaughan’s best jazz dates for EmArcy. In The Land Of Hi-Fi music CDs Accompanied by an all-star orchestra arranged by Ernie Wilkins and featuring altoist Cannonball Adderley (who was near the beginning of his career), the great singer is in superior form during these concise (around three minutes apiece) performances, particularly on “Soon,” “Cherokee,” “I’ll Never Smile Again,” and “An Occasional Man.” A strong session. ~ Scott Yanow.

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