Curtis Fuller - "Five Spot After Dark"

Curtis Fuller - "Blues-Ette"

Curtis Fuller - "Minor Vamp"

From "Blues-Ette" : 1959 : Savoy MG 12141

An absolute stunner of a jazz record that is not anywhere near as well known as it deserves to be.  While the initial impression of the album is its cool and relaxed feel, repeated listens show how much fire the players are putting forth.  Fuller's muted trombone and Benny Golson's smoky tenor sound are perfectly complemented by Tommy Flanagan's delicate touch at the piano.  Fuller is still making great music today, but "Blues-ette" may very well stand as his most magnificent jazz achievement.

Players:
Curtis Fuller - Trombone
Benny Golson - Tenor Sax
Tommy Flanagan - Piano
Jimmy Garrison - Bass
Al Harewood - Drums

Tony Williams - "Two Pieces Of One: Red"

Tony Williams - "Two Pieces Of One: Green"

Tony Williams - "Memory"

From "Life Time" : 1964 : Blue Note BLP 4180

Tony Williams debut album as a leader (he was still going by Anthony Williams when it was issued) is a great example of some classic Blue Note post bop.  The lineup features a strong group of label regulars at the time, including the under appreciated Sam Rivers on tenor saxophone.  The tracks Two Pieces of One: Red and Two Pieces of One: Green took up all of side one of the original LP and feature all the players except Hutcherson.  Williams wrote all of the compositions on the album and the open feel to much of the music shows that even as a young eighteen year old he had many of the chops in place that would make him one of the all time great jazz drummers.

Players:
Sam Rivers - Tenor Sax
Gary Peacock - Bass
Richard Davis - Bass
Ron Carter - Bass
Bobby Hutcherson - Vibes
Herbie Hancock - Piano
Tony Williams - Drums & Percussion

Joe Farrell - "Weathervane"

Joe Farrell - "Upon This Rock"

From "Upon This Rock" : 1974 : CTI 6042

This 1974 fusion extravaganza was Joe Farrell's fifth release in a string of fantastic records for CTI.  This album again features the guitar talents of Joe Beck, who could have easily been credited as a co-leader, as his instrument is front and center throughout the entire recording.  Farrell shows off his many talents, switching between the tenor and alto saxophones as well as the flute.  The record opens with the blistering Weathervane, while the title track settles into a groove as Beck and Farrell have their way with the funky melody.  For whatever reason, this album is currently out-of-print.

Players:
Joe Farrell - Tenor & Soprano Sax, Flute
Joe Beck - Guitar
Herbie Hancock - Piano
Herb Bushler - Bass
Don Alias - Conga
Jim Madison - Drums

Jaki Byard - "Parisian Thoroughfare"

Jaki Byard - "Shine On Me"

Jaki Byard - "Memories Of You"

From "The Jaki Byard Experience" : 1968 : Prestige PR 7615

It is easy to see why Jaki Byard's collaboration with Roland Kirk (in his pre-Rahsaan days) resulted in one of his finest albums.  Besides being one of the great unsung pianists in jazz history, Byard's solo output is often overlooked in comparison with his contemporaries.  The album opener, the Bud Powell classic Parisian Thoroughfare, starts off like a fist fight between the band, but then evolves into a beautiful and emotional rendition of the oft-covered tune.  Shine on Me is a traditional early jazz tune given a nice modern twist, while the real gem of the album might be the duet between Byard and Kirk on the standard Memories of You (check out Kirk's tone on the saxophone!).  It is obvious that these two ultra-talented guys enjoyed and respected each other's company in the studio and it really comes through both on the duet and the album as a whole.

Players:
Jaki Byard - Piano
Roland Kirk - Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Manzello, Whistle, Kirkbam
Richard Davis - Bass
Alan Dawson - Drums

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Inside Straight"

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Inner Journey"

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Snakin' The Grass"

From "Inside Straight" : 1973 : Fantasy F9435

This 1973 quintet session (actually a sextet with King Errison on percussion) from Cannonball Adderley features a stellar group of talented players who all fall easily into the groove of the funky soul jazz that was Adderley's sound in this last phase of his career.  Hal Galper in particular contributes heavily to the album with three compositions (Inner Journey, Snakin' The Grass, Second Son) not to mention his outstanding electric piano playing throughout.  The album was recorded live at Fantasy Studios, where Studio A was converted into a makeshift "nightclub".  This was a somewhat new concept for jazz recording at the time, but the resulting album is great, as the players are clearly feeding off the energy of the small crowd in attendance.

