Checkmate

Shelly Manne (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1961
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B00006J3TR
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,339 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Checkmate

2. The Isolated Pawn

3. Cyanide Touch

4. The King Swings

5. En Passant

6. Fireside Eyes

7. The Black Knight

Editorial Reviews

Classic 1960s West Coast jazz album by the master drummer & his band.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime modal Jazz from the Manne's gang, August 14, 2004

By 

Jazzcat "stef" (Genoa, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Checkmate (Audio CD)

Uh guys, let's buy immediatly this record because it is beyond words. It is simply phenomenal! I'm not Joking, I'm not exaggerating .. it is unbelievable sixties Jazz. Don't let the liner notes fool you! It is not a television themes thing, or a sort of soundtrack music or a "minor", less important record. It is spectacular pure modal Jazz from the sixties. The band is superb, Shelly with Conte Candoli, Kamuca, Russ Freeman and Chuck Berghofer. They deliver here some incredibly high quality jazz in the modal vein. If you love "Kind of blue" you will love this one. I own almost everything Shelly recorded with his guys (every record is a gem!!), but this one really stands out. It lives in a category of its own in the Shelly's discography. I couldn't believe it was THIS good. Everything is perfect here, try the second tune the haunting ballad "The isolated pawn", or the Impressions kind alike "The king swings" ... or the fast swinger "Checkmate", the opener. Really this one is a fantastic release. 1961 the year. Buuuuuuuuuuy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars adults only, April 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Checkmate (Audio CD)

A classic cut of the Mancini "Peter Gunn" genre. Written for tv when the popular myth was viewers listened as well. Doug McClure and Sabastian Cabot couldn't deliver as well as the musicians. This quintet is solid throughout the tracks with Mann & Berghofer driving the rythms and one of the brothers Condoli on trumpet.
If you're of an age where good wine and classic jazz are some of the best moments of the evening, this album should be on the rack. Berghofers, wistfull intro to "Fireside Eyes" keeps the lister wanting a bit more of the "come closer" harmony that quickly emerges from the group. The tight blends throughout the album could have been plucked from any at the Mann Hole off Sepulvada Blvd. You have to listen to this music. No multi tasking.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shelly Manne Did It Again!, December 14, 2008

By 

J. Rich - See all my reviews

This review is from: Checkmate (Audio CD)

Shelly Manne And His Men were one of the finest groups around on the West Coast jazz scene in my opinion. I loved Dave Brubeck Quartet and Lee Konitz don't get me wrong, but Manne had a way of assembling just some of the hardest swinging musicians he could find. Conte Candoli on trumpet, Richie Kamuca on tenor saxophone, Russ Freeman on piano, and Chuck Berghofter on bass. This in my opinion was the best lineup Manne ever recorded with. It was equal to the Art Blakey Jazz Messenger lineup of Shorter, Morgan, Timmons, and Merritt. That's how hard this music swings. "Checkmate" is just another example of how superior this band was, highly recommended.