Shelly Manne - Alive in London (1970)

Shelly Manne - Alive in London (1970)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 285MB

OJC

Allmusic:
This CD reissue is taken from drummer Shelly Manne's brief avant-garde period. Actually Manne does not play much different than usual but his sextet (trumpeter Gary Barone, John Gross on tenor, keyboardist Mike Wofford, guitarist John Morell and bassist Roland Haynes) was open to much freer improvising than one would have heard in Manne's more famous groups of the 1950s. John Gross is easily the most impressive soloist but in general the well-intentioned music is not all that memorable.

Tracks
-1. "Three on a Match" - Morell - 10:14
-2. "Once Again" - Bohannon - 9:05
-3. "Big Oak Basin" - Barone - 9:20
-4. "Illusion" - Jones - 6:27
-5. "Don't Know" - Morell - 6:48

Personnel
* Shelly Manne (drums)
* Gary Barone (trumpet, flugelhorn)
* John Gross (tenor saxophone)
* Mike Wofford (electric piano)
* John Morell (guitar)
* Roland Haynes (bass)

sample & buy: Alive in London

 

Shelly Manne - The Three & The Two (1954) (eac-log-cover)

Shelly Manne - The Three & The Two (1954)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

OJC

Allmusic:
These two sets for the Contemporary label (reissued on CD by the OJC label) are a couple of the more unusual sessions led by drummer Shelly Manne in the 1950s. "The Three" feature trumpeter Shorty Rogers; Jimmy Giuffre alternating on clarinet, tenor, and baritone; and Manne -- there is no piano or bass. Some of the six performances (particularly the four originals) are quite free, particularly the completely improvised "Abstract No. 1." Although these selections were not influential, they rank second in chronological order (behind Lennie Tristano's performances of 1949) among free jazz records. The remainder of this set is a duet between pianist Russ Freeman and Manne ("the Two"), and is also quite advanced in spots, although in general it is a more swinging session while still being unpredictable. Overall, a very interesting reissue.

Tracks:
-01. Flip 2:56
-02. Autumn In New York 3:50
-03. Pas De Trois 4:35
-04. Three On A Row 5:08
-05. Steeplechase 2:51
-06. Abstract No. 1 3:34
-07. The Sound Effects Manne 4:00
-08. Everything Happens To Me 4:32
-09. Billie's Bounce 3:12
-10. With A Song In My Heart 3:06
-11. A Slight Minority 3:22
-12. Speak Easy 4:20
Recording information: Los Angeles, CA (09/10/1954/09/14/1954).

Personnel:
*Shelly Manne (drums) 1-12;
*Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone) 1-6;
*Shorty Rogers (trumpet) 1-6;
*Russ Freeman (piano) 7-12.

sample & buy: Three & The Two

Shelly Manne - At The Black Hawk, v1-5 (1959) (eac-log-cover)

Shelly Manne & His Men - At The Black Hawk, v1-5 (1959)

jazz | 5cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 1750MB

OJC | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Shelly Manne's Quintet was recorded extensively at San Francisco's Black Hawk club for three nights in 1959. Although not the most significant group that the drummer led, this edition (with trumpeter Joe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca, pianist Victor Feldman, and bassist Monty Budwig) was certainly capable of playing high-quality bebop. Originally their output was released on four LPs; the reissue expanded the music to five CDs. ...
...The extended performances are easily recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans.

Tracks:
cd1
1- Summertime (11:56)
2- Our Delight (11:57)
3- Poinciana (13:00)
4- Poinciana (alt) (8:33)
5- Blue Daniel (8:06)
6- Theme: A Gem From Tiffany (00:17)
cd2
1- Step Lightly (12:38)
2- What's New? (13:23)
3- Vamp's Blues (19:49)
4- Step Lightly (alt) (14:13)
5- Theme: A Gem From Tiffany (00:15)
cd3
1- I Am In Love (12:11)
2- Whisper Not (09:44)
3- Black Hawk Blues (18:12)
4- Whisper Not (alt) (12:24)
cd4
1- Cabu (10:48)
2- Just Squeeze Me (12:51)
3- Nightingale (12:03)
4- Theme: A Gem From Tiffany (09:40)
5- Cabu (alt) (11:45)
cd5
1- How Deep Are The Roots (11:02)
2- This Is Always (10:00)
3- Wonder Why (8:49)
4- Eclipse Of Spain (10:30)
5- Pullin' Strings (4:34)
6- Theme: A Gem From Tiffany (5:39)

Personnel:
Joe Gordon - trumpet
Richie Kamuca - tenor sax
Victor Feldman - piano
Monty Budwig - bass
Shelly Manne - drums

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Shelly Manne - Steps To The Desert (1962) (eac-log-cover)

Shelly Manne - Steps To The Desert (1962)

- Modern Jazz Versions of Favorite Jewish and Israeli Songs -

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 330MB

Contemporary Records | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
When Shelly Manne recorded Steps to the Desert in 1962, John Coltrane was among the most controversial musicians in jazz. Some people praised Coltrane's modal innovations; others detested his post-bop work and even went so far as to describe it as "anti-jazz" (which is simply ridiculous). Arguably, Steps to the Desert is Manne's way of acknowledging the influential saxophonist; the CD has a modal orientation, and it indicates that the Los Angeles-based drummer was paying close attention to Coltrane in the early '60s. Not that Steps to the Desert is actually meant to be a tribute to the influential saxman -- if Coltrane (or for that matter, Miles Davis or Yusef Lateef) showed Manne the possibilities of modal jazz, he certainly embraces it on his own terms. Steps to the Desert finds Manne and five other West Coast jazzmen (including trumpeter/flugelhornist Shorty Rogers, tenor saxman Teddy Edwards, vibist/pianist Victor Feldman, guitarist Al Viola and bassist Monty Budwig) providing post-bop interpretations of songs that have some type of Jewish connection, and the material ranges from traditional favorites like "Hava Nagila," "Yossel, Yossel" (also known as "Joseph, Joseph") and "Zamar Nodad" to Ernest Gold's "Exodus" (which a hit for French vocalist Edith Piaf). Coltrane never recorded an album with a Jewish theme; he did, however, show a strong appreciation of modal music from India, the Middle East and North Africa, and Jewish music is certainly part of the modal family. If Coltrane had decided to record a bunch of Yiddish and Israeli songs, they probably would have worked as well for him as they work for Manne on Steps to the Desert -- which is among the most intriguing and memorable sessions that he recorded in the early '60s.

Tracks:
01. Hava Nagila (Come Let's Be Happy)
02. Bei Mir Bist du Schoen
03. Yossel, Yossel
04. Zamar Nodad
05. Bokrei Lachish
06. Tzena
07. Exodus
08. Die Greene Koseene
09. My Yiddishe Momme
10. Orchah Bamidbar (Steps to the Desert)
11. Zamar Nodad - (single edit)
12. Exodus - (single edit)
13. Tzena - (single edit)
14. Hava Nagila - (single edit)

Personnel:
Shelly Manne (drums); Teddy Edwards (tenor saxophone); Shorty Rogers (trumpet, flugelhorn); Victor Feldman (piano, vibraphone); Al Viola (guitar); Monty Budwig (bass).

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