Too many leaders claim the biggest share of the playing time, overshadowing the sidemen. Eldridge’s solo with his muted trumpet, while brief, lives up to the high standard that you expect from a Roy Eldridge performance. I don’t really like the clarinet, but Shaw has a way with it that makes you want more. Shaw finds a way to finish each phrase by taking us in an unexpected direction. There are also solos by Shaw and Eldridge, broken up by a short solo of Kessel’s guitar. His balance of rhythmic kick and a light, sparkling right hand is just about perfect. He fills in with chords, but adds a percussive effect, where he sort of becomes part of the rhythm section too as he backs the other soloists. Even if you don’t do that, listen for the sublime piano work of the teenaged Marmarosa. When I listen to an unfamiliar record, I like to listen to it several times, paying particular attention to a different instrument each time through. The result is a recording that will satisfy fans of either genre. This record is almost a perfect bridge between old-style swing and the newer, harder-edged bebop which was just beginning to spread. The record begins with an intro which sort of introduces all of the players to the listener, and then off they go, with a moderately quick-tempo theme sketched out by Eldridge. You can listen to it here, which I urge you to do. On July 31, 1945, the group assembled at the RCA Victor recording studios and recorded this gem, which they called Scuttlebutt. “Little Jazz”, as he was known, had a difficult time as a black man touring with a white band, particularly when the band went on tour in the deep south. Eldridge was the most famous of the group, other than Shaw. Finally, there was Roy Eldridge (33) on trumpet, whose style was intense and a bit raspy. Guitarist Barney Kessel (21) was just starting a long and brilliant career.ĭodo Marmarosa on piano was just 19 and even then was a brilliant player who could seamlessly navigate both the older swing style and the emerging new style of bebop. Drummer Lou Fromm (age 25) and bassist Morris Rayman (30) were both underrated players who really made the music move, but were not obtrusive about it. Unlike most, though, Shaw took his band deep into combat areas in the Pacific Islands, in order to bring some R&R to the fighting men who needed it the most.Īfter Shaw mustered out of the service at age 34, he put together a new big band, and from within that band, chose five men to make up the new Gramercy Five. As expected, Shaw led a band for entertainment of troops in combat. Like many other stars of the time, Shaw enlisted in the military. World War II interrupted a lot of successful careers, Shaw’s included. However, he also fronted an occasional small group that he called his Gramercy Five. His big bands (there were at least five distinct versions over a fifteen year stretch) were among the better quality groups, as you might expect from one who paid more attention to the music than to the business. Shaw was among the top tier of bandleaders during the swing era of the 1930s and 40s. Let me introduce you to three minutes of classic jazz perfection.Īrtie Shaw is not one of the first names that will come up in a jazz discussion, even one that goes back into the older stuff. Before I knew it, I had hit repeat more times than I paid attention to, then realized that my decision had been made. On one of these drives, I was mulling over what to write about this week when a song bubbled to the top of the randomized playlist on my iPod. I have been doing a lot of driving recently.
0 kommentar(er)
