On Everything I Love, the exceptionally elegant, knighted American jazz piano maestro Sir Roland Hanna steps completely isolated into the studio to deliver a deeply reflective, romantic, and masterfully panoramic solo document. Released in late 2002 by the specialized audiophile imprint IPO Recordings, this profound interpretive milestone captures Hanna in one of his absolute final recording sessions before his passing, showcasing a lifetime of structural brilliance. Spanning over 72 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity spatial design, the 13-track landscape operates with a relaxed, deeply expressive, and beautifully balanced kinetic energy. Hanna navigates a sophisticated program of timeless standards, blues lines, and showtunes with incredible two-handed coordination—firing off magnificent solo layouts like the barrelhouse-laced bass chords of Stephen Sondheim's Comedy Tonight, a staggering, classical-imbued Rachmaninoffian introduction to I Hear a Rhapsody, and a brilliant, stride-inflected reading of Cole Porter's title anthem Ev'rything I Love. Driven by his sparkling right-hand runs, expansive block chords, and flawless touch, this pristine high-resolution archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious solo piano purists and mainstream jazz collectors worldwide.

On Duke Ellington Piano Solos, the exceptionally elegant, knighted American jazz piano master Sir Roland Hanna steps completely unaccompanied into the studio to deliver a deeply reverent, sophisticated, and masterfully lyrical solo document. Released in 1991 by the distinguished classical and jazz audiophile label MusicMasters, this brilliant interpretive milestone features Hanna exploring the monumental compositional book of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Spanning over 46 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity spatial design, the 11-track landscape operates with a relaxed, deeply expressive, and beautifully balanced kinetic energy. Hanna bridges the gap between classic Harlem stride stride traditions, rich European impressionist dynamics, and advanced post-bop harmonic extensions—firing off magnificent solo layouts like the opening reflective warmth of In My Solitude, a jaw-droppingly tender reading of Single Petal of a Rose, and a dazzlingly complex, percussive transformation of the timeless classic Caravan. Driven by his sparkling right-hand runs, immense technical velocity, and flawless touch, this pristine archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious solo piano purists and mainstream jazz collectors worldwide.

On Il Cerchio Interno, the brilliant Italian piano virtuoso and avant-garde philosopher Stefano Battaglia delivers a deeply spiritual, intensely focused, and masterfully poetic solo studio document. Released in 1999 by the classical-leaning independent label Symphonia, this exquisite solo performance captures Battaglia stripping away all ensemble clutter to engage in a profound acoustic meditation, seamlessly dissolving the boundaries between radical free improvisation, European jazz textures, and modern classical minimalism. Spanning 57 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity design, the 9-track landscape operates with an intimate, highly focused, and fluidly shifting kinetic energy. The album runs masterfully through stark emotional and structural architecture, firing off crystalline solo statements like the opening title cut Il Cerchio Interno, Lapsit Exillis, and the sprawling, deeply moving 10-minute centerpiece Requiem Et Danse Pour Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn. Driven entirely by his flawless technical control, surprising silent pauses, and a deep sense of sacred resonance, this pristine archive remains an indispensable masterclass for serious solo piano purists and avant-garde jazz collectors worldwide.

Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings is a previously unissued 3-LP collection of recordings from jazz icon and virtuosic pianist, Art Tatum, captured live at the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago in March of 1953 with guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam Stewart. These recordings were transferred from the original tape reels and mastered for LP and CD by engineer Matthew Lutthans (who also worked on Resonance’s Grammy-nominated 2019 Nat King Cole release Hittin’ the Ramp). Containing a whopping nearly 3 hours of never-before-heard Art Tatum captured in an intimate setting at the height of his powers with his longtime trio, the deluxe, limited-edition 180-gram 3-LP gatefold set (and 3-CD set) includes rare photos and memorabilia from Herman Leonard, Bob Parent and the Holzfeind family archives (owners of the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago); plus liner notes from Columbia University professor and author, Brent Hayes Edwards; as well as statements from Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Rollins, Monty Alexander, ELEW, Spike Wilner, Johnny O’Neal, Michael Weiss and Terry Gibbs.

Over the course of three decades as a professional performer, Kaeshammer has developed a style that weaves threads of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, stride, and piano pop into a signature sound. Kaeshammer has been nominated for seven Juno Awards, has received the West Coast Music Award for Musician of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, and has represented Canada at numerous Olympic ceremonies. With The Warehouse Sessions, Michael Kaeshammer and his trio, bassist David Piltch and drummer Johnny Vidacovich, are captured with live off the floor performances in Bryan Adams' recording studio in performances that are electric and spontaneous. The trio are battle tested: Countless gigs all over the world, hundreds of kilometers traveled and thousands of happy listeners. And on this album, you hear these three friends finding joy in making music with each other.Songs like "Bourbon Street Parade" and "You Got it In Your Soulness" show a group having so much fun it's infectious.

Bernd Lhotzky has been Germany’s most important exponent of classic jazz piano for the past three decades. However, his approach to music from the early days of jazz on his new solo album ‘Rag Bag’ is anything but museum-like. He says: ‘What fascinates me in music, art and life in general are the contradictions and contrasts, the syncopations, the cracks in time.’ ‘Rag Bag’ is a journey between times and worlds, a patchwork of the most diverse motifs, styles and associations. The nucleus of the album's music is Ragtime, one of the earliest forms of jazz. Lhotzky says: ‘To this day, what I love about this music is that it is so warm, life-affirming and undisguised and simply bursts with vitality and honest joy.’

