Jazz in New York City

Photograph by William P. Gottlieb - 52nd Street, New York City, NY ca. 1948

I'm a big jazz fan and have also looked to New York City as the center of jazz. That's right... New York, not New Orleans or Chicago but the city where jazz artists have flocked for decades. It was in Harlem and Minton's and up and down 52nd street where one could find the musicians that jazz fans idolize to this day. Unfortunately, save for a notation on the 52nd street sign, you wouldn't even realize the role 52nd steet played when greats like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and others made their names in the countless clubs that once were there.



While 52nd street is no longer what it once was, there are still plenty of great jazz haunts in Manhattan that you should check out. Listed below are a few of the more popular ones.



The Village Vanguard - Located in Greenwich Village, the Vanguard has been open for over 70 years and has played host to every jazz legend you can think of. Located at 178 7th Avenue South, tickets are $30 - $35 and up. Live albums recorded here include John Coltrane (with Eric Dolphy!) and Thad Jones.



Blue Note - A relative newcomer compared to the Vanguard, the Blue Note started in New York City at 131 West 3rd Street and has spread to locations in Milano, Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Some upcoming shows include James Moody, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Poncho Sanchez and Bobby Hutcherson. Tickets can be purchased for bar seating ($20 and up) or at a table ($35 and up) with varying sightlines.



Birdland - Named after Charlie Parker, Birdland has gone through varying incarnations over the years. Originally located on 52nd street, I visited the current location at 315 West 44th street to see Stanley Turrentine (passed in 2000) back in the late 1990s. From what I remember, there was a minimum order so had an average dinner... then again, I wasn't there for the food. Upcoming shows include Cedar Walton, Andrew Hill and the Heath Brothers. The line-up is a little more eclectic than some of the other clubs mentioned.



The Iridium - Once located near Lincoln Center, the Iridium is now located at 1650 Broadway. The youngest of the clubs I've listed, this is the one I've visited the most having seen Ahmad Jamal (twice), Mal Waldron (passed in 2002), Steve Lacy and Bob Dorough. Dorough used to play every Sunday in 2004 and is known for some quirky songs recorded with Miles Davis, was the creative director for Schoolhouse Rock. The restaurant and club are separate and they often have a great line-up. Upcoming shows include John Patitucci, the Mingus Big Band and the Brubeck Brothers. Les Paul plays every Monday night.

Include sample schedule

Thanks to Travel fix

Nina Simone – Let It Be Me (Live at Vine St.) 1987

MP3@320CBR

Recorded live at the Vine St. Bar & Grill, Hollywood, California

Nina Simone vocals, piano Arthur Adams guitar, electric bass Cornell McFadden drums

01 My Baby Just Cares For Me

02 Sugar In My Bowl

03 Fodder On My Wings

04 Be My Husband

05 Just Like A Woman

06 Balm In Gilead

07 Stars

08 If You Pray Right

09 If You Knew Let It Be Me

10 Four Women

11 Mississippi Goddam

12 Baltimore

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Nina Simone’s live performances have a power and an intimacy all their own, and those qualities stand out in this 1987 recording from Vine Street. It’s a stunning form of cabaret singing, dramatic without melodrama, and with roots that reach to Billie Holiday’s surprising success with “Strange Fruit.” Simone can add profundity to a usually carefree song like “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” and the range of the performance broadens with the startling “Be My Husband,” a simple pattern reduced to the naked force of a field holler, and the stark hymn “Balm in Gilead.” Carefully chosen songs from Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, and Janis Ian achieve new dimensions in Simone’s treatments. Her own deeply felt “Four Women” and “Mississippi Goddam” are potent and enduring protests. There’s some effectively spare accompaniment from guitar, bass, and drums, but Simone’s piano is the essential instrumental voice, from slow barrelhouse to Bach.
- Stuart Broomer

Herman Leonard, 1923-2010

Charlie Parker, Birdland, NYC, 1949

Miles Davis, Birdland, NYC, 1949

Dizzy Gillespie, Royal Roost, NYC, 1948

Fats Navarro, NYC, 1948

Charlie Parker with the Metronome All Stars, NYC, 1949

Louis Armstrong, Newport, 1955

Ella Fitzgerald, Downbeat Club, NYC, 1949

Lena Horne NYC, 1948

Billie Holiday, NYC, 1949

Sonny Rollins, Paris, 1960

Duke Ellington, Paris, 1958

For over five decades, American photographer Herman Leonard has been a part of the international jazz community. Too poor to afford the entrance fees to jazz clubs in the late 1940s, Leonard traded prints of the performers for access. The musicians were very pleased with the results; Leonard’s images have appeared on over 200 album covers and he is regarded as the preeminent jazz photographer.

Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1923, Leonard served as a medic in Burma during World War II. After earning his BFA from Ohio University, the only school in the United States that offered a degree in photography, Leonard apprenticed with Yosef Karsh, the famous Canadian portrait photographer. He then moved to New York and opened a portrait studio in Greenwich Village. In addition to photographing the city’s dancers, singers, and actors, Leonard worked for Life, Esquire, Look, Cosmopolitan, and Playboy. He spent his free time in clubs, documenting the most influential musicians during jazz’s heyday. Making the most of the ambient light in dark and smoky venues, Leonard’s dramatically lit images of Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, and Duke Ellington in the 1940s and 50s immortalized both the artists and the rapidly disappearing clubs on 52nd Street. Leonard also captured the dynamic performances of Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, and others at the annual Newport Jazz Festival.

Leonard relocated to Paris to work for Barclay Records and then branched off into fashion photography and photojournalism. He and his family moved to Ibiza in 1980. In 1988 Leonard returned to the United States, settling in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the photographer’s studio as well as thousands of prints. Most of his negatives, however, were saved. Leonard now lives in Studio City, California, where he works with musicians and filmmakers.

Herman Leonard spent 2 1/2 years in the Burmese jungle as a medic and NOT as a military photographer. He was DENIED the status of photographer because he didn’t know the chemical ingredients of D-72 developer!

Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd 1965

Recorded live at The Bohemian Caverns, Washington, on May 13-15, 1965

Ramsey Lewis - Piano, Keyboards
Eldee Young - Bass, Cello
Redd Holt - Drums

01 The "In" Crowd (Page) 5:51
02 Since I Fell for You (Johnson) 4:06
03 Tennessee Waltz (King, Stewart) 5:02
04 You Been Talkin' 'Bout Me Baby (Garnett, Hirch, Rivers) 2:59
05 Love Theme From Spartacus (North) 7:09
06 Felicidade (Happiness) [From the Movie Black Orpheus] (DeMoraes, Jobim) 3:29
07 Motherless Child (arranged by Lewis)* 3:34
08 Come Sunday (Ellington) 4:33
09 The Party's Over (Comden, Green, Styne)* 2:29

* Bonus tracks

:: At The Bohemian Caverns ::

Thanks to brownweb

The Ramsey Lewis Trio At The Bohemian Caverns (1964)

Recorded live at The Bohemian Caverns, Washington D.C., on June 4-6, 1964

Ramsey Lewis piano 
Eldee Young bass, cello
 Redd Holt drums

01 West Side Story Medley: Somewhere/Maria/Jet Song/Somewhere -- Leonard Bernstein (11:38)
02 People -- Jule Styne (5:36)
03 Something You Got -- Chris Kenner (3:38)
04 Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) -- Bart Howard (6:33)
05 My Babe -- Willie Dixon (4:01)
06 The Caves -- Ramsey Lewis (3:20)
07 The Shelter of Your Arms -- Shirley Collie (3:57)

@320

:: At The Bohemian Caverns ::

"Fables and Dreams"

Dave Young & Oscar Peterson

Jaki Byard Quartet with Joe Farrell - The Last From Lennie's 1965

Recorded at Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike, West Peabody, MA in April 15, 1965

Jaki Byard on piano
Joe Farrell on alto and soprano saxophones & flute
George Tucker on bass
Alan Dawson on drums

1 Twelve [alternate take] (Byard) 10:12
2 Dolphy #1 (Byard) 9:05
3 After You've Gone/Strolling Along (Creamer, Layton) 4:21
4 St. Mark's Place Among the Sewers (Byard) 14:42
5 Dolphy #2 (Byard) 10:41
6 Ballad Medley: Tea for Two/Lover/Strolling Along/Cherokee (Byard, Caesar, Foster, Hart) 9:45
7 King David (Byard) 3:43

