Tag Archives: 1953

June Christy: Something Cool

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On August 2, 1954, “Capitol” label released “Something Cool”, the debut June Christy album. It was recorded August 1953 – March 1954, and was produced by Lee Gillette. The album was released in 10” vinyl format.

Personnel:

  • June Christy — vocals
  • Pete Rugolo — arranger, conductor
  • Gus Bivona, Harry Klee, Bud Shank — flute, alto flute, alto saxophone
  • Bob Cooper, Ted Nash — flute, tenor saxophone
  • Skeets Herfurt, Willie Schwartz — alto saxophone
  • Fred Falensby, Jimmy Giuffre — tenor saxophone
  • Chuck Gentry, Bob Gordon, John Rotella — baritone saxophone
  • Frank Beach, Conte Candoli, Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo, Ray Linn, Ollie Mitchell, Uan Rasey, Shorty Rogers, Ray Triscari, Jimmy Zito — trumpet
  • Harry Betts, Milt Bernhart, Nick Dimaio, Bob Fitzpatrick, Herbie Harper, Tommy Pederson, Dick Reynolds, Frank Rosolino — trombone
  • Dick Noel, George Roberts — bass trombone
  • Vincent DeRosa, John Graas — French horn
  • Paul Sarmento, Phil Stephens — tuba
  • Buddy Collette, Paul Horn — reeds
  • Joe Castro, Geoff Clarkson, Russ Freeman, Paul Smith, Claude Williamson — piano
  • Barney Kessel, Jack Marshall, Tony Rizzi, Howard Roberts — guitar
  • Harry Babasin, Joe Comfort, Joe Mondragon — bass
  • Larry Bunker, Frank Carlson, Shelly Manne, Alvin Stoller — drums

Track listing:

  1. Something Cool – Billy Barnes
  2. It Could Happen to You – Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
  3. Lonely House – Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes
  4. Midnight Sun – Lionel Hampton, Sonny Burke, Johnny Mercer
  5. I’ll Take Romance – Ben Oakland, Oscar Hammerstein II
  6. A Stranger Called the Blues – Mel Torme, Robert Wells
  7. I Should Care – Paul Weston, Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl

Nat King Cole: Sings For Two In Love

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In August 1953, “Capitol” label released “Sings for Two in Love”, the tenth Nat King Cole album. It was recorded in January 1953, at “Capitol” in Hollywood, and was produced by Lee Gillete. It was released in 10” format vinyl.

Personnel:

  • Nat King Cole – vocals
  • Nelson Riddle – arrangements, conductor

Track listing:

  1. Love Is Here to Stay – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  2. A Handful of Stars – Jack Lawrence, Ted Shapiro
  3. This Can’t Be Love – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
  4. A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet – Gus Kahn, Harry Woods
  5. There Goes My Heart – Benny Davis, Abner Silver
  6. Dinner for One, Please James – Michael Carr
  7. Almost Like Being in Love – Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe
  8. Tenderly – Walter Lloyd Gross, Lawrence

Sidney Bechet: The Fabulous Sidney Bechet

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In May 1958, “Blue Note” label released “The Fabulous Sidney Bechet”, album by Sidney Bechet. It was recorded November 1951 – August 1953.

Personnel:

  • Sidney Bechet – soprano saxophone
  • Buddy Weed – piano
  • Don Kirkpatrick – piano
  • Jonah Jones – trumpet
  • Sidney De Paris – trumpet
  • Jimmy Archey – trombone
  • George “Pops” Forster – bass
  • Walter Page – bass
  • Johnny Blowers – drums
  • Manzie Johnson – drums

Track listing:

  1. Original Dixieland One-Step – Nick La Rocca
  2. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me – Arthur N, Swanstone, Carey Morgan, Charles R. McCarron
  3. That a Plenty – Lew Pollack
  4. Ballin’ The Jack – Chris Smith, Jim Burris
  5. Avalon – Buddy G. De Sylva, Vincent Rose
  6. Rose of Rio Grande – Edgar Leslie, Harry Warren, Ross Gorman
  7. Black and Blue – Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Harry Brooks
  8. Sweet Georgia Brown – Maceo Pinkard
  9. All of Me – Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons
  10. Ding Dong Daddy – Phil Baxter

Duke Ellington: Dance To The Duke!

