9-CD DeLuxe Box Set · 44-Page Booklet
Facsimile Edition · STEREO 24 Bit Digitally Remastered
Stanley Dance, the noted jazz critic, writer and producer came to the United States in 1958 to organize the sessions in this set for an affiliate of London Records (Felsted). He had been sponsored in this project by Sir Edward Lewis, the head of British Decca.
The result were nine legendary albums recorded in 1958 and 1959, and designed primarily for the European market under the generic name Mainstream Jazz a description Dance is credited with coining.
This set brings together the complete Felsted recordings on 9 CDs, each of them a replica of the original LPs. It constitutes a wonderful jazz panorama of the mainstream style, with sessions led by outstanding jazzmen who had fine-turned their craft,and with a 44-page booklet attractively illustrated with photographs by Mike Youngman, all made even more enjoyable by Mr. Dances comprehensive notes.
Tracklist
Disc 1
Disc 2
Disc 3
Disc 4
Disc 5
Disc 6
Disc 7
Disc 8
Disc 9
Total time: 365:21 min.
Volume 1 - Rex Stewart
01. Tillies Twist (Stewart-Edwin) 4:39
02. Pretty Ditty (Stewart-Cary) 6:26
03. Tell Me More (Stewart-Edwin) 8:28
04. Trade Winds (Stewart-Cary) 7:22
05. My Kind of Gal (Stewart-Goodman) 5:11
06. Blue Echo (Stewart-Cary) 7:41
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2001 "Rendezvous With Rex"
Volume 2 - Earl Hines / Cozy Cole
01. Brussels Hustle (Hines) 7:59
02. Oooh! (Hines) 5:03
03. Backroom at the Villa dEste (Hines) 6:49
04. Caravan (Tizol-Ellington) 9:58
05. Phatz Blues (Morris-Thompson) 5:16
06. Margie (Davis-Conrad-Robinson) 4:26
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2002 "Earl's Backroom And Cozy's Caravan"
Volume 3 - Buster Bailey
01. Bear Wallow (Bailey-Vance) 7:22
02. Hatton Avenue & Gayoso Street (Bailey-Vance) 4:08
03. Sunday Parade (Bailey-Vance) 5:31
04. Beale Street Blues (Handy) 4:08
05. Memphis Blues (Handy) 2:36
06. Chickasaw Bluff (Bailey) 6:08
07. Hot Water Bayou (Bailey) 4:22
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2003 "All About Memphis"
Volume 4 - Buddy Tate
01. Bottle It (Hall) 6:00
02. Walk That Walk (Wells) 8:32
03. Miss Sadie Brown (Robinson) 5:57
04. Moon Eyes (Tate) 7:38
05. Rockin Steve (Clayton) 7:00
06. Rompin with Buck (Tate) 5:22
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2004 "Swinging Like... Tate!"