MP3

flac, with complete artwork
part 1 - part 2 - part 3

There's a good and bad side of releasing old material that's been buried in a record label's vault or someone's attic. If the material's solid, say a live date from an artist's prime, then it's a Godsend. If the material is weak, or repeats earlier releases in a weaker form, it does a disservice to the artist. Luckily for fans of pianist Jaki Byard, the quartet recordings on Last From Lennie's are bursting with creative energy. Taped on April 14, 1965, Byard is joined by saxophonist Joe Farrell, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Alan Dawson for an adventurous live set. With a couple exceptions — "After You've Gone/Strolling Along," and the obscure "King David" — everything here clocks in at over nine minutes, leaving plenty of space for the band to explore the far edges of each piece. There are eight- and nine-minute versions of "Dolphy," a kinetic, off-kilter ode that recalls, though never imitates, Charles Mingus, with whom both Byard and Dolphy had played. Farrell's solo work takes some uncharted turns here, with the rest of the band pushing him on as Byard shouts out directions. Finally, one wouldn't want to miss the nine-minute medley of "Tea for Two," "Lover," "Strolling Along," "Cherokee," and "Shiny Stockings," all played at a marvelously mad pace. The interplay between all partners also brings forth great things from Tucker and Dawson, topping off an intense, fiery set. Like all good vault releases, Last From Lennie's reminds listeners of just how good Byard and his bandmates were.
~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Ramsey Lewis Trio In Chicago 1960

Recorded live at The Blue Note Club, Chicago, on April 30, 1960

Ramsey Lewis on Piano, Keyboards
Eldee Young on Bass
Redd Holt on Drums

01 Old Devil Moon (Harburg, Lane) 4:06
02 What's New? (Burke, Haggart) 4:47
03 Carmen (Bizet) 3:09
04 Bei Mir Bist du Schön (Cahn, Chaplin, Secunda) 3:58
05 I'll Remember April (DePaul, Johnston, Raye) 3:27
06 Delilah (Nicholls) 4:38
07 Folk Ballad (arranged by Young, Lewis, Holt) 6:34
08 But Not for Me (Gershwin, Gershwin) 5:15
09 See See Rider (arranged by Young, Lewis, Holt) 3:12

download

Thanks to brownweb

Stanley Turrentine – Up At Minton's (1961)

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC(image)+CUE+LOG | Scans | 611 MB (+3%) | MP3 320 kbps CBR | 212 Mb (+3%)

Label: Blue Note | Original Release Date: 1961

Recorded at The Minton's Playhouse in New York, February 23, 1961

Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone

Horace Parlan – piano

Grant Green – guitar

George Tucker – bass

Al Harewood – drums

Vol 1:

1. But Not For Me (Live) 11:29

2. Stanley\’s Time (Live) 11:03
3. Broadway (Live) 10:38

4. Yesterdays (Live) 11:39
vol 2:

1. Later At Minton\’s (Live) 13:55
2. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Live) 8:34
3. Love For Sale (Live) 15:11

4. Summertime (Live) 7:14

hotfile
fileserve

the files are interchangeable…

This 1961 live date from the legendary (and now-defunct) New York City jazz club is one of saxophonist Stanley Turrentine\’s finest. "Stanley\’s Tune" is a stately blues number that fits perfectly into the hard-bop style, and here Turrentine\’s solo is raucous at times, almost percussive in its delivery. "Later at Minton\’s" continues in the blues tradition, with a leisurely pace and solos that are decidedly relaxed and funky. On this track, the smoky timbre of Turrentine\’s horn is particularly reminiscent of the great Coleman Hawkins.

"Love for Sale" (at almost 15 minutes, the longest track on UP AT MINTON\’S) begins with a tricky 12/8 Latin feel, then morphs (rather slyly) into an up-tempo bebop groove. The two-disc set\’s final track, "Summertime," is played as a bluesy ballad, with Turrentine\’s solo beginning with a series of long tones, then building to a sudden, but well-placed, flurry of notes. The backing band is also quite creative throughout, and, not surprisingly, guitarist Grant Green shines on each track.


Charlie Christian - The Complete Live Recordings (1939 - 1941) 4CD's

The Complete Live Recordings between 1939-1941

Disc 1 :
00:59:59
01 - Flying home
02 - Star dust
03 - Flying home
04 - I got rhythm
05 - Star dust
06 - Tea for two
07 - Flying home
08 - Star dust
09 - Memories of you
10 - Rose room
11 - AC-DC current
12 - Flying home
13 - Soft winds
14 - Memories of you
15 - Shivers
16 - Seven come eleven (Roast turkey stomp)
17 - AC-DC current
18 - AC-DC current

Disco 2
01:00:15
01 - Dinah
02 - I got rhythm
03 - Flying home
04 - Memories of you
05 - Stompin' at the Savoy
06 - Honeysuckle rose
07 - Paging the devil
08 - Way down yonder in New Orleans
09 - Good morning blues
10 - Oh, lady be good
11 - Pick-a-rib
12 - Till Tom special
13 - Gone with what wind
14 - Gone with what wind
15 - The sheik of Araby
16 - Soft winds

