Ahmad Jamal - Extensions [Repost]

Ahmad Jamal - Extensions - Argo LP 758 - Argo Original Pressing, Beige Promo Label, Mono [new version]

Ahmad Jamal - Piano
Jamil [Sulieman] Nasser - Bass
Vernell Fournier - Drums

Recorded: May 18,19 & 20, 1965, Nola's Penthouse Studio, New York City

Album Production & Supervision - Ahmad Jamal & Dave Usher
Engineer: Tommy Nola
Cover: Michael Reid Design

Released: October 23, 1965

Ahmad Jamal - Naked City Theme [New Rip: From the Archives]

Ahmad Jamal - Naked City Theme - Argo LP 733 - Argo original pressing, Stereo, Blue Label

[Updated version - My revisiting of my blog archives continues with a new lossless rip of this great Jamal live side]

Ahmad Jamal - Piano
Jamil Sulieman - Bass
Chuck Lampkin - Drums

Recorded - June 26, 27 & 28, 1964, The Jazz Workshop, San Francisco [only dates listed on the sleeve but according to a discography A1, A3 & B2 recorded earlier on December 10, 1963, B1 recorded unknown date, 1964 and only B2 and B3 recorded on the 'official dates' in June]

Engineer - Reice Harmel
Cover - Don Bronstein

Released - December 12, 1964 (Approx)

Just finishing this mini Ahmad Jamal week with a posting of this rather unknown and very underrated 1964 side. A live recording taken from The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, this very energetic and I might say rather edgy side was one of the first indications that Jamal was taking his music in new uncharted directions - long extended improvisation mode beckoning and leaving behind his past with his first legendary trio with Israel Crosby and Vernell Fournier.

The word on the street is that Mosaic is finally releasing in July the long anticipated 9 CD box set of this first trio's recordings -and yes that stuff is masterful. But this side was also seminal - the start of Jamal's second great trio/period of the mid 1960s to the early 70s which doesn't get nearly enough attention. It's also come to my attention that bassist Jamil Sulieman of this great second trio with Chuck Lampkin and later Frant Gant passed away last month in New Jersey... Wonderful cover by Don Bronstein, has already surfaced as a Spanish bootleg, but nice to hear in its original stereo vinyl.

The Three Souls - Soul Sounds [New Rip: From the Archives]

The Three Souls featuring Sonny Cox - Soul Sounds - Argo LP 4044 - Original Argo Pressing, Blue Label, Stereo [Updated version; All this discussion of the Three Sounds this month caused me to pull out my vinyl of The Three Souls - a fantastic, but harder edged R&B Chicago soul jazz combo on Argo - here's a nice true stereo lossless rip]

Sonny Cox - Alto Saxophone
Ken Prince - Organ
Robert Shy - Drums

Only on A1, A2, A4, B1 -

Louis Satterfield - Electric Bass
Gerald Sims - Guitar

Arrangements by Sonny Cox and Ken Prince

Recorded - February 12, 1965, Ter Mar Recording Studio, Chicago

Album Supervision & Production: Roquel Davis and Esmond Edwards
Engineer: Ron Malo
Cover by: Don S Bronstein

Released: August 14, 1965

Well let's start the weekend with a classic Chicago Jazz groover and buried gem in Argo's Blues/Pop/Folk series; the third and final side by The Three Souls! The Three Souls were a really interesting sax/organ/drums trio which were quite active as a popular club/ soul jazz combo in the early 60s Chicago Jazz scene. One gets the impression from the liner notes that the group was a very popular local and regional act playing straight ahead, soulful and groovy jazz which escaped national attention, and were subsequently lost to the popular jazz history/narrative which privileges above else 'innovation'/ and the jazzman as 'artist'/'genius'. The Three Souls certainly weren't in the latter category, but so what? More people probably saw them and listened to them in local clubs/neighborhoods than other higher profile national acts.

