As jazz artists, guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Red Mitchell had it all; lyricism, emotional depth, musical sophistication, unfailing imagination, abundant technical command. Despite their distinctive personal voices, an almost uncanny empathy is among the great virtues of their delightful West Coast collaborations recorded between 1957 and 1960. And when Mitchell played cello or piano, as he did on two of the albums here, it made no difference to their mutual inspiration or the quality of the music.
Each was noted for his sensitivity and inventiveness, but it never precluded the sheer swinging brio they injected into Rejoice!, a live date made with other West Coast jazz royalty, Frank Strazzeri, Jimmy Bond and Frank Butler in 1960. With Mitchell on cello and Hall at his gutsiest they set about a program of standards and originals with rare gusto. The musical magic was equally there earlier that year when, with Mitchell switching convincingly to piano, they delivered the captivating, totally unified Modest Jazz Trio with Red Kelly; sheer charm and quality made to seem easy.
But, less than three years before that, they had created a - Jazz Guitar. With Hall as leader, Mitchell on bass and the unforgettable Carl Perkins on piano, it rapidly became a collectors’ item. And it says much for Hall and Mitchell’s later collaborations that they don’t seem out of place in this company.
Tracklist
Total time: 132:46 min.
CD 1
01. Jim’s Blues (Hall) 7:18
02. Oh! You Crazy Moon (Van Heusen-Burke) 7:39
03. Rejoice! (Mitchell) 6:07
04. Black Eyed Peas (Pettiford) 5:35
05. You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To (Porter) 7:22
06. Night in Tunisia (Gillespie-Paparelli) 8:40
07. Good Friday Blues (Mitchell) 5:56
08. Willow Weep for Me (Ronnell) 6:23
09. I Remember You (Mercer-Schertzinger) 7:25
CD 2
01. Bill Not Phil (Harris) 6:10
02. When I Have You (Mitchell) 6:30
03. I Was Doing Alright (G. & I. Gershwin) 4:44
04. Stompin’ at the Savoy (Goodman-Webb-Sampson) 4:38
05. Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (Ellington-Mercer) 5:47
06. This Is Always (Warren-Gordon) 2:48
07. Thanks for the Memory (Robin-Rainger) 5:15
08. Tangerine (Mercer-Schertzinger) 4:29
09. Stella by Starlight (Washington-Young) 3:57
10. 9:20 Special (Warren-Engvick-Palmer) 5:42
11. Deep in a Dream (De Lange-Van Huesen) 4:32
12. Look for the Silver Lining (DeSylva-Kern) 5:05
13. Seven Come Eleven (Goodman-Christian) 4:30
14. Too Close for Comfort (Bock-Holofcener-Weiss) 4:25 *
Album details
(*) Bonus Track
Sources CD 1:
Tracks #1-6, from the LP “Red Mitchell – Rejoice!” (Pacific Jazz PJ-22)
Tracks #7-9, from the LP “The Modest Jazz Trio – Good Friday Blues”
(Pacific Jazz PJ-10 [Stereo])
Sources CD 2:
Tracks #1-3, from the LP “The Modest Jazz Trio – Good Friday Blues”
Tracks #4-13, from the LP “Jim Hall – Jazz Guitar” (Pacific Jazz PJ-1227)
Track #14, taken from the album “Various – Jazz Pianists Galore”
(Jazz West Coast JWC-506)
Personnel on "Rejoice!"
RED MITCHELL Quintet
Red Mitchell, cello; Frank Strazzeri, piano; Jim Hall, guitar; Jimmy Bond, bass; Frank Butler, drums.
Recorded live at “The Renaissance”, Hollywood, California, October, 1960
Personnel on "Good Friday Blues"
The MODEST JAZZ Trio
Red Mitchell, piano; Jim Hall, guitar; Red Kelly, bass.
Recorded at Pacific Jazz Enterprises Inc., Los Angeles, April 2 or 8, 1960
Personnel on "Jazz Guitar"
Carl Perkins, piano; Jim Hall, guitar; Red Mitchell, bass.
Recorded at United Recording Co., Hollywood, January 10 & 24, 1957
Bonus Track: Same personnel and recording date as "Jazz Guitar"
Original recordings produced by James Dickson (Rejoice!) and Dick Bock
Original design & photography: Barry Feinstein, Charles W. White, Woody Woodward, William Claxton
Original liner notes: John Tynan, Woody Woodward, Jimmy Giuffre
This CD release produced by Jordi Pujol
Hi Fi / Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
