The Archivist
December 2007 By Scott Yanow
Interplay
Prestige
The five-CD box set Interplay (Prestige) contains John Coltrane’s Prestige recordings in which there was no leader or he was a co-leader with others. Dating from 1956-58 with all of the music previously released, this intriguing collection finds Trane interacting...
December 2007 By Scott Yanow
Dig Ben!
Storyville
Ben Webster, who became famous while with Duke Ellington during 1939-43, was one of many saxophonists completely overshadowed by Coltrane in the 1960s. Afraid of flying, he sailed for Europe in late 1964 and never came back to the United States, spending...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933-1944
Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles
Columbia/Legacy
The Billie Holiday recordings of 1935-42, both with and without pianist Teddy Wilson, are rightfully famous. Teamed with all-stars drawn from a variety of swing bands including tenor saxophonist Lester Young (a perfect fit) and trumpeter Buck Clayton, Lady...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
Live at the Savoy 1939-40
HEP Records
Ella Fitzgerald’s Live at the Savoy 1939-40 (Hep) is probably the only CD under Ella’s name that does not have a single vocal. Taken from radio broadcasts that I believe were previously unreleased, it features the Ella Fitzgerald Orchestra performing instrumentals...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
The Duke Box
Storyville
The Duke Box, an eight-CD reissue from Storyville, features the Duke Ellington Orchestra on broadcasts and concert performances from 1940-49. Most serious Ellington collectors will already own the great majority of this material, which includes two radio...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
Louis Armstrong: In Scandinavia Vol. 1 - 4
Storyville
With the exception of a few selections, even the most dedicated archivist will not have previously heard the material on the four-CD Louis Armstrong in Scandinavia (Storyville). The first three selections, from Copenhagen in 1933, are the soundtrack of a...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
Bing & Louis: Havin' Fun
Storyville
The two-CD set Havin’ Fun (Storyville) is taken from the Bing Crosby radio shows of 1949-51 that featured Louis Armstrong as his special guest. In addition to a lot of Dixielandish music, a special treat is hearing the often-hilarious verbal interplay of...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
Mosaic Select: Cohn, Newman & Green
Mosaic Records
The mid-1940s found the jazz world having a civil war between the insurgent beboppers and those who supported the Dixieland revival, while most of the swing-era big bands were breaking up. In the 1950s, the jazz world was more peaceful, with much common...
October 2007 By Scott Yanow
Mosaic Select: Onzy Matthews
Mosaic Records
Onzy Matthews was an arranger and pianist who wrote for Lou Rawls, Esther Phillips, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and others without achieving any fame. Matthews recorded 51 selections as a leader, all of which are on the three-CD Onzy Matthews (Mosaic Select...
June 2007 By Scott Yanow
Expansions
Cosmos
Extensions
Asante
Mosaic Records
A pair of recent Mosaic Select limited-edition three-CD box sets focuses on music that was generally overlooked at the time it was recorded. McCoy Tyner (Select 25) features the great pianist’s Blue Note recordings of 1968-70, music originally released as...
