FEBRUARY 8

                    JIMMY SMITH
                   Prayer Meetin'
                     
                     Recording Date:
                            February 8, 1963

                     Personnel:
                          Donald Bailey       D 
                          Sam Jones            B 
                          Jimmy Smith        O 
                          Stanley Turrentine TS 
                          Quentin Warren     G 

               LINK

Review by Steve Leggett
Playing piano-style single-note lines on his Hammond B-3 organ, Jimmy Smith revolutionized the use of the instrument in a jazz combo setting in the mid-'50s and early '60s, and arguably his best albums for Blue Note during this period were the ones he did with tenor sax player Stanley Turrentine. Recorded on February 8, 1963, at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey, and featuring Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums in addition to Smith and Turrentine, Prayer Meetin' is a delight from start to finish. Forming a perfect closure to Smith's trio of albums with Turrentine (Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack were both released in 1960), Prayer Meetin' was the last of four albums Smith recorded in a week to finish off his Blue Note contract before leaving for Verve. The blues roots are obvious here, and the Smith-penned title track might even be called jazz-gospel, but the single most striking cut is a version of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind," with both Smith and Turrentine building wonderful solos, suggesting new pathways for organ and sax as complementary instruments.
 

FEBRUARY 7

                 COLEMAN HAWKINS
                     And Confreres

                      Recording Date:
                           February 7, 1958  tk 3-7
                           October 16, 1957  tk 1-2

                      Personnel tk 3-7
                           Roy Eldridge        TP
                           Coleman Hawkins TS
                           Hank Jones           P
                           George Duvivier   B
                           Mickey Sheen       D

                      Personnel tk 1-2
                          Coleman Hawkins   TS
                          Ben Webster          TS
                          Oscar Peterson       P
                          Herb Ellis               G
                          Ray Brown             B
                                                                                                            Alvin Stoller               D

LINK

REVIEW FROM AMAZON:

In first two tracks Hawkins is joined by the ever-swinging Oscar Peterson trio, Ben Webster (who takes back seat on second track) and drummer Alvin Stoller, a nice group of hard swingers who nevertheless show more of their mellow side than some might expect…The rest of the album is equally rewarding; the Hawk stretches his wings working with Roy Eldridge (tp), Hank Jones (p), George Duvivier (b) and Mickey Sheen (dm) – the drummer is the only musician on the album I don’t think I’ve heard before; Hank Jones and Duvivier show the swinging ellegance I’ve heard from them before…

In his liner notes Nat Hentoff says something interesting and quite significant – when playing with Hawk, Eldridge doesn’t feel the urge to light up the proceedings with a fierce solo (pyrotechnical hysteria is something often mentioned by Roy’s detractors…). Hawkins’ playing is so full of energy even in slower tempoes that Eldridge also takes it down a notch and constructs his solos with less high register explorations…This, at first glance quite laid back album (Hawk relaxes, one might say) is therefore a great example of the jazz giants at the hight of their power, playing subtly and intelligently, toying with the jazz-idiom they helped to create (or that they joined with a lot of respect).

FEBRUARY 6

           HORACE SILVER

     & the Jazz Messengers

         
          Recording Date:
             February 6, 1954 tk 4-7
             November 13, 1954 tk 1-3, 8

           Personnel:
               Art Blakey        D
               Kenny Dorham  TP
               Hank Mobley     TS
               Horace Silver    P
               Doug Watkins    B

         LINK






Reviewby Scott Yanow

A true classic, this CD found pianist Horace Silver and drummer Art Blakey co-leading the Jazz Messengers; Silver would leave a year later to form his own group. Also featuring trumpeter Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley on tenor, and bassist Doug Watkins, this set is most notable for the original versions of Silver's "The Preacher" and "Doodlin'," funky standards that helped launch hard bop and both the Jazz Messengers and Silver's quintet. Essential music.

 

FEBRUARY 5

                  JAMES CARTER
        Conversin' with the Elders
            
            Recording Date:
               February 5, 1996    tk 2,4,7  
               January 30, 1996    tk 3,5,6,8
               October 2, 1995     tk 1,9 

           Personnel:
               James Carter BS,B,CL,AS,TS
               Jaribu Shahid    B
               Tani Tabbal       D
               Craig Taborn     P

               Larry Smith      AS      tk 2
               Hamiet Bluiett  BS      tk 4,7
               Lester Bowie   TP       tk 1,9
               Sweets Edison TP       tk 3,6
                Buddy Tate     CL,TS  tk 5,8



LINK

Review by Scott Yanow

The brilliant saxophonist James Carter and his quartet (which also includes pianist Craig Taborn, bassist Jaribu Shahid and drummer Tani Tabbal) welcome some of Carter's musical heroes as guests throughout Conversin' with the Elders. Carter matches wits with the eccentric trumpeter Lester Bowie on "Freereggaehibop" and the often-hilarious "Atitled Valse"; he also features the legendary (but rarely recorded) Detroit altoist Larry Smith on "Parker's Mood," showcases Count Basie veterans Harry "Sweets" Edison and Buddy Tate on two swing standards apiece (Tate's work on clarinet during "Blue Creek" is memorable), and interacts with baritonist Hamiet Bluiett on "Naima" and an Anthony Braxton march. Switching between tenor, alto, baritone and bass clarinet, Carter makes each of his guests feel at home while pushing them to stretch themselves. A consistently colorful and generally swing-oriented set.

