Personnel:
Brew Moore (ts), Bent Axen (p), Niels- Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Erik Mosholm (b), William Schiøpffe (d), Lars Gullin (bs), Sahib Shihab (as), Louis Hjulmand (vib), Don Byas (ts)
Reference: FSRCD 840
Bar code: 8427328608404
Tenor saxophonist Brew Moore (1924-1973) was a free spirit, always roaming, staying a while in such places as Greenville, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, New York City, San Francisco, then moving on. It was at the end of one such stay in Copenhagen that he made Svinget 14 in 1962, recorded a few days before his departure, with a select Danish rhythm section; both pianist Bent Axen and drummer William Schiøpffe were chosen as musician of the year, in 1960 and 1957 respectively; and at 16, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen was already among the best European bass players.
The group collaborated for this recording, for two tracks each, with Swedish baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin, American altoist Sahib Shihab, and Danish vibraharpist Louis Hjulmand. On what is effectively a summation of one chapter in the career of a much-travelled jazzman, with the great ballads and standard jazz originals for his repertoire, Brews uncompromising playing and his warm, Lester Young-inspired tone is manifest in a series of swinging and beautifully phrased tenor solos.
"Brew Moore was among the most dedicated of Lester Young's white disciples the grey boys, as Prez dubbed them but never quite penetrated their inner circle. He was a wanderer around the south, then to New York, San Fransisco, and finally Copenhagen, where he came and went several times. His style was bop-flavoured swing, or maybe the other way round. His tone had the authentic roundness, his improvised lines the loose relaxation which is the epitome of cool.
That's how he plays here, and the best tracks are mainly the ones that feature him alone with the rhythm section. The exception is the couple of numbers he shares with Lars Gullin, the Swedish baritone master, where their playing is in complete stylistic accord. The vibraphonist Louis Hjulmand fits in agreeably enough, and the fragment with Don Byas is simply a jam. Sahib Shihab, possibly in a bid to sound progressive in 1962, is all over the place. The rhythm sections, two of the three with the phenomenal, 16-year-old Nils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen aboard, are absolutely fine.
This is not Brew at his best; for that I'd recommend his 1955-1956 quintet album on Fantasy, or maybe Brew's Stockholm Dew (1971) on Sonet, but Shihab aside I enjoyed it very much."
-Dave Gelly (Jazz Journal, November 2014)
http://www.jazzjournal.co.uk
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"Ive heard one other album by Mississippi-born tenor saxist Brew Moore who died in 1973 at not even 50 years old. I thought I was listening to some lost Stan Getz albums. This one from a series of recordings in Scandinavia will have you scratching your head as well. Hes got a breathy and cool tone, highly influenced by Lester Young, so what more do you want in life? The music here is in the pocket swing with a hint of adventure, as on the eyebrow raising The Monster. You wont be disappointed.
The lions share of music is from a 1962 session from Copenhagen with Bent Axen/p, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen/b, William Schiopffe/dr along with guests Lars Gullin/gs, Sahib Shihab/as and Louis Hjulmand/vibe.On his own, Moore blows like a summer breeze on Ergo throwing out wonderfully created ideas with aplomb. Melded with the bari, a thick crème is created on You Stepped Out of a Dream while Piger has him bebopping with Shhabs alto.
A concert in Denmark from the same year includes Don Byas joining the quartet on a rousing but truncated Lester Leaps In while Topsy spins like a Basie beauty. A final radio broadcast features Moore crooning on My Funny Valentine-what else is out there by this guy? I want it ALL!"
George W. Harris (November 17, 2014)
http://www.jazzweekly.com