A few weeks ago I posted Sonny Cox's first and only solo side cut in 1966, so it's nice to hear him again recorded just a year earlier in a trio context. The choice of material is also interesting; several pop standards and a cover of 'Armageddon', at the time a very recent Wayne Shorter side off one of his classic Blue Note dates in 1964. The second Shorter cover listed on the sleeve, 'Black Nile' is an error, as it seems to have replaced at the last minute by a Cox original, 'Astronaut' (B2) which is indicated on the actual vinyl.

King Fleming - Misty Night [new rip, flac]

King Fleming Trio - Misty Night - Argo LP 4004 - Original Argo Pressing, , Blue Teal Label, Mono

King Fleming - Piano
Rail Wilson - Bass
Aubrie Jones - Drums

Recorded - Fall 1960, Chicago [ only date listed]

Production - [uncredited]
Cover - Don Bronstein

Released - 1961?

UPDATE 7/17/11: Finally, a bonus reposting and rerip of a true Argo classic:King Fleming's Misty Night! I recently acquired another much better condition copy of the original and quite scarce Argo vinyl and the improved fidelity is noticeable, although the original recording itself wasn't the greatest. This side has become of my favorite Argos ever; Fleming is such a great player and original stylist, with some quite beautiful original compositions. Fleming, who's probably best known as the arranger of Lorez Alexandria's first non-Argo sides, was an example of the ultimate Chicago scene veteran, a player who just gigged incessantly locally. He chose to not make the trek to New York and consequently didn't get that many chances to record.

Yet given the scarcity of Fleming's discography, he sure made every date count. This is the first of his three sides on Argo/Cadet, recorded in the fall of 1960 and issued sometime in 1961; a fantastic subdued yet soulful date of mostly Fleming originals, unfortunately buried in Argo's Blues-Pop-Folk series, and largely forgotten. I can't think of any good reason why this side wasn't issued in the main Jazz series, except perhaps there's a bit of a blues-pop vibe in Fleming's playing. The side really kicks off with a fantastic groover ,'Overt, ' which is just begging to be sampled.... This side also has a wonderful Don Bronstein cover, one of best cover designs for Chess - a shot of a brooding midnight Chicago/CTA platform ; the cover art perfectly distills an atmosphere/ mood to enjoy the record...

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Baby Face Willette - Mo' Rock [Original Mono Vinyl]

Baby Face Willette - Mo-Roc - Argo LP 739 - Argo original Pressing, Mono, Grey Label

Roosevelt 'Baby Face Willette' - Organ
Ben White - Guitar
Eugene Bass - Drums

Recorded - March 27 & April 2, 1964, Ter Mar Recording Studio, Chicago

Supervision- Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover - Don Bronstein

Released - 1965?

This side has great personal sentimental value as it was the very first Argo that I ever encountered, quite by accident. Certainly one of the commonest Argos, I didn't pay it much attention again until I recently acquired an original mono pressing which was a revelation - this is one great Chicago soul jazz side with the master - Roosevelt 'Baby Face' Willette! Great production from the ubiquitous Esmond Edwards with a very cool Don Bronstein cover, and you've got a side to rival the best Blue Notes or Prestiges.

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Budd Johnson - Off The Wall + An Appreciation of Esmond Edwards

Budd Johnson with Joe Newman - Off The Wall - Argo LP 748 - Original Argo Pressing, Stereo, Blue Label

Budd Johnson - Tenor Sax
Joe Newman - Trumpet
Richard Davis - Bass on A1, A2, B3, B4
George Duvivier - Bass on A3, B1, B2
Grady Tate - Drums

Recorded - December 3, 1964, RCA Recording Studio, New York City

Produced by Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Ray Hall
Cover Design - Don Bronstein
Cover Photo - Esmond Edwards

Released - June 5, 1965

Here's a return to this blog's more familiar environs with the posting of another seminal Argo side: Budd Johnson's Off The Wall! Johnson was a really interesting player, a veteran big band tenor man which I think Argo got the most from with three quite varied sides on the label. "Off The Wall' is a quite killer track, almost crossing over to R&B/Blues territory, but there's still a noticeable and welcome soul jazz groove to hold it up. A quite enjoyable side overall, which always gives me a wide grin when I put it on the turntable.

