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Jazz Articles about Russ Freeman
Shelly Manne & His Men: Jazz From The Pacific Northwest
by Pierre Giroux
Shelly Manne & His Men are presented in two iterations in never-before-released live recordings from the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival and from a 1966 date at The Penthouse in Seattle entitled Jazz From The Pacific Northwest. In this deluxe limited edition 180-gram 2LP set, co-produced for release by the estimable Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds, the band captivated the audience with intricate melodies and vibrant improvisations driven by Manne's virtuosic drumming. The band on LP1 from ...
read moreArt Pepper: The Return of Art Pepper
by C. Michael Bailey
Alto saxophonist Art Pepper's first incarceration for drugs took place between August 1954 and July 1956, a period conspicuous for Pepper's absence from the recording studio. Pepper's first recording as a leader after his release was, aptly, The Return of Art Pepper. He had been busy as a sideman for trumpeters Shorty Rogers (Big Shorty Express (RCA, 1956)) and Chet Baker (The Route (Pacific Jazz, 1956)) before entering Capitol Studios on August 5, 1956 to record the ten pieces that ...
read moreRuss Freeman/Shellly Manne: One on One
by Craig Jolley
Pianist Russ Freeman made his name on the 1950's California scene with trumpeter Chet Baker's quartet and in Shelly Manne's quintet. He moved to the studios begininng in the early 1960's, occasionally taking time out to play real music such as this 1982 duet with drummer Shelly Manne. This record is a follow-up to a 1954 Freeman - Manne duet, The Two (Contemporary). (There is also a 1957 trio with Freeman, Manne, and Andre Previn, Batter Up (Contemporary), with a ...
read moreChet Baker: Chet Baker and Strings
by C. Michael Bailey
With Strings. I have been listening to a several recordings of Jazz artists performing with a string section, including: Clifford Brown With Strings (Emarcy 814 642), Charlie Parker with Strings (Verve 314 523), Art Pepper's Winter Moon (OJC 677), Wynton Marsalis' Midnight Blues: Standard Time Volume 5 (Columbia 68921), and most recently, Chet Baker and Strings (Columbia Legacy 65562). I am enamored with all of these discs. Some of them have stood the test of time, some have not. They ...
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