FEBRUARY 4

                   McCOY TYNER
              Today and Tomorrow

                  Recording Date:
                     February 4, 1964  tk 5-9
                     June 4, 1963         tk 1-4

                 Personnel:
                     McCoy Tyner     P
                     Jimmy Garrison B  tk 5-9
                     Albert Heath     D  tk 5-9
                     Thad Jones       TP tk 1-4
                     Frank Strozier   TS tk 1-4
                     John Gilmore    TS tk 1-4
                     Butch Warren    B   tk 1-4
                     Elvin Jones        D  tk 1-4

              LINK



Reviewby Scott Yanow

The great pianist McCoy Tyner teams up with trumpeter Thad Jones, altoist Frank Strozier, tenor saxophonist John Gilmore (on vacation from Sun Ra), bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Elvin Jones on the first three selections of this reissue CD; it is a pity that the potentially exciting group did not have more of an opportunity to play together, for these three numbers are excellent. For the remainder of the set (three numbers from the original LP plus three others taken from samplers), Tyner is showcased in a trio primarily on standards with bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. Virtually all of McCoy Tyner's recordings are easily recommended, and this CD has more variety than most of his Impulse! releases.

FEBRUARY 3

              BROTHER JACK McDUFF 
                 The Honeydripper     

                  Recording Date:
                       February 3, 1961

                  Personnel:
                       Jack McDuff     O
                       Jimmy Forrest  TS
                       Grant Green     G
                       Ben Dixon        D

                 LINK

By Thom Jurek 
The remaster of Jack McDuff's hard swinging 1961 album The Honeydripper was overseen by Rudy Van Gelder himself, adding to the Concord/Prestige catalog the same treatment Van Gelder had done for Blue Note. The date featured the big tenor Jimmy Forrest, drummer Ben Dixon, and Grant Green on guitar in his recording debut. Green not only held his own with McDuff on the title track, "Dink's Blues," and "Blues and Tonic," but he plays gorgeous fills and chord voicings in Henry Mancini's "I Want a Little Girl." Green was always more than a sideman as this date attests, and though he was part of the rhythm section, his playing is a standout on this date. McDuff was already in full possession of his voice as an organist, and his hard bop leanings began to subside here as he embraced a more soulful approach, no doubt informed by the effect Jimmy Smith was having on jazz with his crossover. This is an excellent date and should be picked up by anyone interested in McDuff as a great place to start, or for any serious collector because of the gorgeous sound of the remaster itself.

By  Barbara R. Bonanno
This is the definitive Jack McDuff album. Intense, soulful, dramatic blues laden jazz- you can smell the perfume and smoke and soul food. Better still, you can hear that organ and the whole band is the best!

FEBRUARY 2

             PAUL CHAMBERS
                      Go

                 Recording Date:
                       February 2, 1959 tk 7-9
                       February 3, 1959 tk tk 1-6

                 Personnel:
                      Freddie Hubbard       TP
                      Cannonball Adderley  AS
                      Wynton Kelly            P
                      Paul Chambers          B
                     Jimmy Cobb              D

            LINK

Review by Michael G. Nastos
The first of two Vee Jay label dates by the acclaimed modern jazz bassist Paul Chambers is a fine exercise in hard bop, split between showcasing his compositions and famous standards. Alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard are on the front line, perhaps for the only time in their storied careers, and work well for the most part. Pianist Wynton Kelly and either drummers Philly Joe Jones or Jimmy Cobb complete the quintets. The advantage in buying this reissue is that the second CD is comprised exclusively of outtakes from the originally issued tracks, and many of them have extended solos. Of the covers, "There Is No Greater Love" features a chuckling and cajoling Adderley, very happy for the fortune smiling on him, while "Just Friends" has the two horns playing this chestnut pretty much straight, with counterpointed stop-start techniques chirping at the rhythm section, and a young Hubbard offering his best solo. "I Got Rhythm" brings Cobb to the team, as a modal base from Kelly and Chambers buoys the wailing horns. Of the originals, Hubbard and Adderley sound mismatched on the 6/8 to 3/4 calypso-swing "Julie Ann," where their harmonics don't quite synch up. Their teamwork pays off royally during "I Heard That" and the classic hard bopper with Cobb "Ease It," where the tempo persists, but the horns grow quieter and quieter in mezzo piano range to near nothingness -- the epitome of cool. There's another classic here, as "Awful Mean" is emotionally neither, but instead cures Adderley's brief once-through melody statement into a vintage shuffle. The alternate take of this one is two-and-a-half minutes longer. "I Heard That" is called a "remake" though the original is just fine, and the second "remake" of the ballad "Dear Ann" (one of three attempts included) extends Chambers on his arco bowed bass melody, both pieces adding a ramped uptempo. This recording and 1st Bassman offer different aspects of Chambers as a leader, with the latter album having him take on more responsibility as a lead melodicist. After having played with the game changing bands of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Chambers died far too young ten years hence in January of 1969, but left behind a memorable 15-year legacy, well represented by this recording where he was in his early prime.