Volume 5 - Coleman Hawkins
01. Bird of Prey Blues (Hawkins) 11:13
02. My One and Only Love (Mellin-Wood) 7:21
03. Vignette (Jones) 4:25
04. Ooh-Wee Miss G.P.! (Hawkins) 3:55
05. Youve Changed (Carey-Fischer) 7:39
06. Get Set (Jones) 4:53
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2005 "The High And Mighty Hawk"
Volume 6 - Dicky Wells
01. Bones for the King (Wells) 6:36
Dedicated to the late Tommy Dorsey
02. Sweet Daddy Spo-de-o (Wells) 7:26
03. You Took My Heart (Hall) 6:01
04. Hello Smack! (Tate) 6:20
Dedicated to the late Fletcher Henderson
05. Come and Get It (Wells) 8:04
06. Stans Dance (Clayton) 6:35
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2006 "Bones for the King"
Volume 7 - Budd Johnson
01. Foggy Nights (Johnson) 5:37
02. Leave Room in Your Heart for Me (Johnson-Dobson) 7:16
03. Destination Blues (Johnson) 5:19
04. À La Mode (Johnson) 7:31
05. Used Blues (Johnson) 7:05
06. Blues by Five (Johnson) 6:06
Bonus Track:
07. Foggy Nights (Johnson) 5:54 (Mono Version)
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2007 "Blues à la Mode"
Volume 8 - Billy Strayhorn
01. Cues Blue Now (Hodges-Strayhorn) 10:03
02. Gone with the Wind (Magidson-Wrubel) 4:16
03. Cherry (Redman-Gilbert) 5:51
04. Watch Your Cue (Hodges-Strayhorn) 3:07
05. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
(Fain-Kahal-Norman) 7:20
06. When I Dream of You (Hines-Carpenter) 3:31
07. Rose Room (Williams-Hickman) 6:02
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2008 "Cue for Saxophone"
Volume 9 - Dicky Wells
01. Blue Moon (Rodgers) 3:38
02. Air Lift (Hall) 6:32
03. Its All Over Now (White) 3:55
04. Wine-O Junction (Wells) 5:29
05. Heavy Duty (Wells) 6:31
06. Short,Tall, Fat, Small (Wells) 6:24
07. Girl Hunt (Wells) 6:20
Album details
Originally issued as Felsted SJA 2009 "Trombone Four-in-Hand"
Personnel on CD 1:
Tracks #1,3,5: Rex Stewart (cnt, vcl on #5), George Stevenson (tb), Haywood Henry (cl, bs), George Kelly (ts), Willie 'The Lion' Smith (p on #1 & 3), Dick Cary (p on #5), Leonard Gaskin (b), Arthur Trappier (d).
Recorded in New York City, on January 28, 1958
Tracks #2,4,6: Rex Stewart (cnt), Hilton Jefferson (as, cl), Garvin Bushell (bassoon, cl), Dick Cary (p), Everett Barksdale (g), Joe Benjamin (b), Mickey Sheen (d).
Recorded in New York City, on January 31, 1958
Personnel on CD 2:
Tracks #1-3: Earl Hines Quartet
Curtis Lowe (ts, bs), Earl Hines (p), Charles Oden (b), Earl Watkins(d).
Recorded in San Francisco, on February 3, 1958
Tracks #4-6: Cozy Cole Septet
Lou Jones (tp), Walter 'Phatz' Morris (tb, hmca on #5), Boe McCain (ts), Reuben Jay 'June' Cole (p), Dickie Thompson (g, vcl), Peter Compo (b), Cozy Cole (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 7, 1958
Personnel on CD 3:
Tracks #1,3,6: The Septet
Herman Autrey (tp), Buster Bailey (cl), Vic Dickenson (tb), Hilton Jefferson (as), Red Richards (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jimmy Crawford (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 27, 1958
Tracks #2,4,5,7: The Quartet
Buster Bailey (cl), Red Richards (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jimmy Crawford (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 13, 1958
Personnel on CD 4:
Tracks #1-3: Pat Jenkins (tp), Eli Robinson (tb), Ben Richardson (as, cl), Buddy Tate (ts, cl), Skip Hall (p), Evrett Barksdale (g), Joe Benjamin (b), Herbie Lovelle (d). The Strollers [Jenkins, Richardson, Robinson & Tate] (vcl on #2).
Recorded in New York City, on February 26, 1958
Tracks #4-6: Buck Clayton (tp), Dicky Wells (tb), Earl Warren (as, bs), Buddy Tate (ts), Skip Hall (p), Lord Westbrook (g), Aaron Bell (b), Jo Jones (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 12, 1958
Personnel on CD 5:
Buck Clayton (tp), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Hank Jones (p), Ray Brown (b), Mickey Sheen (d).
