Mary Stallings was just 22 at the time this album, her first, was cut in
1961. Fortunately, she was teamed up with a group of top professionals
led by vibist Cal Tjader. She also sticks with mostly tried and true
material, with Duke Ellington's songs getting a big play. Tjader is not a
virtuoso on the vibes, but has made a name for himself because of his
attachment to Latin rhythms. With no such music on this album, Tjader's
playing seems somewhat stiff at times, particularly on ballads and slow
blues. However, alternating pianists Lonnie Hewitt and Clare Fischer get
with the program to give Stallings the backing she needs. The vibes
player also loosens up on up-tempo tunes like "It Ain't Necessarily So."
The singer has a powerful voice with a straight from the shoulder, no
holds barred delivery. Her years singing in churches in San Francisco no
doubt helped to develop her powerful style, and also give her some
sympathy for such tunes as "God Bless the Child," which gets a
particularly reverent reading. Paul Horn's flute helps make this a
premier track. Stallings also makes good use of vibrato to emphasize a
word or a phrase. This technique is used effectively on blues tunes such
as "Mr. Blues." Stallings' dedication to pitch comes through on "Just
Squeeze Me," where the bass is her only accompaniment. But some
seasoning is needed. She sings everything with just about the same
volume, paying no attention to dynamics. But all the equipment is there
and, coupled with a natural affinity for the blues and swing, taking
care of this matter should be no problem. Dave Nathan
Tracklist : 1 Mighty Rumblin' Blues 3:46 Written-By – Unknown Artist 2 It Ain't Necessarily So 2:28 Written-By – Gershwin-Gershwin
3 God Bless The Child 3:14 Written-By – Herzog, Holiday 4 Just Squeeze Me 2:37 Written-By – Ellington, Gaines 5 I Didn't Know About You 3:47 Written-By – Russell, Ellington 6 I'm Beginning To See The Light 3:08 Written-By – George, Ellington, James, Hodges 7 Goodbye 2:40 Written-By – Gordon Jenkins 8 Why Don't You Do Right? 2:36 Written-By – McCoy, Melrose 9 Honeysuckle Rose 2:08 Written-By – Razaf, Waller 10 I'm Just A Lucky So And So 2:28 Written-By – Ellington, David 11 Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Saving My Love For You) 3:07 Written-By – Razaf, Waller, Brooks 12 Mr. Blues 2:39 Written-By – Costell Akrie – BONUS TRACKS – (Previously Unreleased) 13 Just In Time 1:59 14 Why Don't You Do Right? [Alt. Take] 2:38 Credits : Bass – Freddie Schreiber, Victor Venegas Drums – Johnny Rae
Vocals – Mary Stallings Flute – Paul Horn Piano – Lonnie Hewitt Vibraphone – Cal Tjader
Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow and Charlie Byrd exemplify the breadth of American jazz. These elder statesmen of the instrument have well over a century of combined knowledge and experience, and their styles cover a vast spectrum of the music, from straight-ahead swing, to be-bop, to bossa nova and beyond. Herb Ellis established an impeccable standard for swinging, mainstream jazz guitar through his extensive work in concert and on record with numerous great jazz instrumentalists including Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Harry Edison and singer Ella Fitzgerald. Tal Farlow's nimble and innovative playing with the Red Norvo Trio is considered pure genius, and few guitarists have matched his unusual dexterity and sense of harmony. Charlie Byrd pioneered the use of the classical guitar in jazz and introduced America to the beauty of Brazilian bossa nova. Billed as the Great Guitars, the playing of this remarkable group is a short course in the history of jazz guitar.
