Check out "The Poll Winners" and their second effort "The Poll Winners ride again". The trio is Ray Brown on bass, Shelley Manne on drums and Bernie Kessell on guitar. Each won two or more Polls in 1956 and 1957 at there respective instruments, thus their name!
I also love a hidden gem by Hampton Hawes, Bernie Kessel, Shelley Manne and Red Mitchell. The album is called "Four" and like above is a very well done CD. The musicians are pictured on the cover swinging golf clubs. I think you'll like them.
My favorite CD purchase this year by a mile is Rodrigo y Gabriela "Live in Japan". This isn't jazz but Nuevo flamenco, classical guitar that is so well recorded you will love it. It grows on you and the guitar work amazing. One F bomb at the beginning of track 13, just in case the kids are listening. |
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin |
|
Joe Henderson's State of the Tenor, recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1985. A two CD re-issue on Blue Note. He is accompanied by Ron Carter (one of my favorites) on the bass and Al Foster on the drums. This is, IMHO, great stuff. Sorry for not following your 'age' instructions. |
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin Second that one. Also "Dave Grusin Homage to Duke" |
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
...so many from which to choose : ) |
Clifford Jordan "Live At Ethyll's"
Ellington "Blues In Orbit"
Charlie Haden "Nocturne"
These came to mind right off the bat..... |
Jimmy Smith-The Cat
McCoy Tyner-Sahara
Bill Evans-Live in Tokyo
Dexter Gordon-Live at Carnegie Hall
Stan Getz-The Dolphin |
Second the Poll Winners recommendation, in fact the entire catalogue of the label by that name is worth exploring. Lots of sure bets, my fave at the moment being Red Garland's "Groovy". |
Dexter Gordon "One Flight Up". The long opening cut "Tanya" is worth the price of admission. |
Great, thanks for these. Keep them coming.
I have some of them, and I'm looking into the others. It's helpful to list which release you're listening to. With Cool Struttin', for instance, is the Rudy Van Gelder remaster any good? I know some people like those and others hate them. Always a crapshoot. I got a Japanese import of Herbie Hancock's Sextant (mind blowing) in 1992, and then later picked up the remastered version (2000?) and was disappointed. Not that the earlier CD was any great shakes, but I hate to hear a 'remastered' CD and realize that it's basically been fed through compression software. |
"Sonny Clark, Sonny's Crib"; "Somethin Else", Cannonball Adderly, and the most beautiful is "Charley Parker with Strings". |
Not sure why you would limit it to the 50-80's so I'm going to break your rule
Charles Lloyd "Canto"
Carla Bley "The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu"
Dave Holland Big Band "What Goes Around"
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong "Ella and Louis"
Ginger Baker "Coward Of The County"
Lynne Arriale "with words unspoken"
Viktor Krauss "far from enough"
Talking Horns "For St. Caecilien"
. |
Ella Fitzgerald - Porgy and Bess (stunning sonics even on plain CD.
As for Cool Struttin I own the Japanese pressing on vinyl and it has stunning sonics. I believe this album has been released a few times and I think a JVC XRCD version is also available. If I were you I would pick the XRCD version, as I have never been disappointed with any XRCD issues. I would not be surprised if the plain aluminium CD is also very good sounding.
I remember this album fetched US$ 497 on Ebay for the original vinyl issue from 1952 and that was a record high price for any vinyl. This was good five years ago if I remember it correctly.
I hope this helps :) |
|
I forgot these favorites; on Reference Recordings; Dick Hyman's the Age of Swing. Bill Evan's Waltz for Debbie. Miles Davis LP's, Relaxin, Workin, Steamin.
Diana Krall's LIve in Paris. Wyton Marsalis's Unforgiveable Blackness. |
Hifimaniac, That's Barney Kessel not Bernie Kessell. |
Check out the last two James Moody CDs, 4A and 4B. They only came out in the last two years, but they're played in that classic style and the recordings are outstanding. |
Another sleeper - from 1957 is Shelly Manne and his men play Peter Gunn. It's all Henry Mancini tunes with a septet. It's a fantastic recording on the Contemporary Label. The title track has reached cliche status, but the rest of it is terrific. Not a lousy track on it. |
Thanks guys, for all the help... First wave of Amazon purchases came in. I'm enjoying Sinatra's Only the Lonely in a gold MoFi edition, the Sonny Stitt, some Gene Ammons, Bird with Strings, and Jimmy Smith's the Cat. Beautiful! |