Recorded in New York City, February 18 & 19, 1958
Personnel on CD 6:
Tracks #1-3: Dicky Wells, Vic Dickenson, Benny Morton & George Matthews (tb), Skip Hall (p), Major Holley (b), Jo Jones (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 3, 1958
Tracks #4-6: Buck Clayton (tp), Dicky Wells (tb), Rudy Rutherford (cl, bs), Buddy Tate (ts, bs), Skip Hall (p), Everett Barksdale (g), Major Holley (b), Jo Jones (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 4, 1958
Personnel on CD 7:
Tracks #1,3,5,7: The Septet
Charlie Shavers (ts), Vic Dickenson (tb), Budd Johnson (ts), Al Sears (bs), Bert Keyes (p, org), Joe Benjamin (b), Jo Jones (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 11, 1958
Tracks #2,4,6: The Quintet
Charlie Shavers (ts), Budd Johnson (ts), Ray Bryant (p), Joe Benjamin (b), Jo Jones (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 14, 1958
Personnel on CD 8:
Harold 'Shorty' Baker (tp), Quentin Jackson (tb, except on #6), Russell Procope (cl, except on #6), Johnny Hodges [Originally credited as Cue Porter] (as), Billy Strayhorn (p), Al Hall (b), Oliver Jackson (d).
Recorded in New York City, on April 14, 1959
Personnel on CD 9:
Tracks #1-4: Dicky Wells, Vic Dickenson, Benny Morton & George Matthews (tb), Skip Hall (p, org), Kenny Burrell (g), Everett Barksdale (b), Herbie Lovelle (d).
Recorded in New York City, on April 21, 1959
Tracks #5-7: Same personnel except Kenny Burrell out, Everett Barksdale (g, el-b on #5), Major Holley (b). Wells & Dickenson (vcl on #6).
Recorded in New York City, probably on April 22, 1959
Original recordings produced by Stanley Dance
Liner notes by Stanley Dance
Photography by Mike Youngman
Produced by Jordi Pujol
Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
_____________________________________________________
Note: The additional notes on each album were written by Stanley Dance during the 70's for the American label MJR (Master Jazz Recordings). Two of the albums do not include them because they were not reissued at the time.
This CD-box set is dedicated to the memory of Stanley DancePress reviews
"Jazz critic Stanley Dance came up with the term of mainstream to define the small group swing music that he loved since it was in the middle between Dixieland and bop. During 1958-59, the British-based writer came to the United States and supervised nine albums for the Felsted label featuring veteran American swing players. All of the music is reissued on Fresh Sounds superb nine-CD box set.
Included are these albums: cornetist Rex Stewarts Rendezvous With Rex, a record split between pianist Earl Hines and drummer Cozy Cole, clarinetist Buster Baileys All About Memphis, tenor-saxophonist Buddy Tates Swinging Like... Tate, Coleman Hawkins The High And Mighty Hawk, trombonist Dicky Wells Bones For The King, tenor-saxophonist Budd Johnsons Blues A La Mode, pianist Billy Strayhorns Cue For Saxophone, and Dicky Wells Trombone Four-In-Hand. Along with the leaders, such major artists are featured as altoist Johnny Hodges (the main star of the Strayhorn set), trumpeters Buck Clayton, Charlie Shavers, Herman Autrey and Shorty Baker, reed players Haywood Henry, George Kelly, Hilton Jefferson and Garvin Bushell, trombonists Vic Dickenson and Quentin Jackson, pianists Willie The Lion Smith, Red Richards, Hank Jones and Ray Bryant, bassists Ray Brown and Major Holley, and drummer Jo Jones plus many lesser known but talented swing players who were active at the time in the New York area.
Whether it is Rex Stewarts wit, Buster Baileys bluish originals, Buddy Tates working band from the Savoy, a four-trombone septet by Wells or Coleman Hawkins in superior form, there is a lot to enjoy on this perfectly conceived reissue of Stanley Dances Felsted recordings. Highly recommended.
-Scott Yanow (April, 2012)
Los Angeles Jazz Scene
