JIM HALL ON GUITAR: MILESTONES OF A JAZZ LEGEND 1955-1962 (10 CDS) DOCUMENT

– 18 Original albums from the years 1955 to 1962 by one of the trailblazers of the Jazz guitar

– Feat. Bill Evans, Jimmy Giuffre, John Lewis, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond, Freddie
Hubbard, Herb Ellis, Hampton Hawes, Chico Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Bob Brookmeyer,
and many more

Born in Buffalo, New York, Jim Hall (1930-2013) was one of the most influential and sought after jazz guitarists since the late ’50s. Thanks to his stylistic versatility, on any given day in New York he was able to record with Blues veterans in one studio, then at a Bossa Nova session in another one, and explore new sound concepts with uncompromising avant-gardists in the clubs at night.

Growing up in a very musical family, he received his first guitar at the age of ten. Three years later he heard Charlie Christian, the “inventor” of the electrical jazz guitar, on a Benny Goodman recording – an epiphany that sparked his love for jazz. Remarkably, his most important role models were the great tenor saxophonists: Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Paul Gonsalves, and Lucky Thompson.

He studied composition, music theory, guitar and double bass, (and took lessons in classical guitar) at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1955 he ventured into the jazz scene of Los Angeles, where he quickly made his mark in the quintet of drummer Chico Hamilton. He released a number of chamber music-oriented albums with the trio of multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Giuffre, that are among the milestones of their time. Hall also worked in a similar vein with John Lewis, the pianist of the Modern Jazz Quartet. His truly wonderful albums “The Wonderful World Of Jazz” and “Jazz Abstractions” are part of every respectable jazz collection and probably showcase the full scope and talent of Jim Hall best.

In the early 1960s, Hall was omnipresent in New York: as a companion to Ella Fitzgerald and Ben Webster, with saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims, and Paul Desmond, with pianist Bill Evans and trumpeter Art Farmer, and as sideman on numerous other studio recordings.
From the late 1960s, Hall worked mainly with his own bands. For recordings, he met regularly with his early companions and also recorded with almost all of his most important successors, like Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Bill Frisell.

CD 1
■ Jazz Guitar
1. Stompin’ at the Savoy (Benny
Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar Sampson)
4.42
2. Things Ain’t What They Used to Be
(Mercer Ellington) 5.50
3. This Is Always (Harry Warren, Mack
Gordon) 2.51
4. Thanks for the Memory (Ralph
Rainger, Leo Robin) 5.19
5. Tangerine (Johnny Mercer, Victor
Schertzinger) 4.33
6. Stella by Starlight (Victor Young, Ned
Washington) 4.00
7. 9:20 Special (Earle Warren, Jack
Palmer, William Engvick) 5.45
8. Deep in a Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen,
Eddie DeLange) 4.35
9. Look for the Silver Lining (Jerome
Kern, Buddy DeSylva) 5.08
10. Seven Come Eleven (Benny
Goodman, Charlie Christian) 4.34
Jim Hall (git) Carl Perkins (p) Red
Mitchell (b)
Recorded in Los Angeles, California on
January 10 and 24, 1957
■ Bonus: Bill Smith/ Shelly Manne/ Jim
Hall/ Monty Budwig Folk Jazz
11. A-Roving (PD) 4.16
12. Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen
(PD) 3.39
13. John Henry (PD) 4.22
14. Wayfaring Stranger (PD) 4.24
15. Three Blind Mice (PD) 3.31
16. Go Down, Moses (PD) 6.47
17. Reuben, Reuben (PD) 3.33
Bill Smith (cl) Jim Hall (git) Monty Budwig
(b) Shelly Manne (drs)
Recorded in Los Angeles, California on
February 16 and November 24, 1959
TOTAL TIME 77.49

CD 2
■ Jim Hall/Red Mitchell/Red Kelly Good
Friday Blues
1. Good Friday Blues (Red Mitchell) 6.00
2. Willow Weep For Manfred (Anne
Ronnell) 6.26
3. I Remember You (Johnny Mercer,
Victor Schertzinger) 7.28
4. Bill Not Phil (Bill Harris) 7.14
5. When I Have You (Red Mitchell) 6.33
6. I Was Doing All Right (George & Ira
Gershwin) 4.45
Jim Hall (git) Red Mitchell(p) Red Kelly
(b)
Recorded in Los Angeles, California on
April 2, 1960
■ Bill Evans Quintet Interplay
7. You And The Night And The Music
(Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) 7.04
8. When You Wish Upon A Star (Leigh
Harline, Ned Washington) 5.45
9. I’ll Never Smile Again (Ruth Lowe)
6.33
10. Interplay (Bill Evans) 8.15
11. You Go To My Head (Haven
Gillespie, J. Fred Coots) 5.05
12. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (Billy
Moll, Harry Barris, Ted Koehler) 6.26
Bill Evans (p) Freddie Hubbard (tp) Jim
Hall (git) Percy Heath (b) Philly Joe
Jones (dr)
Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studio,
New York City on July 16 and 17, 1962
TOTAL TIME 77.39

