After just about short circuiting my musical mind by listening to almost 400 current year albums in 2025, I'll be throttling back significantly in 2026. There will be some listening to old favorites, some checking out less familiar albums by familiar artists, and listening to artists I missed completely back in the day. Of course I will be checking out some new music, but first, I'm going back and and picking a couple albums from each year; with jazz, I'll be starting with 1950, mostly because that's about when LPs started taking hold, and yeah, because it's a nice round number. Will I be able to get all the way through 2026 while it's still 2026? Who knows, so let the journey through time begin!
Dexter Gordon - Dexter Gordon Year: 1950
Style or Subgenre: Bop
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This was a joyful listen. Dexter's tenor is muscular yet fully swinging. Apparently Teddy Edwards actually plays tenor on half of these cuts, some from 1950 and some pulled from 10 inchers from a few years previous. It all gets confusing, but who cares when you're just swinging along? I alson really honed in on some very nice piano work from Jimmy Rowles. A very nice way for me to start my latest journey through jazz time!
Dave Brubeck - Dave Brubeck Octet Year: 1950
Style or Subgenre: Cool Jazz
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I don't think I was aware that Mr. Take Five had started out this far back. Oh, and Paul Desmond is there as well. But this is an octet, a much bigger ensemble than the quartets I was used to. Listening to this album was another joy as it was obvious Mr. Brubeck's compositional skills were very much up to the task of writing for the double sized group. Especially cool was taking in his facility for counterpoint. Fun stuff! The only drawback was is that (as was common at the time), most songs are in the 2.5-3 minute range. I would have really loved to hear Brubeck stretch out those compositional skills into longer forms. Still, lots of fun, so another great listen.
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My choices for today's 1951 listen are worlds apart, delightfully so.
Duke Ellington - Masterpieces by Ellington Year: 1951
Style or Subgenre: Swing, Big Band
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My first thought upon the title of this album is that "Masterpieces by Ellington" is kind of redundant. Really, did the guy ever pen a bad tune? One listen to this album confirmed the hypothesis. The new LP format which allowed longer recordings really allowed Duke to flex his long form compositional skills; these are beautiful composition, and they are beautifully delivered. Not only was Duke a brilliant composer, he was clearly a great leader, coaxing the very best out of his band in service of those compositions. Wonderful stuff!
Les Baxter - Ritual of the Savage Year: 1951
Style or Subgenre: Exotica
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Okay, this flag bearing example of exotica isn't really jazz, but it is jazz-y at times, and most of all it's a wicked good listen. The integration of tribal rhythms, exotic modes, and western orchestral swing makes for a really fun fusion. I'm taking this with me on my next road trip!
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Continuing my Jazz Time Journey in 1952 with some real gems....
Stan Kenton - New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm Year: 1952
Style or Subgenre: Progressive Jazz, Big Band
I've always liked the few Stan Kenton albums I've heard... quite a bit. Even with that strong baseline, this album lifts my impression of Mr. Kenton even higher!
The album starts with 10 minutes of announcer introducing the orchestra and its personalities (both instrumental and individual performer). On paper that sounds like a big waste of what should be musical space, but it really is fun to listen to, and quite well sets the stage for the songs to come. And those other 11 songs are dandies; all of them. The orchestra is indeed innovative; this is the essence of the origins of progressive jazz and Kenton is the master.
Gerry Mulligan - Gerry Mulligan Quartet Volume 2 Year: 1952
Style or Subgenre: West Coast Jazz
Every time I think I'm less enamored of one form of jazz than another, someone comes along to dispel my notion. This time it's baritone saxman Gerry Mulligan and his quartet getting me to totally dig West Coast Jazz. There's so many creative lines here, all weaving their way in and out of each other, but never frenetically so; well grounded in that cool, easy going west coast vibe. It really is a remarkable accomplishment how these musicians lay down so much intricacy with such facility and ease. The result is sheer listening pleasure.
[img]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEAG9woDSHA&list=PLSZ5psQ5TkMKDmXUIOjl3Zs8zObOMjrF6&index=6[/img]
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Toshiko Akiyoshi - Toshiko's Piano Year: 1953
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop, Piano Jazz
I fell in love with Toshiko Ashiyoki's orchestral work upon first listen, as well as her work as band leader. So seeing this early recording with her on the keys made this an automatic entry for 1953. It was everything I hoped it would be. Ashiyoki can play as well as she does anything else, and she does so with both verve and heart on these songs. What a joyful piano album this is!
Chet Baker - Chet Baker Quartet Year: 1953
Style or Subgenre: Cool Jazz
I often shy away from Chet Baker as I'm not a fan of his singing. But when I find a purely instrumental album, I'm in. This is a pleasant straightforward cool set here with a few hot moments. A very nice listen.
