Contrasts
Artist: Erroll Garner

It was a typical recording session for pianist Erroll Garner. With his regular trio of the period (bassist Wyatt Ruther and drummer Fats Heard) plus Candido, Garner recorded 24 songs (all first takes) on July 27, 1954. 13 of the pieces are on this 1998 CD reissue, including the earliest recorded version of his big hit "Misty." Other highlights... Read More

S'Us Four
Artist: Cal Collins

Cal Collins gained some recognition in the 1970s for his recordings with Concord, but he left the national spotlight the following decade to settle in his native Cincinnati. For this excellent effort by a quartet consisting of guitarists Collins and Kenny Poole, bassist Michael Moore and drummer Jimmy Madison, Collins' swinging style and mellow... Read More

Campus Concert/Feeling Is Believing
Artist: Erroll Garner

This twofer from the Telarc label's Archive series brings together two fine but unrelated albums from jazz piano legend Erroll Garner. Campus Concert was recorded in the spring of 1964 at Purdue University, and shows the affinity Garner shared with his student audience in the days when jazz was considered cooler on campus than the... Read More

Subtle Legend, Vol. 1
Artist: Jimmy Rowles

This 1998 CD has a pair of previously unreleased live sets by pianist Jimmy Rowles. Most of the numbers are unaccompanied solos but there are also a few numbers with bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Donald Bailey. Rowles sings the obscure Ray Noble tune "Do You Know Why Stars Come Out at Night" and his classic "Ballad of Thelonious Monk," and he... Read More

By Himself: Arbors Piano Series, Vol. 3
Artist: Dave Frishberg

Dave Frishberg had not recorded a strictly instrumental solo piano record in many years when he cut this 1997 Arbors set. Actually he does vocalize on four numbers (most memorable is his classic "I Want To Be A Sideman" and a remake of "Can't Take You Nowhere"), the other ten songs put the focus purely on his underrated but swinging mainstream... Read More

Daylight Express
Artist: Clark Terry

Two obscure but very enjoyable and complementary former Lps are reissued in full on this generous CD. The first half of the disc is primarily a showcase for trumpeter Clark Terry who is joined by Mike Simpson (on tenor and flute) in a sextet. C.T. sounds a bit more influenced by Dizzy Gillespie at this time than he would but he was already quite... Read More

Favors
Artist: Hank Jones

Favors is a live recording from May 1996 of a Hank Jones recital in Osaka, Japan. Six cuts feature the trio work of pianist Jones, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Dennis Mackrel. The remaining five tracks augment the group with the Osaka College of Music's Winds Jazz Orchestra. Hank Jones' rich musical career has spanned over fifty years; his... Read More

Love Scenes
Artist: Diana Krall
Community Score: 7.50

Vocalist/pianist Diana Krall was a very hot property by the time this Impulse CD was released. Teamed in a trio with her regular guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Christian McBride, Krall here mostly emphasizes ballads having something to do with love. She is at her best on "I Don't Know Enough About You," "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance... Read More

Master Class
Artist: Hank Jones

The two LPs reissued on this 1998 CD (Bop Redux and Groovin' High), both originally put out by Muse, feature veteran pianist Hank Jones mostly playing bop-era standards. The former set matches Jones in a trio with bassist George Duvivier and drummer Ben Riley, while the latter is a quintet outing for Jones with bassist Sam Jones, drummer Mickey... Read More

Complete Savoy Master Takes
Artist: Erroll Garner

Does it get any better than this? The nearly two hours of music on this double CD set covers Erroll Garner's complete released output for Savoy from January 1945 -- where he was part of the Slam Stewart Quartet -- through the summer of 1949. All of it has been transferred off original acetate sources and very carefully CEDAR-ized to bring out... Read More