No one puts out reissues like this UK label. They resurface gems that have been hiding in the mines since Moby Dick was an anchovy! Here’s the latest cache:
Did you even KNOW there was such a thing as a “jazz harpist” back in the 1950s? Well, here she is, Dorothy Ashby, and she 
teamed up with Frank Wess/fl and various rhythm sections that included Wendell Marshall/b, Ed Thigpen/dr, Art Taylor/dr and Roy Haynes, just to give you an idea. She also does a trio session with Herman Wright/b and John Tooley/dr and a sesson with Terry Pollard/p-vib, Wright and Jimmy Cobb/dr, both in 1961. The quartet pieces with Wess’ flute mix bop, blues and standards in a delightful way, where Ashby at time sounds like a classical guitar when picking out swinging lines and making the instrument sound natural in its habitat. Wess is gorgeous throughout, though after 3 albums,you might wish he switched to tenor or alto once or twice. Ashby in a trio format gives great depth to “Li’l Darlin’” and a wonderfully moody “Django,” while a handful of tracks with vibes make “My Ship” and “Laura” sound like the MJQ reinvigorated
If you don’t have any of these albums by the “classic” Bill Evans Trio of the leader with Paul Motian/dr and Scott LaFaro/b, you are missing out on some of the most important music of the 20th Century. The album from the 1961 Village Vanguard concert is some of the most paradigm shifting music to hit the ears. LaFaro’sbass adds a new dimension to rhythm and melody, and the three perform pieces such as “Gloria’s Step” and “Solar” are telepathic in their interplay. The studio version of the band from 1959 includes world changers such as “Blue In Green” and “Peris’ Scope.” Evans also does a trio session with Philly Joe Jones/dr and Sam Jones/b that would be the apotheosis of any other piano player, with “Peace Piece” a wonder to behold. Some alternate takes from the Vanguard gig are also included, just to show what improvisation sounds like.
Ella Fitzgerald could do no wrong back in the early 60s, and these four albums are a case in point. Her gig in Berlin from 1960 with the Paul Smith Quartet including Jim hall has her deliver the classic reading of “Mack The Knife” , while the Hollywood concert from a year later with Lou Levy and Herb Ellis fronting a quartet swings like a tetherball tournament. “You’re Driving Me Crazy” and “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home” lather up to a sweat here. A session with Nelson Riddle has some gorgeous arrangements of “Georgia On My Mind” and “Street of Dreams.” The real ringer is from a 1960 movie from which Ms. Fitzgerald starred as a singing piano player, which actually has her accompanied by Paul Smith for a collection of her hits. This has been a very difficult album to find in the past, fetching hundreds of bucks on the auction block, so to have these importantly intimate readings of material like “Angel Eyes” and “September Song” as easily available as this is a gift from above. Ella never sounded this hauntingly vulnerable before or after-exposed nerves are palpable. Don’t let it get away!
George Shearing is featured in a cleverly boxed set in that he is backing up various vocalists here. You may think that Shearing had a patented sound, but he is able to sound quite diverse in each session, ranging from pristine jazz, to swinging bop to even some R&B. His quintet of Dick Garcia/g, Ralph Pena/b, Vernell Fournier/dr and Armando Peraza/perc include vocals by Nancy Wilson on half the takes of the 1961 session, while Dakota Staton shows up for a 1957 summit with Shearing and Eil Richards/v, Toots Thielmans/g(!), Al McKibbon/b and Percy Brice/dr. Wilson sounds clear and pristine on “ Born to Be Blue” while Stanton gets down and dirty on “I’m Left With The Blues in My Heart” and “Confessin’ The Blues.” The band burns on “Senor Blues” and Pawn Ticket, with some impressive guitar soloing by Thielmans. Nat King Cole serves them up just right with his smoky voice backed respectively by Shearing’s Quintet, augmented by strings arranged by Ralph Carmichael. Most convincingly swinging most of all, Peggy Lee gets into the act in 1959 with some fun filled takes of “I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City” and a cooing “If Dreams Come True.” A mix and match collection of singers including Billy Eckstine, Teddi King and the Ray Charles Singers fill up the 2 disc set, with B standing out with a glorious “Taking a Chance on Love.” Vintage music!
Avid Group UK