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Paul Chambers: Whims of Chambers – Blue Note 1534
by Marc Davis
At Blue Note Records in the 1950s, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones were about as common as grits at a Southern diner. And about as noticeable, too--not flashy, just solid and reputable. Blue Note never had a “house band," but if it had, Chambers and Jones would have been the hard ...
Lou Donaldson: Alligator Bogaloo – Blue Note 4263
by Marc Davis
Alligator Bogaloo is very much a product of its time--1967--and it is extremely groovy. Start with the cover. A woman with crazy eye makeup wears a nutty hijab-like getup and is waving her arms like an early-day Bangle walking like an Egyptian. Tres psychedelic. Well, no surprise there. It's April 1967. The ...
Lee Morgan – Volume 2: Sextet – Blue Note 1542
by Marc Davis
No one ever bought a record for its weird song titles. (And if they did, Iron Butterfly's psychedelic rock classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida would be the best seller of all time.) But still, Lee Morgan Volume 2: Sextet deserves some kind of award in that category. First, there are two songs written by virtual unknown Owen ...
Jimmy Smith: Midnight Special – Blue Note 4078
by Marc Davis
The history of jazz is filled with great pairs: Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn--Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker--Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond--Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. Add one more pair to the list: Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine. Smith was the ground-breaking organist, steeped in the blues, who introduced the Hammond B-3 ...
Louis Smith: Smithville – Blue Note 1594
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by Marc Davis
Sometimes, thumbing through the old Blue Note catalogue, you wish for something brand new. Something not the usual Jimmy Smith--Lee Morgan--Lou Donaldson--Horace Silver. And then you find it and wonder, “Who is this guy? And what ever happened to him?" Louis Smith is that guy. The trumpeter recorded exactly two Blue Note ...
Johnny Griffin: A Blowin' Session – Blue Note 1559
by Marc Davis
Sometimes dumb luck makes all the difference. That's the case with Johnny Griffin's A Blowin' Session. If you're a sax fan, this one's for you--not one, not two, but three red-hot tenors, plus one scorching trumpet, and the legendary Art Blakey smashing the drums behind them. Three tenors? How did that happen? Pure serendipity. ...
Fats Navarro and Tadd Dameron – The Complete Blue Note and Capitol Recordings
by Marc Davis
There aren't many jazz records I'd consider essential. This is one. Granted, Fats Navarro isn't in the pantheon of jazz trumpeters. For starters, he didn't live long enough. He died in 1950 at age 26, so his discography is short. For another, Navarro's brief career overlapped that of trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie, and came ...
Hank Mobley and his All Stars – Blue Note 1544
by Marc Davis
I think I've hit a wall. I love hard bop. I love Blue Note. But all of a sudden, the thrill is gone. This week, I'm listening to Hank Mobley and his All Stars, a 1957 album that could never be accused of false advertising. This truly is an all-star hard bop ...
Lee Morgan Indeed! – Blue Note 1538
by Marc Davis
The first time Lee Morgan entered a recording studio, he was just 18 years old and he was leading his own band. More impressive, that band included soon-to-be-legendary pianist Horace Silver and drummer Philly Joe Jones. This is the CD of that 1956 recording session. While the players were great, the music is merely ...
Introducing Kenny Burrell – Blue Note 1525
by Marc Davis
Stymied again! I really like Kenny Burrell, and I really want this CD. It's a great record. You just can't buy it easily or cheaply, at least not on Blue Note. First, consider the record and the artist. Kenny Burrell is the quintessential cool jazz guitarist, whether leading his own group or ...