However, I want to use the remaining space here to do some more long form commentary. This time I want to spotlight a crucial figure in the Chess Jazz - Argo/Cadet story; Esmond Edwards. Edwards is a peripheral figure in jazz history, quite unfairly so, as he was a trailblazing and pioneering African-American record company executive/record producer/a&r man for Prestige (1957-62), Chess, (1962-67, 1970-74), Verve/MGM, (1967-1970) and Impulse (1975-77), noted photographer, and even songwriter whose career essentially spanned the rise and fall of modern jazz from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. Edwards passed away in January 2007, but all the major tributes and official obit all noted his lasting influence in the record industry and in the jazz world. But what left out of his obit and even his standard all music guide biography was any mention of the perhaps most productive and artistically rewarding time of his long career - that of his first stint as A&R man/in house producer of Chess Records' jazz subsidiary of Argo, later Cadet records from 1962- 1967.

Edwards first began his jazz career at Prestige in the late 1950s, , after working himself up from freelance session photographer to A&R man, displacing the legendary Bob Weinstock. One of Edwards' first productions was John Coltrane's 1957's debut as a leader, John Coltrane (PR 7105), Despite these somewhat auspicious beginnings in terms of jazz history, Edwards' production talent though was scarcely on display though at first as Prestige's bare bones lack of production fostered a rather basic, low fi production style. Nevertheless, even on selected Prestige sides such as Shirley Scott+The Latin Jazz Quintet's Mucho Mucho, cut in July 1960, there's evidence of Edwards' nice production, nice arrangements contributing to an appealing soul jazz groove despite the limitations of the Prestige environment. Another favorite Edwards' production of mine from this Prestige era is The Latin Jazz Quintet's 'Latin Soul', cut in 1960/61, and later released on New Jazz in 1965. Both these sides preview the sound that Edwards would later fully develop at Chess/Argo. And connecting back to my last post - Edwards produced all five of John Wright's excellent Prestige sides including writing the title track of 'South Side Soul', expanding the soul jazz vocabulary to blues and gospel. And last by not least, Edwards was singularly responsible for the production of much of Eric Dolphy's output at Prestige - collected in Dolphy's Complete Prestige recordings now out of print box set : "Out There", "Far Cry" and both wonderful "Five Spot" live sets are all seminal Dolphy sides, but they also proved that Edwards could work in an avant garde/straight ahead vein if he had to as well.

Edwards later moved on to Chess/Argo in September 1962. Edwards only spoke specifically about his time at the label to Nadine Codohas for her wonderful biography of Chess Records, "Spinning Blues Into Gold" published in 2001. Most of his comments were along the lines of both Chess brothers being absolutely tough and ruthless businessmen, and of the difficulties of being compensated fairly. But he also relates that he was given absolute autonomy to run the subsidiary Argo as he pleased with little input from the Chess Brothers. As I really started my Argo crate diggin' and exploring its catalog sequentially last year, Edwards' constant credited appearances on various sides' sleeves clued me into the fact that there was a very subtle and quite unique type of jazz sound and production style evolving and being weaved on Argo from 1962-67. Yes, a type of soul jazz groove, but also quite distinctively Chicago hard bop-esque with also a nice quite Latin jazz influence . Not one Argo side from this classic era sounds alike, and I think it's testament to the talent and foresight of Edwards who forged a distinctive and special approach to jazz production - ranking with the best of the legendary jazz production men and executives like Alfred Lion, Francis Wolf, Lester Koenig, Richard Bock, Creed Taylor, and Bob Thiele.

