The Jazz Scene: San Francisco (2 LP on 1 CD)

San francisco in the early and middle 1950s was alive with jazz of all kinds, from the traditional revival bands of Turk Murphy and Bob Scobey to Dave Brubeck's adventurism and Cal Tjader's melding of jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Among less well known musicians, Ron Crotty was a veteran of the Brubeck trio and Vince Guaraldi, Jerry Dodgion, Sonny Clark, and Eddie Duran were on the verge of greater fame and accomplishment. Expanding Fantasy's celebrated album "Modern Music From San Francisco," this collection adds a 1953 session recorded by alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano when he was appearing at the city's legendary Black Hawk club. Mariano's Sextet included Bay Area stalwarts Dick Collins, Vernon Alley, and Richard Wyands, along with his Boston buddies Sonny Truitt and Joe MacDonald.

Tracklist

Album details

Press reviews

"This CD consists of the music formerly included on the albums Modern Music From San Francisco and Charlie Mariano Sextet. The former LP features three overlapping groups of musicians who were mostly based in San Francisco in the mid-'50s, with pianist Sonny Clark being a ringer. The Vince Guaraldi Quartet, the Ron Crotty Trio, and Jerry Dodgion's Quartet all show that the "modern" music played in San Francisco at the time was not much different than its better-known L.A. counterpart. The music swings, has smooth and light timekeeping from the rhythm section, and Dodgion's tone on alto is not that far from Bud Shank's at the time. The Charlie Mariano sextet's date was recorded at San Francisco's Blackhawk and teams together players who were mostly from Boston or San Francisco, including altoist Mariano, trumpeter Dick Collins, trombonist Sonny Truitt, and pianist Richard Wyands. Two Truitt originals, a song apiece from Vince Guaraldi and Alec Wilder, plus three standards all serve as fine vehicles for concise solos, tight ensembles, and relaxed playing."

—Scott Yanow (All Music Jazz)