Joe Newman was the ideal example of the merger of two jazz generations. A New Orleans emigrant, born and reared in the shadow of Louis Armstrong, he was in and around New York before he had come of age, and soon found himself working with the bop pioneers and absorbing some of their influence. But when he joined the Count Basie Band, of which he was a member off and on from December 1943, he broke out and played the way he felt he should play.
The result was a vivid new style; a trademark personal expression of a player who, without altering his style, was equally at home among both mainstream swingers and bop musicians. On these sides, leading groups partly composed of Basie sidemen, he is a clear, intelligent and influential presence.
Tracklist
Total time: 131:27 min.
CD 1
01. Close Quarters (Foster-Newman) 5:18
02. José Beguines (Johnson-Newman) 5:01
03. Blues for Slim (Newman) 7:33
04. The Sleeper (Wilkins) 3:34
05. In Case You Didnt Know (Wilkins) 5:35
06. These Foolish Things (Link) 3:21
07. Peter Pan (Foster-Newman) 3:58
08. Aint It the Truth (Basie-Harding) 3:45
09. Ingin the Ooh (Basie) 5:20
10. Confessin (Doherty-Neiburg-Reynolds) 3:28
11. In Case You Didnt Know (Wilkins) 3:28 (*) Alternate take
12. These Foolish Things (Link) 3:16 (*) Alternate take
13. East of the Sun (Brooks-Bowman) 5:03
14. Gee, Baby, Aint I Good to You? (Redman-Razaf) 4:08
15. My Blue Heaven (Donaldson-Whiting) 3:36
16. Sweetie Cake (Wilkins) 4:40
CD 2
01. Sidewalks of New York (Dawlor-Blake) 5:38
02. Careless Love (Carr) 8:42
03. Jumpin at the Woodside (Basie) 7:15
04. Casey Jones (Wilkins) 4:53
05. The Midgets (Newman) 3:31
06. Alone in the Night (Spencer) 5:02
07. A.M. Romp (Newman-Wilkins) 10:03
08. Annie Laurie (Traditional) 6:58
09. Frankie and Johnny (Cannon) 7:15
Album details
Personnel on CD 1:
Joe Newman (tp), Matthew Gee, Henry Cooker (tb), Frank Wess (ts, fl), Frank Foster (ts), Charlie Fowlkes (bars), Count Basie (p, org), Johnny Acea, Sir Charles Thompson (p), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b), Osie Johnson, Shadow Wilson (d).
Recorded in New York City, March, Boston, September, 1954; and New York City, September, 1955.
Personnel on CD 2:
Joe Newman (tp), Benny Powell (tb), Frank Wess (ts, fl), Frank Foster (ts), Sir Charles Thompson (p), Eddie Jones (b), Shadow Wilson (d).
Recorded in New York City, September, 1955.
Original studio recordings produced by John Hammond (Vanguard), George Wein (storyville) and George T. Simon (Jazztone)
Reissue produced by Jordi Pujol Baulenas and "Beethoven"
Jean-Michel Reisser.
24-Bit Digitally Remastered