Players:
Cannonball Adderley - Alto Sax
Nat Adderley - Cornet
Hal Galper - Electric Piano
Walter Booker - Bass
Roy McCurdy - Drums
King Errison - Percussion

John Coltrane Playlist #2

Syeeda's Song Flute from "Giant Steps" : 1959 : Atlantic LP 1311
Bye Bye Blackbird from "'Round About Midnight" : 1955: Columbia CL 949
Trane's Slow Blues from "Lush Life" : 1957 : Prestige PRLP 7188
Super Jet from "Mating Call" : 1956 : Prestige PRLP 7070
Impressions from "Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings" : 1961 : Impulse 4-232

John Coltrane - "Syeeda's Song Flute"

Miles Davis - "Bye Bye Blackbird"

John Coltrane - "Trane's Slow Blues"

Tadd Dameron / John Coltrane - "Super Jet"

John Coltrane - "Impressions"

Hank Jones & Frank Wess - "All Or Nothing At All"

Hank Jones & Frank Wess - "A Hankerin'"

Hank Jones & Frank Wess - "You Made A Good Move"

From "Hank and Frank" : 2006 : Lineage Records

The term "jazz legend" gets tossed around pretty loosely these days, but there is little doubt that the great Hank Jones is deserving of the title.  He was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1989 (full list here), received the National Medal of the Arts in 2008 and was honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy award in 2009.  Unlike his more high profile brothers (trumpeter Thad and drummer Elvin), Hank Jones played the role of sideman to perfection for most of his career.  It was not until much later in life that he began to make a name for himself as a successful headliner.  The NY Times reported that he was planning a tour of Europe when he passed away on March 17th at the age of 91.

Hank Jones and the horn player Frank Wess first played together in the 1950's and reunited in 2006 for the excellent "Hank and Frank" recording.  The album features a stellar lineup of players and stands as both an excellent introduction and a fine tribute to the skills of one of jazz's great pianists.

For more on Hank Jones, check out Jazz Times excellent feature article on him from January of 2009.

Players:
Hank Jones - Piano
Frank Wess - Tenor and Flute
Ilya Lushtak - Guitar
John Webber - Bass
Mickey Roker - Drums

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "Look At The Birdie"

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "Master Mind"

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "Roots & Herbs"

From "Roots & Herbs" : 1961 : Blue Note BST 84347

Recorded in 1961, but not released until 1969, "Roots & Herbs" features one of the great editions of the Jazz Messengers.  This group recorded extensively for Blue Note in 1960-1961 (there is an entire Mosaic box set devoted just to this group, out-of-print of course!) and all of their output was excellent.  This shelved album is no exception, although it is unique in that it features all Wayne Shorter compositions, which gives a nice look into the young mind of an artist who would soon go on to become one of jazz's great modern composers.

Players:
Lee Morgan - Trumpet
Wayne Shorter - Saxophone
Bobby Timmons - Piano
Walter Davis, Jr. - Piano
Jymie Merritt - Bass
Art Blakey - Drums

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - "Out Of Nowhere"

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - "African Bossa Nova"

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - "Communication"

From "Sounds of Africa" : 1962 : New Jazz NJLP 8282

"Sounds of Africa" is a funky and soulful affair that adds African rhythms to what is essentially a hard bop sound.  Ahmed Abdul-Malik's bass is front and center on most of the album and he even plays the oud on a few of the tracks (he makes a  brief appearance on that instrument as part of Coltrane's band during their legendary 1961 stint at the Village Vanguard).  Abdul-Malik will always be best known for his work with Thelonious Monk in the late 1950's ("Misterioso, "Thelonious in Action", "Live at the Five Spot Discovery!"), but he also has a nice set of solo albums from the early 60's on the New Jazz label that showcase his compositional skills and superb chops as a leader of his own groups.

Players:

On Out of Nowhere:

Tommy Turrentine (tp)
Bilal Abdurrahman (cl, per)
Eric Dixon (ts)
Calo Scott (cello)
Ahmed Abdul-Malik (b)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

On African Bossa Nova & Communication:

Richard Williams (tp)
Rupert Alleyne (fl)
Bilal Abdurrahman (cl, darubeka)
Edwin Steede (as)
Taft Chandler (ts)
Calo Scott (cello, vln)
Ahmed Abdul-Malik (b, oud)
Rudy Collins (d)
Chief Bay (African d)
Montego Joe (cga, bgo)

Art Farmer - Ad-dis-un

Art Farmer - By Myself

Art Farmer - Walkin' With Hank

From "Farmer's Market" : 1956 : New Jazz NJLP 8203

"Farmer's Market" teams up a group of young players who would all go on to have influential careers in jazz.  While Farmer and Mobley are clearly the headliners here, Kenny Drew's piano playing is the true standout of the session.  Ad-dis-sun was written by Drew and is a swingin' example of the cool jazz sound.  Mobley sits out on All By Myself which features some sublime muted trumpet playing by Farmer.  Walkin' With Hank is a Mobley composition that clearly lays out the classic Blue Note hard bop sound that he and Lee Morgan would work to perfection only a few years later.

Players:
Art Farmer - Trumpet
Hank Mobley - Tenor Sax
Kenny Drew - Piano
Addison Farmer - Bass
Elvin Jones - Drums