Fresh Sound & Lone Hill Reissues Discussion

[mikeweil]

Indeed they are!

[king ubu]

This new release by Yusef Lateef should close the gap that Savoy left open (the "Early Savoy Sessions" that should have been added to the "Late Savoy Sessions" 2CD set):

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/record-ma...?record_id=4952

****************************************

Yusef's Mood - Complete 1957 Sessions, With Hugh Lawson (4 Cd Set)

Featuring: Featuring: Yusef Lateef (ts, fl, argol, scraped gourd, tambourine, Indian reed whistle, vcl), Curtis Fuller (tb, tambourine, Turkish finger cymbals), Wilbur Harden (flgh, tambourine, cow bell, balloon), Hugh Lawson (p, metalphone, ocarina, cow bells, Turk

REFERENCE: FSRCD 492_4

BAR CODE: 8427328604925

PRICE: 31.75 €

4CD Set, 32 page book-let

Digitally Remastered 24-BIT / 96 kHz

In 1950, after a year on tour with Dizzy Gillespie’s band, Yusef Lateef returned to Detroit, the city where he had grown up as a jazz musician. With his powerfully preaching tenor sax tone and fluent, driving style he established himself as an influential presence in the Motor City scene, forming his own quintet in 1955. He made his first recordings as a leader in 1957, a productive year for him, as this gripping 4-CD set reveals. On it he plays tenor and flute with a compelling directness and overpowering honesty, surrounded by a nucleus of Detroiters like Curtis Fuller, Ernie Farrow, Louis Hayes, Oliver Jackson, Wilbur Harden and, especially, Hugh Lawson, whose rolling, two-handed piano is as exciting in solo as it is in his intelligent comping. The entire group plays in inspired fashion, speaking authoritatively for the Detroit jazz scene.

Tracklisting:

CD 1:

01. Beauregard

02. O’Blues

03. Happyology

04. Midday

05. Polarity

06. Ameena

07. Space

08. Metaphor

09. Morning

10. The Beginning

CD 2:

01. G. Bouk

02. Blues In Space

03. Yusef’s Mood

04. Passion

05. Love Is Eternal

06. Pike’s Peak

07. Open Strings

08. Before Dawn

09. Twenty Five Minute Blues

10. Chang Chang Chang

11. Constellation

12. Seulb

13. Sounds Of Nature

CD 3:

01. Song Of Delilah

02. 8540 Twelfth Street

03. I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good

04. Check Blues

05. Prayer To The East

06. A Night In Tunisia

07. Lover Man

08. Endura

09. Love Dance

10. Sram

11. Gypsy Arab

CD 4:

01. Playful Flute

02. Taboo

03. Ecaps

04. All Alone

05. Anastasia

06. Love And Humour

07. Buckingham

08. Lambert’s Point

09. Meditation

10. Mahaba

11. Minor Mood

12. Take The “A” Train

The hardcore of these sessions were recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey

Note: In addition to the standard jazz instrumentation, some compositions, notably for the time, included several near-Eastern ethnic instruments to produce a remarkable blend of oriental harmonies, sounds and effects, superimposed on wailing jazz without compromising its unity or quality. These include the rebob, earth board, argol, tambourine, Chinese gong, finger cymbals, scraped gourd, bells, and other devices, among them a balloon and a 7-up bottle to achieve some uniquely arresting effects.

More details and information in the boolet

****************************************

Alas, it duplicates the Prestige albums from the same period, which were (are?) available easily as OJCCDs, as well as the great Verve album "Before Dawn" that was on CD in the Verve Elite Edition. Still, it's attractive enough, methinks!

Edited May 7, 2008 by king ubu

[jazzbo]

Yes, Fresh Sounds is hitting the Savoy material HARD lately!

