Requisites

Something Cool: June Christy established her reputation fronting the Stan Kenton Orchestra at the same time that Pete Rugolo was composing and arranging. Her voice was ideal for the high-art ambitions of the progressive jazz movement. Her diction was impeccable, her phrasing often inspired, and as this reissue of her classic Something Cool -augmented by another 12 tracks recorded between 1953 and 1955–so ably demonstrates, her technique was extraordinary, allowing her to navigate the most abstract melody with accurate pitch and rhythmic confidence.

Personnel: June Christy – vocals, composer, arranger and bandleader Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra

Record Date: 1953

Songs:  Something Cool, It Could Happen To You, Lonely House, This Time The Dreams On Me, The Night We Called It A Day, Midnight Sun, I’ll Take Romance, A Stranger Called The Blues, I Should Care, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, I’m Thrilled

(Re-mastered CD has the same songs both in Mono and Stereo)

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Requisites

The Complete Vee-Jay Recordings: The reissue of these 1959, 1960 and 1961 dates boasts thirty-nine tracks of some of jazz’s most famous songs by one of the idioms few male jazz singers. Though Henderson never made it big, he emerged onto the scene and recorded these compositions at the young age of 29 to 31. On these sessions he swings lightly while squeezing out honest emotion from his ballads.

Personnel: Bill Henderson – vocals, Ramsey Lewis & Tommy Flanagan – piano, Booker Little – trumpet, Yusef Lateef & Eddie Harris – tenor saxophone, MJT +3, Count Basie band & combos, and string orchestras.

Arranged by: Benny Golson, Frank Wess

Record Date: Volume I – October 26, 1959 – November 21, 1960 / Volume II – December 5, 1960 – April 4, 1961

Songs: Disc I – Bye Bye Blackbird, Joey Joey Joey, Free Spirits, Sweet Pumpkin, Love Locked Out, It Never Entered My Mind, My Funny Valentine, Moanin’, Bad Luck, The song Is You, This Little Girl Of Mine, You Make Me Feel So Young, Without You, Sleepy, I Go For That, Sleepy (alt. take) Kiss And Run, A Sleepin’ Bee

Disc II – Never Kiss And Run, A Sleepin’ Bee, Don’t Like Goodbyes, Old Country, Slowly, Opportunity, Never Will I Marry, My How The Time Goes By, Hooray For Love, Skylark, Royal Garden Blues, Twelfth Of Never, Love Is A Bug, Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered, The More I See You, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Ac-cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive, Yes Indeed, Please Send Me Someone To Love, Sweet Georgia Brown, Am I Blue

Each LP had two different covers – the one shown here and one shown in the video.

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Jazz In Film

Top Of The Heap:  This 1972 film was written, directed and starred Christopher St. John along with Paula Kelly and Florence St. Peter. The story evolves around a Washington, D.C. cop who is mistrusted and despised by his own black people.

J. J. Johnson scored the excellent and effective music for the film.

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Requisites

A Garland of Red was Red Garland’s debut release on Prestige, being signed to an exclusive recording contract after his performance in the Miles Davis Quintet brought awareness to his talent. The Dallas-born Philadelphian brought Davis alums to form the recording trio that brings a handful of standards, a blues and some rhythm. As a leader it is Garland’s beginning and an auspicious one at that.

Personnel: Red Garland – piano, Paul Chambers – bass, Arthur Taylor – drums

 Supervised by: Bob Weinstock

 Record Date: Hackensack, New Jersey, August 17, 1956

 Cover: Hannan/Edwards

 Songs: A Foggy Day, My Romance, What Is This Thing Called Love, Makin’ Whoopee, September In The Rain, Little Girl Blue, Constellation, Blue Red

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Martin France was born on February 29, 1964 in Rainham, Kent, England and began performing at the age of twelve backing singers in working men’s clubs with organ trios in and around Manchester. He studied under Geoff Riley, Kenny Clare, Joel Rothman, and principal percussionist Richard Smith of The Hallé, the Manchester orchestra.

In 1983 Martin began his recording career performing as a sideman on several records for ECM Records, toured with several of the labels roster during the 80s and 90s and subsequently led several sessions as a leader.

The turning point in his early career was as a member of the 1980s big band Loose Tubes, where he began working on projects that included film soundtracks, jazz theatre and cross cultural collaborations with other big bands and orchestras.

France formed his own band Spin Marvel, that showcased more electronic and sequence drumming, and would be an integral rhythm backbone on more than 60 albums working with some of the world’s finest musicians including Kenny Wheeler, Elvis Costello, Bob Mintzer, Steve Swallow, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Marc Johnson and Dave Holland to name a few and is currently a regular performer with the NDR Radio Orchestra in Hamburg.

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