A superb pairing of jazz singer and big band
340936
Combine the expressive four-octave voice of Dee Daniels with the esteemed Metropole Orchestra and enlivening arrangements by Rob Pronk and John Clayton Jr., and the result becomes one of the best albums of its kind you are ever likely to hear.  The program consists mainly of familiar standards, memorably interpreted, with standouts that include "Time After Time," "God Bless the Child," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "How Long Has This Been Going On," and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child."  Mike Hennessey's liner notes for this 1996 release concluded:  "At this stage in her 24-year career, Dee Daniels, a mature and highly accomplished 'actress to music,' is not as widely known and appreciated as she deserves to be.  This album should go a long way to remedy that situation."  Over 20 years later, despite an active career internationally, Daniels is still not as well known as she should be.  Having heard her perform in concert recently (Feb. 2018) with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon's quartet, it's clear that Daniel's has lost little if any of her immense talent.  She stole the show.
2580427
I cannot begin to describe how wonderful this album is. There is something special about several of jazz's elder statesmen getting together to jam on a hi-fi recording like this. I don't think any musician from any other era could play with such intensity and emotion as these stalwarts of the Swing Era. To hear three of the greatest tenor saxophonists of all time play together is a divine treat. The addition of Roy Eldridge (swing's greatest trumpet man) and jazz's greatest drummer, Mr. Jo Jones, is just too much. The sheer musicianship on this album is astounding. Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge truly inspired each other, and they always played their best when together. Also, the taste of Budd Johnson and the soul of Ben Webster can't be beat. "In A Mellow Tone" is one of the best tracks ever recorded, and there is never a dull moment in this 20+ minute take. Play this album for someone not familiar with jazz, and they will be hooked. That's how good this CD is.
2985775
A pleasant album of essentially big band tunes beautifully performed. An interesting choice of material, some familiar and some a bit obscure. I particularly enjoyed "Something Good" and the duet on "Two Sleepy People" with Norah Jones. If you are a fan of big band and the great American songbook, you will enjoy this album. MacFarlane has a good, powerful voice and the backup musicians are about the best in Hollywood. The sound quality is superb as would be expected from the Capitol studios on Vine street.
3618058
Natalie Cole brings all of her passion into her father's music and more with these jazzy standards.  The songs in this collection flow effortlessly from one to the next.  She takes the ultimate songs of some of the finest singers and makes them her own.  (and then some)

Listen to the fine opening song "I Wish You Love" which has been previously recorded by Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, and Barbara Streisand.  Natalie's version of the standard "Swingin' Shepherd Blues" really DOES swing.  This one has been recorded in the past by greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie.  Natalie's vocal of "Cry Me A River" is unique.  She has joined the ranks of the legends:  Peggy Lee, Julie London, and Ella Fitzgerald.  That jazz tribute, "Fiesta In Blue", has a certain playfulness in it.  Legendary artists such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Diana Ross have sung "Don't Explain".  While each of these versions have been great, Natalie's interpretation is the definitive one for me.  There is something haunting in her style that brings me back to hear it over again.  "Too Close For Comfort" is infectious and rousing.  Natalie brings a new energy to her father's song "Calypso Blues".  "Take A Look" is a grand diva vocal finale.