All this music is fantastic. (Note that Lateef had only one side of the Stablemates lp, the other was an A. K. Salim session, now on his Fresh Sound two cd set). You're right, why didn't Savoy/Atlantic finish what they started. (Oh never mind. . . Keepnews. . . the market for jazz reissues. . .Bush/Cheney. . . )

[king ubu]

Yes, Fresh Sounds is hitting the Savoy material HARD lately!

All this music is fantastic. (Note that Lateef had only one side of the Stablemates lp, the other was an A. K. Salim session, now on his Fresh Sound two cd set). You're right, why didn't Savoy/Atlantic finish what they started. (Oh never mind. . . Keepnews. . . the market for jazz reissues. . .Bush/Cheney. . . )

It's a tough call there... I have probably two thirds of this set - the Verve, the OJCs, some of the Savoy (some off vinyl).

About the Salim: are you saying all of it is in this box, or only Lateef's half? I'm totally unfamiliar with Salim anyway!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Yes, Fresh Sounds is hitting the Savoy material HARD lately!

I wish they'd hit the Muse material HARD!

MG

[king ubu]

Ah, I see the Salim stuff is on this set here (sorry for not reading your post better, Lon) - looks mighty good!

The Modern Sounds Of A.k. Salim - Complete Savoy Recordings 1957-1958 Double Cd

A.K. Salim

Featuring: A.K. Salim, Leader, Arranger and Conductor with Joe Wilder, Johnny Coles, Jimmy Nottingham, Kenny Dorham (tp), Nat Adderley (cornet), Frank Rehak, Buster Cooper (tb), Marshall Royal, Phil Woods (as), Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Seldon Powell (fl, ts)...

REFERENCE: FSRCD 474_2

BAR CODE: 8427328604741

PRICE: 17.50 €

A.K. Salim (Ahmad Khatab Atkinson) was an ex-reed man who retired from playing in 1943 to arrange and compose for several jazz and Afro- Cuban bands. This 2-CD set draws together all the recordings he did as a leader for Savoy Records in 1957-1958. Most of his work here reflects Salim’s deep knowledge of blues and his arranger’s talent for setting down relatively simple lines combining down home traditionalism with harmonic sophistication. His unpretentious arrangements have an unmistakably visceral quality and offer a fine framework for the eloquently powerful soloists of both reed and brass sections. Some of the greatest modern jazz pianists, bassists and drummers round out the rhythm, along with guitar in a few tracks, in both support and solo capacities, while the presence of a conga blends well with the Latino-flavored charts in what is, overall, a satisfying and thoroughly swinging collection.

Tracklisting:

CD1

1. Duo-Flautists 2:45

2. Miltown Blues 7:20

3. Ballin’ Blues 3:23

4. Pretty Baby 4:57

5. Lopin’ 2:51

6. Talk That Talk 4:11

7. Black Talk 3:38

8. D Minor Dipper 5:16

9. Dejeuner 6:20

10. A Private Cloud 4:40

11. June Is Bustin’ Out All Over 3:07

12. Blu-Binsky 6:12

13. R.U.1.2. 8:00

CD2

1. Shirley Ray 6:03

2. Ba-Lu-Ee-Du 5:48

3. Pretty For The People 8:05

4. Takin’ Care Of Business 5:24

5. Pay Day 3:55

6. Joy Box 6:03

7. Full Moon 5:11

8. Blue Baby 3:36

9. The Sultan 4:24

10. Blue Shout 3:23

11. Dikie How Long Baby 4:59

RECORDED Hackensack, New Jersey, 1957-1958

PERSONNEL A.K. Salim, Leader, Arranger and Conductor with Joe Wilder, Johnny Coles, Jimmy Nottingham, Kenny Dorham (tp), Nat Adderley (cornet), Frank Rehak, Buster Cooper (tb), Marshall Royal, Phil Woods (as), Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Seldon Powell (fl, ts), Johnny Griffin (ts), Howard Austin, Charlie Fowlkes, Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab (bars), Kenny Burrell (g), Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly (p), Wendell Marshall, George Duvivier, Paul Chambers (b), Bobby Donaldson, Osie Johnson, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones (d), Chino Pozo (conga)

[JohnS]

The Salim set has some great music, very definitely recommended. However it doesn't include two alternate takes that appeared on the Atlantic/Savoy reissue of Pretty For The People.

