That Eric Alper

In this case, the small group came out of the big band and featured the bright young trumpeter Bob Summers along with veteran trombonist Booty Wood and saxophonists Eric Dixon and Chris Woods. In large group or small, Basie and guitarist Freddie Green were at the heart of the rhythm, lifting the proceedings to a rarified plane of swing never to be duplicated after they were gone.

Additionally, as he demonstrates to a fare-thee-well on “Wee Baby,” Vinson was a terrific blues shouter. In his small groups, Basie the pianist was on more prominent display than in the big band, and there are plenty of reminders here that his keyboard talent encompassed much more than wryness and subtlety.

Southwest swing matured to the Harlem hothouses that germinated bebop. The common language of the blues, and Basie’s catalytic keyboard, bind them tightly together in support of Big Joe Turner, a shouter, a smooth talker, a testifier to the power, tenderness, despair, and joy of the blues and of life, which are the same.

Among the pieces are two less well-known masterpieces, Gillespie’s “Constantinople” and Carter’s “The Courtship.” Gillespie’s superb bassist of the great 1947-48 big band, Al McKibbon, is in the rhythm section with Tommy Flanagan, Joe Pass, and Mickey Roker.

“Ellington would record his orchestra at his own expense, and then stockpile the recordings,” says Nick Phillips, Vice President, Catalog and Jazz A&R at Concord and producer of the Original Jazz Classics Remasters series. “These were recordings that were later sold to Norman Granz, who had the good sense in the ’70s to collect these then-unreleased suites on one album.”

The story behind Fine And Mellow begins with Ella Fitzgerald, often heralded as the “First Lady of Song,” collaborating with a distinguished group of musicians who were at the pinnacle of jazz innovation. Recorded at the famed Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium in 1962, this live session presents a rare and authentic glimpse into the improvisational magic of the era. The album is a veritable “who’s who” of jazz greats, chosen with a careful and deliberate focus on complementing Ella’s vocal style.

Ella’s smooth yet powerful voice effortlessly rides the waves of a setlist filled with timeless classics, most notably the title track, Fine And Mellow. The album features Ella at the height of her vocal prowess, with each note floating in the air with an almost tactile quality.

To call this collection of Great American Songbook standards intimate would be an understatement. Ella and Oscar is a low-key album of small, quiet pleasures. Even during the second half where Brown’s bass provides additional rhythmic variety, the focus is squarely on voice and piano. Most of the album’s tracks are under five minutes in length. Only on the closing number, “April In Paris,” do they really stretch out significantly. Peterson delivers a relaxed but swinging solo. Fitzgerald follows suit with remarkably expressive scatting. Earlier on “When Your Lover Has Gone,” she and Peterson trades four bars solos in captivating exchange of melodic ideas.

Featuring guitarist Joe Pass (just beginning to become famous), bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Bobby Durham, they are jamming on eight Ellington tunes and “Caravan” (which was penned by one of Duke’s key sidemen, Juan Tizol). AllMusic says “The interplay between the three musicians is quite impressive, and Pass’ mastery of the guitar is obvious (he didn’t really need the other sidemen). Highlights include “In a Mellow Tone,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” and “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good).”

Pass was a supremely natural player whose solos swung from the first note. Sims was also in his later years a master of lyrical expression in ballads. His lyricism here, notably in “Remember,” is complemented by his relaxed urgency in the faster pieces. Pass accompanies Sims beautifully and solos with his customary ingenuity.

The great tenor saxophonist Ben Webster’s solos profoundly affected him. It is true that his tone was closer to Lester Young’s, but Webster’s conception was always a major component of Sims’s style, and toward the end of his life Zoot’s sound took on more of Webster’s heft and darkness. Fittingly, he and Webster’s favorite pianist, Jimmy Rowles, do Bojangles to a rare turn, and Sims gives an achingly beautiful reading of Duke’s “Your Love Has Faded.”

This album blends her impeccable phrasing with inventive, boundary-pushing jazz arrangements, making it a must-have for those who appreciate vocal jazz that transcends the genre. Vaughan’s impeccable sense of timing and emotional depth, paired with the intricate instrumental backing, elevate these tracks into an extraordinary listening experience.