The visionary musicians who participated in this collection each add something special to the mix.  Artists like Alan Broadbent, Grover Washington Jr., and Herbie Hancock are just a few of these famous talents.  This cd is a must for anyone who enjoys a classic jazz vocalist.
3895853
Like many Jazz fans, I have enjoyed many excellent recordings by Hubbard, Henderson, and Hutcherson, et al, as leaders and as sidemen including their more celebrated and well-known sessions on Blue Note, CTI, and Columbia, etc. However, I would have to say that this set, recorded live at the Keystone Korner in 1981, is my personal favorite. I first ran across this album by chance (a beat up library-copy vinyl in a local bargain bin) many years ago issued as A Little Night Music. In addition to the veteran musicianship you would expect from the players involved, their was a special energy that they captured in this particular performance that comes through remarkably well on this recording. As others have mentioned, this must have been a very memorable evening for anyone who was there that night! I find these versions of "Sky Dive" and "Intrepid Fox" particularly captivating. When the CD became available in the 90's, I was happy to find that the CD transfer was every bit as good as the LP and to be able to enjoy the tunes without pop, scratches, skips and without having to flip the record in the middle of Joe Henderson's solo on Sky Dive. There is a companion recording of the Friday and Saturday Night sets as well. While this one, in my opinion, is the better of the two, the other also has some excellent playing and makes for an enjoyable listening experience.
2996652
one of the best combinations of voices and musicianship!  great talents, terrific album
4328539
Great music, two talented musicians. I recommend highly
49589
This is a brilliant and essential album of classical jazz, but you probably already knew that; the arrangements by Thad Jones, Frank Foster and Ernie Wilkins are excellent, the ensemble work is tight, occasional solos and (less occasional) obligatoes hot and Joe Williams is at the very peak of his powers.
Admitedly, I still feel that Jimmy Rushing is undoubtedly the best Basie's big band singer, but my opinion of Joe grows with time: I first got his greatness when I heard him with smaller groups. Now, I have learned to appreciate his big band work with Basie as well.
Since the price is not to high, get it. In adittion to the hit "Everyday I have the Blues" there are other great tracks (although I think "Just a Dream" didn't live up to its potential).
4013072
"Crystal Silence" should be required listening for anyone who stumbles for the first time upon the musical genre of jazz.  It is a primer: written notes sounding of improvisation, duets that segue seamlessly from one musician to the other, a sum that is so much more than its parts.

Gary Burton and Chick Corea are two giants in the pantheon of late twentieth century jazz, and this album, recorded in 1972, demonstrates why. The brilliant, exuberant duets these two masters perform remind us (or introduce us) to the most basic and compelling element of jazz - the conversation it creates among musicians (and the joy it brings us as listeners).

Hearing this exquisite marriage of piano and vibraphone is to experience the sound of crystal silence, still a musical tour de force after 35 years!
825902
With many classic songs from the "American song book," and such warm lyrical interpretations; That, with two  of the finest Jazz Sax and Trumpet players of the cool Jazz era ,what 's not to like? Also sideman(!!) Gary Burton, here is cutting his young whiskers on vibes along with Ron Carter on bass.
The fidelity is surprisingly good for a 64 recording too. Reminds me of the good old days of the Dual 1009. and Shure V-15 ll; That is, before the "cracks and pops" set in from extended usage on vinyl LP's.
Not raging Be-Bop, but your heart will be pulled along through "Misty" and the like classic tunes; that, with great and warm phrasing,the uncanny mutual wave lengths between Getz and Brookmeyer will bring you back, again and again..
4189642
The Peggy Lee recordings with Benny Goodman not only are astonishing as music, but they revel in really excellent sound! Here you can hear Goodman's clarinet playing in often thrilling presence, while many of the other instrumentalists sound out with telling naturalism. Trombone solos emerge fully rounded, with the golden baritone lustre fully intact; trumpet notes are not pinched; even something of the drums, often so battered in old mono, emerges.

Of course, listeners want this for Peggy Lee's vocals, and the recording engineers have done themselves proud there, too. At the very beginning Ms Lee's limpid lyrical early voice, already a treasure, but one not yet turned into a more dramatic one, sings along with the band rather than dominating. However, after the first dozen or so recordings which find Ms Lee finding her way, she begins to stand out. Near the end of the first year of recording with Goodman's band Lee becomes more the center than merely part of the group, and she achieves this not with excessive dramatics, but subtle touches, an easy understated sensuality, and a very fine musical ear for the general dynamics of the band.

People who grew up with these recordings remember them in sentimental ways; for me some of the best singing comes in music not quite as famous. "My Little Cousin", a witty ballad of a Jewish beauty who goes after the shy boy she loves finds Lee keeping pace with the roudy breakneck boys in the band, who handle it all with aplomb. The famous, "Why Don't You Do Right?", finds Goodman setting another quick tempo, with no vulgar slowing down to add an extra italicized bump and grind, and Lee singing right along using a sharp, questioning, sarcastic manner - not at all the indulgent sort of burleske house sensibilty the music too often finds in performance. The old chestnut - then a relatively new tune - "The Way You Look Tonight" - is a model of controlled soft singing, few singers can accomplish this without breaking down or crooning - Lee is superb. Indeed, while there's plenty of gold on the first Cd, most of the recordings on side 2 spill over with all sorts of delights from both Ms Lee and Goodman's band.

