Part of the 'Master Sound Jazz Series'. Japanese reissue of the classic Columbia album originally released in 1955. DSD mastering. Packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. 10 tracks. 2000 release.

Ascenseur pour l'échafaud is an album by jazz musician Miles Davis. It was recorded at Le Poste Parisien Studio in Paris on December 4 and 5, 1957. The album features the musical cues for the 1958 Louis Malle film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud.

Arthur Blakey was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was briefly known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1940s in the big bands of Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstine.

Recorded：December 15, 1957
Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack
Lou Donaldson - alto saxophone
Donald Byrd - trumpet
Curtis Fuller - trombone
Sonny Clark - piano
Jamil Nasser - bass
Art Taylor - drums

Quartet/Quintet/Sextet is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson featuring his earliest recordings as a leader on the Blue Note label performed by Donaldson's Quartet with Horace Silver, Gene Ramey and Art Taylor, his Quintet with Silver, Blue Mitchell, Art Blakey, and Percy Heath, and a Sextet with Heath, Blakey, Kenny Dorham, Matthew Gee, and Elmo Hope.[1] The album was originally released as a 10" LP, the as a long-playing record, and CD with additional tracks added.
The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4½ stars and states "While Donaldson's tone isn't quite as full as it would be within just five years, he impresses with his bold, speedy technique and fine phrasing. He doesn't play anything out of the ordinary, but he plays it very, very well, and his playing is enhanced by the three stellar bands that support him on these sessions... Everyone plays in a straight bop and hard bop tradition, contributing fine performances to a strong debut effort by Donaldson".[2]

The Jazz Messengers is a 1956 album by the Jazz Messengers, released by Columbia Records. It was the last recording by the Jazz Messengers lineup featuring pianist Horace Silver.
In 1968 Columbia reissued the LP in their Jazz Odyssey Series with a new cover under the title Art Blakey with the Original Jazz Messengers. In 1997 the album was digitally remastered and released on CD, again with its original title and cover, featuring all the tracks from the original LP along with five additional tracks drawn from the same recording sessions but previously released only on foreign imports.

Recorded：May 22, 1959
Ornette Coleman – alto saxophone
Don Cherry – cornet
Charlie Haden – bass
Billy Higgins – drums

