Jazz Focus

Nuances by Norvo - Red Norvo 1936-42

Red Norvo and His Orchestra was one of the most innovative and tasteful groups of the Swing Era - which accounts for its lack of commercial appeal and memory!  These are most of the instrumental recordings done by the group between 1936 and 1942 and feature great arrangements by Eddie Sauter and possibly the leader with Norvo taking the bulk of the solos on xylophone.  Also featured are Hank D'Amico and Slats Long on clarinet, Andy Russo on trombone, Frank Simeone on alto, Herbie Haymer, Jerry Jerome and George Berg on tenor, Stew Pletcher, Jack Palmer, Zeke Zarchy and Steve Lipkins on trumpet, Joe Liss, Bill Miller and Billy Kyle on piano and George Wettling and Maurice Purtill on drums

Show-Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Giuffre

Great sides for Atlantic in the middle 1950's featuring the trumpet player/arranger/composer Shorty Rogers leading two groups - one, a quintet featuring Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet, baritone and tenor saxes, Lou Levy or Pete Jolly on piano, Curtis Counce or Ralph Pena on bass and Shelly Manne on drums.  The other is a larger group with the same quintet with added alto (Bud Shank), trombone (Bob Enevoldsen), tuba (Paul Sarmento) and french horn (John Graas).  West Coast Jazz, but with a lot of differences!

Charlie Parker Quintet at the Hi Hat

Charlie Parker was a frequent visitor to Boston in the early 1950's, often playing long engagements at the Hi-Hat club.  Here is a sampling of well-recorded radio broadcasts of his groups featuring Herb Pomeroy, Joe Gordon and Herbie Williams on trumpet, Dean Earls, Rollins Griffith and Dick Twardzick on piano, Charles Mingus, Jimmy Woode and Bernie Griggs on bass, Baggy Grant, Marquis Foster, George Salerno and Roy Haynes on drums and guest Jay Migliori on tenor sax

Show - Shorty Rogers and His Giants 1951, 53, 55

The trumpeter/composer/arranger Shorty Rogers did much work for Woody Herman and Stan Kenton in the 1940's - the 1950's found him working in the studios around Los Angeles, playing with the Lighthouse All-Stars on Hermosa Beach and leading record date.  These feature an eight or nine piece band in the style if not the sound of Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions.   With Rogers, Milt Bernhardt on trombone, Art Pepper or Bud Shank on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone and tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Shelly Manne on drums and John Graas on french horn, the solo contributions are every bit as good as the arrangements.

Mildred Bailey with the John Kirby Sextet and Red Norvo 1939

The ultra-musical jazz singer Bailey and her husband, xylophonist and bandleader Red Norvo recorded several sessions with the just-organized John Kirby Sextet in 1939 and the musical results were superb . . featuring Bailey and Norvo with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, O'Neil Spencer and Cozy Cole

Charlie Ventura Quartet for Verve - mid 1950's

The versatile reedman (here playing alto, tenor, baritone and bass saxes) featured with A+ rhythm sections including Hank Jones, Dave McKenna, Marty Napoleon (piano), Chubby Jackson (sb) and Jo Jones and Buddy Rich on drums.  Well-arranged and played standards and a few originals!

Ken Peplowski - 1980's Recordings

The late, great Ken Peplowski is here remembered on some of his early recording sessions with an astonishing range of styles and personnel.  Trad with Marty Grosz, Peter Ecklund and Terry Waldo; swing with Howard Alden and Dan Barrett, a funny baseball themed session with Dick Miller's National Pass Time Orchestra and two bonuses - one with Leon Redbone and one with Benny Goodman's last big band.  Great alto and tenor as well as clarinet!

Show - Buddy Rich and Shorty Rogers play Basie!

Two tributes to Basie and his repertoire led by Rich in 1956 (with Harry Edison, Frank Rosolino, Bob Enevoldsen, Jimmy Rowles and Buddy Collette) and Rogers in 1954 (with Enevoldsen, Cooper, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Giuffre, Herb Geller, Bud Shank, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce and Shelly Manne).

Sidney Bechet - Paris, 1949

Recordings made by the great New Orleans soprano saxophonist right before and after his permanent relocation to Paris.  Two sessions for Vogue and one for Blue Star feature Bill Coleman (trumpet), Frank "Big Boy" Goudie (tenor sax), Claude Luter (clarinet), Eddie Bernard and Christian Azzi (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass) and Kenny Clarke and Moustache Galipedes (drums).  Originals and standards and standards masquerading as originals.

Show- Flip Phillips and Charlie Ventura 1952, 54

Three great sessions (two with Flip Phillips and one with Charlie Ventura) of tenor sax backed by well-arranged band performances!  Featuring arrangements by George Williams and Chico O'Farrell with contributions by Charlie Shavers, Al Porcino, Kai Winding, Lennie Hambro, Dave McKenna, Richard Wyands, Max Roach, Freddie Green, Cecil Payne and others . . .