At the price this makes a wonderful buy - fine added notes running over twenty pages are a big, big plus. If you're lucky enough to enjoy a fine tube system you really should hear this - but even most of us who must live within our means will find the sound excellent! Too often great old recordings suffer from shrill overly processed and filtered dubbings onto Cd - but not here! This Peggy Lee/Benny Goodman two CD set offers an example of just how good old recordings sound when properly restored to Cd.
1223993
I'm giving this CD 5 stars because of the outstanding performance of the Channel One Suite. My jazz band is playing this piece of dynamite and I play lead tenor which means I have a wonderful solo. Don Menza plays lead tenor on this date and he owns the piece. He's great on everything he does but even better here.  It's a live recording from the late '60's but it is clean and vibrant.

I also like the other pieces on this disk. These are songs of the times, nicely arranged and tightly played.

Buddy Rich has done some recordings where he is showing off, but here he is really part of the ensemble - admittedly an exceptionally talented and skilled standout, but I never feel that it's more than appropriate. And here he has surrounded himself with a great crew of exceptional players.

There's a lot of joy in this CD, and the musicians in the audience can learn a lot from these guys' interpretations.
3476009
This is not the cacophonous circus that two big bands playing together (for the first time, without rehearsal, and in one 12-hour session) might have become.  Think of it as one large ensemble (like Kenton's 40+ piece mellophone orchestra) commanded by a first captain (Ellington) and two assistant directors (Basie and Strayhorn).  Basie, the spokesperson for understatement, and Ellington, the supreme creator of small ensembles within larger ensembles: the result is sensible, swinging, and frequently exhilarating music--with enough spontaneity to satisfy even a Charles Mingus.

In fact, Mingus was the only musician the ultra permissive Ellington ever fired from his band--at the insistence of Juan Tizol, after the volatile bassman had come at the trombonist with a fire ax.  On the occasion of this recording, Tizol again insisted that Ellington fire someone--trumpeter Cat Anderson, who had nearly sliced off his head with a spiraling Sam Woodyard cymbal. " It's him or me," said Juan.  Ellington may have been agreeable, but the Maestro was not about to submit to an ultimatum issued in public by his trombonist.  So "First Time" was the last time for Juan Tizol.

Musical highlights include some heated exchanges between the two bands' top soloists, especially Thad Jones vs. Cat Anderson, and Frank Foster + Frank Wess vs. Paul Gonsalves (who could hold his own in any company).  Also, Wess' flute (an instrument that didn't interest Ellington) and Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet do a memorable "pas de deux."  At the same time, not bringing together the lead altoists--Johnny Hodges and Marshall Royal--is a wasted opportunity.  On the whole, the affair favors Basie over Ellington, whose subtle, nuanced palette and sophisticated compositional genius are less apparent than usual.  The Freddie Green rhythm guitar would all but clinch it as a primarily Basie date were it not for the rich percussive colors and personal back-beat (as opposed to Sonny Payne's broader stroke) of Sam Woodyard.

A minor disappointment is the audio on this 2008 edition.  There's some breaking up of the sound during the climactic ensemble passages of the main burner, "Battle Royal."  Perhaps mine is a defective copy, because after the perfect sound of the digitalized and reissued "Ellington at Newport 1956," a buyer would have the right to expect as much of a 1962 date.  Otherwise, the reissue presents complete tracks for the first time and adds 11 tracks to the 8 on the original album.  The notes are copious, informative, and frequently absorbing.

