Favorite West Coast Classics

[Kalo]

I agree, great series. As it turns out, I have more of these than I thought:

Curtis Amy/Dupree Bolton - Katanga

Chet Baker - Quartet with Russ Freeman

Bob Brookmeyer - Traditionalism Revisited

Teddy Edwards - Sunset Eyes

Gerry Mulligan - Original Quintet with Chet Baker

Bud Shank/Bob Cooper - Blowin' Country

If I had to choose which one to get next it would definitely be:

Jack Sheldon - Quartet/Quintet

I probably listen to Katanga, Mulligan, and Baker/Freeman the most.

[Roger Hiles]

I was listening to "Tenorman" just the other day. It's pretty terrific!

Originally Jazz West JWLP-8 (my copy is a Japanese import CD- Toshiba-Emi TOCJ-9340)

Lawrence Marable, drums

James Clay, tenor sax

Jimmy Bond, bass

Sonny Clarke, piano

The devil and the deep blue sea

Easy living

Minor meeting

Airtight

Willow weep for me

Three fingers north

Lover man

Marbles

[jazzbo]

It's a shame that Fresh Sounds just put out the best two Brookmeyers on one cd (Stretchin' Out, Kansas City Revisited). These I hope will become Blue Note cds one day. (They're on the Brookmeyer Mosaic Select)

Edited May 26, 2007 by jazzbo

[brownie]

It's a shame that Fresh Sounds just put out the best two Brookmeyers on one cd (Stretchin' Out, Kansas City Revisited). These I hope will become Blue Note cds one day. (They're on the Brookmeyer Mosaic Select)

Didn't realize these were supposed to be West Coast Classics

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

is Lighthouse Allstars + 11 arr. by bob cooper, live at Royce Hall (Omegadisc) reissued on cd?

[jazzbo]

It's a shame that Fresh Sounds just put out the best two Brookmeyers on one cd (Stretchin' Out, Kansas City Revisited). These I hope will become Blue Note cds one day. (They're on the Brookmeyer Mosaic Select)

Didn't realize these were supposed to be West Coast Classics

I know. Just felt like talking about them. The rules had already been broken!

[montg]

I love them all, but my favorite would have to be Jack Sheldon - Quartet/Quintet

followed closely by Cy Touff - Octet and Quintet.

Bring back the WCC!!

I recently found the Touff at a pretty good price--very nice session! It seems almost the perfect synthesis of Basie swing/looseness with the lightness of the West Coast aesthetic. Highly recommended.

[AndrewHill]

I love them all, but my favorite would have to be Jack Sheldon - Quartet/Quintet

followed closely by Cy Touff - Octet and Quintet.

Bring back the WCC!!

I recently found the Touff at a pretty good price--very nice session! It seems almost the perfect synthesis of Basie swing/looseness with the lightness of the West Coast aesthetic. Highly recommended.

Still reach for the Touff and Mulligan/Baker the most. Very, very satisfying disks Although, I just spun the Shank/Cooper disk recently again and my appreciation for this set has increased dramatically. Again, a shame that this series is long dead. I'll chime in, 'Bring back the WCC!'

[BruceH]

Katanga!

[Teasing the Korean]

Katanga!

Does the music sound anything like the cover looks?

[AndrewHill]

I've only recently begun to seriously explore west coast jazz (term loosely defined) and so I'm playing 'catch up' in tracking down CDs from this series. What I've been able to find recently (Mulligan/Baker; Shank/Cooper; Montrose) has been really enjoyable. Too bad it was discontinued (though some of the series has turned up in the Mosaic Select boxes). I'm spinning the Montrose session right now and really digging Bob Gordon... and I felt like giving a 'shout out' to the WCC. (nice sound, incidentally, from the Mcmaster remastering, imo).

Well amazingly, I landed a new copy of the Montrose at a cd shop, that seems to have froze in time and the stock hasn't moved for seven years. Along with the Mulligan/Baker and the Touff, I took an immediate liking to this album.

Funny enough, the Montrose cover painting is the same painting on the unissued Chic Hamilton w/ Eric Dolphy Ellington Suite.

[BruceH]

Thought it looked familiar!