You can roughly trace Edwards' first tenure at Chess by looking at the catalog sequentially: from (Argo) LP 704, Thornell Schwartz - Soul Cookin ; recorded 9/62 to (Cadet) LP 797, John Klemmer - Involvement; recorded 6/67. Some of my most favorite Argo sides - all three Gene Shaw sides, Bill Leslie and Thornell Schwartz 's 1962 collaborations, Ramsey Lewis' , Barefoot Sunday Blues and "Bach to the Blues'" , this Budd Johnson side, Illinois Jacquet's Spectrum, Ahmad Jamal's Roar of the Greasepaint' , lost Chicago soul jazz group The Interpreters' The Knack, Bennie Green and Sonny Stitt's My Main Man are all Edwards productions and are all quite representative of the many other fantastic Argo sides from this era. Notably Jamal and Edwards didn't get along as Edwards' quite clear commercial instincts which were often quite sound (ie. Lewis' The In Crowd live side) , but which sometimes got the better of him (i.e Soulful Strings) led to a major falling out with Argo's arguably major artist and biggest seller. Nevertheless Edwards delegated well and encouraged bassist-arranger Richard Evans to work with Jamal and to pursue other projects.

Evans replaced Edwards when he moved to brighter pastures in July 1967, following Creed Taylor at Verve/MGM. Evans then took Argo/Cadet in an explicitly soul and funk direction, leaving jazz behind. Edwards' later return to Chess in the post Chess brothers/GRT era from 1970-74, and a stint during the dying days of Impulse from 1975-77 all fizzled out and were not that all notable as Edwards struggled against the commercial tide and popular culture to make Jazz relevant again. I hope I've made the case that Edwards' place in jazz history is special, unique and deserves some recognition. I think Edwards' current lack of recognition is that for most of his career he was mostly a behind the scenes, industry type who didn't court much public visibility. But in retrospect, he didn't have to as the quality of his work on Argo from 1962-67 pretty much speaks for itself.

So, once again, a classic Esmond Edwards production of Budd Johnson's Off The Wall, nice fidelity off the original stereo vinyl -

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Ramsey Lewis - At The Bohemian Gardens

Ramsey Lewis Trio - At The Bohemian Gardens - Argo LP 741 - Canadian Chess Pressing, Mono

Ramsey Lewis - Piano
Eldee Young - Bass + Cello
Red Holt - Drums

Recorded - June 4 & 6 1964, Bohemian Gardens, Washington, DC

Supervision - Esmond Edwards
Production - Edgewood Recording Studios Inc [no engineer listed]
Cover Design - Tom Gorman

Released - October 10, 1964

Here's more hip Ramsey Lewis and this time it's a wonderfully atmospheric choice Argo side cut in the summer of 1964 at the legendary Bohemian Gardens nightclub in Washington, DC! This side has often been forgotten and overshadowed by a subsequent side cut the next year in May 1965 at these same Bohemian Gardens - 'The In Crowd' (Argo LP 757) which would launch the trio unexpectedly to stratospheric commercial success. But this particular side in my opinion is stronger and much more coherent. These live piano trio sides were almost Chess/Argo's bread and butter; I can't get enough of them - this is Jazz the way it's meant to be heard - live in front of an appreciative audience....

It's also interesting to compare and contrast this side with another live side cut by fellow label mate Ahmad Jamal as well in the summer of 1964 - Naked City Theme. While Jamal is going off in all sorts of interesting directions, almost proto-'free jazz new thing' within the confines of the jazz piano trio setup (see the seminal Extensions for example) - Lewis' trio is clearly moving in the quite opposite direction - a lean, crowd pleasing, pop, 'hand clapping' commercialized sound which would soon pay huge dividends. This in some respects also marks unfortunately the beginning of the end of the classic period of the first and original Ramsey Lewis Trio (1958-1965). This side also has one of my favorite and striking Argo covers, designed by one Tom Gorman. Good fidelity off an early Canadian Cadet mono pressing.

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Ramsey Lewis - Choice!

