Thelonious Monk – Brilliant Corners (1957)

Riverside – RLP 12-226Rec. Dates : October 9, 1956, October 15, 1956, December 7, 1956Stream this Album Piano : Thelonious MonkAlto Sax : Ernie HenryBass : Oscar Pettiford, Paul ChambersCeleste : Thelonious MonkDrums : Max RoachTenor Sax : Sonny RollinsTrumpet : Clark Terry Billboard : 04/13/1957Special Merit Jazz Album Here’s another refresher for those who feel modern jazz is slipping into ruts.

Thelonious Monk – The Unique (1956)

Riverside – RLP 12-209Rec. Dates : March 17, 1956, April 3, 1956Stream this Album Piano : Thelonious MonkBass : Oscar PettifordDrums : Art Blakey Billboard : 12/31/1955Score of 73 The diskery has hit on the all-Ellington gimmick as a method of introducing this pioneer pianist, acknowledged as a prime inventor of the idiom, to a wilder audience than he

Thelonious Monk – Plays the Music of Duke Ellington (1956)

Riverside – RLP 12-201Rec. Date : July 21, 1955, July 27, 1955Stream this Album Piano : Thelonious MonkBass : Oscar PettifordDrums : Kenny Clarke Billboard : 12/31/1955Score of 73 The diskery has hit on the all-Ellington gimmick as a method of introducing this pioneer pianist, acknowledged as a prime inventor of the idiom, to a wilder audience than he

Earl Coleman – Earl Coleman Returns (1956)

Prestige – PRLP 7045Rec. Dates : March 2, 1956, June 8, 1956 Vocals : Earl ColemanAlto Sax : Gigi GryceBass : Oscar Pettiford, Wendell MarshallDrums : Shadow Wilson, Wilbert HoganPiano : Hank JonesTrumpet : Art Farmer Listening to Prestige : #164, #174Album is Not Streamable Cashbox : 10/13/1956 Earl Coleman is a vocalist, who, in the late 1940’s, created a stir, but was sidelined because of

Miles Davis – The Musings of Miles (1955)

Prestige – PRLP 7007Rec. Date : June 7, 1955 Trumpet : Miles DavisBass : Oscar PettifordDrums : Philly Joe JonesPiano : Red Garland Listening to Prestige : #145Stream this Album San Francisco ChronicleRalph J. Gleason : 12/06/1955 Miles Davis has come into his own this year. His appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival resulted in considerable critical attention and his powerful

Kenny Burrell – Kenny Burrell (1957)

Blue Note – BLP 1543Rec. Date : March 12, 1956, May 29, 1956, May 30, 1956 Guitar – Kenny BurrellBass : Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Sam JonesCongas : CándidoDrums : Shadow Wilson, Kenny Clarke, Arthur EdgehillPiano : Tommy Flanagan, Bobby TimmonsTenor Sax : Frank Foster, J.R. MonteroseTrumpet : Kenny Dorham Strictlyheadies : 02/20/2019Album is Not Streamable Audio : July, 1957Charles A. Robertson The second collection featuring Kenny Burrell is a most

Kenny Dorham – Afro-Cuban (1957)

Blue Note – BLP 1535Rec. Dates : January 30, 1955, March 29, 1955 Trumpet : Kenny DorhamBaritone Sax : Cecil PayneBass : Percy Heath, Oscar PettifordCongas : Carlos ValdésCowbell : Richie GoldbergDrums : Art BlakeyPiano : Horace SilverTenor Sax : Hank MobleyTrombone : J.J. Johnson Strictlyheadies : 02/12/2019Stream this Album Billboard : 05/20/1957Score of 73 Title is only half true, for one side of this collection

Gil Mellé – Patterns in Jazz (1956)

Blue Note – BLP 1517Rec. Date : April 1, 1956 Baritone Sax : Gil MelléBass : Oscar PettifordDrums : Ed ThigpenGuitar : Joe CinderellaTrombone : Eddie Bert Strictlyheadies : 01/25/2019Stream this Album Cash Box : 10/27/1956 This five man combo, headed here by Gil Mellé (baritone sax), swing lightly but persuasively through several Mellé composed numbers and two standards. A noteworthy gift of

Thad Jones – Detroit-New York Junction (1956)

Blue Note – BLP 1513Rec. Date : March 13, 1956 Trumpet : Thad JonesBass : Oscar PettifordDrums : Shadow WilsonGuitar : Kenny BurrellPiano : Tommy FlanaganTenor Sax : Billy Mitchell Strictlyheadies : 01/21/2019Stream this Album Down Beat : 07/25/1956Nat Hentoff : 4 stars Detroit-New York Junction involves former Detroiters Jones, tenor Billy Mitchell, guitarist Kenny Burrell and pianist Tommy Flanagan with drummer Shadow Wilson and bassist Oscar Pettiford. Thad, potentially one of

Miles Davis – Volume Two (1956)

Blue Note – BLP 1502Rec. Dates : May 9, 1952, April 20, 1953, March 6, 1954 Trumpet : Miles DavisAlto Sax : Jackie McLeanBass : Oscar Pettiford, Percy HeathDrums : Kenny Clarke, Art BlakeyPiano : Gil Coggins, Horace SilverTenor Sax : Jimmy HeathTrombone : J.J. Johnson Strictlyheadies : 01/10/2019Stream this Album Liner Notes by Leonard Feather At the end of 1955 Miles Davis received an unexpected Christmas gift.