[Kyo]

The Lateef sounds interesting. I got the OJCs from eMusic, so to have them on

CD would be a nice extra. But I'm mostly interested in the Savoy stuff. I'll wait

until I hear some comments about the sound quality of those tracks, though.

Too bad Savoy couldn't be bothered to officially release this stuff on CD themselves. Idiots.

Edited May 8, 2008 by Kyo

[Swinging Swede]

What about the 1958 Argo album Yusef At Cranbook? That one seems to have been completely overlooked in the CD reissue age.

[jazzbo]

The Lateef sounds interesting. I got the OJCs from eMusic, so to have them on

CD would be a nice extra. But I'm mostly interested in the Savoy stuff. I'll wait

until I hear some comments about the sound quality of those tracks, though.

Too bad Savoy couldn't be bothered to officially release this stuff on CD themselves. Idiots.

Savoy did manage to issue about 70% of it on cd. I wouldn't hesitate on sound quality reasons, I'm sure these cds are going to sound more than fine.

[jazzbo]

What about the 1958 Argo album Yusef At Cranbook? That one seems to have been completely overlooked in the CD reissue age.

Totally agree and am likewise mystified at the absence of this one. I have an "okay" lp copy. . .that could definitely stand to be replaced by a cd for listening.

[mjzee]

I marvel at the '50's. So Yusef Lateef, who had never led a date before, recorded NINE albums in 1957 alone??? My gosh, what a vibrant market.

This is off topic, but I often wonder: at a time when so many jazz albums were released, how many could the average buyer buy at one time?

[Late]

Yusef Lateef, who had never led a date before, recorded NINE albums in 1957 alone?

I often wonder: at a time when so many jazz albums were released, how many could the average buyer buy at one time?

Good questions. Records had to have been relatively cheap to "produce" at that time, and then priced very modestly. Just an assumption, of course, as I wasn't around in the 50's. And that doesn't answer any of your questions!

Have any of you noticed recently that if Lonehill etc. dried up and failed to exist ... that would essentially cut in half Dusty Groove's jazz offerings? It seems that DG's making a killing on these "borrowed" CDs. They must, otherwise they wouldn't keep restocking them.

Another question: are packaging and liner notes important to all here when they buy a Lonehill "reissue"? If Lonehill can burn a disc from Mosaic etc. and sell it for profit, why don't CD-R trading circles exist that prey off Lonehill stuff, especially those CDs that come from harder-to-find vinyl sources? Well, they probably do exist ...

I have/had one Lonehill disc — the Steve Lacy Whitey Mitchell sessions. I burned it and sold it, and didn't feel bad about that afterward. It's one I'd recommend, and there's one used copy out there somewhere!

Oh -- got an e-mail from Cuscuna a while back, and he said that Dave Bailey's Epic sessions were "on the list" for the Mosaic Select treatment. I imagine it'll happen eventually.

[BillF]

Ah, I see the Salim stuff is on this set here (sorry for not reading your post better, Lon) - looks mighty good!

The Modern Sounds Of A.k. Salim - Complete Savoy Recordings 1957-1958 Double Cd

A.K. Salim

Featuring: A.K. Salim, Leader, Arranger and Conductor with Joe Wilder, Johnny Coles, Jimmy Nottingham, Kenny Dorham (tp), Nat Adderley (cornet), Frank Rehak, Buster Cooper (tb), Marshall Royal, Phil Woods (as), Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Seldon Powell (fl, ts)...

