The late 50s and early 60s was an apotheosis of sounds and styles. Here are three recent release from UK-based Avid Records that reveal timeless sounds and grooves.
While Sarah Vaughn was definitely not under-recorded during her long career, these four albums on this 2 disc set could easily be the place to start, and maybe even stop unless you beg for more (which you very well might). Her 1954 studio date with jazz all stars like Clifford Brown/tp, Paul Quinichette/ts, Herbie Mann/fl and Roy Haynes/dr is as “classic” as you can get,with Brown and Vaughan in ecstasy on “Lullaby of BIrdland” and “Embraceable You” with not a nanosecond that isn’t luscious. She’s in a rare trio setting with Haynes, Richard Davis/b and Jimmy Jones/p for her hippest album ever with “Shulie a Bop,” a swinging “I Cried For You” and a gorgeous “Lover Man.” The same outfit is caught at a NY gig with Sassy working the room with a fun “Thou Swell,” wonderfully dreary “Willow Weep For Me” and a playful “Honeysuckle Rose.” Next year has her with Count Basie’s Orchestra (with Ronnell Bright replacing the leader) and she scats with ecstasy on “No Count Blues” and gets earthy on “Doodlin’.” This is how jazz vocals are to sound!
Lee Morgan was THE hard bop trumpeter in the 50s and 60s, with these four albums reflecting fire in both heat and light. 1957’s Candy finds Morgan in a rare quartet setting with Doug Watkins/b, Art Taylor/dr and Sonny Clark, and the 19 year old is fresh and lyrical on “Candy,” muscular on “CTA” and gorgeously sensitive on “All The Way.” From the same year, City Lights has Morgan fronting a team with hard boppers Curtis Fuller/tb and George Coleman/ts-as in the front line, and the band sizzles on Benny Golson’s title piece as well as his “Just By Myself.” The strong year continues as Morgan gets together with Pepper Adams/bs, Bobby Timmons/p, Paul Chambers/dr and P hilly Joe Jones/dr for a hard hitting “A Night In Tunisia” and a mind-blowing “Just One OF Those Things” that has Morgan sprinting to the finish line. One year earlier, Indeed! Has Morgan with Horace Silver/p, Philly Joe Jones/dr, Clarence Sharpe/as and Wilbur Ware/b for a blowing date including Silver’s strong “Roccus” and a swinging “Little T.” Big, bold and brassy!
One of the most influential rock instrumental combos, The Ventures originally consisted of Howard Johnson or Skip Moor/dr, Nokie Edwards/b, Bob Bogle/g and Don Wilson/g to create a unique and swinging outfit. Their 1960 debut included the classic “Walk Don’t Run” as well as the rocking “Raunchy” and the R&Bish “Night Train” with a nice take of “Sleep Walk” to boot. The encore album included the mid tempo “Detour” as well as nice takes of “Perfidia” and “Harlem Nocturne.” From 1961, The Ventures started releasing albums with themes, with Colorful Ventures including songs like “Blue Moon” and “Yellow Jacket.” Mashed Potatoes and Gravy is a total hoot, feeling like the beach party that it was eventually re-titled, with songs for trendy dances such as “Gravy(For My Mashed Potatoes), “The Wah-Watutsi” and “Hully Gully (Baby)”. Mel Taylor becomes the new drummer for the last album, and he rides the whip on “ Mr. Moto” and “Ya Ya Wobble” while going mano a mano with Edwards on “Venus” and “The Intruder.” A couple bonus tracks include the two parter “The 2,000 Pound Bee” and it’s a ton of fun!