Chet Baker’s Quartet with Russ Freeman was one of the best combos of its time. The May 9, 1954 concert at Ann Arbor took place at the city’s Masonic Temple, and was originally issued as Jazz at Ann Arbor. Presented here is the Ann Arbor concert in its entirety, along with, as a bonus, five quartet sides recorded by Chet in a Paris studio in 1955 during his first European tour, among them another version of the classic "Lover Man".

Although Johnny "Guitar" Watson had already recorded some sides for Federal (including the astonishing instrumental "Space Guitar"), the majority of those tunes featured the piano-playing Young John Watson. It was when he began recording for the Bihari Brothers' RPM subsidiary of Modern Records that he "became" Johnny "Guitar" Watson and his amazing legacy really began. The songs are solid West Coast blues, but they're brought to the next level by Watson's impassioned vocals and his incredible biting, staccato guitar solos. Watson's tenure at RPM was short-lived (as were most of his label relationships) and all these tracks were recorded in 1955, but they were wildly influential on a number of great guitarists and still hold their power 50 years down the road…

Joe Roland was a talented but now long-forgotten vibraphonist whose boppish style sometimes sounds similar to Milt Jackson. He recorded as a leader for Rainbow (two numbers in 1949), Savoy (in 1950 and 1954), and six selections for Sesco from 1953-1954, but was best-known for his period as a member of the George Shearing Quintet. This album was the vibist's final set as a leader. The music is quite worthwhile, mainstream bop of the period. Roland alternates standards with a few originals, including "Stairway to the Steinway" and "Goodbye Bird" (for Charlie Parker, who had died five days earlier). A worthwhile reissue.

On Blue & Sentimental, tenor saxman Guy Laffite leads a quartet through a series of ballads originally composed by the likes of Count Basie (the title track), Duke Ellington ("Krum Elbow Blues"), and Ted Koehler ("Get Happy," "I've Got the World on a String"), among others. It's a rather laid-back and unchallenging set that's intended more for relaxing than analysis, and when approached as such, it proves quite effective. Laffite's quartet includes Raymond Fol (piano), George Daly (vibraphone), and Peanuts Holland (trumpet).

The Koch Jazz reissue Arranged/Played/Composed by Jack Montrose was originally released on Atlantic in 1955. Tenor saxophonist Montrose was from the West Coast school of cool jazz, and was significantly influenced by classical music. On this date he was thinking specifically about utilizing every instrument in structured chamber-esque arrangements. Montrose managed to achieve his goal of leading a swinging improvised jazz session without being restricted by this rigid structure. Baritone saxophonist Bob Gordon, pianist Paul Moer, bassist Red Mitchell, and drummer Shelly Manne run through five Montrose originals coupled with popular songs of the time "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Have You Met Miss Jones."

There are two schools of thought regarding this Clifford Brown with strings session. Brownie plays quite beautifully and shows off his warm tone on such numbers as "Portrait of Jenny," "Memories of You," "Embraceable You" and "Stardust." But on the other hand the string arrangements by Neal Hefti border on muzak and Brown never really departs from the melody. So the trumpeter's tone is the only reason to acquire this disc which to this listener is a slight disappointment, not living up to its potential.

"The man who was Django’s prestigious partner in the first, immortal Quintette du H.C.F. has made an appearance (on wax) for Barclay with a series of recordings in which you can rediscover his pretty sound and abundant, easy ideas; in a word, his style which, though with less of a bite than before, has lost none of its grace." Those were the first lines of the review that a certain Michel Delaroche (in fact Boris Vian) wrote for the November 1955 issue of Jazz Hot; the subject was this album, the first that Stéphane Grappelli ("Grappelly" at the time) had made on violin under his own name since he'd left England.
The violinist had celebrated his definitive return to France at the Club Saint-Germain on the night of April 25th 1954; he would appear there on and off for the next seven years…

In the '50s, the party line among New York jazz critics was that hard bop was the "true faith" and that cool jazz was lightweight and unemotional. But Miles Davis knew better. The trumpeter (whose Birth of the Cool sessions of 1949-1950 proved to be incredibly influential) was smart enough to realize that cool jazz and hard bop were equally valid parts of the house that Charlie Parker built, and he had no problem working with cool jazzmen one minute and hard boppers the next. Recorded for Charles Mingus' Debut label in 1955, Blue Moods is an excellent example of cool jazz. However, not all of the musicians who join Davis on this album were full-time members of jazz's cool school.

Originally recorded for Period Records in 1954, this fairly obscure early Charles Mingus session is a collaboration with composer John LaPorta, who is heard on clarinet and alto saxophone. It's a fascinating effort that shows Mingus' awareness of both modern European classical composition and cool jazz.
The set includes a mix of Mingus and LaPorta originals, plus freshly arranged standards like "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "Stormy Weather." Also on hand are the great trumpeter Thad Jones and saxophonist/producer Teo Macero. The album features Mingus' debut on piano.

Mambo with Tjader was one of vibraphonist and composer Cal Tjader's first major recordings. Fascinated with the rhythms and atmospheres of Latin music, Tjader was one of the first musicians to successfully fuse South American musical styles with straight-ahead jazz. In retrospect, the lush, laid-back, vibes-heavy groove of Tjader's inventions anticipates the "lounge" music of the '50s and '60s - offering the sort of soft, swinging soundtrack appropriate for the consumption of dry martinis on leatherette love seats.
But Mambo with Tjader is valuable for more than mere kitsch factor. Over the course of the album's 12 tracks, a rich tapestry of tropical percussion works through three rhythmic models - the mambo, the cha-cha, and the bolero…

On these 1955 quartet sessions, whether on alto or tenor saxophone, we hear Charlie Mariano play some of the strongest and most impressive sides he had recorded until then. He was backed by a solid rhythm section, featuring the stabbing and leanly imaginative pianist John Williams, the striding beat of Max Bennett, and the always tasteful drumming of Mel Lewis. All the tracks are marked by a pulse and a flow and deftness which demand satisfactory attention.

Most of the Sinatra recordings available during the 1950s consisted of his contemporary work for Capitol Records. But every so often his former label, Columbia Records, would get something together on LP from among his '40s and early-'50s sides. The Voice was one of a handful of '50s long-players showcasing the first phase of Sinatra's solo career, and at the time it wowed listeners – the focus is on the ballads, and the dozen represented here constitute a bumper crop of classics, all resplendent in the singer's richest, most overpowering intonation and most delicately nuanced work…