18. Sarah Vaughan | At Mister Kelly's (1958)

Wikipedia entry

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Tracks

1. September in the Rain
2. Willow Weep for Me
3. Just One of Those Things
4. Be Anything (But Be Mine)
5. Thou Swell
6. Stairway to the Stars
7. Honeysuckle Rose
8. Just a Gigolo
9. How High the Moon

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At Mister Kelly's is a decent album. Sarah Vaughan has a beautiful voice and the jazz trio supporting her were superb enough that it would have been great to listen to on their own. Together, they are irresistible.

Despite that, there are a few gaffes on this album which and it's inexplicable how they got on the album. On Willow Weep for Me, the pianist starts off in the wrong key and later on in the piece Sarah or someone knocks over something. Then at the end of the piece, Sarah mentions that someone is motioning to her that the song is over, but the band is still playing.

Then, on How High the Moon, Sarah forgets the lyrics even though it's mentioned at the start of the recording that the audience should ignore the fact that she will be singing from a lyric sheet. it's really only the forgotten lyrics that's a real problem.

At the start of the album, the announcer mentions that Mercury Records was going to be recording Sarah over the next few nights. Also, in 1991, there was a reissue of the album with another ten tracks included. So, there seems to have been ample material to release a gaffe-free album. I suppose there was a good reason to release an album containing gaffes, but I haven't heard it explained.

Besides the problems, the pieces on this album are very good. No piece really stands out above any other. Although, it is interesting to hear her version of Just a Gigolo. It's a lot different from Louis Prima's. It's a very good example of how she can really make a song her own.

★★★★★★★★☆☆☆

17. Jack Elliott | Jack Takes the Floor (1958)

Wikipedia entry

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Tracks

1. San Francisco Bay Blues
2. Ol' Riley
3. Boll Weevil
4. Bed Bug Blues
5. New York Town
6. Grey Goose
7. Mule Skinner Blues
8. Cocaine
9. Dink's Song
10. Black Baby
11. Salty Dog

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Jack Takes the Floor is a fun and entertaining album. Jack Elliott's lyrics are simple, yet picturesque conjurations of Americana. Each song is prefaced with a short, but interesting introduction. These introductions make him sound as simple as his stories, like a country bumpkin, but it seems he's just being playful.

I really enjoyed the album. Jack Elliott's guitar playing and singing seemed very natural, fresh, honest, personal and unfiltered.

The whole album is worth listening to, but the best songs are San Francisco Bay Blues, Boll Weevil, Bed Bug Blues, Mule Skinner Blues, Cocaine and Dink's Song.

★★★★★★★★★☆

16. Billie Holiday | Lady In Satin (1958)

Wikipedia entry

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Tracks

1. I'm a Fool to Want You
2. For Heaven's Sake
3. You Don't Know What Love Is
4. I Get Along Without You Very Well
5. For All We Know
6. Violets for Your Furs
7. You've Changed
8. It's Easy to Remember
9. But Beautiful
10. Glad to Be Unhappy
11. I'll Be Around
12. The End of a Love Affair

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There's nothing uplifting at all about Lady in Satin. Most of the songs are about love, but Billie Holiday's voice and the musical accompaniment only convey loneliness.

I haven't heard Billie Holiday sing anywhere else but on this album, but apparently, by the time she had recorded this album, she had lost her ability to sing at the upper register and she also sounded like a woman much older than 44 years of age. The latter is obvious from the start. It was almost enough to turn me off from the album. However, it has also been noted that the significance of this album was not her singing, but the emotion she conveyed through each song. After having listened several times, I agree. That is indeed what makes this album so good.

The whole album is worth listening to. I suppose the stand out songs are I'm a Fool to Want You, You Don't Know What Love Is, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Violets for Your Furs, It's Easy to Remember, Glad to Be Unhappy and The End of a Love Affair.

★★★★★★★★★★

15. Tito Puente and His Orchestra | Dance Mania, Vol. 1 (1958)

Wikipedia entry

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Tracks

1. El Cayuco
2. Complicacion
3. 3-D Mambo
4. Llego Mijan
5. Cuando Te Vea
6. Hong Kong Mambo
7. Mambo Gozon
8. Mi Chiquita Quiere Bembe
9. Varsity Drag
10. Estoy Siempre Junto a Ti
11. Agua Limpia Todo
12. Saca Tu Mujer

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Dance Mania, Vol. 1 is another excellent Afro-Cuban album. It's loud, dynamic and exciting, and probably good to dance to. The horns are pleasing to listen to and the percussion is very colorful. It's also well-orchestrated; together, the horns and percussion move the pieces along very well.

There's some variety in the album, but even after listening several times, the pieces still didn't seem to stand out on their own.

Dance Mania, Vol. 1 is certainly worth listening to. The highlights on the album are El Cayuco, Complicacion, Hong Kong Mambo, Mi Chiquita Quiere Bembe and Saca Tu Mujer.

★★★★★★★★★☆

14. Little Richard | Here's Little Richard (1957)

Wikipedia entry

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Tracks

1. Tutti Frutti
2. True Fine Mama
3. Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
4. Ready Teddy
5. Baby
6. Slippin' and Slidin' (Peepin' and Hidin')
7. Long Tall Sally
8. Miss Ann
9. Oh Why?
10. Rip It Up
11. Jenny, Jenny
12. She's Got It

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Here's Little Richard is one of the finest albums I've ever heard. Little Richard is a very charismatic singer and he breathes life into all of the songs. He is always fun and never boring. Compare his version of Tutti Frutti with Elvis'.

The music is infectious, but the lyrics aren't memorable, except perhaps for Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally. The songs on the album are too short, and in the hands of a less skilled craftsman, their similar structures would be revealed. But Little Richard is so talented that one is awed by all his unique exteriors.
 
All the songs on this album are gems, but the best of the best are: Tutti Frutti, Ready Teddy, Long Tall Sally, Rip It Up and Jenny, Jenny.

★★★★★★★★★★

13. Machito | Kenya (1957)

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Tracks

1. Wild Jungle
2. Congo Mulence
3. Kenya
4. Oyeme
5. Holiday
6. Cannonology
7. Frenzy
8. Blues a la Machito
9. Conversation
10. Tin Tin Deo
11. Minor Rama
12. Tururato

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Kenya is a wonderful Afro-Cuban album. It has a similar manic excitement to Sabu's Palo Congo, but there is more orchestration, so it's more refind and there's no calling and less emphasis on the congas, so it feels less primal.

There are a lot of brass instruments, so most pieces tend to build up slowly to a big, brassy climax. A similar thing happens with the music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie, but less frequently. It's interesting, but it makes the pieces too similar-sounding.

All the pieces are worth listening to, but the stand out ones are Wild Jungle, Kenya, Holiday (It's a piece everyone's heard, but no one would know who performed it), Cannonology, Conversation and Minor Rama.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

12. Miles Davis | Birth of the Cool (1957)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Jeru
2. Move
3. Godchild
4. Budo
5. Venus de Milo
6. Rouge
7. Boplicity
8. Israel
9. Deception
10. Rocker
11. Moon Dreams

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Birth of the Cool is cool. The pieces are very short and confident, yet unassuming. It's a group of nine jazz musicians trying hard not to outdo each other. That these musicians are so talented makes the music seem simple and easy.

The sound is also pleasing to the ear. Sometimes trumpets and other horns can really be hard on the ears, but these pieces will save your hearing.

To people who both understand the historical context of this album and understand music, this album is one of the most significant in the history of jazz. For the layman though (me included), its strength is also its weakness; the style makes the album seem too similar-sounding.

All the pieces are good, but the ones that do stand out are Godchild, Venus de Milo, Boplicity and Move.

★★★★★★★★★☆

11. Sabu | Palo Congo (1957)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. El Cumbanchero
2. Billumba-Palo Congo
3. Choferito-Plena
4. Asabache
5. Simba
6. Rhapsodia del Maravilloso
7. Aggo Elegua
8. Tribilin Cantore

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Palo Congo is an exciting album. There's a lot of conga playing and I really enjoy congas. Since it's Afro-Cuban music, it's sung in Spanish. It's too bad I don't understand Spanish. However I suspect there's not much depth to the lyrics. The fast rhythm, the repetition, the conga-playing and the singing, which on some songs is more like loud calling, all combine to give it a real tribal, primal feeling.

The songs have a similar sound, except for Rhapsodia del Maravilloso and, perhaps, Tribilin Cantore, since both are guitar-oriented songs. Because of the similar-sounding songs, it may get tiresome to listen to this album often, but it's certainly worth taking out now and then, especially if you want to hear something a little exotic.

The songs that really stand out are El Cumbamchero, Billumba-Palo Congo, Simba, Aggo Elegua and Tribillin Cantore.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

10. Thelonious Monk | Brilliant Corners (1957)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Brilliant Corners
2. Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are
3. Pannonica
4. I Surrender Dear
5. Bemsha Swing

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Brilliant Corners is simply wonderful, but it requires the listener to pay attention to really notice its beauty. And despite how few pieces there are on the album or how long each piece is, it never becomes tiresome.

All the pieces are unique and worthy of one's attention.

★★★★★★★★★★

9. Count Basie | The Atomic Mr. Basie (1957)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Kid from Red Bank
2. Duet
3. After Supper
4. Flight of the Foo Birds
5. Double-O
6. Teddy the Toad
7. Whirlybird
8. Midnite Blue
9. Splanky
10. Fantail
11. Lil' Darlin'

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The Atomic Mr. Basie is a good album. All of the pieces sound good and most are full of energy and excitement. However, it did seem that many of the pieces sounded similar.

This is just an album that I really wanted to like a lot, but it just couldn't keep my attention completely. It's certainly worth listening to, but it's just not an album that I will think of when I want to listen to something I haven't heard in a while.

Some of the better pieces on the album are Kid from Red Bank, Flight of the Foo Birds, Teddy the Toad, Whirlybird and Splanky.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

8. The Crickets | The "Chirping" Crickets (1957)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Oh, Boy!
2. Not Fade Away
3. You've Got Love
4. Maybe Baby
5. It's Too Late
6. Tell Me How
7. That'll Be the Day
8. I'm Looking for Someone to Love
9. An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date)
10. Send Me Some Lovin'
11. Last Night
12. Rock Me My Baby

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Rock and roll has the blues as its roots as can be heard on This Is Fats Domino!. But, it also has country and western roots as The "Chirping" Crickets makes quite clear.

The rock and roll songs on this album are about as close as one can get to hearing pure rock and roll. As can be heard on this album, Buddy Holly and the Crickets set the bar really high from the start and only a few bands since have been album to reach so high and even fewer have been able to set the bar higher. It's a shame the Buddy Holly wasn't able to have a longer career. With a longer career, he could have had a greater influence on the course of rock and roll history.

As an album, it is very consistent and even. The songs don't sound the same and they don't all follow the same theme like Sinatra's two, but the songs on this album share a similar style. More to the point, the songs belong together and that makes it a very good example of a proper album.

Listening to this The "Chirping" Crickets is such a joy that I don't think I could ever get sick of hearing it. There isn't a bad song on the album, however the songs that especially stand out are: Oh Boy!, Not Fade Away, Maybe Baby, It's Too Late, That'll Be the Day, I'm Looking For Someone To Love and Rock Me My Baby.

★★★★★★★★★★

7. Frank Sinatra | Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. You Make Me Feel So Young
2. It Happened in Monterey
3. You're Getting to be a Habit with Me
4. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
5. Too Marvelous for Words
6. Old Devil Moon
7. Pennies From Heaven
8. Love is Here to Stay
9. I've Got You Under My Skin
10. I Thought About You
11. We'll Be Together Again
12. Makin' Whoopee
13. Swingin' Down the Lane
14. Anything Goes
15. How About You?

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Songs for Swingin' Lovers! is such a wonderful album. It's everything its title implies.

Frank Sinatra has such a great voice for songs such as these. The music is just as good. It's restrained when Sinatra is singing, but when he's not, it's simply explosive and full of life–you can't help but want to get up and dance. The lyrics are what one would expect: superficial, carefree and full of promise–perfect for romance.

But there are a few exceptions. Makin' Whoopee is about a man's willingness to do anything for sex, like getting married and sewing; however, it doesn't mention the themes of infidelity, divorce and alimony that appear in other versions. That would be too much of a downer, I suppose. Anything Goes has a little commentary of how social standards have slipped.

Every song on this album is enjoyable, but the real highlights are: You Make Me Feel So Young, You're Getting to be a Habit with Me, Old Devil Moon, Pennies From Heaven, I've Got You Under My Skin, Makin' Whoopee and Anything Goes.

This is certainly an album worth playing at a party and certainly worth listening to again.

★★★★★★★★★★

6. Duke Ellington | Ellington At Newport 1956 (1956)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

(1956 version)

1. Festival Junction
2. Blues to Be There
3. Newport Up
4. Jeep's Blues
5. Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue

(1999 version)

1. The Star Spangled Banner
2. Father Norman O'Connor Introduces Duke & the Orchestra / Duke Introduces Tune & Anderson, Jackson & Procope
3. Black and Tan Fantasy
4. Duke Introduces Cook & Tune
5. Tea for Two
6. Duke & Band Leave Stage / Father Norman Talks About The Festival
7. Take the 'A' Train
8. Duke Announces Strayhorn's A Train & Nance / Duke Introduces Festival Suite, Part I & Hamilton
9. Part I - Festival Junction
10. Duke Announces Soloists; Introduces Part II
11. Part II - Blues to Be There
12. Duke Announces Nance & Procope; Introduces Part III
13. Part III - Newport Up
14. Duke Announces Hamilton, Gonsalves & Terry / Duke Introduces Carney & Tune
15. Sophisticated Lady
16. Duke Announces Grissom & Tune
17. Day In, Day Out
18. Duke Introduces Tune(s) and Paul Gonsalves Interludes
19. Diminuendo In Blue and Crescendo In Blue
20. Announcements, Pandemonium
21. Pause Track
22. Duke Introduces Johnny Hodges
23. I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)
24. Jeep's Blues
25. Duke Calms Crowd; Introduces Nance & Tune
26. Tulip or Turnip
27. Riot Prevention
28. Skin Deep
29. Mood Indigo
30. Studio Concert (Excerpts)
31. Father Norman O'Connor Introduces Duke Ellington / Duke Introduces New Work, Part I & Hamilton
32. Part I - Festival Junction
33. Duke Announces Soloists; Introduces Part II
34. Part II - Blues To Be There
35. Duke Announces Nance & Procope; Introduces Part III
36. Part III - Newport Up
37. Duke Announces Hamilton, Gonsalves & Terry / Pause / Duke Introduces Johnny Hodges
38. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
39. Jeep's Blues
40. Pause Track

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There are two releases of Ellington At Newport 1956: one released in 1956 and another in 1999. After listening to the recording of the band's performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, Duke Ellington didn't feel it was good enough to be released. So, he and the band went into a studio and re-recorded the performance. The studio versions of the live performance are what is heard on the 1956 version, except for Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. However, after more than 40 years, a Voice of America recording of the performance was found. That newly found recording was the basis for the 1999 release of Ellington At Newport 1956. The 1999 release contains the complete Duke Ellington performance at the festival and also the studio recordings on the 1956 release.

Duke Ellington and his band are outstanding. They sound tight and they support the soloists really well. As I listened to a solo, I knew the band was there because I was unconsciously tapping my foot, but I was able to concentrate completely on the solo.

During the performance you can hear the musicians lending vocal support other musicians. Duke Ellington can clearly be heard encouraging the band on Festival Junction. He and other members of the band can also be heard encouraging Paul Gonsalves to keep his solo going on Diminuendo In Blue and Crescendo In Blue. It was also really nice to hear, after each piece, Duke Ellington recognizing the key musicians involved.

As the performance drew to a close, the audience seemed to get upset. They didn't want the performance to end. Duke Ellington did a great job keeping the situation under control and keeping the crowd happy by playing a few more pieces before finally ending the show.

Listening to how the crowd react is all the evidence needed to say this was a great performance. All the pieces are enjoyable, but Festival Junction, Blues to Be There, Newport Up and Diminuendo In Blue and Crescendo In Blue are the most memorable ones.

The 1999 release is about 2 hours and 10 minutes long. The Voice of America recording is 1 hour and 40 minutes long and the studio recording, which comprised the majority of the 1956 version, is 32 minutes long. While it's interesting to listen to the complete performance, it's too long. The introductions, especially from Fr. O'Connor, are too long and are unnecessary after one or two listenings. Also, the more interesting pieces are the ones found on the 1956 release. Of course, the actual live versions are better than the studio versions. (What does Duke Ellington know, right?)

So, ideally Duke Ellington should have released an album with the live versions. In fact that solution, I believe, would have worked better for the 1999 version as well. As it is, the 1999 version is a pretty complete historical document of Duke Ellington's performance at the event. But, you'll get the most enjoyment if you only listen to the tracks that were on the original release.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

5. Fats Domino | This Is Fats Domino! (1956)

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Tracks

1. Blueberry Hill
2. Honey Chile
3. What's The Reason I'm Not Pleasing You
4. Blue Monday
5. So Long
6. La La
7. Troubles Of My Own
8. You Done Me Wrong
9. Reeling And Rocking
10. The Fat Man's Hop
11. Poor Poor Me
12. Trust In Me

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[It seems the title and cover of this album as presented in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die are wrong. There is an album titled This Is Fats, but it contains different tracks. The correct album is the above mentioned This Is Fats Domino!.]

This Is Fats Domino! is a difficult album. It all seemed so simple when I was listening to it, but now that I try to write about it, it doesn't appear simple at all.

Some songs have a jazz sound, e.g. Blueberry Hill, Honey Chile, and others have a blues sound, e.g. Troubles of My Own, Reeling and Rocking. All of them, except for Poor, Poor Me which is straight blues, have a lively, uptempo rhythm. So, since the songs aren't jazz and they aren't blues, what are they? They certainly aren't country songs.

They are most likely categorized as rhythm and blues, but that's just a catch-all phrase for music marketed to black listeners. Of course, the answer is that these songs are either rock and roll songs or they are songs that bridge the gap between jazz and blues, and rock and roll.

No matter how these songs are defined or categorized, they are enjoyable to listen to. The most notable songs are Blueberry Hill, Honey Chile, Blue Monday, So Long, La La and Trust In Me. However, they are too short in length to be memorable.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

4. Louis Prima | The WIldest! (1956)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Medley: Just a Gigolo—I Ain't Got Nobody
2. (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby
3. The Lip
4. Body and Soul
5. Oh Marie
6. Medley: Basin Street Blues—When It's Sleepy Time Down South
7. Jump, Jive, an' Wail
8. Buona Sera
9. Night Train
10. (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You

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The Wildest! is an infectiously fun swing album! Louis Prima is charismatic and his silly humor make the songs enjoyable to listen to. It's certainly an exciting album that should get anyone up and dancing.

Keely Smith is wonderful in her role as Prima's vocal sidekick, but she isn't featured enough on the album. She has just as much charisma as Prima and her voice is both powerful and beautiful. The high point of the album is her singing the lead vocal on The Lip.

The Wildest! is certainly good to play at parties and when you're in a good mood, but the songs are predictable enough that it can easily wear thin if it's played too frequently.

All the songs are good, but the truly stand out songs on the album are Medley: Just a Gigolo–I Ain't Got Nobody, (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby, The Lip, Jump, Jive, an' Wail and Buona Sera.

★★★★★★★★☆☆