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Various Artists
This new release would have
to rate as one of Contemporary Record's (Fantasy)
most
appealing and striking
box sets to date. The term "West Coast" in the title covers
Central Avenue, the core of black Los Angeles's vibrant
night life in the fifties and sixties, as well as Hermosa
Beach, the home base of bassist Howard Rumsey's legendary
Lighthouse jazz club, San Francisco's North Beach, or the
thriving Hollywood studio scene that provided lucrative
employment for some fortunate players in the Southern
California jazz scene. This four disc collection containing 61 superb tracks spanning close to five hours in length, is an enriching view of a valuable cultural domain with which we can all connect. They don't make them like this anymore. The albums of this period were recorded straight to two track analog tape, so what you hear on the disc is very much the sound of the live bands represented. There is a wealth of background material, photographs, and liner notes in the 71 page booklet which accompanies the set. These digitally re-mastered cuts from the original full-track session tapes deliver music that sounds absolutely stunning, from both a technical and musical standpoint. I could go on for at least two-three full pages describing the great music in this remarkable collection. The term indispensable should be attached to a collection such as this. For those who care greatly about our magnificent jazz heritage, these volumes ARE truly indispensable. For those now coming into full appreciation of the music and its legacy, these four volumes are, without question, remarkable additions to both the knowledge and mature enjoyment of this music. Highly recommended. Review by Ben
Kettlewell * photographs courtesy
Fantasy, Inc. © 1998. All Rights Reserved Below is a complete discography followed by contact information. Disc 1
1.WARDELL GRAY/DEXTER GORDON: Move (Jazz on Sunset) 2.SONNY CRISS: Intermission Riff 3.WARDELL GRAY: Bright Boy 4.CHARLES MINGUS/SPAULDING GIVENS: Body and Soul 5.SHORTY ROGERS & HIS GIANTS: Popo 6.HOWARD RUMSEY'S LIGHTHOUSE ALL-STARS: Swing Shift 7.GERRY MULLIGAN QUARTET: Bernie's Tune 8.GERRY MULLIGAN QUARTET: My Funny Valentine 9.DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: Stardust 10.HOWARD RUMSEY'S LIGHTHOUSE ALL-STARS: Sunset Eyes 11.CHET BAKER QUARTET: Isn't It Romantic? 12.CHET BAKER QUARTET: Maid in Mexico 13.STAN GETZ QUINTET: Crazy Rhythm 14.SHELLY MANNE & HIS MEN: Etude de Concert 15.MILES DAVIS & THE LIGHTHOUSE ALL-STARS: A Night in Tunisia
Disc 2
1.LAURINDO ALMEIDA QUARTET: Blue Baião 2.HOWARD RUMSEY'S LIGHTHOUSE ALL-STARS: Aquarium 3.BUD SHANK QUINTET: Lotus Bud 4.HERBIE HARPER QUINTET: Herbstone 5.STAN KENTON ORCHESTRA: Fearless Finlay 6.CLIFFORD BROWN ENSEMBLE: Daahoud 7.CAL TJADER: Mamblues 8.HAMPTON HAWES TRIO: All the Things You Are 9.LENNIE NIEHAUS QUINTET: Whose Blues? 10.CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET: Blue Sands 11.CY TOUFF OCTET: Keester Parade 12.FRANK MORGAN WITH MACHITO'S RHYTHM SECTION: Whippet 13.SHELLY MANNE & HIS FRIENDS: Get Me to the Church on Time 14.JACK SHELDON QUARTET: Get Out of Town 15.ART TATUM TRIO: Trio Blues 16.BUDDY COLLETTE QUINTET: St. Andrews Place Blues 17.BILL PERKINS/JOHN LEWIS: 2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West 18.GERALD WIGGINS TRIO: One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)
Disc 3
1.JIMMY GIUFFRE TRIO: Pickin' 'em Up and Layin' 'em Down 2.THE POLL WINNERS: On Green Dolphin Street 3.RED NORVO: Red Sails 4.SONNY ROLLINS: Way Out West 5.BENNY CARTER: A Walkin' Thing 6.RED MITCHELL QUARTET: Rainy Night 7.LEROY VINNEGAR SEXTET: Walkin' My Baby Back Home 8.BREW MOORE QUINTET: Dues Blues 9.BILL HOLMAN BIG BAND: No Heat 10.FRANK ROSOLINO QUINTET: Love for Sale 11.CURTIS AMY SEXTET: Katanga 12.CURTIS COUNCE GROUP: Carl's Blues 13.CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET: Far East 14.ORNETTE COLEMAN QUINTET: The Sphinx
Disc 4
1.ART PEPPER QUARTET: You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 2.ART PEPPER + ELEVEN: Shaw Nuff 3.ELMO HOPE TRIO: Minor Bertha 4.HAROLD LAND QUINTET: The Fox 5.RICHIE KAMUCA/BILL HOLMAN OCTET: Indiana 6.TERRY GIBBS DREAM BAND: Bright Eyes 7.GERALD WILSON ORCHESTRA: Viva Tirado 8.PAUL HORN QUINTET: Something Blue 9.BEN WEBSTER: Georgia on My Mind 10.SHELLY MANNE & HIS MEN: Theme: A Gem from Tiffany 11.TEDDY EDWARDS/HOWARD McGHEE: Together Again 12.PHINEAS NEWBORN, JR.: Cheryl 13.VINCE GUARALDI TRIO: Cast Your Fate to the Wind 14.JOE PASS: For Django
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In
what promises to be one of the most significant jazz
recordings of the past year, this box set presents stellar
moments from the recorded musical history of West Coast
Jazz. Let me give you an appetizer from the treasure trove
presented here. Volume 1 spans the years 1950 - 1954, and is
comprised of 15 pieces which total almost 78 minutes. The
first three cuts are representative of jazz being playing on
the West Coast circa 1950. I have long believed that the
decade of the 50's is a seminal point in jazz history, a
gathering place for the tradition with significant
departures and enrichments that frame everything that went
before. The first disc opens with a neglected cool bop
classic,... Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon's "Move", aka
"Jazz on Sunset". Wardell grabs the solo with his tenor and
holds on tight. Then Clark Terry jumps in with an amazing
trumpet solo, followed by the smooth lilting melodies of
Dexter Gordon. The sound wavers at this point, ( apparently
Gordon is moving around a bit in front of the mike). Later
solos by Sonny Criss (alto sax ) and Jimmy Bunn (piano),
highlight a couple of minor flaws in the editing process.
Remember this was 1950, and capturing a band live on a
recording, and then remixing in the studio was still in it's
infancy, ...but the genius of the music shines through. The
next three disks move on with some classics and rarities
recorded between 1954 and the early sixties.
There
is a rich vein of melodic complexity to all of these pieces,
which are carefully extended by the contributions of legends
such as Dexter Gordon, Charlie Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Dave
Brubeck, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Laurindo
Almeida, Bud Shank, Stan Kenton, Clifford Brown, Cal Tjader,
Art Tatum, Vince Gauraldi, Paul Horn, Joe Pass, Jimmy
Giuffre, Red Norvo, Sonny Rollins, Benny Carter, Chico
Hamilton, Ornette Coleman, and Ben Webster .....to name a
few!!!! These are not only great improvisers of an era, but
individual stylists that complement each other with their
diverse approaches to jazz expression.