Duke Ellington - Money Jungle (1963)

BLUE NOTE 25 "BEST" ALBUMS MONTH* (JULY 2026)

Note: the CD I listened to was the dismal 1987 reissue with 6 bonus tracks.

Ellington was a living legend by 1962 when producer Alan Douglas decided to have Ellington record a piano trio album with jazz legends twenty years his junior. Ellington wrote new tunes as well as reusing some earlier material. Each man played his own style and at times it sounds like three alpha dogs fighting over one bone. I understand the music, I appreciate the talent, I understand the critic's love for the album and it's lasting legacy; I just don't enjoy listening to it.

Ellington - piano
Charlie Mingus - bass
Max Roach - drums

Original liner notes by George Wein, founder of the Newport Jazz Festival.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "Here is a wonderful Duke on piano, superb work from Mingus and solid rhythm support from Roach."
• Downbeat: ★★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

In addition to being named as one of Blue Note's 25 Best Albums, Money Jungle was placed at #134 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s and merited mention in the book The New York Times Essential Jazz Library by Ben Ratliff.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: before I get to the tracks themselves, let me mention that this 1987 reissue is a hot mess that should never have been released. Adding alternate takes in strange places, changing the original sequencing, and remixed poorly. Somebody should have said something.

	1963 original		1987 reissue
1	Money Jungle	1	Very Special
2	Le Fleurs Africaines (African Flower)	2	A Little Max (Parfait)
3	Very Special	3	A Little Max (Parfait) alternate take
4	Warm Valley	4	Fleurette Africaine (African Flower)
5	Wig Wise	5	REM Blues
6	Caravan	6	Wig Wise
7	Solitude	7	Switch Blade
		8	Caravan
		9	Money Jungle
		10	Solitude alternate take
		11	Solitude
		12	Warm Valley
		13	Backward Country Boy Blues

The standout track is Solitude. Of the others, I prefer Very Special, REM Blues, and Warm Valley.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
with Count Basie - First Time! The Count Meets The Duke (1962)

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*In 1987, the European offices of Blue Note records compiled a list of the 25 Best Blue Note Albums in an effort to promote sales of classic Blue Note albums released on CD for the first time. Albums selected for the list were originally released in the years 1953-1967.

At the time, the Blue Note label had been subsumed by the EMI group. This allowed the selections to be made from other EMI labels, namely Capitol, United Artists, and Liberty. Therefore, the list-makers were able to look outside the Blue Note label and squeeze in titles by artists such as Miles Davis, Chet Baker, & Count Basie. It reads more like "albums we had the rights to, by 25 well-known jazz artists," making the list as much about artists as albums. As a marketing tool, it makes sense. As a starting place to build a Blue Note collection you could do worse. Of course, you could also do much better. But the thing exists, it caught my attention, and here we are.

Grant Green - Feelin' The Spirit (1963)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2005 Rudy Van Gelder Edition which includes a bonus track.

In which one of my favorite jazz guitarists leads a group of great musicians through a set of traditional spirituals and gospel tracks. It sounds like the band is having a great time revisiting songs they grew up learning. Herbie Hancock, in particular, sounds like he'd been listening to a lot of Horace Silver and tried to incorporate some of Silver's sound and grooves into these arrangements. And Green brings beauty to everything he plays, as usual. Perfect for any Sunday morning.

Green - guitar
Herbie Hancock - piano
Butch Warren - bass
Billy Higgins - drums
Garvin Masseaux - tambourine

Original 1963 liner notes written by Joe Goldberg, noted jazz author, and 2004 reissue liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★): "The music poses no challenges to the musicians and, as a result, holds no surprises for the listener."
• HiFi/Stereo Review: "too casual"
• Billboard: "could prove to be one of Grant Green's best sellers to date."
• CashBox: "Feelingful"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Only five tracks on the original album, my top picks are Just A Closer Walk With Thee and Joshua Fit De Battle Ob Jericho. The bonus track, Deep River, certainly fits the theme of the album - maybe at almost nine minutes in length there simply wasn't room for it?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Sunday Mornin'/Grantstand/Grant's First Stand/Green Blues (2012)
Talkin' About (1965)
Green Street (1961)

Various Artists - Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits 1963 (1993)

Not sure about rock'n'roll hits, but there's healthy helping of R&B plus a couple of surf rock classics. Or maybe that simply illustrates how much rock'n'roll owes to rhythm and blues. This CD ("compiled" by Joel Whitburn and released by Rhino) is first-rate; my only complaint is the 24 minute running time.