Disco 3
00:57:27
01 - The sheik of Araby
02 - Seven come eleven
03 - Six appeal
04 - Honeysuckle rose
05 - Six appeal
06 - AC-DC current
07 - Gone with what wind
08 - Benny's bugle
09 - Wholly cats
10 - Honeysuckle rose
11 - Wholly cats
12 - Flying home
13 - Gone with what draft (Gilly)
14 - Breakfast feud
15 - Gone with what draft (Gilly)
16 - Six appeal (My daddy rocks me)
17 - Solo flight (Chonk, Charlie, chonk)
18 - Flying home
19 - Good enough to keep (Air mail special)

Disco 4
00:56:54
01 - Wholly cats
02 - Ida, sweet as apple cider
03 - Breakfast feud
04 - Song of the islands
05 - Flying home
06 - Topsy (Swing to bop) (Charlie's choice)
07 - Stompin' at the Savoy
08 - Honeysuckle rose
09 - I got rhythm (Rhythm-a-ning) (Paging Dr. Christian) (Down on Teddy's hill)
10 - I got rhythm (Guy's got to go)
11 - Stompin' at the Savoy (Lips flips) (On with Charlie Christian)
12 - Benny's bugle
13 - Rose room
14 - Solo flight (Chonk, Charlie, chonk)

MP3 @128 Kbs
CD 1 - CD 2 - CD 3 - CD 4

Thelonious Monk – After Hours at Minton’s (1941)

Jam-Sessions, rec. at the Minton’s Playhouse, 1941

Thelonious Monk - piano
Roy Eldridge, "Hot Lips"Page, Joe Guy - trumpets
Al Sears, Herbie Fields - tenor sax
Charlie Christian - guitar
Nick Fenton - bass
Kenny Clarke - drums
and many unknown musicians

1 . I Got Rhythm
2 . Nice Work If You Can Get It
3 . Down Down Down
4 . I Found A Million Dollar Baby
5 . Body And Soul
6 . I've Found A New Baby
7 . My Melancholy Baby
8 . Sweet Lorraine
9 . Sweet Georgia Brown
10 . You're A Lucky Guy
11 . Stompin' At The Savoy
12 . Indiana

.: After Hours at Minton’s :.

Pass: jazzcrisis

Thanks to JazzCrisis

The Legendary Minton's Playhouse in Harlem

Charlie Christian Live Sessions at Minton's Playhouse (1941)

If there is such a thing as a Holy Grail of bebop, this disc is it. While the sound quality may be lacking (Thelonious Monk is virtually inaudible on piano), Christian's guitar experiments are sublime. This disc is indispensable as an essential document in jazz history, and this French import release boasts cleaner sound than most.

Tim Sheridan

Recorded live at Minton's Playhouse, NYC ; May 1941
Personnel
[#1, 2, 7 & 8]
Joe Guy - tp Thelonious Monk - p Charlie Christian - g Nick Fenton - b Kenny Clarke - dr
[#3]
Unknow - tp Don Byas - ts Charlie Christian - g Nick Fenton - b Kenny Clarke - dr
[#4-6]
Dizzy Gillespie - tp Don Byas & another - ts Kenny Kersey or unknow - p Nick Fenton - b Kenny Clarke - dr

Tracks
1 . Swing to Bop (Christian) 8:55
2 . Stompin' at the Savoy (Goodman, Razaf, Sampson, Webb) 8:14
3 . Up on Teddy's Hill (Christian) 6:08
4 . Stardust (Carmichael, Parish) 6:15
5 . Kerouac (Fox, Newman) 7:34
6 . Stardust (Carmichael, Parish) 3:24
7 . Guy's Got to Go (Traditional) 2:25
8 . Lips Flips (Public Domain) 4:56

flac, with complete Lp's artwork

PW = "melanchthon"

Thanks to Melanchthon

Charlie Christian live in small club 1941

SWING TO BOP (1941) by Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian is generally recognised as the person who popularised the electric guitar (although not the first) and who changed everyones thinking about how jazz could be played on it. As well as playing guitar for Benny Goodman, Charlie participated in after hours jam sessions with other musicians in places such as Mintons and Monroes in New York City. On 12 May 1941 Charlie played Swing to Bop at Mintons, with Joe Guy on trumpet, Kenny Kersey on piano, Nick Fenton on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. This live track excerpt is characterised by longer solos than Charlie would typically play with Goodman, and is a good indication of his incredible improvisational abilities. His influence on guitarists then and since has been massive. Famed jazz guitarist Barney Kessel spent three days with Charlie watching him play. "He played probably 95% downstrokes and held a very stiff big triangular pick very tightly between his thumb and first finger. He rested his second, third and fourth fingers very firmly on the pickguard...".