Willie "The Lion" Smith was one of the last remaining giants from the stride piano era when he made this studio recording for Decca in 1965. Although seven of the 15 tracks are Smith's compositions, they are not his better known works, adding to the value of this release. One can hear how a performance like the driving "In a Minor Groove" could have influenced Duke Ellington early in his career. There are also strong takes of oldies like "Ain't She Sweet" and "Some of These Days," along with an elaborate arrangement of George Gershwin's "Summertime" that likely dazzled the composer if he had the opportunity to hear it during his many visits to Harlem. Smith delves into the works of his comrades in stride, including James P. Johnson's demanding and unjustly obscure "Steeplechase" and protégé Fats Waller's well-known "Honeysuckle Rose"…

The king of post-1945 stride pianists, Ralph Sutton is so consistently brilliant that it is difficult to come up with a recording of his that isn't highly recommended. This CD, a set of piano solos recorded in England and originally released by the J&M label, finds Sutton digging into well-known and obscure material alike. Three pieces are medleys, including a 12-and-a-half-minute, four-song tribute to composer Willard Robison. Other highlights include Fats Waller's "Viper's Drag," "I've Found a New Baby," "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," and "Honeysuckle Rose." Yet another highly recommended Ralph Sutton CD.

This was the great pianist Dick Wellstood's personal favorite record and one can understand why. The music is very well recorded and Wellstood sounds quite inspired throughout the solo set. For the 1994 CD reissue, the original eight songs are joined by eight additional (and previously unreleased) performances and the quality stays consistently high. Wellstood, who had an open mind toward more modern styles of jazz while keeping his stride piano style undiluted, performs surprising versions of "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" in addition to some swing standards and classics associated with James P. Johnson, Fats Waller and Earl Hines. Among the highpoints are "Snowy Morning Blues," "If Dreams Come True," "Rosetta" and a piece based on a classical work ("Paganini's Thing"). This is an essential acquisition for classic jazz collectors.

Ralph Sutton was one of the few living masters of stride piano by the time this night club engagement was recorded in St. Louis. This is the second volume of music recorded during his March, 1999, gig at the Backstage Bistro, but it is by no means inferior to the earlier Gaslight CD. Accompanied by two seasoned veterans, bassist Jack Lesberg and drummer Frank Capp, Sutton is in top form. One doesn't normally think of "Moonglow" as part of a stride pianist's repertoire, but Sutton's jaunty interpretation should prompt other practitioners to include it in their books. "Basin Street Blues" features a delightful call-and-response between the artist and Lesberg in its introduction before the leader takes over to work his magic with this jazz standard. The pianist also is featured on several delightful solos, including an alternate take of "Love Me" (a tune all but forgotten by most jazz musicians), a tantalizing performance of "Love Lies," a jubilant "Tea for Two," plus the added bonus of a private recording made in 1950, in a fan's home, of Sutton's romp through the boogie woogie classic "Honky Tonk Train Blues." Highly recommended!

Art Tatum (1909-1956) is one of the most important jazz pianists of all time, a role model even for Generation Y players like Christian Sands, born in 1989. Along with Earl Hines, Tatum was the style-setting pianist and a link between the early pioneers of jazz, such as Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller and James P. Johnson, and the bebop greats of modern jazz, all of whom were inspired by Tatum's modern sense of harmony. Charlie Parker is said to have worked as a dish washer in a club for weeks only to get closer to and more familiar with Tatum's playing…

Among his many unfulfilled plans, it was Fats Waller's ambition to tour with a large band, preaching the Gospel as his father had before him. The closest he came to realizing this dream was "There's Gonna Be the Devil to Pay" and "Brother Seek and Ye Shall Find," both recorded during the summer of 1935. These are hot stomps but the inherent religious message is made abundantly clear by the piano player, who belts out Biblical references like "Samson, where lies thy strength?" at the top of his lungs. Fats would have made a good preacher. You get just a glimpse of this potential every time he raises his voice. 1935 was a particularly successful year for this man and his hot little bands. This particular slice of the chronology happens to focus upon a short period of time during which reedman Gene Sedric was replaced by an expressive clarinetist and alto saxophonist named Rudy Powell…

One of several Classics discs chronicling Waller's vast amount of Bluebird combo sides from the '30s and '40s, this roundup of some of the pianist's 1935 offerings includes many fine cuts but doesn't quite rank with the maestro's best work. Featuring Waller's longstanding Fats Waller & His Rhythm band, the 22 numbers may not include any original material, but there is still more than enough in the way of indelible performances. This is especially true for a wonderful "Lulu's Back in Town," the Coots and Gillespie rarity "Whose Honey Are You?," and "Rosetta."

Fats Waller - The 1935 Transcriptions (2001) {Naxos 8.120577}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 113 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 143 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1935, 2001 Naxos Jazz Legends | 8.120577
Jazz / Early Jazz / Jive / Stride / Swing / Piano

One fine day, Fats Waller ambled into a New York studio and knocked out a stack of a dozen 16" transcription discs for Muzak-Associated Transcriptions. (Can you imagine anyone pulling that off so casually today in the span of a few hours?) The transcriptions are mostly medleys of many of Waller's tunes and cover versions that he was recording for Victor, interspersed with the fat man's inimitable comments and verbal mugging. While Rudy Powell turns up on clarinet on the first medley and on alto sax on the second, Waller goes it alone everywhere else, turning out seemingly perfect takes every time.