SIDNEY BECHET – 1952, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1431 (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Volume 16 in the complete recordings of Sidney Bechet as reissued in the Classics Chronological Series opens with two live concert recordings of Bechet in performance with Claude Luter's Orchestra at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on March 12, 1952. The balance of that evening's entertainment may be heard on the previous volume in the series. Luter, a capable clarinetist, accompanied Bechet with a band of traditional minded Frenchmen consisting of trumpeter Guy Lognon, trombonist Bernard Zacharias, pianist Raymond Fol, bassist Roland Bianchini, and drummer François "Moustache" Galépides. The seven-piece unit's renditions of "Casey Jones" and "Dippermouth Blues" typify the old-fashioned repertoire preferred by this branch of the European jazz community during the early 1950s. The Bechet/Luter band (with the addition of cornetist Claude Rabanit) is heard again, this time in a studio setting, on tracks 13-20. Although the Bechet/Luter collaborations are enjoyable, the artistic heart of this album lies within tracks three-twelve in the form of ten master takes from a trio session involving Bechet, pianist Lil Armstrong, and drummer Zutty Singleton, three jazz pioneers who were born only months apart near the close of the 19th century. An opportunity to hear them working together in an intimate studio environment is a major treat for anyone who truly loves this kind of music. Everything on this compilation was originally issued by the Vogue label. The folks at Classics should be proud to have unearthed this fine music and brought it out in this handsome edition for all to enjoy. arwulf arwulf
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