Like the Ellington/Coltrane meeting, this is not an Ellington essential, but then again it's one no fan of either member of the royal pair would want to be without.
126289
Recorded in 1978 with the legendary jazz harmonica player and composer Toots Theilemans("Bluesette"), this album represents several "firsts" for Bill Evans. These are his first versions of Paul Simon's beautiful "I Do It For Your Love", and the standard "Days of Wine and Roses" (Not counting the "V.I.P Theme" muzak record)- -two tunes that stayed firmly in the trio's repertoire till the very end.
 It is also the first Evans release to feature bassist extraordinaire Marc Johnson. This is an essential album -- and some of Evans' most inspired later-period playing. His use of the electric piano on some tracks blends beautifully with Toot's warm melodicism, egging Bill on to some stunning work as an accompanist and soloist -- and the two jazz masters are in rare form throughout. "Affinity" can also boast of one of the most fluid and creatively soulful recorded versions of  the classic "Body and Soul" in all of jazz.
Theilemans later regarded the sessions for "Affinity" as his favorite!
3388872
An exhilarating album from start to finish, Dizzy Gillespie teamed with Stan Getz and
  Sonny Stitt for this genuine jazz classic from the 1950s. Backed with swinging vascular
  solos, For Musicians Only, released in 1956, showcase the harmonic, rhythmic concept
  by Dizzy and the two tenor titans as they give a unique and timeless sound that is well-
  headed by a stellar track list including a 12-minute take on Dark Eyes, Bebop, and Wee
  (Allens Alley).  Showcased with dazzling tempos, intricate melodies, complex rhythmic
  breaks and vigorous jamming, which would be main part of the modern jazz movement,
  Dizzy is joined on the front line by Getz and Stitt for the blowing session that resulted in
  phenomenal results, as this tough swinging rhythm section distinguishes itself on a few
  standards and original compositions.  Basking with the success of his World Statesman
  big band tour and his dazzling Trumpet Royal performing with fellow trumpet titan Roy
  Eldridge, Dizzy would take some well-deserved time off for several jam sessions during
  the rest of the 1950s, and For Musicians Only is one of those timeless albums that will
  always live up to their own title, where it ranks as one of his greatest and most popular
  masterpieces that will be greatly enjoyed for countless ages.  What you will also get on
  this definitive edition are four songs borrowed from the soundtrack of the 1958 French
  film Les Tricheurs as they include Clos Blues and Phils Tone in which Dizzy and Getz
  brilliantly had collaborated on.
3712930
Buddy Tate (1913-2001) ranks among the great masters of classic tenor sax. He played in Count Basie's orchestra after Lester left the band,and belongs to the family of the great players of the swing era, with Don Byas,Arnett Cobb,Illinois Jacquet,Ben Webster and Chu Berry. THis CD combines two different sessions originally issued on Swingville : "Tate's date" (tracks 1-6) and "Groovin' with Buddy Tate" (tracks 7-13).For the first session,Buddy plays with the rare Ben Richardson (alto,baritone and clarinet),Sadik Hakim (piano),Wendell Marshall (bass) and Osie Johnson,a very talented drummer. The second session shows us Buddy on tenor sax,of course,but also on clarinet (a magnificent version of Duke's "I'm just a lucky so and so"),with pianist Ronnell Bright,guitarist Wally Richardson,bassist George Tucker and Roy Brooks on drums. The spirit of Kansas City's music is everywhere in this record: blues and jumping tunes in which Buddy's saxophone shines from the beginning to the end. In the second session,the blues alternates with three beautiful standards: Duke's "lucky" (beautiful chorus by Wally Richardson),"East of the sun" and "makin' whoopee".The recording engineer was Rudy Van Gelder, so the sound quality is irreprochable. An essential reissue,and a milestone in Buddy Tate's very long musical carreer.
47880
The idea of getting Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong together had probably been on many peoples minds, but their schedules just seemed to keep it a dream. That is until Roulette scheduled a date when both  Armstrong and Ellington was in town. Some compromises had to be made, the  band used was Armstrong's All Stars, and the music is all Ellington. Using  the All Stars instead of Ellington's big band kept Armstrong in the small  combo setting where he fits best. Ellington replaced Armstrongs normal  piano player and everything worked out fine. The songs were well know to  the band as several had played in Ellington's big band. This is classic  jazz of the highest order. The technical quality of the disk (all in  stereo) will not disappoint.