Charlie Byrd is recognized as a music giant throughout the world. The role of the guitar bridging classical and popular music forms is a matter of history, but the emergence of a guitarist equally at ease in both classical and jazz idioms is an event of singular exception. Born in Chuckatuck, Virginia on September 16, 1925, Byrd learned the basic of guitar from his father and began to perform regularly with local bands. While in Paris during the war, he had occasion to meet and hear the great gypsy guitarist Django Reingardt, one of the founding fathers of the very concept of jazz guitar. That encounter served as the inspiration for Byrd's decision to enroll in the Harnett National Music School in New York to study jazz composition and theory. By the late 1940's, Charlie Byrd had become an established figure in the East Coast jazz scene, but he felt the need for a new direction. He decided to pursue a career as a concert guitarist. In 1950, Byrd moved to the Washington, DC area to begin the study of classical guitar with Thomas Simmons and Sophocles Papas, and subsequently traveled to Italy as the pupil of Andres Segovia. While he did not consciously synthesize his jazz and classical training into a new form of music, the subtleties of both began to have their inevitable effects, with the result that Byrd reached new performance levels and created a new sound-- jazz played on an acoustic (classical) guitar without using a pick or electronics. After a tour of South America sponsored by the United States Department of State, his interest in Latin music intensified. The next year, 1962, along with Stan Getz, Byrd recorded Jazz Samba and, according to Leonard Feather, "the entire bossa nova craze in the United States may be said to have spring directly from this album." Amazon
The tread that binds these radically different players is their debt to Charlie Christian, the first electric jazz guitarist who inspired their lifelong dedication to musical excellence. Billed s the Great Guitas, the playing of this remarkable group is a short course in the history of jazz guitar. Tracklist : 1. Seven Come Eleven Composed By – Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 2. Georgia (On My Mind) Composed By – Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 3. Angel Eyes Composed By – Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 4. Air Mail Special Composed By – Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 5. Blue Skies Composed By – Irving Berlin Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 6. Deed I Do Composed By – Fred Rose, Walter Hirsch Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 7. Embraceable You Composed By – George & Ira Gershwin Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 8. Undecided Composed By – Charlie Shavers, Sid Robin Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 9. Corcovado Composed By – Antonio Carlos Jobim Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 10. Cottontail Composed By – Duke Ellington Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 11. So Danco Samba Composed By – Antonio Carlos Jobim Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 12. Things Ain't Like They Used To Be Composed By – Mercer Ellington, Ted Persons Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow 13. Bernie's Tune Composed By – Bernie Miller, Leiber & Stoller Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow Notes : A live jazz performance from Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, and Charlie Byrd, featuring 13 tracks recorded in Manchester, 1997. From the back of the DVD box: Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow and Charlie Byrd exemplify the breadth of American jazz. These elder statesmen of the instrument have well over a century of combined knowledge and experience, and their styles cover a vast spectrum of the music, from straight-ahead swing, to be-bop, to bossa nova and beyond. Herb Ellis established an impeccable standard for swinging, mainstream jazz guitar through his extensive work in concert and on record with numerous great jazz instrumentalists, including Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Harry Edison and singer Ella Fitzgerald. Tal Farlow's nimble and innovative playing with the Red Norvo Trio is considered pure genius, and few guitarists have matched his unusual dexterity and sense of harmony. Charlie Byrd pioneered the use of the classical guitar in jazz and introduced America to the beauty of Brazilian bossa nova. The thread that binds these radically different players is their debt to Charlie Christian, the first electric jazz guitarist who inspired their lifelong dedication to musical excellence. Billed as the Great Guitars, the playing of this remarkable group is a short course in the history of jazz. Recorded at the Manchester Craftmen's Guild, 1997. Discogs.com Running time: 80 minutes. Color. A 24-page comprehensive booklet featuring biographical material, rare photographs and details on the tunes performed on this DVD can be accessed and downloaded from www.guitarvideos.com/dvd/pdf.htm
Guitarist Larry Coryell's Eleventh House was a particularly interesting
fusion group of the mid-1970's for, in addition to the leader,
keyboardist Mike Mandel, bassist Danny Trifan and the dynamic drummer
Alphonse Mouzon, the unit featured trumpeter Michael Lawrence. Their
appearance at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival makes for a rather brief
CD (under 34 minutes) but has its moments of interest. Coryell starts
the proceedings by playing his unaccompanied acoustic guitar on a
classical piece, that number is followed by four passionate group
originals full of fire and dated electronics, and the set finishes with
the strongest piece, "The Eleventh House Blues." Although the music is
not essential nor particularly innovative, the mixture of straightahead
elements with prime period fusion is often stimulating. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1Improvisation On Villa Lobos - Prelude No. 4 In E Minor 3:49
The feel of this set (the debut as a leader by tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore) is very much in the style of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. That should not be a surprise, for even though Moore did not play with Blakey (the closest he came was with Horace Silver), trumpeter Brian Lynch and pianist Benny Green certainly did. With guitarist Kevin Eubanks, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Kenny Washington completing the sextet, Moore leads the band through two originals, Eubanks' "Round Trip," and Lynch's "Back Room Blues," and a pair of jazz standards. A fine hard bop date and an excellent start to Ralph Moore's solo career.Scott Yanow Tracklist : 1 Dunes 6:30 Ralph Moore 2 Bewitched 6:08 Written-By – Rodgers & Hart 3 Round Trip 5:07 Written-By – K. Eubanks 4 Lotus Blossom 6:04 Written-By – K. Dorham 5 Monique 6:25 Ralph Moore 6 Back Room Blues 6:56 Written-By – B. Lynch 7 Sleigh Ride 5:13 Written-By – Anderson Credits : Bass – Rufus Reid Drums – Kenny Washington Guitar – Kevin Eubanks Recorded By, Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder Tenor Saxophone – Ralph Moore Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Brian Lynch
