Mail bag

I received this kind note from JW:

Dr Blanchard,

I have been following your jazz blog, and I would like to recommend some albums. I am of course assuming you do not already have copies.

The first is a Dizzy Gillespie album, "Sonny Side Up," Featuring Gillespie on trumpet, Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone, and a rhythm section of pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Tommy Bryant, and drummer Charlie Persip. This was on of the first albums I bought when I was in high school. I enjoyed it then, and I enjoy it now. Especially enjoyable is the contrast between Stitt and Rollins. And of course Diz has his moments.

If you do not own any Clifford Brown, you should. There are two box sets, if you want to collect by that route. A four disc set: "The Complete Blue Note and Pacific Jazz Recordings." The highlight of this set are two albums recorded live at Birdland with the Art Blakey quintet.

The second set is the 10 disc: Brownie: The Complete Emarcy Recordings. The discs in this set include some jam sessions, and the Max Roach -Clifford Brown albums. Most, if not all, of the Roach-Brown albums can be found individually if you would prefer to go that route. I am very partial to these sets, but I must admit Clifford is my favorite jazz trumpeter.

All the best,

JW.

As it happens, I do have the Clifford Brown Blue Note box. I am now drooling over the prospect of the 10 disc Emarcy box. I am not sure who my favorite jazz trumpet is. My SDP colleague Jason Heppler is very fond of Lee Morgan, and the Sidewinder is a marvelous sample of his work. I am exploring the works of Freddie Hubbard right now. Hub-tones, and Ready for Freddie are excellent discs. Hubbard also played on Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil, one of the best jazz recordings, in my opinion.