[Kyo]

It is a fine disc, very much worth getting. The "tenorman" in question is James Clay. It is James Clay's first recording. He plays his ass off on it too.

I was listening to "Tenorman" just the other day. It's pretty terrific!

Thanks for the recommendation, guys! Just ordered an affordable copy of this. I like James

Clay and Sonny Clark a lot and had overlooked this album somehow - until now!

[Big Beat Steve]

I fully agree with the recommendation of Bill Perkins' "On Stage" as a prime example of "typical" West Coast jazz.

What I find a bit strange, though, is the inclusion of the Shank/Cooper "Blowing Country" disc in such a reissue program that probably purports to make OUTSTANDING examples of the genre available again.

For once I have to agree with the period reviews of this release: It is pleasantly sounding jazz-tinged background music but one of the better examples of WCJ? I dunno ... Rather, it's fairly light fare. Sure there must be more substantial WCJ music in the PJ catalog.

Besides, the original release already was an unnecessary oddity: Tracks previously issued on three different PJ/WP LP's rehashed into a new cash-in product, i.e. a "compilation", not an original release.

Edited December 4, 2007 by Big Beat Steve

[king ubu]

I've only recently begun to seriously explore west coast jazz (term loosely defined) and so I'm playing 'catch up' in tracking down CDs from this series. What I've been able to find recently (Mulligan/Baker; Shank/Cooper; Montrose) has been really enjoyable. Too bad it was discontinued (though some of the series has turned up in the Mosaic Select boxes). I'm spinning the Montrose session right now and really digging Bob Gordon... and I felt like giving a 'shout out' to the WCC. (nice sound, incidentally, from the Mcmaster remastering, imo).

You (and anyone who enjoys the fine Montrose disc!) should check out this one, too, while it's still around:

CDuniverse via Org-link (for less than 12 bucks it's yours!)

[king ubu]

or as an easily available alternative, there's this 2CD set by Fresh Sound:

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/search-ma...st_id=2423#4418

Two Can Play: Complete Quartet And Sextet Sessions 1954-1955 (2 Cd Set)

Jack Montrose & Bob Gordon

Featuring: Conte Candoli (tp), Jack Montrose (ts), Bob Gordon (bars), Paul Moer (p), Red Mitchell, Ralph Peña, Joe Mondragon (b), Billy Schneider, Shelly Manne (d)

The talent of Jack Montrose (1928-2006) was an exceptional one. He proved to be a prolific writer and a lucid player of his own music, as well as of that of others. But two can play the game of jazz, and one recalls most fondly that Jack’s main artery of expression was in the recordings in which he joined soul and sound with his friend Bob Gordon. So inextricable was their relationship of minds, horns, being, that death alone could break it. It did, on a tragic Sunday of August 1955, when Bob met eternity head-on in an automobile. For Jack the shock was intense. He later said “Bob was more than just an inspiration, he was my other half and together we formed a musical whole.”

Tracklisting:

CD1

1. Meet Mr. Gordon 2:37

2. Tea For Two 3:03

3. Modus Operandi 3:44

4. Onion Bottom 3:25

5. What A Difference A Day Makes 3:36

6. For Sue 3:46

7. Love Is Here To Stay 2:22

8. Two Can Play 2:28

9. Two Can Play (alternate) 2:25

10. A Little Duet 4:57

11. Paradox 4:03

12. When You Wish Upon A Star 3:32

13. Have You Met Miss Jones 5:14

14. Dot’s Groovy 4:40

CD2

1. I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town 5:46

2. Cecilia 4:33

3. April’s Fool 5:02

4. The News And The Weather 4:16

5. Listen, Hear 5:33

6. Pretty 5:16

7. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered 5:28

8. Credo 5:25

9. Fools Rush In 5:34

10. Speakeasy 4:12

11. That Old Feeling 4:28

12. Some Good Fun Blues 5:07

Personnel and dates:

CD1 #1-9: Bob Gordon Quintet

Jack Montrose (ts), Bob Gordon (bars), Paul Moer (p), Joe Mondragon (b), Billy Schneider (d). Hollywood, May 6 and 27, 1954

CD1 #10-14 & CD2 #1-4: Jack Montrose Quintet

Jack Montrose (ts), Bob Gordon (bars), Paul Moer (p), Red Mitchell (b), Shelly Manne (d). Hollywood, May 11 & 12, 1955

CD2 #5-12: Jack Montrose Sextet

Conte Candoli (tp), Jack Montrose (ts), Bob Gordon (bars), Paul Moer (p), Ralph Peña (b), Shelly Manne (d). Hollywood, June 24 and July 6, 1955.