REFERENCE: FSRCD 474_2

BAR CODE: 8427328604741

PRICE: 17.50 €

A.K. Salim (Ahmad Khatab Atkinson) was an ex-reed man who retired from playing in 1943 to arrange and compose for several jazz and Afro- Cuban bands. This 2-CD set draws together all the recordings he did as a leader for Savoy Records in 1957-1958. Most of his work here reflects Salim’s deep knowledge of blues and his arranger’s talent for setting down relatively simple lines combining down home traditionalism with harmonic sophistication. His unpretentious arrangements have an unmistakably visceral quality and offer a fine framework for the eloquently powerful soloists of both reed and brass sections. Some of the greatest modern jazz pianists, bassists and drummers round out the rhythm, along with guitar in a few tracks, in both support and solo capacities, while the presence of a conga blends well with the Latino-flavored charts in what is, overall, a satisfying and thoroughly swinging collection.

Tracklisting:

CD1

1. Duo-Flautists 2:45

2. Miltown Blues 7:20

3. Ballin’ Blues 3:23

4. Pretty Baby 4:57

5. Lopin’ 2:51

6. Talk That Talk 4:11

7. Black Talk 3:38

8. D Minor Dipper 5:16

9. Dejeuner 6:20

10. A Private Cloud 4:40

11. June Is Bustin’ Out All Over 3:07

12. Blu-Binsky 6:12

13. R.U.1.2. 8:00

CD2

1. Shirley Ray 6:03

2. Ba-Lu-Ee-Du 5:48

3. Pretty For The People 8:05

4. Takin’ Care Of Business 5:24

5. Pay Day 3:55

6. Joy Box 6:03

7. Full Moon 5:11

8. Blue Baby 3:36

9. The Sultan 4:24

10. Blue Shout 3:23

11. Dikie How Long Baby 4:59

RECORDED Hackensack, New Jersey, 1957-1958

PERSONNEL A.K. Salim, Leader, Arranger and Conductor with Joe Wilder, Johnny Coles, Jimmy Nottingham, Kenny Dorham (tp), Nat Adderley (cornet), Frank Rehak, Buster Cooper (tb), Marshall Royal, Phil Woods (as), Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Seldon Powell (fl, ts), Johnny Griffin (ts), Howard Austin, Charlie Fowlkes, Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab (bars), Kenny Burrell (g), Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly (p), Wendell Marshall, George Duvivier, Paul Chambers (b), Bobby Donaldson, Osie Johnson, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones (d), Chino Pozo (conga)

That looks worth looking into! A. K. seems largely to have passed me by. All I can find in my collection is his "Dizzy's Blues" by the 1956 Gillespie band, which has a tremendous bop arrangement credited to him. Come to think of it, there are quite a few of Dizzy's men listed in the above personnel.

[JSngry]

Records had to have been relatively cheap to "produce" at that time, and then priced very modestly. ally.

$3.98 was the norm, IIRC. Maybe $4.98 for stereo. Or maybe at one (earlier) point, a dollar less both ways.

I bought my first LP in 1968, and that's what prices were then.

[Big Beat Steve]

I marvel at the '50's. So Yusef Lateef, who had never led a date before, recorded NINE albums in 1957 alone??? My gosh, what a vibrant market.

This is off topic, but I often wonder: at a time when so many jazz albums were released, how many could the average buyer buy at one time?

At roughly that time both U.S. AND European jazz magazines (and I've read a few of them from that era) complained persistently about the FLOOD of jazz records that hit the market. Sort of musical overdose ...

[John Tapscott]

Records had to have been relatively cheap to "produce" at that time, and then priced very modestly. ally.

$3.98 was the norm, IIRC. Maybe $4.98 for stereo. Or maybe at one (earlier) point, a dollar less both ways.

I bought my first LP in 1968, and that's what prices were then.

Considering price inflation since 1968 (not to mention since the '50's) the average CD price today (say $15) seems like a bargain, especially when you often get twice as much music per disc.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Records had to have been relatively cheap to "produce" at that time, and then priced very modestly. ally.

$3.98 was the norm, IIRC. Maybe $4.98 for stereo. Or maybe at one (earlier) point, a dollar less both ways.