STOMPIN' AT THE SAVOY (1941) - Charlie Christian live in small club

Here is another Charlie Christian track playing live at Mintons in New York City (the other I have uploaded is Swing to Bop from the same session). These are my two favourite CC tracks. However I also love his Goodman stuff, both studio and radio broadcasts as well (see my video of Rose Room). Charlie not only popularised the electric guitar, but also influenced just about everyone who came after with his horn like solos and sense of swing. As well as playing guitar for Benny Goodman, Charlie did some moonlighting in after hours jam sessions with other musicians in places such as Mintons and Monroes in New York City. On 12 May 1941 Charlie Christian jammed on 'Stompin' at the Savoy' at Mintons, with Joe Guy on trumpet, Nick Fenton on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. Despite the original acetates indicating Thelonious Monk played piano, some consider it was Kenny Kersey based, at least in part, on analysis of playing style. This live track excerpt is characterised by longer solos than Charlie would typically play with Goodman, and is a good indication of his incredible improvisational abilities. Famed jazz guitarist Barney Kessel spent three days with Charlie watching him play. "He played probably 95% downstrokes and held a very stiff big triangular pick very tightly between his thumb and first finger. He rested his second, third and fourth fingers very firmly on the pickguard...".

Source: Guitar Player March 1982. For heaps of info on Charlie, see the site Solo Flight, which includes numerous transcriptions, including this one. home.roadrunner.com Sadly, there is no film available of Charlie Christian playing live, so I have included a slide show for this track. Comments welcome.

The Quintet Live At Birdland : A Night In Tunisia (2002)

MP3@192KBPS

Recorded Live at the Birdland

TRACKLIST
1. Quicksilver
2. A night in Tunisia
3. Confirmation
4. If I had you
5. Split kick
6. Mayreh
7. Now's the time
8. Once in a while
9. Wee dot


LINSUP
Ryan Kisor . Trumpet
Grant Stewart . Tenor Sax
Sam Yahel . Piano
James Genus . Bass
Victor Lewis . Drums (thanks Deep)

rapidshare

Thks to Raz

The Pete Christlieb - Andy Martin Quintet - Live At Capozzoli's (1999)

Contributed by King2b - THNK YOU !!!

format : Mp4
Release in 1999 Woofy productions.

Recorded on April 4-5 1998 at Cappozoli's, Las Vegas

Late Night Sessions...

LINEUP
Pete Christlieb . Tenor Sax
Andy Martin . Trombone
Terry Trotter . Piano
Jim Hughart . Bass
Dick Bert . Drums

TRACKLIST
1. just friends
2. things ain't the way they used to be
3. willow weep for me
4. what is this thing called love
5. darn that dream - polka dots and moonbeams
6. speak low

Live At Capozzoli's

cover

REVIEW
It seems so simple but so few labels do it. Team together five strong bop-oriented players, all of whom have developed original voices on their instruments while remaining tied to the jazz tradition. Put them in a relaxed environment with a good piano, allow them to pick out a list of standards to jam and then have someone have someone count off the time. It sounds too easy to be so successful yet so much of the best jazz happens this way.The key is to match together musicians who, although compatible, have not necessarily played together with each other in this setting all that often. All five jazzmen on this set have long been underrated and yet are consistently in great demand in the studios and as sidemen for jazz combos, particularly in the Los Angeles area. Pete Christlieb, whose big tone on tenor was major asset for Doc Severinsen’s Tonight Show Band in the 1970’s and 80’s has been finally gaining some long overdue recognition for his hard-driving style and quick imagination. Speaking of rapid, trombonist Andy Martin can keep up with most saxophonists when it comes to both speed and fertile ideas; like Christlieb he works often with big bands where he invariably ends up being one of the orchestra’s top soloist.The rhythm section is far from overshadowed by the impressive frontline. Terry Trotter has worked extensively in the studios, with Larry Carlton and as an accompanist to such singers as Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Jeannie Bryson, Frank Sinatra and even Kenny Rogers. But it is with his own trios and in this freewheeling quintet that the pianist really comes into his own. Bassist Jim Hughart, a member of Joe Pass’ classic For Django quartet, has worked with Trotter many times through the years, including with Natalie Cole. Drummer Dick Berk appeared with Billie Holiday at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival and has been busy ever since, both as a sideman and as a leader, most notably with his Jazz Adoption Agency which helped introduce a young trombonist named… Andy Martin!The tunes on their set will be familiar to straightahead jazz fans but the solos are fresh, enthusiastic and unpredictable, and the performances (even with high expectations) are even better than expected. In other words, everything works!
Scott Yanow, Editor, All Music Guide To Jazz