REX STEWART – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1016 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After leaving Duke Ellington's Orchestra, cornetist Rex Stewart went to Europe for a few years, recording extensively. This entry in Classics' "complete" series has a four-song studio session and a jam cut shortly before Stewart went overseas plus sessions in Paris (including six tunes from a concert) and Stockholm. The music is fairly erratic overall. There are some fireworks on a quartet date with pianist Billy Kyle, bassist John Levy, and drummer Cozy Cole, and the two-part, privately recorded "I May Be Wrong" has its moments. With the exception of a previously unreleased alternate take of "Blue Jay" from 1945 (which has a vocal by Joya Sherrill) that had been discovered and was tagged on to the end of this CD, the other selections find Stewart heading a group also including trombonist Sandy Williams (he has some of his best late-period solos), John Harris on clarinet and alto, tenor-saxophonist Vernon Story, pianist Don Gais, Simon Brehm or Fred Ermelin on bass, and drummer Ted Curry. Stewart sings "Run to the Corner" and Honey Johnson is strangely country-oriented on "Waitin' for the Train to Come In"; otherwise the performances are instrumentals. Although Stewart plays in his usual fiery mainstream swing style, some of the arrangements are a bit boppish and do not work that well, plus the recording quality is decent but not great. The overall results are not without their strong moments but are a little uncomfortable and not too essential. However, it is nice to have this formerly scattered music put out in coherent order. Scott Yanow
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REX STEWART – 1947-1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1016 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Here is a delightful visit from Rex Stewart's All Star European Tour Band, the way they sounded in Paris during December of 1947 and January 1948. If you ever need or want a perfect taste of what trombonist Sandy Williams could do with a ballad, "I Cried for You" might be the best example on record anywhere. The surprise star soloist in this package, though, is tenor saxophonist Vernon Story. His own composition "Storyville" is a brisk example of what many folks at the time would have called rebop. Story also blows up a storm on "Cherokee," "Stardust," "Goofin' Off," and (of course) "Vernon's Story." Whatever happened to this guy? He seems to have fallen out of circulation fairly soon after these recordings were made. As for Rex Stewart, this bag of tunes is characteristically varied, from a very hip, Coleman Hawkins-inspired handling of "Stompin' at the Savoy" through a solidly old-fashioned "Muskrat Ramble" to a brief visit from Django Reinhardt on "Night and Day" and "Confessin'." While the hot and humorous numbers are entertaining, there's nothing quite so satisfying as Rex Stewart's subtleties on ballads and blues. Glowing examples here include Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You," the ethereal "Swamp Mist," and the blues sketches "Sacknasty," "Last Blues," and especially "Jug Blues," a slow drag with an almost cowpoke bassline ambling along behind Stewart's muttering cornet. arwulf arwulf  
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