Founded in 1956 by jazz
impresario Norman Granz, Verve Records, along with its associated labels, has
consistently been at the forefront of jazz’s development as both an American
art form and an influential commercial force for more than half a century. In
this time, Verve continued to nurture and foster the careers of many of jazz’s
most original and influential artists, building a catalog that encompasses the
most celebrated recordings while working to popularize the music with new and
larger audiences.
On December 10, 2013, Verve
Records/Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will release Verve – The Sound Of
America – The Singles Collection, a 5-CD collection featuring 100 singles from
the Verve catalog, over 20 of which have been out of print for years, all
packaged in a stylish two-part, lift-off box with a 48-page booklet and
extensive liner notes. Included are tracks from jazz legends such as Ella
Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Smith, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dizzy
Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins and
Astrud Gilberto.
It was at the tail end of 1955
that Norman Granz decided to form Verve Records; he did so for Ella Fitzgerald,
as he already managed her career, but also felt he knew how to make the kind of
records the singer should be making – history has proven he was right. However,
the story of Verve goes back a decade or more where it can trace its roots in
Granz’s ambition to take jazz out of the clubs and into concert halls, as well
as in Clef and Norgran, the record labels that he had been running for a number
of years.
His “Jazz at the Philharmonic”
concerts were groundbreaking and, for Granz, starting a record company was a
way of expanding his JATP franchise, but almost immediately the artists that
appeared in his concerts recognized the opportunity of making studio
recordings. By the late 1940s and early 1950s the artists that Granz recorded
for his Clef and Norgran labels included Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Dizzy
Gillespie, Lester Young, Count Basie and Stan Getz.
Verve – The Sound Of America –
The Singles Collection takes you through the history of one of the most
influential jazz labels of all-time with tracks such as Ella Fitzgerald’s Top
50 hit “Mack The Knife” (1960); Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto’s Top 5, GRAMMY® Award
winning hit “The Girl From Ipanema” (1964); Jimmy Smith’s Top 100 hit “The Cat”
(1964) and Diana Krall’s “The Look Of Love” (2001). Also featured are jazz
renditions of contemporary classics such as Wes Montgomery’s version of The
Mamas & The Papas’ classic hit “California Dreaming” (1966), Don Sebesky’s
version of the Beatles “The Word” (1968) and Willie Bobo’s original version of
“Evil Ways” (1968), the song made famous by Santana.
The Sound Of America also
features many singles from the those early Clef and Norgran eras including
Charlie Parker’s “Just Friends” (1949) and “Bloomdido” (1950) featuring Dizzy
Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Curly Russell and Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie’s “I
Can’t Get Started” (1956) featuring Quincy Jones, Oscar Peterson’s “Debut”
(1950), and Billie Holiday’s “You Go To My Head” (1952) and “Tenderly” (1952).
The box set is being issued in
conjunction with the November 4, 2013 publication of a lavishly illustrated,
400-page new book Verve: The Sound of America written by Richard Havers and
published by Thames & Hudson.
A stunning volume, Verve: The
Sound of America tells the entire story of jazz—from its earliest days in New
Orleans to the 1970s and beyond—through Verve archival material. This superb
book presents some of the rarest records and unseen ephemera from the label
that helped define the world of jazz. Hundreds of the best examples of iconic
seven-inch, ten-inch, and twelve-inch records appear along with publicity
reports, news clippings, ledger books, telegrams, and contracts. Looking beyond
the music scene, the book discusses segregation in America, the missions to
take jazz to Europe and the world, the clubs, the places, and the people who
made jazz vital. Commentary from the biggest names in jazz today, including
some of Verve’s own artists, complements the text. Richard Havers’s previous
books include Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey and Sinatra. He is a consultant to
Universal on jazz and has produced box sets including Louis Armstrong:
Ambassador of Jazz and Ella Fitzgerald: The Voice of Jazz.
With a vital combination of
respect for the past and a drive towards the future, Verve continues to pursue
the same sense of musical adventure that first motivated its creation and
continues to evolve with the times, reinventing and reinvigorating itself with
the infusion alike. With jazz currently reaching a broader audience than very
before, Verve is a stronger musical and social force than ever, preserving its
remarkable legacy while building towards a bright musical future.
