ALAIN GORAGUER - Go-Go-Goraguer (1956-2001) Jazz In Paris 74 / RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Go...Go...Goraguer sessions are a rare opportunity to discover what a potent jazz pianist Alain Goraguer was before he embarked on a new career as an arranger and a composer that would take him away from the realm of jazz. He would have been part of a great generation of French jazz pianists that includes fine stylists such as René Urtreger, Martial Solal, or Georges Arvanitas. The program is comprised of standards, songs from the French repertoire, and two originals. Classically trained, Goraguer's technique is beyond reproach, and his quite marvelous touch can be enjoyed on a wide range of material -- from his tender version of "Darn That Dream" to a percussive reworking of "What Is This Thing Called Love?." Regardless of the tempo, his playing has a sparkling quality that does not fail to draw the listener in. Having assimilated the bebop vocabulary, Goraguer was also quite interested in innovations brought by musicians like Monk, in particular, whose influence can be heard on "You Are Too Beautiful" or the pianist's "Gogo's Goggles." Paul Rovère on bass and Christian Garros on drums are competent and sympathetic players who usually provide a shuffling beat -- and the successfully remastered and balanced recording does justice to their playing. This CD reissue combines an LP and an EP, both recorded in 1956, and is much more than a mere curiosity. by Alain Drouot
Tracklist :
1     Gogo's Goggles 4:02
Alain Goraguer
2     Darn That Dream 3:52
Eddie DeLange / James Van Heusen
3     Demain Je Dors Jusqu'à MIDI 2:38
Darc Mireille / Jean Franc Nohain
4     It's Easy to Remember 4:24
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
5     Stella by Starlight 3:37
Ned Washington / Victor Young
6     You and the Night and the Music 2:48
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
7     Love or Infatuation 3:03
Sam Coslow / Frederick Hollander
8     You Are Too Beautiful 5:00
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
9     What Is This Thing Called Love? 3:09
Cole Porter
10     Prelude to a Kiss 2:59
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
11     British Soup 3:12
Alain Goraguer
12     The Nearness of You 3:12
Hoagy Carmichael / Ned Washington
13     Les Lavandières du Portugal 2:49
Roger Lucchesi / André Popp
14     With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair 2:32
Clara Edwards / Jack Lawrence
15     L' Homme et l'Enfant 2:43
Jack Shaindlin
16     Star Eyes 3:05
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
Credits :
Double Bass – Paul Rovère
Drums – Christian Garros
Piano – Alain Goraguer
Nota :
Reissue of Philips LP 77 307 (1-12) plus for the first Time on CD EP 432 106 (Tracks 13-16) Recorded 1956 in Paris