Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson - Nuf Said (1955)

Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson - Nuf Said (1955)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 210MB

Betlehem-Avenue R2 7599

Allmusic:
At times sounding indistinguishable soloing side by side, trombonists Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson gained unexpected fame from a series of collaborative efforts cut during the mid-'50s. Sandwiched between their initial Savoy outing and several Columbia releases (and a later reunion session for Impulse), 1955's Nuf Said features the soloists in a buoyant West Coast mood on several medium- to fast-tempo swingers. Winding and Johnson both turn in fluid, tonally rounded statements, while pianist Dick Katz, bassists Milt Hinton and Wendell Marshall, and drummer Al Harewood (using brushes most of the time) provide plush rhythmic support. In addition to impressively arranged covers like "Mad About the Boy" and "Out of This World," Johnson and Winding each contribute two attractive originals -­ Winding's "Gong Rock" gets special note not only for its then-exotic incorporation of gong sounds, but also for the title's evocation of a time-travel meeting between the trombonist and glam rocker T. Rex. Musical fantasy aside, this Bethlehem reissue by Avenue Jazz pads the original set with seven worthwhile alternate takes and tops things off with superb sound and helpful liner notes. And though some might find the music here a bit thin (a common criticism of the West Coast sound which, ironically, gets turned on its ear this time around since all the musicians involved are from the East Coast), the arrangements and playing are so engaging and of such high quality that categorization dilemmas disappear. A fine disc.

Tracks
-01. "Out of This World" - Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer - 2:20
-02. "Thou Swell" - Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers - 2:55
-03. "Lover" - Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers - 5:34
-04. "Lope City" - J.J. Johnson - 3:32
-05. "Stolen Bass" - J.J. Johnson - 2:56
-06. "It's All Right With Me" - Cole - 5:06
-07. "Mad About the Boy" - Noël Coward - 3:32
-08. "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" - Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn - 4:06
-09. "That's How I Feel About You" - Kai Winding - 3:59
-10. "Gong Rock" - Kai Winding - 3:25
-11. "It's All Right With Me" - Cole Porter - 5:31
-12. "Lover" - Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers - 5:39
-13. "Gong Rock" - Kai Winding - 3:25
-14. "Lope City" - J.J. Johnson - 3:42
-15. "It's All Right With Me" - Cole Porter - 6:24
-16. "Out of This World" - Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer - 2:28
-17. "That's How I Feel About You" - Kai Winding - 4:08

Personnel
* Kai Winding (trombone)
* J.J. Johnson (trombone)
* Dick Katz (piano)
* Al Harewood (drums)

 sample & buy: Nuf Said 

 

JJ Johnson, Kai Winding, B Green, W Dennis - Four Trombones...The Debut Recordings (1953)

JJ Johnson, Kai Winding, B Green, W Dennis - Four Trombones...The Debut Recordings (1953)

jazz | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 470MB

Prestige

Amazon
Here is a nice album recorded live at a session with Mingus bringing together 4 of the great modern trombonists. If ya don't like bebop don't buy it. Such a dichotomy of approaches to playing the instrument. A feast for jazz trombonists and a chance to hear these guys stretch out !

Tracks
-1. "Wee Dot" (14:26)
-2. "Stardust" (5:03)
-3. "Move" (6:58)
-4. "I'll Remember April" (11:13)
-5. "Now's the Time" (14:27)
-6. "Trombosphere" (3:29)
-7. "Ow!" (15:19)
-8. "Chazzanova" (4:57)

Personnel
* John Lewis - Piano
* Charles Mingus - Bass
* Art Taylor - Drums
* Willie Dennis - Trombone
* Bennie Green - Trombone
* J.J. Johnson - Trombone
* Kai Winding - Trombone

 sample & buy: 4 Trombones

 

J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding - Jay & Kai (1954)

J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding - Jay & Kai (1954)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 205MB

Savoy/Denon

Allmusic:
The music on this Savoy disc is excellent but the packaging is rather dumb. Rather than reissue all 12 selections from a pair of 1954 sessions that led to the birth of the J.J. Johnson-Kai Winding two-trombone quintet (renditions that also include either pianist Wally Cirillo or guitarist Billy Bauer along with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Kenny Clarke), there are just eight on this CD along with a Johnson track from 1947 ("Yesterdays") and three of the four Winding performances (in a quintet with pianist Lou Stein) from 1952. Sure to frustrate completists, this reissue is still worth picking up if found at a budget price, for the music contains plenty of worthy trombone solos.