Tracklisting:
CD1
Jazz at the Philharmonic - Perdido, Pt. 1&2
Charlie Parker/Flip
Phillips/Machito - No Noise, Pt.1&2
Slim Gaillard - Opera In Vout, Pt.1&2
Charlie Parker - Just Friends
Lester Young - I Cover the Waterfront
Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie
(with Thelonious Monk) - Bloomdido
Coleman Hawkins - There's a Small Hotel
Oscar Peterson - Debut
Johnny Hodges - Castle Rock
Illinois Jacquet - Port Of Rico
Billie Holiday -You Go To My Head
Roy Eldridge - Dale's Wail
Billie Holiday - Tenderly
Ben Webster - Tenderly
Count Basie/Joe Williams - Alright, Okay, You Win
Count Basie - April In Paris
Dizzy Gillespie - I Can't Get Started
Anita O'Day - The Rock And Roll Waltz
Ella Fitzgerald - Too Young For The Blues
Gene Krupa - Boogie Blues
CD2
Fred Astaire - Hello Baby
Ella Fitzgerald - (The End of) A Beautiful Friendship
Ella Fitzgerald - Stay There
Ella Fitzgerald/Louis
Armstrong - Stars Fell On Alabama
Bing Crosby - Mountain Greenery
Ella Fitzgerald - Manhattan
Woody Herman - I Wonder
Oscar Peterson - I've Never Left Your Arms
Ella Fitzgerald - It's All Right With Me
Johnny Hodges - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A
Letter
Buddy Bregman - Derek's Blues
Teddy Wilson - Sayonara
Oscar Peterson - The Golden Striker
Gene Krupa - Sing, Sing, Sing, Pt. 1&2
Ella Fitzgerald - Stairway To The Stars
Dizzy Gillespie - Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac, Pt. 1&2
Mel Torme - Frenesi
Louis Bellson - Lulu's Back In Town
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Louis Armstrong - Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
CD3
Oscar Peterson - On The Street Where You Live
Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife
Terry Gibbs - Let's Do It
Gerry Mulligan - I'm Gonna Go Fishin', Pt. 1&2
Ella Fitzgerald - How High The Moon, Pt. 1&2
Roy Eldridge - Bossa Nova
Ella Fitzgerald - Mr. Paganini
Ella Fitzgerald - Cry Me A River
Jimmy Smith - Walk On The Wild Side, Pt. 1&2
Stan Getz - Desafinado
Jimmy Smith - Ol' Man River
Blossom Dearie - Teach Me Tonight
Terry Gibbs - The Hippie Twist
Ella Fitzgerald - Desafinado
Stan Getz - Manha De Carnaval (Morning Of The
Carnival)
Jimmy Smith - Hobo Flats, Pt. 1&2
Ella Fitzgerald - Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
Stan Getz & Luis Bonfa - Sambalero
Bill Evans - On Broadway
Kai Winding - More
CD4
Bill Evans - Theme from The VIPs
Kenny Burrell & Jimmy
Smith - What'd I Say?
Jimmy Smith - Theme From "Any Number Can
Win"
Oscar Peterson - Hymn To Freedom
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Corcovado
Ella Fitzgerald/Count Basie - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
Wynton Kelly - If That's The Way You Want It
Kai Winding - Mondo Cane, #2
Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Pt.
1&2
Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto - Blowin' In The Wind
Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto - The Girl From Ipanema
Ella Fitzgerald - Hello, Dolly
Louis Armstrong - Makin' Whoopee
Jimmy Smith - The Cat
Lalo Schifrin - Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 5
Ella Fitzgerald - Ringo Beat
Donald Byrd -You've Been Talkin' About My Baby
Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce
Jimmy Smith - Goldfinger, Pt. 1&2
Astrud Gilberto - Agua De Beber
CD5
Jimmy Smith - Organ Grinder Swing
Kenny Burrell - Loie
Ella Fitzgerald/Duke
Ellington - Imagine My Frustration, Pt.
1&2
Willie Bobo - Spanish Grease
Wes Montgomery - Goin' Out Of My Head
Jimmy Smith - Got My Mojo Workin', Pt. 1&2
Bill Evans - Pavanne
Jimmy Smith - Hoochie Coochie Man, Pt. 1&2
Wes Montgomery - Bumpin' On Sunset
Willie Bobo - Sunshine Superman
Wes Montgomery - California Dreaming
Astrud Gilberto - Dindi
Willie Bobo - Evil Ways
Chico O'Farrill - Manteca
Jimmy Smith - Chain Of Fools, Pt. 1&2
Don Sebesky - The Word
Kenny Burrell - The Preacher
Lalo Schifrin - Agnus Dei
Stan Getz - Communication '72
Diana Krall The Look of Love
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