The first album is the Bob Gordon session (bonus on the Montrose BN/Pacific CD), the second is the main session by Montrose from teh BN/Pacific CD, and the third is the Atlantic session from the Koch CD.

Mighty fine music! (I have the BN & Koch CDs, in case anyone cares.)

[Kyo]

I've been enjoying my new Art Pepper Hollywood All-Star sessions

(one of them featuring Jack Sheldon) quite a lot today so after revisiting

this thread and reading all the praise for the Jack Sheldon disc in the

WCC series I went out and ordered a cheap copy (under 10 Euro).

The samples on amazon.com sounded good - can't wait to hear the whole thing.

[AndrewHill]

I've been enjoying my new Art Pepper Hollywood All-Star sessions

(one of them featuring Jack Sheldon) quite a lot today so after revisiting

this thread and reading all the praise for the Jack Sheldon disc in the

WCC series I went out and ordered a cheap copy (under 10 Euro).

The samples on amazon.com sounded good - can't wait to hear the whole thing.

You won't be disappointed

[Kyo]

You won't be disappointed

Indeed, a very good disc! I finally broke down and ordered most of the other West Coast Classics that I didn't have yet:

Chet Baker - Quartet with Russ Freeman

Earl Anderza - Outa Sight

Teddy Edwards - Sunset Eyes

Jack Montrose - Sextet

Cy Touff - Octet and Quintet

Bill Perkins - On Stage

The following albums are all parts of Mosaic Select sets, I'll probably get those sets instead of the single CDs someday:

Curtis Amy/Dupree Bolton - Katanga

Bob Brookmeyer - Traditionalism Revisited

Bud Shank/Bob Cooper - Blowin' Country

The Curtis Amy set in particular has been on my wish list for quite some time now. Soon...

Edited December 25, 2007 by Kyo

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

The Curtis Amy set in particular has been on my wish list for quite some time now. Soon...

I love the Curtis Amy Select! But there isn't anything else like "Katanga" on it. Matter of fact, there isn't anything else like "Katanga" most any place.

"Katanga" and "Sunset eyes" were the two I got out of that specific series. At the same time, however, they issued one that seemed to match the others very well, but not in the series:

Jimmy Witherspoon - Singin' the blues - with Gerald Wilson/Sweets Edison (tp), Teddy Edwards & Jimmy Allen (ts), Hamp Hawes/Henry McDode (who he?) (p), Herman Mitchell (g), Jimmy Hamilton (b) & Jimmy Miller (d). Recorded in May 1958. A very nice album; every bit as good as you'd hope it might be.

MG

[BruceH]

The Curtis Amy set in particular has been on my wish list for quite some time now. Soon...

I love the Curtis Amy Select! But there isn't anything else like "Katanga" on it. Matter of fact, there isn't anything else like "Katanga" most any place.

"A Shade Of Brown" (track #6)----I like that as much as "Katanga."

[Kyo]

Just got the Earl Anderza disc. Whoa! I didn't expect it to sound so unique. Awesome stuff!

Edited December 28, 2007 by Kyo

[Clunky]

Charlie Mariano's Beauties of 1918 should be reissued, it was on Pacific but I'm not sure if it was a west coast recording. I'ts a great date even if some of the titles might be a little corny.

[jazzbo]

Good point Mr. Lunky!

[gmonahan]

Just got the Earl Anderza disc. Whoa! I didn't expect it to sound so unique. Awesome stuff!

I got it too and have to confess I'm not as fond of it as I hoped I'd be. He plays a *lot* in the upper-most register of the instrument, and I find that sometimes gets a bit on my nerves. Am I the only one who feels this way?