《独驾蓝色列车曲风试航号》
如果一定要在John Coltrane浩如烟海的录音中，选出一张可以和他经典地位休戚与共的唱片，那么《Blue Train》当选的概率应该超过90%。虽然这种强人所难的选择题，总是会感觉到其趋向变态的实质，但是往好处想，人类也正是有了这种对唯一性的特殊变态追求，才会用一次又一次去芜存精的实际行动，以大浪淘沙的手法去触摸理想化的艺术极限。
回到1957年，这一年对于John Coltrane来说可谓是喜忧参半，喜是大喜、忧是大忧，虽然经过岁月的沉淀之后，后者更像是对前者历练过程中所必须的铺垫，但无论如何，因为毒瘾太重而被Miles Davis开除出五重奏，在当时对于John Coltrane来讲，毕竟不是一件值得举杯相庆的光彩事，况且大器晚成的他，两年前才因为老迈的慧眼才闯出了一些小小的名堂。不过，这次除名事件看起来却并非只是往坏的方面一意孤行，因为紧随其后，John Coltrane却又得遇了另一位贵人Thelonious Monk，并在四月份与这位爵士史上出名的钢琴怪杰，于爵士名厂Riverside录制了《Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane》和《Thelonious Monk&John Coltrane》两张经典的唱片，从而不仅加速了John Coltrane吹奏技艺的更进一步，更在与名家大师开放形地接触中，逐步确立起自己独特和与众不同的演奏手法。而这一点绝对是一个只局限于一个乐团的某君御用乐手在短时间很难再进一步的关键所在，哪怕这个某君是爵士史上鼎鼎大名的Miles Davis也不例外。
而在John Coltrane演奏生涯中，最具划时代意义的当然还是1957年的9月15日，当时与Prestige尚有合约的他，因为受到了Blue Note老板Alfred Lion的亲睐，而由两家公司协商后，以外借身份来到了眼科医生兼录音师的Rudy Van Gelder父母家的客厅（即Blue Note鼎鼎有名的RVG录音室），并在与Blue Note一班名师的合作中，开启了他真正意义上自力更生、特立独行的第一篇章。虽然此前短短的一年多时间，他也以个人名义发行了超过两位数的唱片，但《Blue Train》却是他第一张摆脱Miles Davis阴影并开始勾勒自己风格线条的专辑。
当然，《Blue Train》能够在爵士史上书写如此经典的地位，除了它恰恰处于John Coltrane演绎上升期的一个重要交汇点外，专辑乐手整体的扶持同样功不可莫，这不仅仅是因为录制唱片的其他五位乐手的知名度比较高，毕竟这样的说法太过形而上。其实一个重要的原因还是乐手中有些依然还是Miles Davis旗下的老臣子，这在音乐的磨合上，多少给了John Coltrane心有灵犀的一种前提保障。像与John Coltrane同年出生同年加入老迈五重奏的鼓手Philly Joe Jones，和另一位迈大叔五重奏的御用贝司手Paul Chambers，以及在上世纪五十年代初就曾经和Miles Davis打过江山的钢琴手Kenny Drew。有了这些乐手的配合再加上John Coltrane正值盛年期的创作能力，他想不卖力都不成！小号手则是Lee Morgan这位继承Dizzy Gillespie和Clifford Brown风范的乐手，虽然他统领爵士乐坛的能力难及帅才Miles Davis之项背，但其在吹奏的速度和精准上，却比老迈有过之而无不及。其实，从这张专辑的演绎来看，时年才十九岁的他的确让人眼睛为之一亮，其风芒不仅盖过了该专辑三根管子之一的长号手Curtis Fuller，甚至在与John Coltrane的对手戏中也抢下不少的镜头。
《Blue Train》可以说是John Coltrane探索中形成自我风格的第一张唱片，也是他Bop生涯里最为强势的第一重击。五首曲子有四首出自他的创作，不过在编曲安排上倒是遵循了Blue Note一贯的口味，因此，其不够尽兴也成了部分乐迷对这张经典唱片哧之以鼻的重要理由，但这对正处于风格探索期的John Coltrane做到曲风凝聚倒是无疑中起到了保障作用。主题曲《Blue Train》用三根管子同时吹奏来模拟这列蓝色列车起航时的“号角”声可谓独具匠心，而John Coltrane天马行空、任想像力驰骋的演奏，配合着紧密却平稳的节奏，也让Bop曲风在更简易、更流畅的韵律中，加速了听觉的畅快淋漓之感觉。唯一一首非Johh Coltrane的作品《I’m Old Fashioned》，也是专辑中最为慵懒的一首音乐，却充分显示出John Coltrane演绎风格中尖锐而具有穿透力的特性，尤其是用长乐句造气氛的能力，先是如同溪水流动时清辙的音符和刀锋般的触觉，继而又是灵魂飘离身体的幻觉升起，逐渐将音乐由可触引向了不可触的神秘世界，这想必也正是John Coltrane日后开拓Avant-Garde Jazz的一种先期探索。而专辑中最为叫绝的还是John Coltrane和长号手Curtis Fuller用双主音Blow By Blow演绎醇正Hard Bop的《Locomotion》，AABA的结构，十二小节Blues加属七和弦半音的循序下行，节奏超频、即兴乱眼，堪为这张专辑中对Bop曲风演绎最为成功的一首传统作品。
当然，让这张专辑更显经曲中之独特地位的，是这张专辑居然为John Coltrane唯一一张以个人挂名的形式出现在Blue Note曲库中的专辑。(写的太好,不得不转)
JOHN COLTRANE,tenor saxophone
LEE MORGAN,trumpet
CURTIS FULLER,trombone
KENNY DREW,piano
PAUL CHAMBERS,bass
PHILLY JOE JONES,drums

Brilliant Corners is a studio album by American jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It was his third album for Riverside Records and the first, for this label, to include his own compositions. The complex title track required over a dozen takes in the studio, and is considered one of his most difficult compositions

