Rich voices, vintage bop and swinging country round out the latest cache from UK based Avid…
One of the all time most lyrical jazz guitarists, Kenny Burrell is still alive and swinging. These four albums have him in his 
early days with Blue Note. His “debut” from 1956 with Kenny Clarke/dr, Paul Chambers/b, Tommy Flanagan/p and Candido/perc is a mature collection of standards like the mysterious “Delilah” and delightful “This Time The Dreams On Me.” From the same 
year, Volume Two has him displaying nimble fingers on “Get Happy” and rich in melodicism for “How About You.” A pair of jam sessions with Louis Smith/tp, Tina Brooks/ts, Bobby Timmons/p, Duke Jordan/p, Junior Cook/ts, Sam Jones/b and Art Blakey/dr is a wonderfully late night relaxed affair, with the gents stretching out on a fun “The Man I Love” and bluesy “Rock Salt” with Blakey creating an incessant pulse on “Chuckin’” and Jordan having a kick of a time on “Scotch Blues.” Impeccable.
One of the premier hard bop trombonists, Curtis Fuller boasted of a full sound that could maneuver through the tricky lines of modern jazz. His 1957 New Trombone debuts him with Hank Jones/p, Doug Watkins/b and Louis Hayes/dr is a straightahead mix of bluesy pieces like “Transfiguation Blues” and “Blue Lawson” with burners “What is This Thing Called Love?” and “Alicia” which have Jones in rich form. The same year on The Opener, Fuller leads a quintet with hard boppers Hank Mobley/ts, Bobby Timmons/p, Paul Chambers/b and Art Taylor/dr with Fuller showing depth on the pballad “A Lovely Way to Spend An Evening” and “Here’s to My Lady” while hitting hard on the swinging “Lizzy’s Bounce.” The classic 1959 Bluesette is a relaxed and mellow bopper as Fuller teams together with Benny Golson/ts, Tommy Flanagan/p, Jimmy Garrison/b and Al Harewood/dr for rich renditions of the idyllic title track, Golson’s simmering “Minor Vamp” and hip “Five Spot After Dark.” Jump forward to 1962 with Fuller teamed with the muscular Freddie Hubbard/tp, Jimmy Heath/ts, Jymie Merritt/b and Jimmy Cobb-GT Hogan/dr with a swift “The Breeze and I” and dreamy “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” making this 2 disc set hard bop heaven.
Paul Chambers was the quintessential hard bop bassist, earning his keep with the likes of Miles Davis while also putting out impressive and forward thinking solo material in the meanwhile. His debut in 1957 has him with an early period John Coltrane/ts, Donald Byrd/tp, Kenny Burrell/g, Horace Silver/p and Philly Joe Jones/dr for a couple of ‘Trane pieces “Nita” and “Just for Love” that are impressive while Chambers’ bowed bass is stunning on “”Tale of the Fingers.” 1957 has him in a quintet session with the formidable Elvin Jones/dr, Clifford Jordan/ts, Donald Byrd/tp and Tommy Flanagan/p doing renditions of a couple Benny Golson swingers “Minor Run-Down” and “Four Strings”) which give the leader a chance to show his chops along with Jones’ hard hitting sticks. From the same year Chambers does a nimble little hornless band with Kenny Burrell/g, Hank Jones/p and Art Taylor/dr that has him bowing on a brooding “Yesterdays” and creating a hip groove on the bebopping “Chasing the Bird.” From 1959, Chambers gets into hard bop territory with muscle men Cannonball Adderley/as, Freddie Hubbard/tp, Wynton Kelly/p and Philly Joe Jones-Jimmy Cobb/dr digging into “I Heard That” with Cobb grooving deep on “Ease It” and Hubbard tearing into “Just Friends.” Toe tapping!
The Four Freshmen were one of the most important vocal groups, innovating harmonies in ways that influenced 2 generations of bands, including The Beach Boys and the Manhattan Transfer. The original team of brothers Ross & Don Barbour, Bob Flanigan and Hal Kratzsch/Ken Albers. Their 1957 album with a four member sax team has rich textures of reeds and voices on “East of the Sun” and “Liza.” A 1957 show at Penn State have a ton of fun on “Sweet Lorraine” with some nice mellophone work by Albers on the swinging “My Heart Stood Still” with a tender “Old Folks” and melancholy “It’s a Blue World.” From 1962 includes newcomer Bill Comstock and the team is upbeat on the tricky and clever “Lulu’s Back in Town” and grooves nicely on Count Basie’s “Taps Miller.” Dick Reynolds joins the band for a studio session the same year with rich harmonies on “Teach Me Tonight” and textured “Standing on the Corner.” So, whatever happened to harmonies?
Nashville born and bred Kitty Wells had a strong career from the 50s-70s as The Queen of Country Music. Her 1956 debut is filled with fun moods such as “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” and she can mild a mood as on “There’s A Poisen in Your Heart.” A selection of tears in her beer tunes include “Just When I Needed You” and “Cheated Out of Love.” A collection of tunes for Sunday Morning in 1959 was a surprise hit with material like “I Heard My Savior Call” and the traditional spiritual “Lonesome Valley” that sound impressively convincing. Rom 1960, Kitty’s Choice features a pair of Hank Williams pieces like “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Jambalaya, while 1961’s Heartbreak USA includes 12 tunes about the heart including a riveting take of Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart.” Up there with Patsy Cline as the true voices of country.