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In November 1954, “Capitol” label released “Dance to the Duke!”, the eleventh Duke Ellington album. It was recorded 1953 in “Capitol Studios” in Los Angeles, 1954, in San Francisco and Chicago.

Personnel:

  • Duke Ellington – piano
  • Russell Procope – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Rick Henderson – alto saxophone
  • Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
  • Jimmy Hamilton – tenor saxophone, clarinet
  • Harry Carney – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
  • Cat Anderson, Willie Cook, Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Gerald Wilson  
  • Quentin Jackson, George Jean, Juan Tizol, Britt Woodman – trombone
  • John Sanders – valve trombone
  • Wendell Marshall, Oscar Pettiford – bass
  • Butch Ballard, Dave Black – drums
  • Ralph Collier – congas
  • Frank Rollo – bongos

Track listing:

All tracks by Duke Ellington except where noted.

  1. C Jam Blues
  2. Orson – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
  3. Caravan – Juan Tizol
  4. Kinda Dukish
  5. Bakiff
  6. Frivolous Banta – Rick Henderson
  7. Things Ain’t What They Used To Be – Mercer Ellington
  8. Montevideo

Duke Ellington: Ellington Showcase

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In June 1955, “Capitol” label released “Ellington Showcase”, album by Duke Ellington. It was recorded April – December 1953 at “Capitol Studios” in Los Angeles and “Universal Studios” in Chicago, January – June 1954 at “Capitol Studios” in New York, and May 1955.

Personnel:

  • Duke Ellington – piano, electric piano
  • Billy Strayhorn – piano
  • Russell Procope – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Rick Henderson – alto saxophone
  • Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
  • Jimmy Hamilton – tenor saxophone, clarinet
  • Harry Carney – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
  • Cat Anderson, Willie Cook, Ray Nance, Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Quentin Jackson, George Jean, Juan Tizol, Britt Woodman – trombone
  • John Sanders – valve trombone
  • Wendell Marshall, Jimmy Woode – bass
  • Butch Ballard, Dave Black – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Duke Ellington, except where noted.

  1. Blossom – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
  2. Big Drag
  3. Don’t Ever Say Goodbye
  4. Falling Like a Raindrop
  5. Gonna Tan Your Hide – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
  6. Harlem Air Shaft
  7. La Virgen De La Macarena – Bernardo Bautista Monterde
  8. Clarinet Melodrama – Jimmy Hamilton
  9. Theme For Trambean – Jimmy Hamilton
  10. Serious Serenade

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Jazz At The College Of Pacific

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In June 1954, “Fantasy” label released “Jazz at the College of the Pacific”, the tenth Dave Brubeck Quartet album.It was recorded in December 1953, at “College of the Pacific” in Stockton, California.

Personnel:

  • Dave Brubeck – piano
  • Paul Desmond – alto saxophone
  • Ron Crotty – bass
  • Joe Dodge – drums
  • Arnold Roth – illustration
  • Ed Colker – design

Track listing:

  1. All the Things You Are – Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
  2. Laura – David Raksin, Johnny Mercer
  3. Lullaby in Rhythm – Walter Hirsch, Benny Goodman
  4. I’ll Never Smile Again – Ruth Lowe
  5. I Remember You – Victor Schertzinger, Johnny Mercer
  6. For All We Know – J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis

Count Basie Orchestra: Dance Session

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In January 1954, “Clef” label released “Dance Session”, the 20th Count Basie Orchestra album. It was recorded August – December 1953, in Los Angeles, and “Fine Sound” in New York City, and was produced by Norman Granz.