Full performer name: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.
The Rudy Van Gelder Edition of MOANIN' includes an essay by Bob Blumenthal.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Art Blakey (drums); Benny Golson (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Bobby Timmons (piano); Jymie Merritt (bass).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on October 30, 1958. Originally released on Blue Note (4003). Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather and Bob Blumenthal.
Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Rudy Van Gelder (Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).
This is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Editions series.
If you simply can only have one Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers disc (and why would you stop there?), it absolutely must be MOANIN'. This 1958 Blue Note date is the cream of the early Messengers' studio sessions. The group of this period featured the wailing Lee Morgan (trumpet), the swinging Benny Golson (sax) and the soulful Bobby Timmons (piano) with longtime bassist Jymie Merritt by Blakey's side. All of the pieces fell into place here to create one of the most hard-swinging, blues-inflected records in jazz history.
Timmons' classic title cut sets the pace as it's laid-back call-and-response chorus and swinging bridge will get in your soul and start your head bobbing. Golson's bouncing "Are You Real" and the subtle "Along Came Betty" feature that golden Messengers ensemble sound that can't be matched as Blakey drives his men mercilessly. The most dynamic tracks, of course, are the drum feature "The Drum Thunder Suite," a Blakey tour-de-force, and the powerful "Blues March" featuring Art's signature shuffle groove. A delightful reading of the standard "Come Rain Or Come Shine" caps it all off. This is the one to get first.

Art Blakey's best selling album which made the Jazz Messengers a jazz institution and put Golson, Timmons, and Morgan to the forefront of jazz. (CD + LP)

Cannonball Adderley1928年出生于美国佛罗里达州，于1975年逝世。Adderley是一位卓越的中音萨克斯演奏家，他的演奏粗纩豪放，热情洋溢，具有一种原始美。Adderley不仅是硬波普爵士乐中的重要人物，他还是同一时期另一个重要流派——Soul Jazz中举足轻重的人物。仅仅活了47岁的Adderley在爵士音乐史上，始终只受到少数有识之士的敬重，对大部分爵士乐迷而言，或许他只是一位流行乐匠，而很少体会到他大师级地位与影响力的一面。他的音乐风格带有蓝调的影响，虽然有时会因老式作风引起人们的批评，但在展露锋芒之时，却总让人惊讶于他对于爵士乐艺术的奉献和执着之深。Cannonball Adderley最大的贡献应该是他运用特别的节奏组合，赋予60年代Soul Jazz风格的本质确立。虽然有些人认为那只是商业手段的推波助澜，但仔细聆听同时期其它人作品，仍以Cannonball Adderley的最为精纯。
在服役前后，Cannonball曾担任高中音乐老师，并组团表演。后来受到萨克斯风手Eddie Vinson的鼓励，于1955年，在纽约录制他的第一张作品，与Paul Chambers与Kenny Clarke合奏。这时正巧Charlie Parker才过世不久，纽约之行Cannonball适时接替了这个空缺，并造成当地的震撼。接着，他和弟弟Nat Adderley合组一支五重奏，以节奏变换特性广受欢迎。即兴的独奏明显的受到Charlie Parker的影响，但却没有Charlie那种刻意引人注目的声调。在节奏方面，亦呈现同时期Eddie Vinson和Louis Jordan的特有韵味，毫无拘泥之意。在综合这些特点之后， Cannonball经常在经营旋律时长篇大作的冠以装饰音，让听者喘息难当。然而，这个偏好至今尚无人出其右。
Somethin' Else是张极具意义的唱片，由Miles Davis、Cannonball Adderley两人组成的铜管二人组搭配Art Blakey创意十足的爵士鼓敲击，当然还有Hank Jones优异的钢琴演奏。除了阵容之外，唱片中的编曲创意才是欣赏的重点，超越了硬咆哮的视野而扎实的展现出爵士乐之美，堪称是Adderley生平最优秀的一张专辑——很多评论家和爵士乐迷认为这是爵士音乐史上最伟大的专辑之一。(Many critics and jazz fans consider Somethin' Else to be among the greatest jazz albums of all time)
本专辑获得了《企鹅爵士指南》四星带花的满分评价（本来企鹅是三星为最高，2006后改为四星为最高），原始发行于1958年，此为1999年RVG Remastered版本。如果是音响器材的发烧友，可能就听过此专辑，因为这张专辑经常作为发烧碟出现在各种音响试听会上。
解释下：企鹅指南（也有翻译为企鹅评鉴）的三星评价体系，很多爱乐者都比较熟悉了。在企鹅的评价体系中，三星就表示在各个方面都很优秀的演绎和录音，也就是最高的评价。在少数CD前加上的Rosette，即俗称的“花”（Rosette原义为玫瑰形的装饰），实际上表示的是企鹅指南编者个人对某个录音的特殊喜爱，带有更加强烈的主观色彩。2006年开始出现了第一张四星带花的专辑《Spem in Alium》，之后一发不可收拾，现在四星带花成为企鹅指南的最高评价。

