Timeless treasures from swinging vocals and piano.
For my money, the earliest albums of Frank Sinatra are his most long lasting, and you get a taste of them here. His 1954 Capitol debut has him with his two best arrangers, Nelson Riddle and Billy May, and with guests like Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet, you get buoyant pieces like “Jeepers Creepers” and “Taking A Chance On Love”. He same year, he delivers one of his first “Concept” albums, a romantic affair that includes “My Funny Valentine” and “The Girl Next Door”. 1956s Swingin’ Lovers is probably his best ever album with the classic “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” as Frank sings the entire chorus without taking a breath. Last is his 59 extroverted swing album with Billy May, with Old Blue Eyes swaggering on “Come Dance With Me” and “Dancing In The Dark”. Vocal perfection.
West Coast based Hampton Hawes was overlooked during his time, as there was a plethora of hard driving hard boppers to compete with. In retrospect, his catalogue is quite strong, as revealed here. His 1958 outing with Red Mitchell/b, Barney Kessel/g and Shelly Manne/dr sizzles with tunes like “Yardbird Suite” and “Love Is Just Around The Corner”. His 1955 trio has him with West Coasters Mitchell and drummer Chuck Thompson, and the team glows through “Stella By Starlight” and sears through “Steeplechase”. There’s one last trio session with Mitchell and Thompson, with the team digging in deep on “The Sermon” and hammering “A Night In Tunisia”. Hawes mixes things up a bit by adding tenor saxist Harold Land for a session with the legendary bassist Scott La Faro and drummer Frank Butler for a mix of originals like the aptly titled “Hip” and the soulful “For Real”. Trio treats