Mose Allison - The Best Of Mose Allison - greatest hits compilation from his time on Atlantic in the '60s & '70s. Lives up to the title, though sometimes in live renditions. Would it be fair to say Mose Allison is to country blues what Blossom Dearie is to showtunes?
Buck Clayton - Jam Session Vol 3 Jazz Party Time - was pretty excited to come across this 1976 lp of extended tracks from arranger Buck Clayton (as far I can tell, this one never made it to cd or digital). Clayton's original jam sessions in the '50s set a standard for non-combative swinging mainstream jazz, and his revival Jam Session series in the '70s upheld that tradition. Lots of classic Basie musicians in attendance (Earle Warren & Vic Dickenson) blending greatly with later generation players like Jimmy Knepper & Lee Konitz across four tunes. No surprises, but artfully swings throughout. Can't find any links on youtube, so here is Glassboro Blues from Jam Session Vol 2--
Louie Bellson & The Explosion Orchestra - Sunshine Rock - fairly generic big band '70s jazz led by drummer Bellson which falls more on the side of commercial jazz than rock. Bellson unfortunately features a lot of his own lightweight compositions--the band sounds better digging into a couple songs by Bill Holman.
Ruby Braff & Dick Hyman - Fireworks - Live duets of Braff's brash cornet & Hyman's sparkling piano from 1983 inspired by the Armstrong/Hines duets of the late '20s. The sound is thinner than a studio recording, but clear, which makes for an intimate listen. They tackle several pop warhorses of the '30s with elan, but their adaptation of Swan Lake effortlessly brings together blues & brooding.
Ruby Braff Trio - Me, Myself & I - Braff's cornet backed up by bass & guitar from 1989. Lots of graceful playing, this one digs even deeper into '30s tin pan alley tunes, but all does tend to blend into tasteful background music. Braff has another rendition of Swan Lake here, but it doesn't have the same heft as the version with Hyman.
A Tribute To Monk & Bird - double album from 1978 featuring great musicians from both the bop (Thad Jones) and more avant-garde (Stanley Cowell) ends of the spectrum. The album is coy about naming a leader, but appears that Heiner Stadler is the organizing force and arranger of these atonal takes on Monk & Parker. I guess it is essentially freebop, but the arrangements come across lugubrious, labored and overlong. Found the first minute of Misterioso is pretty representative--
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