Clark Terry – Serenade to a Bus Seat (1957) – Riverside Keepnews Collection CD

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Clark Terry — Serenade to a Bus Seat · Riverside Keepnews Collection CD

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Start with “Donna Lee.” Even at that pace, Clark Terry gives each phrase a clear shape. Listen to the contrast between his trumpet and Johnny Griffin’s tenor, then follow Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones as they keep the tune moving. Recorded for Riverside in New York in April 1957, Serenade to a Bus Seat rounds out the quintet with Wynton Kelly on piano.

Then put on “Star Dust.” With more room between the notes, you can hear how Terry eases into the melody and lets it settle. For another change of pace, try “That Old Black Magic”: Terry and Griffin add cowbell and claves, a playful touch that fits the tune.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you mainly know Terry from Duke Ellington’s orchestra, this quintet date gives you room to hear his timing and humour up close. Come back to “Donna Lee” and listen to Wynton Kelly behind the horns: his brief replies are part of what makes the performance so much fun.

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Lee Morgan – Sextet (Vol. 2, 1957) – Japan CD

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Lee Morgan — Sextet (Vol. 2) · Japanese Blue Note CD · TOCJ-1541

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Start with Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not.” Listen to how the three horns give the melody its shape, then to how Lee Morgan keeps that shape in mind when he solos. Recorded on 2 December 1956 and released by Blue Note in 1957, the session pairs Morgan’s trumpet with Kenny Rodgers on alto saxophone and Hank Mobley on tenor. Horace Silver, Paul Chambers and Charlie Persip are on piano, bass and drums.

“Latin Hangover” changes the feel of the session. After listening to the horns on “Whisper Not,” try following Silver and Persip here: the piano and drums give the tune its bounce and leave plenty of room for the horns to answer one another.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you came to Morgan through The Sidewinder, this is a good way to get to know his earlier Blue Note work. Golson’s writing is part of the pleasure: go back to the opening of “Whisper Not” after hearing the solos and listen to how distinct the three voices remain even when they play together.

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Thelonious Monk – Alone in San Francisco +1 (1959) – Japan CD

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Thelonious Monk — Alone in San Francisco +1 · Japanese CD

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Recorded for Riverside in San Francisco in October 1959, Alone in San Francisco lets you hear how much Monk can do with a piano and a familiar tune. On “Blue Monk,” listen to the way his left hand keeps the blues moving while the melody leans against the beat. “Ruby, My Dear” has a different kind of pull: Monk lets the chords ring, then leaves just enough space to make you wait for the next phrase.

The programme moves between Monk’s own pieces, including “Pannonica” and “Reflections,” and standards such as “Everything Happens to Me.” The +1 on this Japanese CD is an alternate take of “There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie.” Try playing the two takes back to back and listening to where he pauses and how he returns to the melody.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you usually listen to Monk with a band, this is a chance to hear how much of the swing comes from his touch and timing alone. “Blue Monk” is an easy way in, but “Reflections” is the one I’d come back to when the room is quiet.

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The Magnificent Thad Jones (1956) – Japan CD

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Thad Jones — The Magnificent Thad Jones · CD

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If you know “April in Paris” from Count Basie’s big band, try Thad Jones’s small-group reading. He gives the melody a relaxed, almost conversational shape. Recorded for Blue Note in July 1956, the session brings Jones’s trumpet together with Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Max Roach on drums.

Start with “April in Paris,” then go back to the opener, “Thedia.” The two tracks give you a feel for the range of the session: there’s room for Jones to linger over a melody, and plenty of lift when the band picks up the pace. “Billie-Doo” is another good place to hear how naturally trumpet and tenor sit alongside each other.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you know Jones mainly as an arranger or bandleader, this record gives you a close listen to his trumpet. Play “If Someone Had Told Me” last: with just piano, bass and drums behind him, you can hear how much expression he gets from a phrase and the space he leaves around it.

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Sam Rivers – Fuchsia Swing Song (1965) Japan CD

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Sam Rivers — Fuchsia Swing Song · Japanese CD

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Recorded in 1964 and released in 1965, Fuchsia Swing Song was Sam Rivers’s debut as a leader for Blue Note. On tenor saxophone he’s joined by Jaki Byard on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums. The opening title track is a good place to hear how the quartet works: Rivers stretches his phrases across the beat while Williams keeps changing the accents underneath him.

Then there’s “Beatrice.” Rivers gives the melody room to breathe, and Byard’s spare accompaniment makes the tune feel even more intimate. Play it after the restless “Luminous Monolith” and you get a sense of how much ground this quartet could cover in a single session.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you enjoy the point where Blue Note’s hard bop opens into more adventurous music, this is a rewarding record to spend time with. On a second listen, follow Carter and Williams behind the solos: there’s almost as much to hear there as in Rivers’s tenor.