Ramsey Lewis Trio - Choice! The Best of the Ramsey Lewis Trio - Argo LP 755 - Cadet Canadian Pressing, Blue Label, Stereo

Ramsey Lewis - Piano
Eldee Young - Bass & Cello
Red Holt - Drums

+
Richard Evans - Bass on A4
Christopher White - Bass on B1

Recorded - Various
Production -Various
Cover Design - Michael Reid Design
Cover Photo Esmond Edwards
Liner Photo - Don Bronstein

Released - 1965?

More Ramsey Lewis, this time a nice collection of the trio's greatest sides on Argo from the early 60s. If you're not immediately familiar with the trio's output, this side serves as an ideal introduction of the group's many strengths before its massive commercial success and a subsequent acrimonious breakup in late 1965. Good fidelity off an early Canadian Cadet pressing.

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Ramsey Lewis - Barefoot Sunday Blues

Ramsey Lewis Trio - Barefoot Sunday Blues - Argo LP 723, Argo original Pressing. Stereo, Blue Label

Ramsey Lewis - Piano
Eldee Young - Bass, Cello
Red Holt - Drums

+
Christopher White - Bass on A1, B2

Recorded - August 20, 1963, Rudy Van Gelder's Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Supervision - Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder
Cover Photo - Camera One Inc.
Cover Design - Don Bronstein

Released - December 7, 1963

Continuing the 'Ramsey Lewis' and 'Sunday' Theme, here's another nice vintage Argo jazz piano trio side - this time from the summer of 1963 and recorded by the legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder at his home studio in New Jersey...This was among a select number of sides cut and supervised by Esmond Edwards during a brief late 1962- 1963 sojourn in the New York area, away from Argo/Chess' usual base in Chicago, and also complete with liner notes by LeRoi Jones (The future Amiri Baraka)

I think that this side reveals both the strengths and weaknesses of the Ramsey Lewis trio's approach of the early 60s - there's a strong melodic consistency and slick musicianship which is demonstrated across the breadth of their collected sides - no surprises here, you know what you're going to get each time you put it on your turntable.... But unfortunately that also makes most of these sides mostly interchangeable and indistinguishable from each other - hence most of them were largely forgotten and never made it to the CD era. Solid fidelity off the original Argo stereo vinyl.

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Ramsey Lewis - Bossa Nova

Ramsey Lewis Trio - Bossa Nova - Argo LP 705 - Argo Original Pressing, Grey Label, Mono

Ramsey Lewis - Piano
Eldee Young - Bass
Red Holt - Drums

+
Josef Paulo - Guitar & Pandeiro, Vocals on B3
Carmen Costa - Cabaca, Vocals on A4

Recorded - September 22 & 25, 1962, Yamaha Studio, San Fransisco

Supervision - Ralph Bass
Engineer - Reis Hamel
Cover - Wardell Gaynor

Released - November 24, 1962

Continuing my Ramsey Lewis Argo series, this is a nice side with the trio's take on the then burgeoning Bossa Nova craze of 1962-63. Unlike a myriad of other jazz artists who tried to capitalize on the movement, this is a credible take that ages rather well, probably thanks to the guest Brazilian players that the trio recruited to the session. Good fidelity off the original Argo mono deep groove vinyl.

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Illinois Jacquet - Spectrum [original mono vinyl]

Illinois Jacquet - Spectrum - Argo LP 754 - Argo Original Pressing, Grey Label, Mono

Side A:

Illinois Jacquet - Tenor Sax
Buddy Lucas - Tenor Sax
Ernest Royal - Trumpet
James Nottingham - Trumpet
Leonard Gaskin - Bass
Eric Gale - Guitar
Edwin Stoute - Piano
Herbert Lovelle - Drums
Haywood Henry - Baritone Sax
Billy Butler - Guitar

Arranged & Conducted by Bert Keyes

Side B:

Illinois Jacquet - Tenor Sax
Russell Jacquet - Trumpet
Patricia Brown - Piano
George Duvivier - Bass
Grady Tate - Drums
Candido - Conga Drum