CD 3
■ John Lewis The Wonderful World of Jazz
1. Body and Soul (Frank Eyton, Johnny
Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour)
15.30
2. I Should Care (Sammy Cahn, Axel
Stordahl, Paul Weston) 4.52
3. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West
(John Lewis) 5.38
4. Afternoon in Paris (John Lewis) 9.58
5. I Remember Clifford (Benny Golson)
3.31
John Lewis (p, arr) Herb Pomeroy (tp: 1, 4)
Gunther Schuller (frh: 4)
Eric Dolphy (as: 4) Benny Golson (ts: 4)
Paul Gonsalves (ts: 1) Jimmy Giuffre (brs:
4)
Jim Hall (git) George Duvivier (b) Connie
Kay (drs)
Recorded in New York City on July 29 (2, 3,
5), September 8 (1), and September 9,
1960 (4)
■ Herb Ellis meets Jimmy Giuffre
6. Goose Grease (Herb Ellis, Jimmy
Giuffre) 3.05
7. When Your Lover Has Gone (Einar
Aaron Swan) 5.57
8. Remember (Giuffre) 7.43
9. Patricia (Art Pepper) 4.06
10. A Country Boy (Ellis) 5.07
11. You Know (Giuffre) 4.32
12. My Old Flame (Sam Coslow, Arthur
Johnston) 3.33
13. People Will Say We’re in Love (Richard
Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) 4.54
Herb Ellis (git) Art Pepper, Bud Shank (as)
Jimmy Giuffre (ts, arr) Richie Kamuca (ts)
Jim Hall (rhythm git) Lou Levy (p) Joe
Mondragon (b) Stan Levey (drs)
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood,
CA on March 26, 1959
TOTAL TIME 78.29

CD 4
■ Chico Hamilton Quintet feat. Buddy
Collette
1. A Nice Day (Buddy Collette) 2.59
2. My Funny Valentine (Richard Rodgers,
Lorenz Hart) 4.21
3. Blue Sands (Collette) 6.36
4. The Sage (Fred Katz) 3.38
5. The Morning After (Chico Hamilton)
2.11
6. I Want to Be Happy (Vincent Youmans,
Irving Caesar) 2.13
7. Spectacular (Jim Hall) 5.17
8. Free Form (Hamilton, Collette, Hall,
Katz, Carson Smith) 5.04
9. Walking Carson Blues (Smith) 6.12
10. Buddy Boo (Collette) 5.16
Chico Hamilton (drs) Buddy Collette (ts,
as, flute, cl)
Fred Katz (cello) Jim Hall (git) Carson
Smith (drs)
Recorded at The Strollers in Long Beach
(6-10) on August 4 and Radio Recorders
Hollywood (1-5) August 23, 1955
■ John Lewis Grand Encounter
11. Love Me Or Leave Me (Gus Kahn,
Donaldson) 8.19
12. I Can’t Get Started (Ira Gershwin ,
Vernon Duke) 3.32
13. Easy Living (Leo Robin, Ralph
Rainger) 4.14
14. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees
West (John Lewis) 6.08
15. Skylark (Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny
Mercer) 3.08
16. Almost Like Being In Love (Alan Jay
Lerner, Frederick Loewe) 9.29
Bill Perkins (ts) Jim Hall (g) John Lewis (p)
Percy Heath (b) Chico Hamilton (dr)
Recorded in Los Angeles on February 10,
1956
TOTAL TIME 78.39

CD 5
■ Hampton Hawes Quartet All Night
Session! Vol. 1
1. Jordu (Duke Jordan) 7.05
2. Groovin’ High (Dizzy Gillespie) 5.44
3. Takin’ Care (Hampton Hawes) 8.06
4. Broadway (Billy Bird, Teddy McRae,
Henri Wood) 6.51
5. Hampton’s Pulpit (Hampton Hawes)
11.17
■ Hampton Hawes Quartet All Night
Session! Vol. 3 3
6. Do Nothing till You Hear from Me
(Duke Ellington, Bob Russell) 11.00
7. Blues # 33(Hampton Hawes) 7.37
8. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue
Sea (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) 10.57
9. Blues # 4 (Hampton Hawes) 6.19
Hampton Hawes (p) Jim Hall(git) Red
Mitchell (b) Eldridge Freeman (drs)
Recorded in Los Angeles, California on
November 12 to 13, 1956
TOTAL TIME 74.58

