If you want tenacious tenor saxes or vintage women, Avid delivers a bucketload on this latest cache…
Leaving us too early at only 31, Patsy Cline only released 3 albums during her sadly brief career. She accomplished much 
in this short time span, essentially changing the sound of pop and country singing. Her 1957 debut album has her with the Anita Kerr Singers on a handful of the tunes, such as “Hungry For Love” and “In Care of the Blues.” She really hits her stride in 1961 as she’s 
backed by The Jordanaires on the classic “Walkin’ After Midnight” along with the definitive read of “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces” while having fun with Buck Owens’ “Foolin’ Around.” The following year she teams with a swinging team of Floyd Cramer/p, Buddy Harman/dr, Walter Haynes/g and Harold Bradley/b for vintage VFW takes of “She’s Got You” and “Heartaches.” The second disc is filled with bonus singles and eps, including the wondrous “Strange” and eternal torch carrier “She’s Got You.” It doesn’t get better than this!
The bluesy and gospel toned Dakota Stanton deserves more recognition than this present generation gives. These albums from the early 60s include a meeting with Benny Carter, who arranges some hip pieces like “On Green Dolphin Street” and the sultry “Don’t Leave Me Now.” Also from 1960, Softly still has her with Carter arrangements, filled with flutes, strings and soft brass with lush reads of “Solitude” and “Whispering Grass.” She sounds more at home with down home grit on Willie Dixon’s “My Babe” and Robert Johnson’s “Come Home” on the Ballads and Blues session of the same year.
Still with us on earth, Sonny Rollins still reigns as the living Heavyweight Champ of the tenor sax. These four albums are four of his best, defining hard bop tenor sax. The 1956 Tenor Madness has Rollins in a classic “two tenor” battle with upcoming challenger John Coltrane with Miles Davis’ rhythm team of Philly Joe Jones/dr, Paul Chambers/b and Red Garland/p. 1957’s Way Out West with Shelly Manne/dr and Ray Brown/b is a true classic in every sense, with Rollins delivering hip reads of country tunes like “I’m an Old Cowhand” and “Wagon Wheels.” The same year he does a quartet sesson with Jones, Doug Watkins/b and Wynton Kelly/p with a bel canto “Wonderful! Wonderful! And smoking read of Miles Davis’ “Tune Up.” Returning from a self-imposed exile in 1962, Rollins creates a lithe and spacious team with cool toned guitarist Jim Hall, Bob Cranshaw/b and Ben Riley/dr for another groundbreaking session, which includes the oft-copied “The Bridge,” haunting “God Bless the Child” and frisky “John S.” A Desert Island delight. Stanton pulls the plugs as she lets it out for the final album, with a raucous “Hey Lawdy Mama,” a desultory “Don’t Explain” and enticing “You Call It Madness.” Definitely worth a second glance.
While known more for his pen than his sax, Benny Golson was, and is, an important player in the hard bop vein. Between and after stints with The Jazztet and The Jazz Messengers, Golson formed a hip team with Art Farmer/tp, Wynton Kelly/p, Paul Chambers/b and Charlie Persip/dr to deliver an early and rich read of his famous “Whisper Not” as well as the lyrical “Just By Myself” for a 1957 date. The following year Golson released a three hot albums, here with Philly Joe Jones/dr, Barry Harris/p, Jymie Merritt/b and his first (of many) stint with Curtis Fuller/tb, and the band is swinging on “Are You Real?” and “Strut Time.” The classics “Moanin’,” “I Remember Clifford,” “Blues March” and “Stablemates” are all on the same album with the all star cast of Jones with Ray Bryant/p, Lee Morgan/tp and Percy Heath/b. Lastly, Golson fronts a band with Kenny Dorham/tp, Chambers, Kelly and Max Roach/dr that includes the breezy Gigi Gryce piece “Hymn to the Orient” as well as the snappy “Out of the Past.” Vintage grooves.
The contrast between Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’ beefy tenor and Johnny Griffin’s lightning fast fingers makes for delicious listening on these four sessions. With Junio Mance/p, Larry Gales/b and Ben Riley/dr the two stretch out for 9 minutes on “Funky Flute” while swinging hard on “Ticle Toe” while “Twins” has the two focusing on rich solos. The tenor giants delve into the Thelonious Monk songbook for some muscular takes of “Rhythm-a-ning,” “In Walked Bud” and dark toned “Epistrophy.” 1961’s Blues Up and Down with Junior Mance/p, Gales/b and Riley/dr has them searing through the bop classic “Good Bait” and burn on “Walklin’.” The same team has fun with “Second Balcony Jump” and the sparks fly on “The Last Train From Overbrook.” Macho, macho, macho man!