Giant Steps（1959，Atlantic）：就當時的認知與製作概念而言，「Giant Steps」才是John Coltrane個人首張正式專輯（先前與John Coltrane有合約關係的唱片公司，都是在他成名之後，才紛紛以John Coltrane名義發行專輯）。就原創性與演奏難度而言，「Giant Steps」都是現代爵士樂的重要教材，對聽眾來說，急速變化的和弦進行，已經到了「耳花撩亂」的地度，這張專輯不但總結了John Coltrane之前的學習與努力，也是一個關鍵轉捩點：John Coltrane許新鮮的想法，需要另組新團來執行。特別注意抒情的「Naima」，簡單抒情的旋律，是每個人都聽得懂得雋永名曲，也是內向的Coltrane豐沛情感抒發的具體表現。

Saxophone Colossus is one of Sonny Rollins' most acclaimed albums. Recorded in June 1956 and released in April 1957, it has been awarded a rare Crown by The Penguin Guide to Jazz, and is widely considered the masterpiece of his mid-1950s series of recordings for Prestige Records and one of the greatest albums ever issued on that label.

Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. While there's also a strong case for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks Ah Um's immediate acccessibility and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes. Mingus' compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith on Mingus Ah Um. The band includes longtime Mingus stalwarts already well versed in his music, like saxophonists John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and Booker Ervin, trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis, pianist Horace Parlan, and drummer Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions. At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul," taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for Lester Young, who died not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus" is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' three most revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is a suite of three tunes; "Bird Calls" is inspired by Charlie Parker; and "Jelly Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great composer, Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one Mingus album as definitive, but Mingus Ah Um comes the closest.

《迈尔斯戴维斯·泛蓝调调》是20世纪顶尖爵士乐手最完美的一次经典录音，透过重新数位制作呈献细腻感动的质素；也是认识史上最伟大爵士巨人Miles Davis的入门推荐，与爵士乐迷收藏的必备经典！

素有“黑暗王子”之称的小号巨擘 Miles Davis （1929-91）是一位奠定50年代酷派（Cool School）冷调风格，开创60年代末期Jazz-Rock 融合（Fusion）新乐风的先锋；受到波普（Bop）时期最具代表性萨克斯风大师Charlie Parker提携，Miles Davis由纽约52街的酒吧表演跨入大乐团，而后自组五重奏的历程，不仅绽放个人深刻色彩，更跨越肤色藩篱成就后起之秀。这张专辑除了获得企鹅爵士五星最高评价，也是各家乐评一致推荐的世纪不朽作品；自1959年发行至今届满四十周年，美国当地销售超越七十万张，全球销售高达两百万张。

“Kind Of Blue”谱写酷派爵士时期，调式爵士（modal）经典代表；由Miles Davis与作曲及钢琴家Bill Evans共同蕴织出主要行进线，以贯穿整张专辑的概念为主轴，藉着其他乐手的加入而渲染蔓延转化层次分明的无际空间。参与本专辑的乐手们在日后皆成为爵士乐界要角，而“Kind Of Blue”也是 Miles Davis五重奏巅峰时期的专辑，每一位乐手表现超高水准。中音萨克风手John Coltrane与Miles共有的灵巧思绪以纯熟的默契化作柔畅的旋律，在最具代表性曲目“So What”中，可以发现两人即兴演奏的精彩绝伦。而高音萨克斯风手“Connonball” Adderley、贝斯名将Paul Chambers和鼓手James Cobb在Miles穿针引线的前导带领，凝聚演绎技巧绝妙境界的最高张力。只出现在“Flamenco Sketches”一曲的钢琴大师Wynton Kelly，同样跟乐手们演出完美契合的对话，专辑还有未曾在黑胶唱片时收录的版本！

01 那又如何 So What
02 不速之客弗莱迪Freddie Freeloader
03 绿中蓝Blue in Green
04 绝对布鲁斯All Blues
05 弗拉门高素描Flamenco Sketches
06 弗拉门高素描（黑胶唱片未收录版本）