CD 6
■ Bob Brookmeyer Kansas City Revisited
1. Jumpin’ at the Woodside (Count Basie)
8.01
2. A Blues (Big Miller) 5.05
3. Blue and Sentimental (Count Basie, Jerry
Livingston, Mack David) 6.54
4. Doggin’ Around (Edgar Battle, Herschel
Evans) 8.41
5. Moten Swing (Bennie Moten, Buster
Moten) 10.12
6. Travlin’ Light (Trummy Young, Jimmy
Mundy, Johnny Mercer) 3.34
Bob Brookmeyer (valve tb) Al Cohn, Paul
Quinichette (ts) Jim Hall (git) Nat Pierce (p)
Addison Farmer (b) Osie Johnson (drs) Big
Miller (voc: 2 , 4)
Recorded in NYC on October 23, 1958
■ John Lewis Presents Contemporary Music:
Compositions by Gunther Schuller and Jim
Hall
7. Abstraction (Gunther Schuller) 4.09
8. Piece For Guitar & Strings (Jim Hall) 6.24
Variants On A Theme Of John Lewis (Django)
9. Variant I (Gunther Schuller) 5.28
10. Variant II (Gunther Schuller) 1.39
11. Variant III (Gunther Schuller) 3.08
Variants On A Theme Of Thelonious Monk
(Criss-Cross)
12. Variant I (Gunther Schuller) 6.22
13. Variant II (Gunther Schuller) 1.50
14. Variant III (Gunther Schuller) 3.48
15. Variant IV (Gunther Schuller) 3.25
Ornette Coleman (as:7, 12 to 15) Eric Dolphy
(as, fl, b-cl: 9 to 15) Alvin Brehm (b) (7)
George Duvivier (b) (9 to 15), Scott LaFaro
(b)
Joseph Tekula (c) Jim Hall (git) Stick Evans
(drs: 7, 13 to 19), Robert DiDomenica (9 to
15) Bill Evans (p: 9 to 15), Eddie Costa
(vibes: 9 to 15)
Alfred Brown (viola) (8), Harry Zaratzian,
Charles Libove, Roland Vamos (v)
Recorded in December 1960
TOTAL TIME 78.41

CD 7
■ Paul Desmond First Place Again
1. I Get a Kick Out of You (Cole Porter)
8.41
2. For All We Know (J. Fred Coots, Sam
M. Lewis) 5.34
3. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees
West (John Lewis) 7.29
4. Greensleeves (Traditional) 2.06
5. You Go to My Head (J. Fred Coots,
Haven Gillespie) 6.29
6. East of the Sun (and West of the
Moon) (Brooks Bowman) 5.46
7. Time After Time (Jule Styne, Sammy
Cahn) 6.14
Paul Desmond (as) Jim Hall (git)Percy
Heath (b) Connie Kay (drs)
Recorded in New York City on
September 5 to 7, 1959
■ The Jimmy Giuffre 3 Trav’lin’ Light
8. Trav’lin’ Light (Johnny Mercer, Jimmy
Mundy, Trummy Young) 4.26
9. The Swamp People (Jimmy Giuffre)
5.37
10. The Green Country (New England
Mood) (Jimmy Giuffre) 3.07
11. 42nd Street (Al Dubin, Harry
Warren) 6.18
12. Pickin’ ‘Em Up and Layin’ ‘Em Down
(Jimmy Giuffre) 5.45
13. The Lonely Time (Jimmy Giuffre)
3.56
14. Show Me the Way to Go Home
(Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly) 4.41
15. California, Here I Come (Buddy
DeSylva, Al Jolson, Joseph Meyer) 2.44
Jimmy Giuffre (cl, ts, brs) Bob
Brookmeyer (valve tb) Jim Hall (git)
Recorded in 1958
TOTAL TIME 78.55