This disc is part of a 20 CD compilation series spanning 1955 to 1974, with one 10-track album for year; each track made the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. All the Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits discs for years 1960 through 1969 were originally released in 1988 or 1989, and rereleased in 1993 with revised track listings, due to licensing restrictions. This 1993 reissue replaced Fingertips Pt. 2 by Little Stevie Wonder with If You Wanna Be Happy, and Walk Like A Man by The Four Seasons with Deep Purple.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks, including Billboard chart peaks:

Title	Artist	Pop	R&B
Sugar Shack	Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs	1	1
Surf City	Jan & Dean	1	3
He's So Fine	The Chiffons	1	1
It's My Party	Lesley Gore	1	1
If You Wanna Be Happy	Jimmy Soul	1	1
Louie Louie	The Kingsmen	2	1
Easier Said Than Done	The Essex	1	1
Deep Purple	Nino Tempo & April Stevens	1	4
My Boyfriend's Back	The Angels	1	2
Surfin' U.S.A.	The Beach Boys	3	20

Several of the tracks are new to my CD shelves but not new to my ears. Since I was born in 1966, these tunes have always been around, right? All ten cuts are fantastic.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Except for The Beatles and Stones, I wasn't much for '60s tunes until my college years (1984-88), but then I was in deep and have never looked back.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits 1968
Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits 1962

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra - Dreamin' & Swingin' Christmas Wonderland (2001)

German import

Originally released in 1963 under the title Christmas Wonderland:

Kaempfert had a #1 hit in early 1961 with a tune titled Wonderland By Night, so from a marketing perspective, it made sense to release another album with the word "wonderland" in the title. This remastered CD edition was released in 2001 with 8 bonus tracks. From Kaempfert's website:

In the same year as the Christmas production, Bert Kaempfert arranged and composed some other songs so as to add to the festive mood of a musical journey during Christmas time and end with strong emotions and Bert’s version of Sentimental Journey. This is how the original album CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND has become the present album DREAMIN’ & SWINGIN’ CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND.

It's studio orchestra music in the same easy listening vein as Lawrence Welk and quickly takes one back a few decades. There's a couple of Kaempfert originals, including Jingo Jango (see personal memory below), but mostly old favorites such as Winter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, etc. I've often written that I spend much of my time each December chasing Christmas nostalgia and memories of childhood holidays. This album is perfect for such mind wanderings and could only be improved upon by a roaring fire and a beverage of choice. That could be because the music reminds me a great deal of the soundtracks from the classic Rankin-Bass animated Christmas specials like Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970). Pairs well with some Ray Conniff Christmas music from the same time period.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "Happy sounds abound"
• CashBox: "Kaempfert has included a warm selection of happy yuletide items and dishes them up in his distinctive melodic style."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Most tracks are in the 2 - 2½ minute range and very upbeat - originals like Jingo Jango and Toy Parade are pure joy. And while Children's Christmas Dream drags on a bit, there's nothing I want to skip when I'm in the mood for such music.

Bonus tracks: The eight bonus tracks are pleasant enough, but there's certainly nothing Christmasy about them, from the titles to the instumentation and arrangements. Not bad, but unecessary for your holiday enjoyment.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In 1979, when I was in eighth grade, I played trumpet in the middle school band. For the Christmas concert that year, the band director, Mr. Curtis, had us perform Jingo Jango and that was my first exposure to the tune. I liked the thing but never heard it much after that performance. When Napster hit big around the turn of the century, I may or may not have downloaded a copy of the Kaempfert original - I admit to nothing. I purchased this disc solely to have a copy of that tune but it turns out I like all the holiday cuts here.

Herbie Mann Returns To The Village Gate (1963)

While several tracks were recorded on the same date as the successful album Herbie Mann At The Village Gate (1961), this album is quite different from that predecessor and, like many sequels, not as good. However, the first 2⁄5 is an enjoyable listen. While the 1961 album contained the popular Comin' Home Baby and two Gershwin tunes, this album is almost entirely Mann originals.

Recorded at the Village Gate in NYC on April 26 (tracks 3-5) and November 17 (tracks 1 & 2), 1961.

note: side one is now tracks 1 & 2,
side two is 3-5.

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★½): "At times it's too short on melodic interest and long on rhythmic aggression, but at least it is never dull."
• Billboard: "Fine performances spark the set."
• CashBox: "Eye this one for an early trip to hitsville."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: The first two tracks are great fun: an energetic Afro-Latin boogaloo followed by the frenzied - and appropriately titled - New York Is A Jungle Festival. The remainder, while admirable early attempts at what become known as "world music," are rife with intonation problems and often painfully so.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I recently saw this in a used bin on the Wounded Bird label and I've learned to grab that label's reissues when I see them. Win some, lose some.

Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue (1963)

First off, that is a fantastic album cover. Masterfully designed - like most Blue Note covers of the '60s - by Reid Miles.

This might be called "bluesy jazz" or it might be called "jazzy blues" or it might be both. Regardless, Midnight Blue is a great, relaxing album whether it is midnight or midday. True to the genre but very accessible. Possibly a great starting point for your personal Blue Note discovery adventure?

Original liner notes by Leonard Feather.

Burrell - guitar
Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
Major Holley, Jr. - bass
Bill English - drums
Ray Barretto - conga

I've found this album to be a great pairing with Grant Green's Idle Moments album, also recorded for Blue Note in 1963.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "A standout showing"
• Billboard: "This is a vibrant set"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½

NPR included the album in its "Basic Jazz Library" where it is described as "the perfect 'late night, neon light flashing outside of the window, cigarette smoke swirling up into nothing' record." In 1987, this album was selected by Blue Note (Europe) as one of the 25 Best Albums on the label.

Update: In 2024, uDiscover Music ranked this album at #16 on its list of The 50 Greatest Blue Note Albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: It's easy to see why they chose to release Chitlins Con Carne as the single since it's a slinky blues number on which both Burrell and Turrentine shine. Mule is a slow-burning blues followed by a brief, melodic interlude titled Soul Lament. The title track has a gentle swing to it and that's as hard as the groove gets on this record. Wavy Gravy is lilting waltz with an odd fade-out. A tasty cover of the 1929 standard Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You, might feature Burrell's best work on the whole dang album. The album ends with Saturday Night Blues, which is as advertised by the title - sounds like any jazz club on a Saturday where the band leader just calls out a key ("blues in F") and off they go. Turrentine certainly makes the most of his opportunities.

This 1999 Rudy Van Gelder Edition concludes with two bonus tracks which were recorded on the same day as the others - Tuesday, January 8, 1963. The first, Kenny's Sound, has a quick tempo and isn't blues-based, so it might seem out of place on the album proper. Great cut, though. The other, K Twist, would have fit nicely so I can't figure why it was excluded.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. 

Blog post #1750

Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack (1963)

You know its good when someone gives you the honorific "The Incredible" on the album cover. With the help of the invention of the drawbar B-3 organ and people like Smith, the organ moved from the church to club. Smith was prolific, releasing over 100 albums (he recorded around forty sessions just for Blue Note, 1956-63) and also found occasional success on the single charts - the title track from this release peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963.

And what a supporting cast: Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, and Donald Bailey. Turrentine is featured throughout and, from what I've read, this is the album that really put him on the map. Plus, Burrell's tone is unparalleled.

Original liner notes by Ira Gitler.

Featured in an early edition of the book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: "arguably Smith's greatest album, relentlessly grooving, harmonically sophisticated, and earthy as the Delta mud."

Other reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "another powerhouse album from Smith"
• CashBox: "unleashes his potent organ talents full-blast"
• DownBeat: ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★ 

In 1987, this album was selected by Blue Note (Europe) as one of the 25 Best Albums on the label.

Update: In 2024, uDiscover Music ranked this album at #27 on its list of The 50 Greatest Blue Note Albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #14

Tracks: 4 tracks, lots of R&B (heavy on the B) with similar swingin' grooves throughout. But if you like that sorta thing, then it's all good. This 2007 Rudy Van Gelder Edition contains one bonus track, On The Sunny Side Of The Street, and while it isn't blues, it's a great take on a standard.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best of Jimmy Smith: The Blue Note Years (1988)
Houseparty (1958)
The Sermon! (1958)

Ike Quebec - Blue & Sentimental (1963)

You didn't ask how I store my CDs, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I have them divided into five sections: classical, various artists compilations, soundtracks, Christmas, and everything else (rock, pop, jazz, blues, etc.). Within sections, they are alphabetized by composer, movie title, or artist name. Artists whose names begin with a "Q" make up the smallest section on the shelves, so it's a landmark day here at blog headquarters because, after 1722 posts, I'm finally featuring an artist from that small "Q" section.

Quebec was a popular big band musician in the '40s and into the early '50s before being derailed by a heroin addiction. He began a comeback on the Blue Note label in the early '60s before his death in January 1963, at the age of 44, from lung cancer. On this posthumously-released album of ballads and standards, Quebec plays tenor and the occasional piano, Grant Green on guitar, Paul Chambers on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums. Recorded December, 1961, released 1963. The band cooks, Quebec had a meaty tone that's perfect for these tunes, but it's Green who steals the show on most tracks. Most critics agree that Blue & Sentimental is Quebec's best album and they'll get no argument from me.

