Remastered Archive Live Jazz SARAH VAUGHAN: Birdland (Live in New York) With the increasing dominance of radio-friendly (and often mediocre) pop music it is too easy to ignore the very finest of other, more serious and emotive, musical genres. But there also exists the opportunity to test or tune-in to new genres especially for the younger music lover. The above three new releases offer such an opportunity. By judgement or luck or both the record company responsible has hit on three of the best and diverse exponents of their modern jazz music art. It also happens that these live albums feature some of the most accessible jazz compositions ever recorded thereby making these albums ideal for newcomers while providing previously unheard live jewels for jazz fans. Live recordings from the 50s and 60s must have been difficult to accurately record, however, recordings from these times are some of the finest ever put to disc. Some of my personal favourites I only have on vinyl including the above musicians, and on the right equipment blow me away. I’ll shortly be reviewing these albums but in the meantime I challenge readers to open their horizons and minds to some of the finest and most accessible jazz ever recorded. Editor From the North London indie label Floating World comes the first three releases on their new Jazzanova imprint, featuring rare archive sets from Jazz innovators Sarah Vaughan, The Bill Evans Trio, and Charlie Parker. The releases comprise recordings made for radio broadcast in the fifties and early sixties, and have been freshly remastered for the exacting sonic standards of contemporary audiences. The magisterial vocal stylings of Sarah Vaughan are well represented on the Birdland set, and capture her just before her mid-fifties commercial breakthrough. The Bill Evans title is of especial note as it features bass player Scott LaFaro, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident a matter of months after these broadcasts were made. The Evans set includes a rare take on the Miles Davis opus, ‘Blue in Green’, which featured on Davis’ epochal Kinda Blue album, as well as innovative explorations on standards such as ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’, and ‘Speak Low’. The Charlie Parker collection includes such fine examples of Parker’s art as ‘Ornithology’, ‘Out of Nowhere’ and a tune dedicated to one of his drug dealers, ‘Moose the Mooche!’ Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed “Sassy” and “The Divine One” she won four Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had “one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century”. This album brought to you at mid-price is a series of recordings of Vaughan performing at the legendary Birdland in 1952. Vaughan died in April 1990. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Vaughan Tracks: Birdland Live In New York Birdland New York 22-3-1952 Vanity (2:48) Birdland New York 23-8-1952 Once In A While (2:34) Birdland New York 9-5-1952 Body And Soul(2:40) Bill Evans Trio Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist and composer who mostly played in trios. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block chords, and trademark rhythmically independent, “singing” melodic lines continue to influence jazz pianists today. Born in 1929, he was classically trained at Southeastern Louisiana University and the Mannes School of Music. In 1955, he moved to New York City, where he worked with bandleader George Russell. In 1958, Evans joined Miles Davis’s sextet, which in 1959, then immersed in modal jazz, recorded Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time. During that time, Evans was also playing with Chet Baker for the album Chet. In late 1959, Evans left the Miles Davis band and began his career as a leader, with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. Lafaro died in a car accident in 1961 and so their time together was limited but the group are now regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. Evans received seven Grammys and was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. This album brought to you at mid-price is a collection of classic radio broadcasts of the trio performing at the legendary Birdland in 1960. Tracks: Live At Birdland, New York City 11-3-1960 Autumn Leaves (4:36) 18-3-1960 Autumn Leaves (6:18) 29-4-1960 Come Rain or Come Shine (4:55) 29-4-1960 All Of You (6:58) Page: 1 2 |
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