Recorded - April 29 & 30, 1965, RCA Recording Studios, New York City

Album Production & Supervision - Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Ray Hall
Cover Photo - Don Bronstein
Cover Design - Michael Reid Design

Released - November 27, 1965

This is a rather underrated and quite unappreciated side by Illinois Jacquet , one of the very last original Argos before the sudden switchover to Cadet which I find myself returning to and listening to more and more these days. Ostensibly a mostly straight ahead side by the legendary tenor man Jacquet, there's a nice melodic groove underpinning the whole LP which is quite appealing. Side A is essentially an abbreviated big band date with nice arrangements of mostly contemporary movie themes, while Side B is a more intimate small group date which is cut in the same melodic groove vein. Excellent fidelity off the original Argo mono deep groove vinyl.

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Baby Face Willette - Behind The 8 Ball [original mono vinyl]

Baby Face Willette - Behind The 8 Ball - Argo LP 749 - Original Argo Pressing, Brown Lozenge Label, Mono

Baby Face Willette - Organ
Ben White - Guitar
Jerold Donovan - Drums
Gene Barge - Alto Sax on A3

Recorded - November 30, 1964, Ter Mar Recording Studio, Chicago

Produced by Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover Photo and Design by Don Bronstein

Released - June 5, 1965

Here's another wonderful Argo-Cadet Classic, and seminal Chicago hard bop side by my main man, Roosevelt 'Baby Face' Willette! Willette is mostly known as a collector's favorite for his work on Blue Note, but his two sides on Argo are vastly superior, musically that is if not as collectible. This side also has my favorite Don Bronstein cover which is quite striking. Just OK fidelity off a rather worn but well loved first pressing.

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Gene Shaw - Break Through [original mono vinyl]

Gene Shaw Quintet - Break Through - Argo LP 707 - Original Argo Pressing, Grey Label, Mono

Gene Shaw - Trumpet
Sherman Morrison - Tenor Sax
James Taylor - Piano
Sidney Robinson - Bass
Bernard Martin - Drums

Recorded - October 11, 1962, Ter Mar Recording Studio, Chicago

Supervision - Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover Photo - Don Bronstein

Released - February 16, 1963

Real world commitments have kept me from fully being engaged with the blog this month, but I interrupt my hiatus with a bonus posting and a vinyl gem from my personal collection - Gene Shaw's first and exquisite side on Argo! This is such a subtle and graceful rekkid that it truly deserves the title of 'Argo Cadet Classic' and an honored place on this blog... Excellent fidelity off the original Argo mono deep groove vinyl.

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Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad Jamal At The Blackhawk

Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk - Argo LP 703, Cadet Reissue, Orange Label, Stereo

Ahmad Jamal - Piano
Israel Crosby - Bass
Vernell Fournier - Drums

Recorded - Blackhawk, San Francisco [no date listed on the sleeve, but most discographies listed late 1961 - Mosaic's new documentation establishes the dates as January 31 & February 1, 1962]

Supervision - Paul Gayten
Cover - Don Bronstein

Released - November 3, 1962 [this particular reissue August 3, 1974]

Well here's my final Ahmad Jamal posting for the foreseeable future, as this blog concludes its second series on Jamal's work on Argo/Cadet, this time spotlighting his first legendary trio, in celebration and anticipation of Mosaic's forthcoming expensive, limited edition and landmark 9 CD complete trio sessions box set shipping at the end of the month. Despite some of my stated misgivings about the 'box set - complete sessions' approach, I pre ordered the set anyways as I do really want to support the artist, and I am so eager to hear some of the newly discovered material that was chosen and approved by Jamal personally.

This Blackhawk side, recorded in early 1962 at San Francisco's legendary jazz club though, is a bit of a somber coda for the trio as it would be its final ever recording. Jamal disbanded the trio shortly afterwards in March 1962 and the sudden passing of bassist Israel Crosby a few months later on August 11, 1962 made any possible future reunion moot. Good fidelity off an early 70s MRT reissue.

