Bud Shank & Bob Cooper - Mosaic Select 10 (1954-58) [3CD] {2004 Mosaic Records 24-bit Remaster by Ron McMaster}

Bud Shank & Bob Cooper - Mosaic Select 10 (1954-58) [3CD] {2004 Mosaic Records 24-bit Remaster by Ron McMaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 960 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 484 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 30 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster by Ron McMaster
© 2004 Pacific Jazz / Mosaic Records / EMI Records | MS-010
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Flute / Saxophone

This excellent 3-CD set collects two 10" albums by Shank and 4 12" albums co-led by Shank and Cooper, all for the Pacific Jazz/World Pacific labels between 1954-58. The West Coast cool school was at its height at this time, and both Bud Shank and Bob Cooper were in the thick of it. The first disc gets off to a rousing start with the marvelously swinging VALVE IN HEAD from 1954, with Bud playing fluid alto sax. He's joined by three valve trombone players (Bob Enevoldsen, Stu Williamson, and the ringer Maynard Ferguson) on this tune and for the first half of the disc, an interesting concept. The second half finds him with Coop at Cal Tech in 1959. Count Basie's THE KING gets a rousing airing, and there's a nicely done ballad medley. Disc 2 contains the other 10-incher, this time with Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone with a small string section. Taken in its totality, it's the best album in the set. The highlight is Brookmeyer's own RUSTIC HOP, a great tune swung wonderfully. But all the tunes from this date, mostly standards, are great (OUT OF THIS WORLD is taken as a samba - very tasty), and the string section is truly a compliment to the proceedings, never obtrusive. The rest of Disc 2 has the 1958 BLOWIN' COUNTRY album on it (unfortunately also recently re-issued on a Pacific Jazz CD, which might be out of print now), and features Bud and Coop on various reeds, including flutes and oboe. The title track is an up-tempo swinger with both men on tenor and is the best from that album. Disc 3 has miscellaneous sides completing the BLOWING COUNTRY date and also the album FLUTE 'N OBOE from 1956. Also done with a string section in attendance, I found this to be the least satisfying of the sessions. There seems a conscious effort to make this a chamber-jazz album, and except for a few items (TEQUILA TIME and the blues BLUES FOR DELILAH) there's a general lack of swing. The set, for the most part, is quite excellent and collects some hard-to-find albums from the '50s. West Coast jazz could be cerebral and even icy, but in the right hands (and Bud Shank and Bob Cooper have the right hands) it could also swing like mad and be most welcoming. This Mosaic Select is definitely worth checking out. Personnel: Bud Shank (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Howard Roberts (guitar); Benny Gill, Samuel Cytron, Tibor Zelig, Sam Caplan, Milton Feher, Marshall Sosson (violin, strings); Jack Pepper, Robert Sushel, Eudice Shapiro (violin); Myron Sandler, Louis Kievman (viola, strings); Milton Thomas (viola); Paul Bergstrom, Ray Kramer (cello, strings); Bob Cooper (bass clarinet, oboe, tenor saxophone); Maynard Ferguson, Stu Williamson , Bob Brookmeyer, Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone); Claude Williamson (piano); Chuck Flores , Larry Bunker, Shelly Manne (drums) and others... tracklist: Disc: 1 01. Valve Head 02. Cool Fool 03. Little Girl Blue 04. Mobile 05. Wailing Vessel 06. Baby's Birthday Party 07. You Don't Know What Love Is 08. Sing Something Simple 09. Wailing Vessel [Alternate Take] 10. When Lights Are Low [Live] 11. Old Devil Moon [Live] 12. The Nearness of You [Live] 13. Medley: How Long Has This Been Going On/Tea for Two [Live] 14. Lullaby of Birdland [Live] 15. Somebody Loves Me [Live] 16. Moonlight in Vermont [Live] 17. The King [Live] Disc: 2 01. Low Life 02. When Your Lover Has Gone 03. Out of This World 04. There's a Small Hotel 05. Rustic Hop 06. You Are Too Beautiful 07. With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair 08. Low Life [Alternate Take] 09. Dinah 10. Mutual Admiration Society 11. Steve Allen Theme 12. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face 13. Blowin' Country 14. Love Nest 15. As Long as There's Music 16. Just in Time 17. Two Lost Souls 18. Thanks for the Memory 19. A Romantic Guy, I Disc: 3 01. Sweet Georgia Brown 02. Gypsy in My Soul 03. I Want to Be Happy 04. What'll I Do? 05. They Didn't Believe Me 06. In the Blue of the Evening 07. Tequila Time 08. I Can't Get Started 09. Blues for Delilah 10. Sunset and Wine 11. When You Wish Upon a Star 12. Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day) 13. Tenderly 14. Danny Boy (Londonberry Air)