A First-Ever Collection
JATP 1950s Jam Sessions
JATP concerts from the 1940s were documented in 1998 on a 10-CD Verve boxed set. But until now, the 1950s concerts have been passed over for a retrospective. In fact, since the CD era began very little of the material from that span has been available at all.
Mosaic is proud to correct that oversight with our 10-CD release, Classic Jazz at the Philharmonic Jam Sessions (1950-1957), a defining set that documents the energy and invention of these phenomenal musicians and the adoring response from long-time fans.
Masters rising to the occasion
As the JATP events and tours had begun years earlier, many of the musicians Granz booked were old hands at delivering the excitement crowds wanted. In the main, these were the greatest soloists of the time delivering everything from volcanic exchanges to moments of breathtaking beauty. Most of the musicians were at the height of their talent and influence.
Features:
- A version of “Indiana” from the first session of the collection, with Flip Phillips, Harry Edison, Bill Harris, Lester Young, Hank Jones, and Buddy Rich delivering a stark bolt of lightning
- A now-famous drum battle by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich in the 1952 version inaugurates their professional rivalry on stage in what Granz called “one of the most thrilling things I have ever heard.”
- There are exquisite ballad medleys like the all reed performance from the Shrine in 1957 with Sonny Stitt, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young and Flip Phillips.
And historic pairings:
- Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie trumpet battle
- Buddy Rich squaring off against Lionel Hampton in a once-in-a-lifetime event
- The jaw dropping tandem of Stan Getz along with J.J. Johnson.
Other performances are peppered by Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, J.C. Heard, Charlie Shavers, Willie Smith, Ben Webster, Louie Bellson, Jo Jones, John Lewis, Percy Heath and Connie Kay.
The Mosaic Treatment
The 10 CDs include 90 tracks, including 5 unreleased tracks, all recorded for Granz’s various labels from 1950 to 1957, when he stopped having active participation in the concerts and tours.
Our exclusive booklet includes an introduction by Granz biographer Tad Hershorn, extensive historical notes and a track-by-track analysis by writer, jazz historian, and educator John McDonough, and many hard-to-find photographs from the concerts.
Like all of our box sets, the release will be extremely limited and when the sets are sold out, this music will never be available again in this form. We hope you’ll order your set early so you don’t miss out on owning this testament to the power of live jazz in the hands of true masters.