I bought my first LP in 1968, and that's what prices were then.

How many pints of beer could you buy then for the price of an LP?

And how many can you buy now for the price of a (new) CD?

MG

[Kyo]

Savoy did manage to issue about 70% of it on cd.

You're right, there aren't that many tracks that weren't released on CD officially yet.

That makes it even harder for me. I haven't bought Jazz Moods yet because I'd been

hoping for a "First Savoy Sessions" two-fer to complete his Savoy discography.

[king ubu]

Another good looking one:

Jazz Sahib - Complete Sextets Sessions 1956-1957 (2-cd Set)

Sahib Shihab

Featuring: Eddie Bert (tb), Sahib Shihab (as, bars), Phil Woods (as), Benny Golson (ts), Bobby Jaspar (ts, fl), Hank Jones, Bill Evans (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Paul Chambers, Oscar Pettiford (b), Kenny Clarke, Elvin Jones(d).

REFERENCE: FSRCD 487

BAR CODE: 8427328604871

PRICE: 17.50 €

This 2-CD set features veteran bop era saxophonist SAHIB SHIHAB (aka Edmund Gregory). After playing alto saxophone with Luther Henderson and Fletcher Henderson’s bands, he tuned into the new music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Despite his association with stars such as Roy Eldridge, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Lucky Thompson, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie, he remains largely underrated. While with Gillespie in 1951 he started to play baritone sax and since then alternated in both instruments, although the big horn became his main voice. In 1956 and 1957, before he went to Europe, he made—along with several outstanding sidemen—some great sextet recordings on baritone, as a leader, mostly for Savoy Records, except one early alto session for Epic Records. Here, for the first time on CD, are all these sextet sides plus two swinging dates he recorded with Mort Herbert’s group, also for Savoy.

This collection surely will put him in the place he deserves in the jazz field.

Recoded New York City, 1956 + Hackensack, New Jersey, 1956-1957.

CD-1

1 Swissmovement

2 Night People

3 I’ve Got You Under My Skin

4 Son Of The Preacher

5 Hum-Bug

6 Southern Exposure

7 Blues For Fred And Fay

8 Mitch’s Carol

9 S.M.T.W.T.F.S.S. Blues

10 Rockaway

11 The Things We Did Last Summer

CD-2

1 S.M.T.W.T.F.S.S. Blues

2 Sugar Dugar

3 Lo-Ba

4 The Moors

5 Jamila

6 Blu-A-Round

7 Le’ Sneak

8 Ballad To The East

9 Ba-Dut-Du-Dat

Some info from jazzdisco:

Mort Herbert Sextet

Don Stratton (tp) Mike Cuozzo (ts) Sahib Shihab (bars, fl) Ronnie Ball (p) Mort Herbert (b) Kenny Clarke (d)

NYC, March 12, 1956

69166 Swiss Movement Savoy MG 12073

69167 Night People -

69168 I've Got You Under My Skin -

69169 Son Of The Preacher -

* Mort Herbert - Night People (Savoy MG 12073)

Sahib Shihab Sextet

Eddie Bert (tb) Sahib Shihab (bars) Tommy Flanagan (p) Kenny Burrell (g) Carl Pruitt (b) Elvin Jones (d)

NYC, May 17, 1956

CO55945 Humbug Epic LN 3339

CO55946 Southern Exposure -

* Various Artists - After Hours Jazz (Epic LN 3339)

Mort Herbert Sextet

Joe Wilder (tp) Bobby Jaspar (ts) Sahib Shihab (bars, fl) Dick Katz (p) Mort Herbert (b) Kenny Clarke (d)

NYC, May 29, 1956

69211 Blues For Fred And Fay Savoy MG 12073

69212 Mitch's Carol -

69213 That's All -

* Mort Herbert - Night People (Savoy MG 12073)

