Requisites

The album by Claus Ogerman and His Orchestra, Watusi Trumpets, was recorded and released in 1965 on the RCA Victor label. All the compositions were arranged, written and conducted by Ogerman, produced by Andy Wiswell and the session engineer was Mickey Crofford. The liner notes were written by Arnold Falleder.

The tracklist includes It’s Not Unusual, Stingray, Watusi Trumpets, El Watusi, Downtown and Right Now on Side A. Along with the B side featuring Harlem Watch, One Step Above, The Joker, Poinciana, La Bamba and Land Of 1,000 Dances. Filled with  jazz, rock, soul, lounge and Latin rhythms this is an inspired look at a number of pop, rock, Brazilian and a classic tunes.

Steeped in the music of the Sixties this finger-popping disc may not change your life but just may take you back to those mod years and have you shaking on the dance floor.

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The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Vol. 1 is the debut album by pianist Herbie Nichols in 1955. The album, released as a 10 inch LP on the Blue Note label, features six performances recorded by May 4th – 13th in the bop, hard bop and post bop styles.

Nichols begins his statement with Dance Line, then Step Tempest, The Third World, Blue Chopsticks, Double Exposure and Cro-Magnon Nights all follow to make up the complete album and were all composed by Nichols.

An interesting note, from 1947 he spent half a decade trying to get a contract with Blue Note and his persistence finally paid off when he finally inked a three album deal. The art was conceived by New York School abstract expressionist painter Martin Craig providing a rare and befitting cover for the purveyor of art piano music.

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Blues On The Other Side is a 1962 album recorded by vibraphonist Mike Mainieri on the Argo label at the Van Gelder studios in New Jersey. He is joined by pianist Bruce Martin, bassist Julie Ruggiero and drummer Joseph Porcero, Jr. and this early album proves to be a lively mix of piano and vibes.

Six songs make up this 32 minute and 22 second post-bop album opening with the title track Blues On The Other Side, followed by, If I Were A Bell, Tenderly, B. R. Blues, When I Fall In Love and closing with Waltzin’ In and Out.

Walter Gross, Albert Selden and Frank Loesser composed the songs, Hiroshi Kawasaki mastered the project and the cover photograph was taken by Roy Decarava.

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Harold in the Land of Jazz was the debut album by saxophonist Harold Land recorded and released in 1958 on the Contemporary label. It was also released as Grooveyard. The cover design was created by Guidi/Tri-Arts and the photography was performed by Walter Zerlinden.

On this album, his first outing as a leader, Land was able to show with his distinctive style that hard bop was well and alive in Los Angeles, California in the late ’50s.

The compositions presented on this album are Speak Low, Delirium, You Don’t Know What Love Is, Nieta, Grooveyard, Lydia’s Lament, and Smack Up. He borrowed songs composed Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash, Gene De Paul And Don Raye, Elmo Hope, and Carl Perkins. Land contributed Delirium, Lydia’s Lament and Smack Upto this recording.

The tenor saxophonist is joined by Rolf Ericson playing trumpet, Carl Perkins at the piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Frank Butler hitting the drums.

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King Pleasure Sings, Annie Ross Sings is an album released in 1952, the same year Ross met Prestige Records owner Bob Weinstock, who asked her to write lyrics to a jazz solo, in a similar way to King Pleasure, a practice that would later be known as vocalese. The next day, she presented him with Twisted, a treatment of saxophonist Wardell Gray’s 1949 composition of the same name, a classic example of the genre. The song, first released on the 1952 album King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, was an underground hit, and resulted in her winning DownBeat magazine’s New Star award.

The cover art design is by Marc Rice, the photographs were taken by Esmond Edwards and the liner notes were written by Ira Gitler. Of the twelve tunes that comprise the album, eight of them are King Pleasure’s, taking all of side A and two tracks on side B. the remaining four tracks belong to Annie Ross.

The track list is as follows for King Pleasure Sings: Red Top, Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid, Sometimes I’m Happy, This Is Always, What Can I Say Dear, Don’t Get Scared, Parker’s Mood and I’m Gone.

Annie Ross Sings four tracks are: Twisted, Farmer’s Market, The Time Was Right and Annie’s Lament.

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