Recommended Jazz CDs

Recent Releases
Early Jazz, Swing & Big Band
Jazz Vocals
Classic Jazz

A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle

54 years after his passing, people are still coming up with dramatic audio discoveries from legacy of John Coltrane. This one is a real surprise because we all thought we’d released everything from September 1965 at the Penthouse in Seattle. Now comes another live version of “A Love Supreme” from that gig with Pharoah Sanders, bassist Donald Garrett and alto saxophonist Carlos Ward. An astounding find since Trane had played his suite live only one other time at Antibes in July.

Behind The Dikes – The 1969 Netherlands Recordings [2 CD]

This is the first official release of pianist Bill Evans with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell captured live in Hilversum and Amsterdam in 1969. The Hilversum recordings feature Evans’ only version of Duke Ellington’s “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” known to exist, plus two rare tracks of the trio backed by The Metropole Orchestra. Remastered from the original tape reels, this edition includes an extensive booklet with never-before-published photos, essays and new interviews. 2 CD Digi-Pak.

The Complete Live At The Lighthouse [8 CD Box Set]

The Complete Live At The Lighthouse presents, for the first time, all 12 sets of the legendary trumpeter Lee Morgan and his quintet during their historic engagement at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, CA, from July 10-12, 1970. This 8 CD box set includes a booklet featuring interviews, essays, and rare photos.

Standard Oil Sessions

The Standard Oil Sessions is Volume 1 of The Louis Armstrong Legacy Series. The series features four albums of previously unreleased recordings from Louis Armstrong’s personal collection. This recording was recorded in New Orleans in 1950 by the Standard Oil Company for their radio show,”Musical Map of America” and featured Louis Armstrong’ All-Stars with Jack Teagarden and Earl Hines.

Hittin’ The Ramp: The Early Years 1936-1943 [7 CD Deluxe]

Released in partnership with the Nat King Cole estate, Resonance Records’ Hittin The Ramp: The Early Years (1936 -43) is the first large-scale collection of the pivotal early recordings. Most tracks are receiving their first official release in this meticulously restored set of original live-to-disk recordings.

The Complete Decca Recordings (1937-1939)

Covering `37 to `39, these are the first recordings of this great, path-breaking orchestra that included Jimmy Rushing, Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Dickie Wells, Buck Clayton, Freddie Green, Walter Page, and Jo Jones. An essential set of music.

The Complete Savoy And Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948 [8 CD]

The most important recordings by this seminal genius all in one place and in chronological order for the first time. These 1944-48 sessions include his appearances as a sideman for Tiny Grimes, Slim Gaillard, Dizy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Red Norvo. 173 complete performances including such masterpieces as “Billie’s Bounce”, “Salt Peanuts”, “Now’s The Time”, “Ko Ko”, Yardbird Suite”, “Ornithology” and “Donna Lee”. Essential.

The Essential Django Reinhardt

These 1949-50 recordings (some with Stephane Grappelli) find the iconic guitar genius applying his mastery to his own compositions as well as standards. Indludes Dream of You; Djangology; Minor Swing; Nuages; I Saw Stars; I Got Rhythm; Royal Garden Blues; Jersey Bounce; Marie; Sophisticated Lady; Honeysuckle Rose; Swing Guitars 36 tracks!

Lester Young with Oscar Peterson Trio

14 tracks from one of the all-time great tenor saxmen teaming up with pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio: guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer J.C. Heard. Includes his finest performances of the ’50s Ad Lib Blues; Just You, Just Me; Tea for Two; (Back Home Again in) Indiana; On the Sunny Side of the Street; Stardust; There Will Never Be Another You; I Can’t Get Started , and more.

The Essential Billie Holiday

36 songs recorded by the greatest of all jazz singers for Vocalion, Brunswick, Columbia and Okeh between 1933 and ’42. Most were recorded under her or Teddy Wilson’s leadership with all-star small groups that include Ben Webster, Lester Young, Chu Berry, Benny Goodman, Bunny Berigan, Roy Eldridge and Buck Clayton among others.

Best Of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Excellent collection from Jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. This disc selects highlights from the three albums they made together at Verve (including their Porgy And Bess), and adds a live track from the Hollywood Bowl.

Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!

Sinatra already had one youthful career behind him by the time he made Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! His were no longer the lustrous pipes of the kid crooner from Hoboken, but from the first notes of the opening track (“You Make Me Feel So Young”) he seems to have discovered a musical fountain of youth that fully justifies the exclamation point in the album title. There’s a buoyant new spring in his step, accented by Nelson Riddle’s lighter-than-air arrangements. -Jim Emerson

Jolly Christmas

Released in 1957 on Capitol, A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra is Frank’s first-ever, full-length Christmas album. It features the Ralph Brewster Singers along with an orchestra conducted by Gordon Jenkins and includes the holiday favorite “Mistletoe and Holly,” co-written by Sinatra himself. A classy affair by Sinatra and the Gordon Jenkins Orchestra.

Study In Brown

A magical, definitive and pioneering blend of two musical cultures by Getz, Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, all masters of lyricism. Artrud Gilberto joins in on “The Girl From Ipanema”.

Moanin’

Art Blakey’s most successful album gave us Bobby Timmons’s “Moanin'” and Benny Golson’s “Along Came Betty” and “Blues March,” tunes so powerful that Blakey played them almost every night for the next 30 years. This beautifully performed and recorded session made the Jazz Messengers a jazz institution and put Golson, Timmons and Morgan to the forefront of jazz.

