Top Picks
Frank Foster-Frank Wess Quintet
Two for the Blues, OJC/Pablo. Kenny Barron, piano; Rufus Reid, bass; Marvin “Smitty” Smith, drums
Frankly Speaking, Concord. Kenny Barron, piano; Rufus Reid, bass; Marvin “Smitty” Smith, drums
Frank Foster Quintet-George Wallington Septet: Here Comes Frank Foster/George Wallington Showcase, Blue Note. Benny Powell, trombone; Gildo Mahones, piano; Percy Heath, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums, in the quintet and as soloist with Wallington Septet
Pepper Adams Quintet: The Adams Effect, Uptown. Tommy Flanagan, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Billy Hart, drums
Joe Newman Quintet: Good ’n’ Groovy, OJC/Prestige. Tommy Flanagan, piano; Eddie Jones, bass; Bill English, drums
Horace Parlan Quintet: Frank-ly Speaking, SteepleChase. Frank Strozier, alto sax; Lisle Atkinson, bass; Al Harewood, drums
Elvin Jones Sextet-Trio: Elvin!, OJC/Riverside. Frank Wess, flute; Thad Jones, cornet; Hank Jones, piano; Art Davis, bass
Joe Newman Septet: The Count’s Men, Featuring Joe Newman, Fresh Sound. Frank Wess, tenor sax, flute; Benny Powell, trombone; Sir Charles Thompson, piano; Eddie Jones, bass; Shadow Wilson, drums
Superior
Frank Foster Sextet: Manhattan Fever, Blue Note. Marvin Stamm, trumpet; Garnett Brown, trombone; Richard Wyands, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Mickey Roker, drums
Frank Foster-Frank Wess Septet
North, South, East…Wess, Savoy. Benny Powell, trombone; Henry Coker, trombone; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Eddie Jones, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums
No Count, Savoy. Benny Powell, trombone; Henry Coker, trombone; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Eddie Jones, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums
Count Basie Septet: Count Basie and the Kansas City 7, MCA/Impulse. Eric Dixon, tenor sax, flute; Thad Jones, trumpet; Freddie Green, guitar; Eddie Jones, bass; Sonny Payne, drums
Donald Byrd Quintet: Byrd’s Word, Savoy. Hank Jones, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums
Elmo Hope Sextet and Trio: Homecoming!, OJC/Riverside. Jimmy Heath, tenor sax; Blue Mitchell, trumpet; Percy Heath, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums, on 5 tracks, including alternate takes, of a 9-track CD
Thad Jones Quintet-Sextet and Sonny Rollins Quintet: Sonny Rollins-Thad Jones, Zeta Records Jazz Archives No. 4. Jimmy Jones, piano; Doug Watkins, bass; Jo Jones, drums, on 5 tracks of an 11-track CD (The 3 Rollins quintet selections are nonfactors; the compilation is definitely a Thad Jones small group feature.)
Ronnie Mathews Quartet-Quintet: Roots, Branches & Dances, Bee Hive. Ray Drummond, bass; Al Foster, drums; Azzedin Weston, percussion
Thelonious Monk Quintets with Sonny Rollins or Frank Foster: Monk, OJC/Prestige. Ray Copeland, trumpet; Curly Russell, bass; Art Blakey, drums, on 4 tracks of a 7-track CD
Hilton Ruiz Quintet: Excition, SteepleChase. Richard Williams, trumpet; Buster Williams, bass; Roy Brooks, drums
Excellent
Frank Foster Quintet: Fearless Frank Foster, OJC/Prestige. Virgil Jones, trumpet; Albert Dailey, piano; Bob Cunningham, bass; Alan Dawson, drums
Elmo Hope Trio-Quintets: Trio and Quintet, Blue Note. Freeman Lee, trumpet; Percy Heath, bass; Art Blakey, drums, on 7 tracks of a 20-track CD
Elmo Hope Quartet and Quintet: Hope Meets Foster, OJC/Prestige. Freeman Lee, trumpet; John Ore, bass; Art Taylor, drums
Kenny Burrell-Donald Byrd Sextet: All Day Long, OJC/Prestige. Tommy Flanagan, piano; Doug Watkins, bass; Art Taylor, drums (Definitely hear Frank Foster’s lengthy blues choruses on All Day Long.)