As is the custom with Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder Editions, we're provided with the original album liner notes by Ira Gitler as well as newer notes from noted jazz critic Bob Blumenthal.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "he plays his heart out on this album"
• CashBox: "his most accomplished achievement"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999) (★★★★): "shows him at his best"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

In 1987, this album was selected by Blue Note (Europe) as one of the 25 Best Albums on the label.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Based on personal experience, both the sultry title track and Don't Take Your Love From Me are fantastic late-night tunes. Other top tracks are Count Every Star and the Green-penned Blues For Charlie.

Bonus tracks: When you're listening to an album with bonus tracks tacked on to the end, you can usually tell when the bonus tracks begin. Not the case here. The two tracks here, That Old Black Magic and It's All Right With Me not only fit right in, they're fantastic.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: none

The Beatles - Please Please Me (1963)

"One, two, three, FAHHH!" This debut album kicks off with my favorite count off ever recorded. It's high energy and the rest of the album is just as energetic. This is basically a recording of a set of the band's 1963 live act done in the now famous Abbey Road EMI studios. Producer George Martin has written that "It was a straightforward performance of their stage repertoire — a broadcast, more or less." Except for the previously recorded singles Please Please Me and Love Me Do, the album was recorded in three sessions over ten hours on February 11, 1963 for £400. I prefer the band's later work, but there's some great stuff here.

Peak on the Billboard Pop CD chart: #2

Peak on the CashBox Top CD chart: #2

Tracks:  14 songs in under 33 minutes, no song reaches the 3 minute mark. There are 6 covers here, along with 8 originals. My top choice tracks are I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me, Do You Want To Know A Secret, and Twist And Shout (famously recorded completely on the first take). Overall, I prefer the original material, but I do love the inclusion of the definitive version of Twist And Shout.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  In college, I would play and sing (scream) along to Twist And Shout at almost every party I attended. Hey, can you blame me for wanting to be Ferris Bueller? It got to the point where people would request performances and they would normally sing back up. Funny thing is, my performance was horrible to begin with, but when compared to John's singing, I should have just been embarrassed. As They Might Be Giants sing in their song Lucky Ball & Chain: "I was young and foolish then; I feel old and foolish now."

Previously revisited for the blog:
Love (2006)
Anthology 1 (1995)
1967-1970 (1973)
Abbey Road (1969)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Help! (1965)

Various Artists - A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)

Greatest pop Christmas album of all-time? Maybe. It always brings a smile to my face. Phil Spector's Wall of Sound meets Frosty and Rudolph. At the time, Spector's stable of artists included Darlene Love, The Ronettes, The Crystals, and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. All appear here. This could be the first album that attempted to play Christmas songs in a contemporary style, setting the stage for all pop Christmas albums to follow. I remember once reading that Brian Wilson claimed this was his favorite album of all time. Quite an endorsement.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "contains contemporary readings of many traditional tunes from all of the hot Philles acts"
• CashBox: "sure to strike paydirt in the teen markets."

Update: In 2017, it was ranked at #130 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #13 on original 1963 release, #6 on 1972 re-release.

Tracks: They're all good, but the standout tracks are Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and the original tune Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) which appeared for the first time on this release.

Exclusive CD longbox photo courtesy of
Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I grew up hearing these songs, so they're as familiar to me as any original version.

Sam Cooke - One Night Stand! Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club (1963)

Note: My CD is the 2005 re-release.

Simply put: this is one of the best live recordings of all time. When you listen to Cooke sing, you can hear the passion and feeling that made him The King of Soul. When he sings a song like Cupid, he makes you feel the emotions that the lyrics convey - he's so in love with a girl, that he's praying to Cupid for help. Listening to this makes you realize that nobody sings like that anymore. This CD is so good, it demands your attention. It is difficult to do anything else but listen to the music for 38 minutes.

Press of the time:

• Record Mirror (★★★★½): "Talk about buried treasure"
• CashBox: "some electrifying cuts"
• Billboard: "gritty, sweaty soul revue sound"
• Rolling Stone: "an unusually vivid experience"
• Stereo Review: "an important release"

In The Village Voice's annual 'Pazz & Jop' critic's poll, this album placed a very respectable #11 for the year. In the latest list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list, this album ranked at #240. It was also included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005): "With a joyful radiancy, this posthumous document stands alone in Cooke's output."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #134

Tracks: I can't view this as having separate tracks. It needs to be listened to as if it were one long track.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: discovering this release through my friends at Best Roof Talk Ever.