Requisites

March 18, 1955 saw Lionel Hampton in a Paris, France studio recording the album Crazy Rhythm for the EmArcy record label. The swing/bop/hard bop session produced four songs with a total elapse time of forty minutes and fifty-four seconds.

Personnel:

Baritone Saxophone – William Boucaya; Bass – Guy Pederson; Clarinet & Tenor Saxophone – Maurice Meunier; Drums – MacKac; French Horn – Dave Amram; Guitar – Sacha Distel; Piano – Rene Urtreger; Trumpet – Benny Bailey, Bernard Hullin, Nat Adderley; Vibraphone – Lionel Hampton

Notes:

Crazy Rhythm was composed by Irving Caesar/Roger Wolfe Kahn/Joseph Meyer, Night & Day is a Cole Porter composition, Red Ribbon and A La French were composed by Lionel Hampton.

More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music

Requisites

In 1961 trombonist Bennie Green along with Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Junior Mance on piano, bassists Paul Chambers (tracks 2, 3, 6 & 7) and Larry Gales (tracks 1, 4 & 5) alternating duties and drummer Ben Riley went into the studio and recorded 39 minutes and 31 seconds of jazz on March 9th  and 22nd that would be released as Glidin’ Along on the Jazzland label.

The sessions were produced by Orrin Keepnews with Chambers in the mix on the 9th and Gales on 22nd. The quintet came out of the studio with seven songs composed by two members of the group, Green and Griffin

1. African Dream – (Bennie Green)
2. Sweet Sucker – (Johnny Griffin)
3. Glidin’ Along – (Babs Gonzales)
4. Green’s Scene – (Gonzales, Green)
5. Milkshake – (Griffin)
6. Stardust” (Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish)
7. Expubidence (Gonzales)

More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music

Hollywood On 52nd Street

Guess Who I Saw Today is a popular jazz song composed by Murray Grand with lyrics by Elisse Boyd. The song was originally composed for Leonard Sillman’s Broadway musical revue New Faces of 1952 in which it was sung by June Carroll.

The revue opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on May 16, 1952 and ran for 365 performances. It was produced by Leonard Sillman, directed by John Murray Anderson and John Beal with choreography by Richard Barstow. The sketches were written by Ronny Graham and Brooks. The songs were composed by, among others, Harnick, Graham, Murray Grand and Arthur Siegel.

The cast featured Graham, Kitt, Clary, Virginia Bosler, June Carroll, Virginia De Luce, Alice Ghostley, Patricia Hammerlee, Carol Lawrence, Paul Lynde and Bill Milliken. De Luce and Graham won the 1952 Theatre World Award. The revue marked Kitt’s Broadway debut, singing a sultry rendition of “Monotonous”, about how boring a life of luxury was.

Two years later, the name was abridged to New Faces and was adapted into a motion picture filmed in Cinemascope and Eastmancolor and was released by 20th Century Fox on March 6, 1954. It helped jumpstart the Hollywood careers of several young performers including Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Carol Lawrence, Ronny Graham, performer/writer Mel Brooks (as Melvin Brooks), and lyricist Sheldon Harnick.

More Posts: history,hollywood,instrumental,jazz,music,vocal

Requisites

The Phantom is the twelfth album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson featuring performances recorded in 1968 and released on the Blue Note label.

Two separate sessions recorded the six tunes for a little over a half hour of music totalling thirty-eight minutes and thirty-six seconds, considered your average length in those days. The compositions are The Phantom, Blues for Alvina, Bunda Amerela (Little Yellow Streetcar), Los Ojos Alegres (The Happy Eyes), Say You’re Mine and The Moana Surf.

All compositions were composed by Pearson except #2 by Willie Wilson and #6 by Jerry Dodgion. Track #3 was recorded on June 24, 1968 and on September 11, 1968 they laid down the other five tunes.

Along with Pearson on the sessions were Jerry Dodgion – flute, alto flute, Bobby Hutcherson – vibes, Sam Brown and Al Gafa – guitar, Bob Cranshaw – bass, Mickey Roker – drums, Victor Pantoja – congas and Carlos ‘Patato’ Valdés – conga, güiro.

The recording session was produced by Francis Wolff at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Wolff is credited for the cover photography as well and the design was by Florenza Venosa Associates.

More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano

Requisites

Pianist Phineas Newborn Jr. gathered an elite group of players in 1961 to comprise two distinct trios rendering two distinct sounds for two recording sessions. Bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones came into the Contemporary studio and recorded tracks 1–4 on October 16th, while on November 21st bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes laid down tracks 5–8.

The album, A World of Piano! was released in 1962 by Contemporary Records and had a total of eight compositions for a total playing time of 39:34. Featured on Side 1 was Cheryl, Manteca, Lush Life and Daahoud and on Side 2 – Oleo, Juicy Lucy, For Carl and Cabu.

The cover was designed by George Kershawn and Robert Guidi who utilized bold, luminously colored fonts to create a distinctive style to the jazz covers of the Los Angeles based label. What Tri-Arts succeeded in doing time and time again as to create a distinguishable yet highly complimentary design to an often lush photograph, in this case provided by the inimitable William Claxton. Below is the complete album with separate Side 1 & 2 for your listening pleasure.

More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano