Newk’s Time – Sonny Rollins
Recorded in 1957 but released in 1959, “Newk’s Time” was the last LP before the legendary saxophonist’s self-imposed, three-year exile.
Coltrane (1957)
John Coltrane’s debut features many of the hallmarks that the saxophonist would later become famous for.
Grade: A-
East Coasting – Charles Mingus
One of Charles Mingus’ rare, non-essential LPs.
Grade: B+
Monk’s Music
Monk’s Music is one the pianists most essential LPs.
Grade: A
Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street
The final LP released by the legendary hard bop leaders.
Grade: A
Blue Serge
The best album from one of jazz’s most tragic figures.
Grade: A
Tenor Madness: Sonny Rollins in 1956
A brief writeup on four Sonny Rollins LPs from 1956.
The Unique Thelonious Monk
Ironically, “The Unique Thelonious Monk” is unique in the fact that it is conventional.
Grade: A
3 Underrated Miles Davis LPs
1957 was the year Miles Davis and his First Great Quintet began blazing new trails in the world of jazz. The foundations for that success mere made the year prior, in which Davis released three LPs showing his continued development in hard bop. His work in 1956 remains underrated in light of his future masterpieces. […]
Clifford Brown & Max Roach – 1955
Clifford Brown with Strings: A
Brown and Roach Incorporated: A-
Study in Brown: A
Clifford Brown & Max Roach (1954)
The debut LP from Clifford Brown (trumpeter) and Max Roach (drummer) is a jazz landmark.
Grade: A+