Despite having an A-list personnel of people like Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Frank Rehak, Urbie Green, Gene Quill, Bernie Glow and a Nat Pierce-Milt Hinton-Osie Johnson rhythm section with Barry Galbraith on guitar, this is probably the rarest of all big band albums from the 1950s. Moreover, Ted McNabb, whose name it bears, isnt even on it. He was just the guy who put up the money. He paid for the charts by arranger Marion Evans, the musicians and the studio time all the upfront costs that enabled Columbia to agree to release it on their Epic label.
For him it was a dream realised; a big band in the Swing Era style, clean, precise and stomping, like the old Basie and Goodman bands, playing some standards that hadnt been overdone at the time. The arrangements are well-crafted, not uncomplicated, but not overly complex either and, in the hands of this band, they swing mightily in the call-and-response manner of the Swing Era. Unsurprisingly, the solos are uniformly good and often rather more than that.
Tracklist
Total time: 33:06 min.
01. Mountain Greenery (Rodgers-Hart) 2:52
Dick Meldonian, alto sax; Frank Rehak, trombone
02. Ill Never Say Never Again Again (Woods) 2:40
Zoot Sims, tenor sax; Nat Pierce piano
03. Blue Moon (Rodgers-Hart) 2:06
Barry Galbraith, guitar
04. Margie (Davis-Conrad-Robinson) 2:24
Dick Meldonian, alto sax
05. That Old Feeling (Brown-Fain) 2:38
Burt Collins, trumpet; Al Cohn, tenor sax
06. Have You Met Miss Jones (Rodgers-Hart) 2:46
Burt Collins, trumpet; Nat Pierce, piano
07. Lover (Rodgers-Hart) 2:19
Al Cohn, tenor sax
08. Youre My Thrill (Claire-Gorney) 3:20
Al Cohn, tenor sax; Nat Pierce, piano
09. It Had To Be You (Kahn-Jones) 2:33
Urbie Green, trombone
10. Three Little Words (Kalmar-Ruby) 2:38
Zoot Sims, tenor sax
11. Spring Is Here (Rodgers-Hart) 3:30
Urbie Green, trombone; Burt Collins, trumpet
12. Close As Pages In A Book (Fields-Romberg) 2:45
Urbie Green, trombone
Album details
First issued as 12" LP EPIC BN-588 (STEREO)
Personnel:
Tracks #2,4,8,9: Bernie Glow, Burt Collins, Doc Severinsen, John Bello, trumpets; Urbie Green, Sy Berger, Frank Rehak, trombones; Dick Hixon, bass trombone; Dick Meldonian, Gene Quill, alto saxes; Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, tenor saxes; Sol Schlinger, baritone sax; Nat Pierce, piano; Barry Galbraith, guitar; Milt Hinton, bass; Osie Johnson, drums.
Recorded in New York City, on November 19, 1959
Tracks #1,3,7,12: Same as above but John Frosk, trumpet; Herb Geller, alto sax; John Drew, bass; Don Lamond, drums, replace Doc Severinsen, Gene Quill, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson.
Recorded in New York City, on November 23, 1959
Tracks #5,6,10,11: Same as November 19, but Al deRisi, trumpet; John Drew, bass; Don Lamond, replace Bernie Glow, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson.
Recorded in New York City, on November 25, 1959
Marion Evans photo taken by Milt Hinton in 1967
Produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol
24-Bit · Digitally Remastered