Sahib Shihab Sextet

John Jenkins (as) Clifford Jordan (ts) Sahib Shihab (bars) Hank Jones (p) Addison Farmer (b) Dannie Richmond (d)

NYC, June 6, 1957

SSS70068 SWTWTFSS Blues Savoy MG 12112

SSS70069 Rockaway -

SSS70070 The Things We Did Last Summer -

SSS70071 Loba unissued

* Herbie Mann/Sahib Shihab - The Jazz We Heard Last Summer (Savoy MG 12112)

Sahib Shihab Sextet

Phil Woods (as) Benny Golson (ts) Sahib Shihab (bars) Hank Jones (p) Paul Chambers (b) Art Taylor (d)

Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, July 9, 1957

70085 SMTWTFSS Blues Savoy MG 12124, SJL 2245

70086 Sugar Dugar Savoy MG 12123

70087 Loba unissued

70088 The Moors Savoy MG 12124, SJL 2245

70089 Jamilla -

* Sahib Shihab - Jazz Sahib (Savoy MG 12124)

* Sahib Shihab - All Star Sextets (Savoy SJL 2245)

* Various Artists - Jazz Is Busting Out All Over! (Savoy MG 12123)

Sahib Shihab Sextet

Phil Woods (as) Benny Golson (ts) Sahib Shihab (bars) Bill Evans (p) Oscar Pettiford (b) Art Taylor (d)

Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, November 7, 1957

Blu-A-Round Savoy MG 12124, SJL 2245

Le Sneak -

Ballad To The East -

Ba-Dat-Du-Dat -

* Sahib Shihab - Jazz Sahib (Savoy MG 12124)

* Sahib Shihab - All Star Sextets (Savoy SJL 2245)

[Kevin Bresnahan]

All of these EU public domain releases were expected and they were the main reason I was shocked that Concord paid as much for the OJC labels as they did. I wonder if that deal will be worth it? The only thing that might save them is when those Beatles sessions start hitting public domain. The next few years will tell.

[king ubu]

Well, after what Concord is doing (or rather: not doing) with the Fantasy catalogue... I really don't know what to think. Same for Savoy - who owns that stuff, is that still Warner? Or are they independent again? They, and Concord neither, don't seem to have any interest in doing "real" reissues, beyond repacking the best known items they own (Concord's RVG series) or doing lousy compilations (at least that's all I've seen from Savoy, in the last four or five years).

I simply don't know.

[jazzbo]

Well, after what Concord is doing (or rather: not doing) with the Fantasy catalogue... I really don't know what to think. Same for Savoy - who owns that stuff, is that still Warner? Or are they independent again? They, and Concord neither, don't seem to have any interest in doing "real" reissues, beyond repacking the best known items they own (Concord's RVG series) or doing lousy compilations (at least that's all I've seen from Savoy, in the last four or five years).

I simply don't know.

Just a personal note: those compilations are far from lousy!

[king ubu]

Well, after what Concord is doing (or rather: not doing) with the Fantasy catalogue... I really don't know what to think. Same for Savoy - who owns that stuff, is that still Warner? Or are they independent again? They, and Concord neither, don't seem to have any interest in doing "real" reissues, beyond repacking the best known items they own (Concord's RVG series) or doing lousy compilations (at least that's all I've seen from Savoy, in the last four or five years).

I simply don't know.

Just a personal note: those compilations are far from lousy!

I'm not talking of any of those old digipack series - I have many of them and they're good or better! What I mean is those "Timeless" 1CD compilations, usually only about 40 minutes long, omitting some music where they could have just combined two full albums (i.e. the Timeless Donald Byrd, which has half of the Byrd's Word or Work album and half of Star Eyes - what a stupid disc! I still fell for it as I didn't have Byrd's Word/k at that time).

[jazzbo]

Okay, and what I was thinking about was the compilations like "Red Hot Blues" etc. and the R&B box etc.-- those are well chosen compilations that bring to cd a lot of otherwise orhaned 78s.