CD 8
■ Bob Brookmeyer 7x Wilder
1. While We’re Young (Alec Wilder, Morty
Palitz, William Engvick) 6.13
2. That’s the Way It Goes (Alec Wilder, Sid
Robin) 4.45
3. The Wrong Blues (Alec Wilder, William
Engvick) 4.34
4. It’s So Peaceful in the Country (Alec Wilder)
4.06
5. Blues for Alec (Bob Brookmeyer) 6.09
6. I’ll Be Around (Alec Wilder) 4.29
7. Who Can I Turn To (Alec Wilder, William
Engvick) 4.28
Bob Brookmeyer (valve tb, p) Jim Hall (git) Bill
Crow (b) Mel Lewis (drs)
Recorded in New York City on June 29, 1961
■ Buddy Collette and His Swinging Shepherds
At the Cinema!
8. Colonel Bogey & River Kwai March
(Kenneth J. Alford, Malcolm Arnold) 3.31
9. Laura (David Raksin) 2.41
10. Smile (Charlie Chaplin) 3.10
11. The Bad and the Beautiful (Love Is for the
Very Young) (Raksin) 4.14
12. The Shrike (Pete Rugolo) 3.28
13. I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love with Me
(Jimmy McHugh, Clarence Gaskill) 2.46
14. The Trolley Song (Hugh Martin, Ralph
Blane) 1.58
15. Intermezzo (Rugolo) 3.31
16. Ruby (Heinz Roemheld, Mitchell Parish)
3.25
17. Invitation (Bronisław Kaper) 3.56
18. Swinging on a Star (Jimmy Van Heusen,
Johnny Burke) 2.59
Buddy Collette, Paul Horn, Bud Shank (fl, alto
flute, piccolo) Harry Klee (fl, alto flute, bass
flute) Jim Hall (git)
Bill Miller (p: 8 to 10, 14, 16), John Williams (p:
11 o 13, 8, 15, 16)
Red Mitchell (b) Earl Palmer (drs: 8 to 10, 14,
16), Shelly Manne (drs: 11 o 13, 8, 15, 16)
Buddy Collette, Paul Horn, Pete Rugolo, Bud
Shank (arr)
Recorded in Hollywood, CA on January 10 &
17 and February 21, 1959
TOTAL TIME 70.25

CD 9
■ Sonny Rollins The Bridge CD 9
1. Without a Song (Edward Eliscu, Billy Rose,
Vincent Youmans) 7.29
2. Where Are You? (Harold Adamson, Jimmy
McHugh) 5.12
3. John S. (Sonny Rollins) 7.44
4. The Bridge (Sonny Rollins) 5.59
5. God Bless the Child (Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie
Holiday) 7.30
6. You Do Something to Me (Cole Porter) 6.52
Sonny Rollins (ts) Jim Hall (git) Bob Cranshaw (b)
Ben Riley (drs:Recor except 5)
Harry “H.T.” Saunders (drs:5)
Recorded in New York City on January 30 (5),
February 13 (2, 3, 6) and on February 14, 1962
(1, 4)
■ Zoot Sims New Beat Bossa Nova
7. Recado Bossa Nova Pt. 1 (Matt Antonio,
Durval Ferreira) 2.39
8. Recado Bossa Nova Pt. 22(Matt Antonio,
Durval Ferreira) 3.00
9. Cano Canoe (Mick Micheyl) 5.39
10. Contando A Orquestra (Sacha Distel, Oscar
Peze) 4.11
11. Ciume (Carlos Lyra) 4.16
12. Maria NinguÉEM (Carlos Lyra) 2.40
13. Sem Saudades De Voce (Haroldo Barbosa)
6.04
14. Barquinho De Papel (Carlos Lyra) 2.57
Zoot Sims (ts) Phil Woods (cl) Gene Quill (cl, b-cl)
Sol Schlinger (b-cl) Spencer Sinatra (fl, piccolo)
Jim Hall, Kenny Burrell (git) Art Davis (b)
Sol Gubin (drs) Ted Sommer (cabasa) Willie
Rodriguez (pandeiro) Al Cohn, Manny Albam (arr)
Recorded in New York City, 1962
TOTAL TIME 72.13

CD 10
■ Jimmy Giuffre Quartet in Person
1. The Quiet Time (Jimmy Giuffre) 9.31
2. The Crab (Jimmy Giuffre) 8.31
3. My Funny Valentine (Richard
Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 8.01
4. Wee See (Thelonious Monk) 9.25
5. What’s New? (Bob Haggart, Johnny
Burke) 6.32
6. Two for Timbuctu (Jimmy Giuffre)
7.03
Jimmy Giuffre (cl, ts) Jim Hall (git) Buell
Neidlinger (b) Billy Osborne (drs)
Recorded at the Five Spot Café, NYC on
July 19, 1960
TOTAL TIME 49.05