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Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad Jamal's Alhambra

Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad Jamal's Alhambra - Argo LP 685 - Original Argo Pressing, Stereo, Blue Label

Ahmad Jamal - Piano
Israel Crosby - Bass
Vernell Fournier -Drums

Recorded - June 1961, Ahmad Jamal's Alhambra, Chicago [only date listed but according to most discographies, sometime in July 1961?]

Supervision - Leonard Chess
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover - Don Bronstein

Released - September 25, 1961

Here's more classic and exquisite Ahmad Jamal as this blog continues its march to find, post and restore every last Jamal side on Argo/Cadet that is unavailable/or out of print... This time we have the first volume of the summer 1961 live recordings of the first and legendary Ahmad Jamal trio cut in Jamal's own home turf of his supper dining club, the Alhambra.

These final live 1961 recordings are my favorite sides of the trio as you really hear all three players at the pinnacle of their powers, working very closely together, almost in synchronicity as they achieve jazz piano trio perfection. Just average fidelity, off a pretty beat up, VG- original Argo vinyl. Decided to offer my own fold down mono mix, as the original stereo mix didn't sound right - perhaps too thin, an electronically re channeled fake 'stereo' mix that didn't accurately reflect the live recording.

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Lou Donaldson - At His Best

Lou Donaldson - At His Best - Cadet LP 815 - Original Cadet Pressing, Stereo, Blue Label

Lou Donaldson - Alto Sax, Vocals on A3
Bill Hardman - Trumpet
William Gardner - Organ
Calvin Newborn - Guitar
Grady Tate - Drums

Recorded - August 1966, RCA Studios, New York City [only date listed but according to most discographies, August 30, 1966; concurrent with the 'Blowin' in the Wind' side, but Jazz Discography Project has the wrong sidemen listed - correct personal on this side is similar to a live date Lou cut in August 1965 in Buffalo - namely Hardman and Gardner- which was later issued as 'Fried Buzzard' in 1970 during the GRT era- so perhaps closer to August 1965 than August 1966?]

Supervision - Dick LePalm
Album Production - Esmond Edwards and Richard Evans
Engineer - Ray Hall
Cover Photo - Ray Klein
Album Design - Jerry Griffith

Released - 1969?

My Lou Donaldson postings always get a great response - so here's another rarity from his rather underexposed stint on Chess Jazz - 'At His Best'! This side is misleading titled though, as it isn't any type of a compilation/best of collection - but a separate side entirely cut in either 1965/66 - with some dispute into its true discographical providence (see my notes above).

Anyways, while Lou has his very first attempt at vocals on 'Wig Blues' - cut very much in the Chess blues house style - he is very much overshadowed by his sidemen on the date - Bill Hardman on trumpet and William Gardner on organ who truly dominates this side by layin' down a tight groove - which may account for why it was originally shelved at the time and only issued in the closing days of the original Chess Brothers Argo/Cadet era sometime in 1969. Excellent fidelity off the original Cadet stereo vinyl.

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Ray Bryant - Sound Ray

Ray Bryant - Sound Ray - Cadet LP 830 - Original Cadet Pressing, Stereo, Light Blue DJ Label

Ray Bryant - Piano
James Rowser - Bass
Harold White - Drums

Arranged by Ray Bryant

Recorded - June 1969, Ter Mar Recording Studios, Chicago

Produced by Richard Evans
Recording Engineer - Dave Purple
Cover Photo & Album Design- Jerry Griffith

Released - 1969?

Here's a nice rarity and piano trio side from the late period Cadet era of 1965-1971 which I'm not normally the biggest fan of as I find most of the material a bit too commercial - less straight ahead, more soul and funk based which is not my thing, sorry.

