Georgie

Avid Jazz continues with its Four Classic album series with a re-mastered 2CD release by Georgie Auld, complete with original artwork and liner notes. “In The Land Of Hi-Fi”; “Misty”; “The Melody Lingers On” and “Good Enough To Keep”.
For our four albums by swing tenor saxophonist Georgie Auld we are taking a musical journey through the many styles Auld has played over a career going back to the 1930’s when he joined the Bunny Berigan band from 1937-38. In a career spanning over fifty years Auld has also played with many of the greats including Artie Shaw (1938-39), Benny Goodman in the early forties, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Maynard Ferguson, Billy Eckstine and Ella Fitzgerald…

Volume three in the Classics Georgie Auld chronology opens with the last four sides he cut for the Musicraft label on June 14, 1946. The 16-piece big band had Neal Hefti in the trumpet section, Auld, Al Cohn and Serge Chaloff in the reeds, and vocalist Sarah Vaughan featured on "You're Blasé." While Hefti's two original compositions are pleasantly modern sounding, the true gem from this date was Budd Johnson's rock-solid "Canyon Passage." Changes in the postwar entertainment industry resulted in the dissolution and dispersal of many big bands. Auld threw in the towel and waited about two-and-a-half years before resuming his recording career on January 17, 1949. His new band had ten pieces, including trombonist Billy Byers, pianist Jimmy Rowles and drummer Alvin Stoller…

At least once a year, usually just before the holiday season, Georgie Fame takes up residency at Ronnie Scott’s club in London. This particular recording was done during November, 1995. Having the legendary Georgie Fame sitting behind the Hammond organ, night after night, in a London club is wonderfully reminiscent of the time, more than thirty years ago, when he held held court at the Flamingo Club.

Recorded at Kammermusiksaal der Berliner Philharmonie, September 19, 2008. The Jazzwerkstatt was just launched when my good English friend (saxophonist) Alan Skidmore and his quartet gave a concert dedicated to the music of John Coltrane. Later we talked about Georgie Fame whom I had seen just recently in a Van Morrison BBC feature. Some days before Id heard Georgie's CD with the Danish Radio Big Band and, anyway, I knew him well for a long time. Moreover, I had to arrange a concert with (German jazz/soul singer and songwriter) Uschi Brüning. That is how it was decided to stage a concert at the (Berliner Philharmonie) Kammermusiksaal the way we hear it on this CD.

In the autumn of 1984 composer and arranger Steve Gray and myself were involved in a concert for Dutch radio, with the renowned Metropole Orchestra with whom we had both worked individually in the past. Another member of that production was the well known Dutch entertainer Edwin Rutten. The three of us went to supper after the concert and Edwin suggested that Steve and I might compose an original work which could be performed with the Metropole Orchestra. We were flattered and a little excited by the prospect but nothing further was discussed. In January 1985 I was on one of my regular tours of Australia when Steve called me in Sydney to say that he'd heard from Holland and the project was on!. Furthermore the proposed recording dates were March 3rd/4th and 5th. I wasn't due back in England until…