#6



Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Brown and Roach Incorporated

This is the sh*t. Hard bop time. Fast tempos. Fast fingers. Crashing cymbals. Great songs on this taking notes from Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Cole Porter, and even Bing Crosby. Brown and Roach are obvious focuses of the record and they show themselves off quite well, especially Roach, but you also have Richie Powell on the piano doing fantastic work. Uptempo tracks obviously showcase Roach and his frenetic drumming. Brown, who was 25 during recording, showcases a beautiful sound on the trumpet but really highlights the downtempo stuff. Lots of soul in there.

"Mildama" is probably the highlight here.



#5



Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz
Diz and Getz

This was tough to put ahead of Brown and Roach but I did it because the entire band on this thing was just miles better than the former. Here you have EVERYBODY playing stellar. Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and f*cking Max Roach again on drums.

Stellar.

Every track swings. You have a Duke Ellington number to open with that might be one of my favorite renditions of the song. When Herb Ellis joins in with the Peterson solo...birds sing.

Getz proves he has serious chops after doing many "cool" jazz gigs like at the top of the list. Plays great with Diz's trumpet. Last two tracks are spicy.

Norman Grantz was the man for getting these guys in the same studio and letting them go.

Originally Posted by Exo #6 Clifford Brown and Max Roach Brown and Roach Incorporated This is the sh*t. Hard bop time. Fast tempos. Fast fingers. Crashing cymbals. Great songs on this taking notes from Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Cole Porter, and even Bing Crosby. Brown and Roach are obvious focuses of the record and they show themselves off quite well, especially Roach, but you also have Richie Powell on the piano doing fantastic work. Uptempo tracks obviously showcase Roach and his frenetic drumming. Brown, who was 25 during recording, showcases a beautiful sound on the trumpet but really highlights the downtempo stuff. Lots of soul in there. "Mildama" is probably the highlight here. #5 Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz Diz and Getz This was tough to put ahead of Brown and Roach but I did it because the entire band on this thing was just miles better than the former. Here you have EVERYBODY playing stellar. Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and f*cking Max Roach again on drums. Stellar. Every track swings. You have a Duke Ellington number to open with that might be one of my favorite renditions of the song. When Herb Ellis joins in with the Peterson solo...birds sing. Getz proves he has serious chops after doing many "cool" jazz gigs like at the top of the list. Plays great with Diz's trumpet. Last two tracks are spicy. Norman Grantz was the man for getting these guys in the same studio and letting them go.

TOP ALBUMS OF 1956

#10



Paul Chambers
Whims of Chambers

A true champions lineup that doesn't swing as hard as it possibly could but it's still a fantastic record for this year and deserves a spot in the top ten. Look at this team...

Donald Byrd - trumpet
John Coltrane - tenor saxophone
Kenny Burrell - guitar
Horace Silver - piano
Paul Chambers - double bass
"Philly" Joe Jones - drums

Wild. Byrd, Trane, and Chambers all get writing compositions on here and the only dud is "Dear Ann". Everyone plays top notch, especially Jones on the kit, and it's always fun hearing Trane before he started to really take the world by storm.



#9



Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n Roll Trio
Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n Roll Trio

Rockabilly with a whole lotta edge. F*cking Everly brothers weren't doing this sh*t. Burnette has that howl of his and it shines throughout the whole record, which is wonderfully consistent. I'm not a HUGE rockabilly fan but this certainly deserves inclusion and I think it's just a slight more iconic than Chambers giving it the edge here.

#8



The Lester Young and Buddy Rich Trio
The Lester Young and Buddy Rich Trio

This is a cool record. You know why? It's a trio and there's only two dudes on the cover. They left one out. Who'd they leave out? Nat "King" F*CKING COLE. Cole had been in the scene a while now but this was right before his big break where everybody and especially their grandmothers bought his records. His piano playing on this is light and cheerful mixing in with Rich and Young. The record is pretty standard "you play sh*t then I'll play sh*t" style but it swings hard considering it's these three guys. Drips cool.