Anyways, this is a very energetic and melodic but essentially jazz based side from the veteran journeymen player Ray Bryant - who was active on Cadet from 1966-69, and a brief stint in 1974. Produced by Richard Evans, a true Argo-Cadet rarity . Along with some nice covers of several jazz-pop standards, including 'Song for my Father' and 'The Look of Love' - there's a couple of nice Bryant originals "Stick with it" and the title track which is co-written with Evans. Good fidelity off a near mint promotional Cadet stereo vinyl.

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Ahmad Jamal - Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal

Ahmad Jamal - Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal - Argo LP (2)638 - Argo Pressing, Maroon Label, Mono

Ahmad Jamal - Piano
Israel Crosby - Bass
Vernell Fournier - Drums

Recorded - September 5 & 6, 1958, Spotlite Club, Washington, DC

Producer + Cover Design - Dave Usher
Recording Engineer - Malcolm Chisholm
Mastering Engineer - Douglas Brand
Inside Photo - Don Bronstein

Released - April 6 1959 (Approx)

This is one fine Ahmad Jamal rekkid...a beautiful limited edition gatefold 2 LP Set which collects the remaining takes of the September 1958 Spotlite Club recordings left off the 'Volume 4' side. I think that if you had to first introduce someone to the beauty and genius of Jamal- start with this side. Excellent fidelity off the original Argo mono deep groove vinyl.

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Ahmad Jamal - Listen to the Ahmad Jamal Quintet

Ahmad Jamal - Listen to the Ahmad Jamal Quintet - Argo LP 673 - Cadet Reissue B&W Cover Pressing, Orange Label, Stereo

Ahmad Jamal - Piano
Israel Crosby - Bass
Vernell Fournier - Drums

+

Joe Kennedy - Violin
Ray Crawford - Guitar

All Arrangements by Joe Kennedy

Recorded - August 15, 16 &17 1960, Ter Mar Recording Studio, Chicago

Supervision - Jack Tracy
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover - Don Bronstein

Released - March 6, 1961

Here's an interesting and different early 60s Ahmad Jamal Argo side - a quintet recording with Jamal sharing the front line with guitarist Ray Crawford and violinist Joe Kennedy. Jamal's trio sides of this period are seminal, but not sure this side is as successful, although the guitar and violin are mostly supportive here. Good fidelity off a later Cadet pressing with B&W cover, unfortunately.

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Bill Leslie - Diggin' The Chicks

Bill Leslie - Diggin' The Chicks - Argo LP 710 - Original Argo Pressing, Mono, Deep Groove, Tan Promotional Label

Bill Leslie - Tenor Sax & Saxella
Tommy Flanagan - Piano
Thornel Schwartz - Guitar
Ben Tucker - Bass
Art[hur] Taylor - Drums

Recorded - October 19, 1962, Van Gelder's Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Supervision - Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder
Cover Photo - Raimondo Borea

Released - May 4, 1963

UPDATE: Bill Leslie recently passed away in Philadelphia.

Here's a wonderful and rather understated rare Argo side by the somewhat obscure tenor sax player Bill Leslie! Leslie who hailed from Philadelphia had a rather brief jazz career from 1962-65, playing on only five sessions according to Lord's discography. This is the second of his two sides on Argo, along with an earlier co-led date with Thornel Schwartz, 'Soul Cookin' which I posted late last year. 'Diggin the Chicks' is essentially the companion piece to Soul Cookin', cut only a month later, complete with similar personnel and liner notes by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka)

This side incidentally was one of Chess Jazz A&R man Esmond Edwards' attempts from 1962-1963 to extend Argo's influence to the New York scene by recruiting local players and recording with Rudy Van Gelder in New Jersey. Yet the Argo sound is still intact here, as this side doesn't sound anything close to a Blue Note/Impulse record. Leslie's take on Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman is intriguing and worth a listen. Nice fidelity off an original Argo deep groove mono promotional vinyl. Somewhat of a rarity as difficult to track down on vinyl, but this side briefly appeared as a Japan only CD (of course OOP) in 2004.

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