Journey Through The Penguin Jazz Guide

John Hardee - Blue Harlem

Play John Hardee on Amazon Music


Texas based tenor saxophonist - I do enjoy Penguin trying to educate about personalities seldom discussed today (as long as it's not the expense of stone cold classic albums). This comp is short but a nice taste of Hardee's tasting (the recommended Chronological Classics was, of course, unavailable on streaming)
 
Django Reinhardt - Peche a la mouche: The Great Blue Star Sessions 1947-1953

Django Reinhardt - Peche à la mouche: The Great Blue Star Sessions 1947 1953 - album cover


Electric Django. Allmusic says it best:
Legend has it that guitarist Django Reinhardt was at his absolute peak in the 1930s during his recordings with violinist Stephane Grappelli and that when he switched from acoustic to electric guitar after World War II, he lost a bit of his musical personality. Wrong on both counts. This double CD documents his Blue Star recordings of 1947 and 1953 and Reinhardt (on electric guitar) takes inventive boppish solos that put him at the top of the list of jazz guitarists who were active during the era. Most of the earlier tracks feature Reinhardt in the Quintet of the Hot Club of France with clarinetist Hubert Rostaing but the eight later selections in which he is backed by a standard rhythm section are most interesting. These well-recorded performances hint at what Django Reinhardt might have accomplished in the 1950s had he lived longer. Highly recommended
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Tony Parenti - Tony Parenti and His Downtown Boys

Tony Parenti and His Downtown Boys - Tony Parenti and His Downtown Boys - album cover


This compilation was recorded a bit later (encompassing 1961 and 1965 recordings) compared with the earlier Penguin recommendation, but thats OK. Parenti, a talented New Orleans clarinetist/saxophonist with a long career (1920s-1960s) kept his similar Dixieland style throughout his career.
 
Charlie Ventura - In Concert (rec 1949)

Charlie Ventura and His Band In Concert


Penguin recommends tenor Ventura's Pasadena concert - and here it is - the band, the singers and the exact track listing
But it's vexing, the sound and style as well as the vocal styles sound too modern to be a 1949 concert. Did style, recording improve leaps and bounds between the mid and late 40s this much. Yet I can't find anything that says this is a re-recording, and the players are the same so :shrug:
No matter - it really sounds quite good and the sax is blazing :thumbsup:
 
Zeeba Neighba said:
Charlie Barnet - Drop Me Off In Harlem

Charlie Barnet - Drop Me Off in Harlem - album cover


Penguin recommends the unavailable Capitol Big Band Sessions from late-1940s when Barnet would move a bit into bop. This disc from 1942-1946 recordings is a good substitute of the saxophonist's style.
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Charlie presents a real problem for the collector. His RCA Victor and Decca sides are easily found on CD but after that.... :confused:

The Capitol Jazz Big Band Sessions CD shows a very different side of Barnet from the earlier Decca sides. It's available on Discogs but hey, if you don't want to spring for the $15, Mr. Jack Benny :p, there's always this LP:


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Turk Murphy's Jazz Band - All Time Favorites

Turk Murphy's Jazz Band Favorites


Another fun New Orleans style classic jazz album by trombonist/bandleader Murphy - we've seen a bit of them recently as there was in the late-1940s a Dixieland revival in jazz with record companies reissuing New Orleans 1920s jazz from King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, etc.
 
Flip Phillips - Flip Wails: the Best of the Verve Years

Flip Wails: The Best of the Verve Years


Despite a decent jazz knowledge, always grateful to this list for introducing me to artist I've really not explored in the past. Phillips, a tenor saxophonist and clarinetist, was a mainstay on the 1940s Jazz at the Philharmonic tours, but wasn't a main player highlighted by Verve. It's nice to hear these tracks from 1947-57 showcasing his talents - enjoyed this a lot.
 
Zeeba Neighba said:
Flip Phillips - Flip Wails: the Best of the Verve Years

Flip Wails: The Best of the Verve Years


Despite a decent jazz knowledge, always grateful to this list for introducing me to artist I've really not explored in the past. Phillips, a tenor saxophonist and clarinetist, was a mainstay on the 1940s Jazz at the Philharmonic tours, but wasn't a main player highlighted by Verve. It's nice to hear these tracks from 1947-57 showcasing his talents - enjoyed this a lot.
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He had a face for the clarinet.
 
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