JOHNNY GUARNIERI – 1946-1947 | The Chronogical Classics – 1063 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Johnny Guarnieri first attracted attention as a wonderfully facile pianist -- and harpsichordist -- with Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five. He then became the Keynote record label's all-purpose piano man. Classically trained, then strongly influenced at any early age by Fats Waller and James P. Johnson, Guarnieri was a gifted improviser whose bag of tricks was never empty. This disc delivers a deep dose of the pianist's work for the Majestic label. Fresh from many months of active service at Keynote, Johnny sails into "All the Things You Are" almost as if running Jerome Kern through a set of Beethoven variations. The rest of the quartet enters, the song develops into a tidy bounce, and Johnny renders up a majestic unaccompanied finale. "Carioca" is a very cool demonstration of this excellent quartet in action. "Swing for Yourself, John" walks in 4/4, its early modern harmonic runs sounding exactly contemporary for 1946. "My Gal Sal" deliberately references 1890s saloon piano, then chucks it for ultra-modern cool swing, bristling with boppish licks. Eloquently cool, "Temptation" receives an almost film noir treatment, and guitarist Tony Mottola gets most of "Guilty" to himself. Bassist Trigger Alpert is spotlighted on his own invention, "Trigger Fantasy." Accompanied only by his brother Leo and drummer Morey Feld, Johnny demonstrates what Fats Waller might have done with "Flying Home." Waller was undoubtedly on his mind as he launched "Believe It, Beloved" and chased it down with two lovely ballads. Just imagine what kind of four-handed piano records the two men could have made together had Fats lived longer than 39 years. Luckily, Johnny thrived for decades as a living extension of his Harlem stride piano heroes. Sitting in with the Tony Mottola Four, the pianist provided backing for two unnecessarily cutesy vocals by Rosemary Calvin and a bop-flavored feature for the guitar. The rest of this package consists of unaccompanied piano solos. "Nice Work" and "Mean to Me" sound to some extent like the work of Art Tatum. "Exactly Like You" has full-tilt James P. Johnson passages nestled between Tatum-like arpeggios. "Sorry, I Lost My Head" continues this fascinating blend of styles. After a couple of reflective reveries, Johnny bravely sings "Bobo the Bowery Barber" in his thin little voice. He sounds at first a lot like Fats Waller, then mimics Jerry Colonna lampooning Italian opera at the top of his lungs, and finally anticipates the weirdly cornball humor of Lenny Bruce as a homicidal Bobo brandishes his razor! The song ends with a loud, high-pitched scream and maniacal laughter. This side of Guarnieri's personality would surface periodically in the form of strange originals like "Santa Claus Is Smoking Reefers." The rest of the tracks on this album are 110 percent piano. "Plenty of Money" is delightful, "Stardust" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" are ethereal, and "Tiger Rag" clearly references its French quadrille origins, with lovely embellishments similar to what he did with "All the Things You Are" but even more stunning, as this old-time stomp would naturally demand. This, then, is a precious stash of rare recordings by an unjustly neglected master of traditional swing and transitional early modern jazz piano. arwulf arwulf    Tracklist + Credits :