Salt and Pepper
Artist: Sonny Stitt

This 72-minute CD starts off with one of the underrated gems of the 1960s, an exciting matchup by tenors Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves. Other than the brief throwaway "Theme From Lord of the Flies" (producer Bob Thiele's idea), this is very much a jam session set, with "Salt and Pepper" being a heated medium-tempo blues and the two competitive... Read More

Pony's Express
Artist: Pony Poindexter

Pony Poindexter was a sporadically recorded bop saxophonist who played on sessions by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross as well as Wes Montgomery; his long unavailable 1962 debut as a leader, originally on Epic, finally was reissued as a Koch CD in 2001. With arrangements by Gene Kee, Poindexter leads several all-star ensembles, which include Phil... Read More

Let's Swing
Artist: Budd Johnson

This CD reissue brings back one of tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson's best showcases. Featured in a quintet with his brother Keg Johnson on trombone, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Charlie Persip, Budd starts off with a ballad feature ("Serenade in Blue") and performs three originals (including "Downtown Manhattan"... Read More

Letter from Home
Artist: Eddie Jefferson

This CD (which augments the original LP program with two alternate takes) is a fine showcase for vocalese master Eddie Jefferson. Backed by either a tentet or a quintet that gives solo space to altoist James Moody and the tenor of Johnny Griffin, Jefferson sings his lyrics to such numbers as "Take the 'A' Train," "Billie's Bounce," "I Cover the... Read More

Desafinado: Bossa Nova and Jazz Samba
Artist: Coleman Hawkins

This set seems to have the word "fad" written all over it, but surprisingly it is a major success. During the era when everyone was trying to cash in on the popularity of bossa nova, tenor-great Coleman Hawkins recorded eight selections with a group consisting of two guitars, bass and three percussionists. In addition to a classic version of "O... Read More

Can't Help Swinging
Artist: Jimmy Hamilton

Jimmy Hamilton spent 25 years (1943-68) with Duke Ellington's Orchestra, gaining recognition as a technically skilled cool-toned clarinetist and an occasional (but underused) booting tenor player. His own recording projects were very infrequent and his two Swingville LPs (reissued in full on this 1999 CD) were formerly very scarce. For one of... Read More

The Magic Touch of Tadd Dameron
Artist: Tadd Dameron & His Orchestra

Tadd Dameron's final session as a leader (he died in 1965) is a definitive set that sums up much of his career. Some of Dameron's best-known originals are here (including "On a Misty Night," "Fontainebleau," "If You Could See Me Now," and "Our Delight"), and this CD reissue has three previously unreleased alternate takes. For once, Dameron had a... Read More

Anthropology
Artist: Don Byas

Don Byas was one of the great tenor saxophonists in jazz history but, due to his decision to move permanently to Europe in 1946, he remains very underrated in the jazz history books. This superlative set (in which he is backed by pianist Bent Axen, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer William Schiopffe) finds Byas stretching out in a club on five... Read More

The Best of Joe Pass: Pacific Jazz Years
Artist: Joe Pass

Although this CD sticks to Joe Pass' early period and cannot be accurately called "The Best," it does feature the guitarist in prime form. Rarest among the selections are three numbers from Pass' debut, Sounds of Synanon. In addition, the guitarist is heard on four selections from his classic For Django date; he performs "More" from a movie... Read More