Personnel:

  • Count Basie – piano, organ
  • Marshall Royal – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Ernie Wilkins – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, arranger
  • Frank Wess – tenor saxophone, arranger
  • Frank Foster – tenor saxophone
  • Charlie Fowlkes – baritone saxophone
  • Paul Campbell, Wendell Culley, Reunald Jones, Joe Newman, Joe Wilder – trumpet
  • Johnny Mandel – bass trumpet, arrangements
  • Henderson Chambers, Henry Coker, Benny Powell – trombone
  • Freddie Green – guitar, arrangements
  • Eddie Jones- bass
  • Gus Johnson – drums
  • Neal Hefti – arrangements

Track listing:

  1. Straight Life – Johnny Mandel
  2. Basie Goes Wess – Frank Wess
  3. Softly, With Feeling – Neal Hefti
  4. Peace Pipe – Ernie Wilkins
  5. Blues Go Away! – Ernie Wilkins
  6. Cherry Point – Neal Hefti
  7. Bubbles – Neal Hefti
  8. Right On – Freddie Green
  9. The Blues Done Come Back – Ernie Wilkins
  10. Plymouth Rock – Neal Hefti

The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall

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In December 1953, “Debut” label released “Jazz at Massey Hall”, album by The Quintet. It was recorded in May 1953, at “Massey Hall” in Toronto, Canada, and was produced by Charles Mingus. The album was released as two 10” LP’s.

Personnel:

  • Dizzy Gillespie – vocal, trumpet
  • Charlie Parker – alto saxophone
  • Bud Powell – piano
  • Charles Mingus – double bass
  • Max Roach – drums

Track listing:

Vol. 1 (Debut DLP-2)

  1. Perdido – Juan Tizol
  2. Salt Peanuts – Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke
  3. All the Things You Are – Jerome Kern / 52nd Street Theme – Thelonious Monk

Vol. 3 (Debut DLP-4)

  1. Wee (Allen’s Alley) – Denzil Best
  2. Hot House – Tadd Dameron
  3. A Night in Tunisia – Gillespie, Frank Paparelli

Vol. 2 consists of the trio recordings of Powell, Mingus and Roach from the same date: all but “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, and one track by Billy Taylor with Mingus and Roach from a later date.

Miles Davis: Miles Davis Vol.2

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In October 1953, “Blue Note” label released “Miles Davis Vol. 2”, the fifth Miles Davis album (released as 10” LP). It was recorded in April 1953, at “WOR Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Alfred Lion.

Personnel:

  • Miles Davis – trumpet
  • J. J. Johnson – trombone
  • Gil Coggins – piano
  • Percy Heath – bass
  • Art Blakey – drums

Track listing:

  1. Tempus Fugit – Bud Powell
  2. Enigma – Jay Jay Johnson
  3. Ray’s Idea – Ray Brown
  4. Kelo – Jay Jay Johnson
  5. I Wanted for You – Gil Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie
  6. C.T.A. – Jimmy Heath

Chat Baker: Chat Baker & Strings

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On April 14, 1954, “Columbia” label released “Chet Baker & Strings”, album by Chet Baker. It was recorded December 1953 – February 1954, in Los Angeles, and was produced by Richard Bock.

Personnel:

  • Chet Baker – trumpet
  • Bud Shank – alto saxophone, flute
  • Zoot Sims – tenor saxophone
  • Russ Freeman – piano
  • Joe Mondragon – bass
  • Shelly Manne – drums
  • Sam Cytron, Jack Gasselin, George Kast, Eudice Shapiro, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin – violin
  • Lou Kievman, Paul Robyn – viola
  • Victor Gottlieb – cello
  • Jack Montrose, Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers – arrangements

Track listing:

  1. You Don’t Know What Love Is – Don Raye, Gene de Paul
  2. I’m Thru With Love – Fud Livingston, Gus Kahn, Matty Malneck
  3. Love Walked In – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  4. You Better Go Now – Irvin Graham, Bickley Reichner
  5. I Married An Angel – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
  6. Love – Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
  7. I Love You – Cole Porter
  8. What a Diff’rence a Day Made – María Grever, Stanley Adams
  9. Why Shouldn’t I? – Cole Porter
  10. A Little Duet for Zoot and Chet – Jack Montrose
  11. The Wind – Russ Freeman
  12. Trickleydidlier – Shorty Rogers