The Music
Artist: Clayton Brothers

The third album from the saxophone/bass tandem known as The Clayton Brothers. It contained their characteristic swing/mainstream musical menu, with such standards as "Misty" and "Skylark." Jeff Clayton played alto and tenor sax and alto flute with precision and style, while his brother teamed with pianist Bill Cunliffe and drummer Jeff Hamilton.... Read More

Piano Jazz: McPartland/Joe Williams
Artist: Marian McPartland
Community Score: 10.00

Joe Williams easily charms Marian McPartland during his appearance on her Piano Jazz radio show; at times she gushes a bit too much. But except for near the end of "Who She Do" when his voice gets a bit raspy, Williams is in good form during the ballad-oriented set. McPartland takes her own impressionistic "Twilight World" and "Prelude to a... Read More

Double Play
Artist: Dave Frishberg

Dave Frishberg, best-known for his impressive abilities as a lyricist and vocalist, sticks exclusively to instrumentals on this enjoyable disc. Frishberg the pianist is teamed with cornetist Jim Goodwin on a duet set comprised of 17 trad and swing classics that mostly date from the 1920s and '30s. To their credit the duo constantly walk a... Read More

I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me
Artist: Freddy Cole

One can sympathize with Freddie Cole's plight. The younger brother of Nat King Cole, Freddie has spent most of his life in his brother's shadow, even though Nat died in 1965. The problem is that Freddie is also a pianist/vocalist and sometimes performs similar material. In fact, the title of this CD is a bit absurd, since Cole is heard playing... Read More

Piano Jazz: McPartland/Burrell
Artist: Marian McPartland
Community Score: 10.00

This is the 21st of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz radio shows to be issued on CD. The pianist welcomes guitarist Kenny Burrell for an hour of talk (covering briefly his early days, the legacy of Duke Ellington and his current activities) and music. With the exception of the closing "Raincheck," all of the typically tasteful playing emphasizes... Read More

The Music of Jerome Kern
Artist: The Adam Makowicz Trio

Adam Makowicz interprets 11 well-known Jerome Kern compositions on his trio date with bassist George Mraz and drummer Alan Dawson. The pianist's arrangements are full of surprising turns and twists and his unpredictable flights result in some of the familiar songs being given unusual treatments. Stimulating and occasionally exciting music. ~... Read More

Encore at the Blue Note
Artist: Oscar Peterson

The fourth CD taken from a reunion engagement at the Blue Note by pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Bobby Durham, this set is up to the same level as the other three. The O.P. Trio of the late '50s (along with Peterson's drummer of a decade later) jam through five standards (including a heated "Falling... Read More

Makin' Whoopee
Artist: Travelin' Light
Live 1992 - VERVE
Artist: Stéphane Grappelli

Fifty-eight years after the first recordings of The Quintet of the Hot Club of France, its violinist Stephane Grappelli still sounds young on this date. Much of the repertoire on this CD stems from the 1930s (including such pieces as "Minor Swing," "Tears" and "Sweet Chorus," all three of which were co-composed by Grappelli and guitarist Django... Read More

Erroll Garner Collection, Vol. 2: Dancing on the Ceiling
Artist: Erroll Garner
Jazz in the Pocket
Artist: Ed Shaughnessy

Though Ed Shaughnessy was technically the most famous jazz drummer in America for about three decades -- after all, his sideburned profile could be seen every night on The Tonight Show -- thus far, he has made just this one ingratiating solo album. As a change of pace in the last years of the show's run, he led a quintet of jazzers from the L.A.... Read More

Saturday Night at the Blue Note
Artist: Oscar Peterson Trio

Oscar Peterson reunited with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown for this well-recorded engagement, which has resulted in four CDs being released by Telarc. The inclusion of drummer Bobby Durham did make the music a bit safer, and rather than revisit their classic complex arrangements, the ensemble jammed on the songs, so one does not... Read More

The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the Blue Note
Artist: Oscar Peterson

Pianist Oscar Peterson had a reunion with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown at a well-publicized get-together at New York's Blue Note in March 1990. The trio (his regular group of the late '50s) was augmented by Peterson's late-'60s drummer Bobby Durham for spirited performances. Rather than using their complex arrangements of the past,... Read More

Last Call
Artist: Oscar Peterson Trio

The third of four Telarc CDs to be released from an Oscar Peterson reunion engagement at New York's Blue Note Club matches together the great pianist with guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Bobby Durham. Although the veterans did not rehearse together beforehand, the repertoire is quite fresh with five standards being balanced... Read More

Plays the Benny Carter Songbook
Artist: Marian McPartland
Community Score: 9.00

Two aspects uplift this Concord CD above most "songbooks." Benny Carter is much better-known as an altoist and an arranger than as a composer so his compositions tend to be quite fresh since they have been underplayed through the years. Also, the fact that Carter himself performs on the majority of these selections (which also include bassist... Read More

Hank Jones Trio with Mads Vinding and Al Foster
Artist: Hank Jones

Although pianist Hank Jones has been a major player since the mid-1940s, his classy swing-to-bop style still sounds fresh a half-century later. Both of his sidemen (bassist Mads Vinding and drummer Al Foster) were actually born in the mid- to late '40s, but they certainly have no difficulty communicating with the elder Jones. This fine trio... Read More