Al Cohn/Joe Newman/Freddie Green: Mosaic Select: Cohn, Newman & Green

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 ground being found between the different styles. The revived Count Basie Orchestra was in the middle of it all, inspiring many in the cool jazz, bop and swing worlds. The three-CD limited edition Cohn, Newman & Green (Mosaic Select) reissues five similar LPs from 1955: Al Cohn’s Four Brass One Tenor and The Natural Seven, Freddie Green’s Mr. Rhythm and Joe Newman’s All I Wanna Do is Swing and I’m Still Swinging. The seven- and eight-piece groups, all of which include trumpeter Newman, tenor saxophonist Cohn and rhythm guitarist Green, along with Basie-ish rhythm sections that have either Nat Pierce or Fred Katz on piano, feature the arrangements of Cohn, Manny Albam and Ernie Wilkins. If you love Basie’s music, this set is a must.

Originally Published October 1, 2007