Tracks
-01. "Bernie's Tune" - Jerry Leiber / Bernard Miller / Mike Stoller - 3:55
-02. "Lament" - J.J. Johnson - 4:04
-03. "Blues for Trombones" - J.J. Johnson - 5:04
-04. "The Major" - J.J. Johnson - 3:10
-05. "Yesterdays" - Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern - 2:58
-06. "Co-Op" - J.J. Johnson - 3:30
-07. "Reflections" - J.J. Johnson - 4:13
-08. "Blues in Twos" - J.J. Johnson - 4:51
-09. "What Is This Thing Called Love?" - Cole Porter - 3:12
-10. "The Boy Next Door" - Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin - 2:50
-11. "I Could Wright a Book" - J.J. Johnson - 2:51
-12. "Carioca" - J.J. Johnson - 2:57

Personnel
* J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (trombone)
* Leo Parker (baritone saxophone)
* Wally Cirillo, Hank Jones, Lou Stein (piano)
* Billy Bauer (guitar)
* Charles Mingus, Al Lucas, Eddie Safranski (bass)
* Kenny Clarke, Shadow Wilson, Tiny Kahn (drums)
* Al Young (bongos, timbales)

 sample & buy: Jay & Kai

 

Kai Winding, JJ Johnson, Bennie Green - Kai & Jay & Green With Strings (1954)

Kai Winding,  JJ Johnson, Bennie Green - Kai & Jay & Green With Strings (1954)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 170MB

OJC

Allmusic:
Two unrelated session are combined on this CD reissue of an LP. Trombonist Bennie Green is heard on four ballads from 1952 while backed by a rhythm section and six strings. However, the more significant selections are eight songs that for the first time matched together trombonists J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding in a quintet. The Johnson and Winding group would be quite popular during the next two years and, listening to the colorful and melodic versions of such tunes as "How Long Has This Been Going On," "Dinner for One," and "We'll Be Together Again," it is easy to see why.

Tracks
Green With Strings
-01. "There's a Small Hotel" - 2:41
-02. "Stardust" - 3:15
-03. "Serenade to Love" - 2:54
-04. "Embraceable You" - 2:58
--
Kai & Jay
-05. "Don't Argue" - 3:00
-06. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" - 2:33
-07. "Riviera" - 3:14
-08. "Dinner for One" - 3:04
-09. "Hip Bones" - 2:56
-10. "Wind Bag" - 3:10
-11. "We'll Be Together Again" - 3:16
-12. "Bags' Groove" - 3:11

Personnel
Green with Strings:
* Benny Green - trombone
* John Malachi - piano
* Tommy Potter - bass
* Osie Johnson - drums
Kai & Jay:
* JJ Johnson, Kai Winding - trombones
* Dick Katz - piano
* Peck Morrison - bass
* Al Harewood - drums

 Sample & buy: Green With Strings

 

J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding - Trombone for Two (1956)

J.J. Johnson  & Kai Winding - Trombone for Two (1956)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Mosaic singles

Allmusic:
The J.J. Johnson-Kai Winding quintet became one of the more unlikely successes of the mid-'50s, recording nine albums during their two years of steady collaborations. Their first Columbia LP (there would be five) has such likable songs as "Give Me the Simple Life," "Trombone for Two," "It's Sand Man," "Let's Get Away from It All" and "This Can't Be Love." With pianist Dick Katz, bassist Paul Chambers (who would soon join Miles Davis) and drummer Osie Johnson, the focus is almost entirely on the competitive but complementary trombonists. The results are bop-based but full of surprises, tasteful but not always predictable. All of this group's albums deserve to be reissued in coherent fashion on CD; this one will be hard to find.

Tracks
-01. "The Whiffenpoof Song" (Minnigerode-Pomeroy-Galloway-Rev: R. Vallee) - 3:19
-02. "Give Me the Simple Life" - (Ruby - Bloom) - 3:54
-03. "Close as Pages in a Book" - (Fields - Romberg) - 3:36
-04. "Turnabout" - (J. J. Johnson) - 3:53
-05. "Trombone for Two" - (Kai Winding) - 3:15
-06. "It's Sand, Man" - (E. Lewis-Arr: K. Winding) - 3:57
-07. "We Two" - (J. J. Johnson) - 4:02
-08. "Let's Get Away From It All" - (Adair-Dennis) - 2:52
-09. "Goodbye" - (Jenkins) - 2:44
-10. "This Can't Be Love" - (Rodgers and Hart) - 4:04
-11. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" - (Cole Porter) - 3:30
-12. "Caribé" - (Kai Winding) - 2:41
-13. "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" - (E.Y. "Yip" Harburg) - 3:40
-14. "The Song Is You" - (Kern, Hammerstein) - 4:02
-15. "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" - 4:18
-16. "Trombonims in Motion" - 3:40
-17. "How High the Moon" - 2:33
-18. "Violets for Your Furs" - 4:20
-19. "Too Close for Comfort" - (Larry Holofcener) - 3:26
-20. "'S Wonderful" - 3:08

Personnel
* J.J. Johnson - Trombone
* Kai Winding - Trombone
* Dick Katz - Piano
* Paul Chambers - Bass
* Osie Johnson - Drums

 sample & buy: Trombone for Two