Getz/Gilberto: 50th Anniversary

A magical, definitive and pioneering blend of two musical cultures by Getz, Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, all masters of lyricism. Artrud Gilberto joins in on “The Girl From Ipanema”.

Stan Getz & The Oscar Peterson Trio: The Silver Collection

Supported only by Peterson’s piano, Herb Ellis’s guitar and Ray Brown’s bass, Getz displays his impeccable time and intimate lyricism on this 1957 date.

Time Out

Recorded in 1959, the album combines superb performances by pianist Brubeck, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright. Along with “Take Five,” the album features another one of the group’s signature compositions, “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” Much of the band’s appeal is due to Desmond, whose airy tone and fluid attack often carried the band’s already strong performances to another level. Together, he and Brubeck proved one of the most potent pairings of the era. -Fred Goodman

Kind Of Blue

This is the one jazz record that is owned by people who don’t listen to jazz, and with good reason. The band itself is extraordinary  listing John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley on saxophones, Bill Evans or Wynton Kelly) on piano, and the crack rhythm unit of Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. It was the key recording of what became modal jazz, a music free of the fixed harmonies and forms of pop songs. In retrospect every note seems perfect. -John Szwed

The Complete Columbia Studio Sessions, 1965-68

This set charts the development of two of the most important musical artists of this century, Miles Davis & John Coltrane. It includes the great 1955-56 quintet sessions that produced “‘Round About Midnight”, the sextet sessions in 1958 & ’59 that produced “Milestones”, the 1961 reunion tracks on “Someday My Prince Will Come” and the live Newport and Plaza Hotel concerts. Historic music of great beauty and importance.

Miles Davis Quintet: Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1

The recordings from their 1967 European tour are some of the only existing documentation of the band performing compositions from the extraordinary series of studio albums they made between 1965-1967 — E.S.P., Miles Smiles, Sorcerer and Nefertiti.

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5

Swingin’ in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse (1966-1967) is a collection of previously un-issued recordings by the Cannonball Adderley Quintet captured live at the height of his powers over 4 nights at the famous Penthouse Jazz Club in Seattle, WA between 1966 and 1967.

Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions [3 CD]

The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions is the first official release of previously-unissued Eric Dolphy studio recordings in over 30 years! Contains the masterpiece albums Conversations and Iron Man recorded in NYC in July, 1963. The 3CD set features jazz greats such as saxophonist Sonny Simmons, trumpeter Woody Shaw, bassist Richard Davis and NEA Jazz Master vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. The 100 pg. booklet includes rare and unpublished photos, essays and interviews.

The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 [3 CD]

The complete 22 tunes from the June 25, 1961 Village Vanguard session with his greatest trio (Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian) in performance order on three CDs. This session, La Faro’s final session, spawned the classic “Sunday At The Village Vanguard” and “Waltz For Debby” albums.

Stan Getz – Getz At The Gate [2 CD]

Getz At The Gate” is a previously unreleased 1961 live recording from the historic Village Gate in New York City. This release features an all-star, rarely heard quartet with pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist John Neves and drummer Roy Haynes (aka ‘The Boston Band’). Includes extensive liner notes by Boston jazz historian Bob Blumenthal.

At The Blue Note (Complete Recordings) [6 CD Box Set]

This 6-disc set captures three nights (June 3, 4 & 5, 1994) at the Blue Note Club in New York City by one of the most creative and exciting trios in the history of jazz: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnnette.

Mingus At Bremen 1964 & 1975

The performances appear in their first official release remastered from the original source tapes on Charles Mingus @ Bremen 1964 & 1975. The classic1964 group features Dannie Richmond,Jaki Byard, Johnny Coles, Clifford Jordan and Eric Dolphy.The ’75 quintet is another remarkable group one with Jack Walrath, George Adams, Don Pullen, and Richmond.

The Complete Prestige Recordings

Monk’s first session in 1944 with Coleman Hawkins for Joe Davis Records, Monk’s five sessions (1952-54) and his 1954 sideman appearances with Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis are gathered in this long overdue 3-CD set. Thirty-three selections in all, including first versions of such Monk classics as “Trinkle Tinkle”, “Bemsha Swing” and “Blue Monk”.

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

A heretofore unknown November 1957 Carnegie Hall concert taped in excellent fidelity has been discovered. This legendary Monk Quartet with John Coltrane, Ahmet Abdul-Malik and Shadow Wilson. had been playing together every night for five months and were connecting on an amazing level. Pianistically, Monk will shock you and Coltrane is focused and impassioned throughout.

Spiritual Unity

Spiritual Unity presented a new improvisation paradigm: looser structure, less regard for standard pitch, and no obligation to present a regular beat. Ayler’s sound was unprecedented, much rawer than any other jazz of the time. Sometimes it was expressed in squalls of untempered sound, sometimes in outbursts of poignant spontaneous melody.

Rollins In Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings [2 CD]

The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings is Resonance Records’ first archival release from Sonny Rollins. This deluxe 2CD set includes 3 different previously unissued 1967 performances with bassist Ruud Jacobs (bass) and Han Bennink (drums). With extensive booklet of unseen photos , plus interviews with Sonny Rollins & Han Benninke.