Lost Sessions
This collection features a rare Charlie Rouse recording from 1965 withMcCoy Tyner,Freddie Hubbard, andBilly Higginsas well as four impeccable arrangements performed byTadd Dameronin 1961 with an octet featuringSam Rivers,Donald Byrd,Julius Watkins,Curtis Fuller, andCecil Payne. Also included is the sole salvageable take from the onlySonny Stittsession Alfred Lion ever produced--a disaster despite the presence ofDexter Gordon.Herbie Hancock's earliest recorded attempt at R&B; are also to be found here. These are some of the treasures onThe Lost Sessions, a limited-edition collection of footnotes to the history of Blue Note Records assembled by reissue maven Michael Cuscuna in conjunction with the label's 60th anniversary. Cuscuna came across these tracks as he reevaluated ones originally unreleased or rejected while updating the comprehensive Blue Note discography,which he published in 1988. While there's not enough music to make complete albums on their own, these loose ends provide a fascinating peek inside the vaults of one of jazz's most significant and influential record companies.--Mitchell Feldman