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Duke Pearson – How Insensitive (1969 sessions) – Japan CD

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Duke Pearson — How Insensitive · Japanese Blue Note CD

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On How Insensitive, Duke Pearson brings Brazilian songs, jazz and choral textures into the same Blue Note album. He moves between acoustic piano, electric piano and flugelhorn, with musicians including guitarist Al Gafa, bassist Bob Cranshaw, drummer Mickey Roker and percussionist Airto Moreira. Andy Bey is among the featured singers.

Start with the title track, Pearson’s reading of Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Insensatez,” and listen to how the arrangement gives the melody room to breathe. Then try “Sandalia Dela” for a livelier side of the album, where the percussion and voices are part of what makes the tune move.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you know Pearson from Fuego or from his arrangements for Donald Byrd’s A New Perspective, this is a chance to hear him explore a different palette under his own name. Listen to how the voices, guitar and percussion change roles from one track to the next. That variety is a good reason to play the album straight through.

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Japanese Blue Note CD edition. The photographs show the actual copy offered for sale. See the eBay listing for edition details, condition and shipping options.

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Stanley Turrentine – Look Out! (1960) – Japan CD

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Stanley Turrentine — Look Out! · Japanese Blue Note CD

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Recorded at Van Gelder Studio on 18 June 1960, Look Out! puts Stanley Turrentine’s tenor saxophone in front of a trio with Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass and Al Harewood on drums. With no second horn, there’s plenty of room to hear how Turrentine varies the weight of a note or lets a short blues phrase carry a whole chorus.

Start with the title track, where Tucker and Harewood keep the pulse moving while Turrentine phrases across it. Then try “Little Sheri.” Its easy pace brings out the warmth in his sound and gives Parlan room to answer the tenor with a few well-placed chords.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you’ve been listening to Horace Parlan’s Movin’ & Groovin’, this is a rewarding companion. It gives you a chance to hear Parlan with Tucker and Harewood again, this time shaping the music around Turrentine’s tenor. Follow the rhythm section for a chorus or two and you’ll hear how much of the album’s swing comes from their interplay.

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Japanese Blue Note CD edition. The photographs show the actual copy offered for sale. See the eBay listing for edition details, condition and shipping options.

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Hank Mobley – No Room for Squares (1964) – Japan CD

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Hank Mobley — No Room for Squares · Japanese Blue Note CD

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No Room for Squares draws on two 1963 Blue Note sessions, with Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone and Philly Joe Jones on drums throughout. The March date features Donald Byrd on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano and Butch Warren on bass. In October, Lee Morgan, Andrew Hill and John Ore take their places.

Start with “Up a Step” and listen to how Hancock’s piano opens up space around Mobley’s lines. Then try the title track: Morgan’s more pointed attack changes the balance of the front line, and Hill’s chord accents give Mobley a different backdrop. Philly Joe’s playing is a good thread to follow across both tracks.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you know Mobley from Workout, this is a rewarding next stop. You can hear how readily his tenor adapts to two different quintets while keeping its own character. The chance to compare Hancock and Hill behind the same leader is another reason to listen to the album straight through.

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Japanese Blue Note CD edition. The photographs show the actual copy offered for sale. See the eBay listing for edition details, condition and shipping options.

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Kenny Drew – Undercurrent (1961) – Japan CD

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Kenny Drew — Undercurrent · Japanese Blue Note CD

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On Undercurrent, pianist Kenny Drew leads a Blue Note quintet with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. The title track makes a strong opener: listen to how Hubbard’s bright attack and Mobley’s rounded tenor give the same theme two different colours.

Follow it with “Funky Blues,” where the more relaxed pace makes it easier to hear what Drew does behind the horns. His chords punctuate the soloists’ lines, while Jones and Hayes give the music an easy forward motion.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you know Drew chiefly as an accompanist, this is a chance to hear how he shapes a session as a leader. It also makes a good companion to Mobley’s Workout: there the tenor is paired with Grant Green’s guitar, while here Hubbard’s trumpet gives Mobley a very different partner.

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Japanese Blue Note CD edition, catalogue number TOCJ-9049. The photographs show the actual copy offered for sale. See the eBay listing for condition and shipping details.

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Lee Morgan – Introducing Lee Morgan (1956 session) – Japan CD

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Lee Morgan — Introducing Lee Morgan · Japanese CD

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Recorded for Savoy in 1956, Introducing Lee Morgan pairs the young trumpeter with Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Hank Jones on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Art Taylor on drums. Morgan’s bright attack and Mobley’s more rounded sound are easy to tell apart, even when the two horns state a theme together.

Start with Mobley’s “Hank’s Shout.” Listen to how Morgan pushes a phrase forward, then how Mobley settles into a line at his own pace. Hank Jones is worth following behind both: his chords mark the changes without getting in the way of either soloist.

Why this album deserves a place in your collection

If you know Morgan from Search for the New Land, this Savoy date takes you back to the start of his recording career. The setting is firmly rooted in hard bop, and the contrast with Mobley makes it easy to hear how much of Morgan’s musical personality was already in place.

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Japanese CD edition of the Savoy album. The photographs show the actual copy offered for sale. See the eBay listing for edition details, condition and shipping options.

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