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Barney Kessel - Barney Kessel Vol. 2: Kessel Plays Standards Year: 1954
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop
I am a major fan of every Barney Kessel album I've heard. I always worry a little going back deeper into an artists catalog as I fear I may not hear an as yet fully formed artist. That may or may not quite be the case here, but this is still a great guitar album regardless of the date or point in this artist's career. There's some really sweet licks here along with a nice flow and song selection and sequencing. The album does have 1954 sound, but Kessel's tone is impeccable and his interplay with Bob Cooper's oboe is particularly inviting. A strong keeper this one.
Max Roach - The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley Year: 1954
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop
The aforementioned fear is a little closer to reality here; not with leader Roach, but rather sax man man Hank Mobley. But while we're not yet to the unique personality that gave us so many seminal sax performances, his playing here is still quite excellent. With roach as leader, we get a lot more drum than on a typical hard bop album and in this case that's a very good thing. Roach is on fire here and the end result is a fine collaboration.
Lionel Hampton & Stan Getz - Hamp and Getz Year: 1955
Style or Subgenre: Swing, West Coast Jazz, Cool Jazz
This is a great collaboration that might be a little unexpected. Different generations and different styles. But these two cats blend so well you'd never guess they didn't come from the same timescale and tradition. This is also surprisingly hot for a nominally cool album. Hampton in particular goes off on those vibes, so much so that at times it seems like Getz's tenor may be having a little trouble keeping up. But he does acquit himself admirably. For me, this album is essential.
Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan Year: 1955
Style or Subgenre: Vocal Jazz
Being Saturday night, it was time to put some vocals back in my jazz journey, and if it's 1955, what could be better than the incomparable Sarah Vaughan? Even before I actually became a fan of jazz vocals, I could cite Ms. Vaughan as a fave. This is one of her most lauded albums, understandably so as it displays all the qualities that make her such a brilliant interpreter of standards. She could really sing a story!
For my 1956 foray, I found less familiar but no less fantastic hard bop to swing with:
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Doug Watkins - Watkins at Large Year: 1956
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop
Respected sideman/bassist Doug Watkins gave us precious little music as leader. That in no way implies he wasn't up to the task. This is an excellent, and supremely listenable, hard bop album. Of course it's hard to go terribly wrong with the likes of Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, and Hank Mobley pushing your front line and a core rhythm section including Duke Jordan and Art Taylor. The end result of this collaboration is a slightly less challenging yet no less enjoyable date in which everyone shines as they present a handful of great songs in nice arrangements. This is joyful and pleasant music. It doesn't aim to set the world on fire and doesn't really need to, although some of Byrd's trumpet solos are pretty blazing. Mobley's sax blends in beautifully, creating smooth but lively lines, and as always, guitarist Burrell is supremely tasteful and possessed of amazing purity of tone. I will definitely think of this album as greater than its general level of fame.
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Frank Foster - No Count Year: 1956
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop
Frank Foster is maybe a little less familiar to me than Doug Watkins, but no less satisfying. This is also a core hard bop album, but has a completely different personality, being a little less smooth; a little more gritty, maybe even a little sleazy at points. That comes courtesy of Frank Wess's tenor and the dual slide trombones of Benny Powell and Henry Coker. Things get smoother but no more mainstream when Wess puts down the tenor in favor of the flute, adding further variety to the album. And then there's Kenny Burrell again, a little less prominent here than in the Watkins album, but still after listening to the album, I can't imagine it without him. I will also think of this album at a level above its reputation.
Bonus content: my car of the year - 1956 Ford Thunderbird
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... the jazz journey through time proceeds into the year of tailfins, 1957!
Duke Ellington and HIs Orchestra - Such Sweet Thunder Year: 1957
Style or Subgenre: Big Band, Swing
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So Duke Ellington, resulting from a very favorable trip across the pond, was inspired to compose a series of musical vignettes on characters from Shakespeare. That takes guts, but by now we know the Duke can pull off anything he chose to, musically speaking. My only disappointment here is that these vignettes tend on the short side, mostly in the 2 - 3 1/2 minute range. But there is a ton of great music packed into those brief musical character sketches. Overall, this is classic Duke, just in a different form, and sits well alongside his more famous projects as well as those with bigger forms.
Gene Ammons - Jammin' in Hi-Fi with Gene Ammons Year: 1957
Style or Subgenre: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz
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What a wonderful septet! Ammons's tenor and Jackie McLean's alto compliment each other nicely, but the trumpet of Idrees Sulieman really lights up the place. Every time I hear Sulieman, I wonder why I don't listen to him more. I really do need to research all the places he showed up as a side man and listen to them. Again, we have Kenny Burrell on guitar (he seems to have been very busy in this time period!), and he is yet again magnificent. The core rhythm secton of Mal Waldron on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Paul Chambers on bass is flawlessly tight throughout. This is consistently lively and souldful hard bop throughout the four long songs presented. No weaknesses. An essential keeper.
Bonus content: my car of the year - 1957 Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster (faked y'all out with the opening comment about tailfins... the 1957 Chevy Bel Air was the obvious choice, but really, this Merc is to sexy to pass up.
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