Two former LPs by big bands led by bassist Oscar Pettiford (who doubles on cello) are reissued in full on this single CD. The arrangements by Gigi Gryce, Lucky Thompson, and Benny Golson feature a lot of concise solos, an inventive use of the harp (either by Janet Putnam or Betty Glamann), and colorful ensembles. Among the many soloists are trumpeter Art Farmer, trombonists Jimmy Cleveland and Al Grey, the French horn of Julius Watkins, the tenors of Thompson or Golson, and the bassist-leader. This formerly rare music is highly recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans, for it is full of fresh material and subtle surprises.
An impressive album presented here for the first time on CD, which combines great soloists with sophisticated arrangements by Manny Albam. As a bonus, we present another complete album, Guitar and the Wind, including many of the same musicians as our primary recording (Urbie Green, Eddie Costa, Osie Johnson and Barry Galbraith, who was the leader), and bearing a similar musical concept. This album was recorded exactly two years after the Manhattan Jazz Septette session and also includes brilliant saxophonist Bobby Jaspar and bassist Milt Hinton instead of Pettiford. 24 tracks total.
This CD contains the Complete 1956-1957 ABC albums: - The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi & - The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi Vol. 2. This CD brings together the two LPs which were recorded in the studio by Oscar Pettiford's orchestra –formed as a fulfillment of a wish which accompanied Oscar throughout his ill-fated career– with three versions among many other titles recorded live at the famous Birdland club of New York. This excellent jazz big band made up of some of the top soloists of modern jazz.
One of the earliest bassists on the bebop scene in 1940s New York, Oscar Pettiford was also an unusually intrepid experimenter when it came to instrumentation. His cello playing is justly famous, and on the seven tracks that form the core of this reissue CD Pettiford includes a French horn (played by Julian Watkins) in the sextet. But most noteworthy of all is the quality of his compositions. "Pendulum at Falcon's Lair" is a piece of world-class bebop writing, while "Tamalpais Love Song" is almost classical in its structure, achieving a counterintuitive combination of complexity and simple beauty.
Although the great bassist Oscar Pettiford gets first billing, this CD actually has six selections from his quintet (with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, Julius Watkins on French horn, pianist Duke Jordan, and drummer Ron Jefferson) and eight from bassist Vinnie Burke's quartet (clarinetist Ronnie Oldrich, Don Burns on accordion, and guitarist Joe Cinderella). The Pettiford half is notable for including three of his compositions ("Tricrotism" is best known), utilizing the Rouse-Watkins front line (which would become the Jazz Modes during 1956-1958) and for Pettiford doubling on cello. The Burke group has the usual instrumentation exploring melodic versions of seven standards, plus the bassist's "Time Out." These two unrelated sessions are complementary, displaying the cooler side of 1950s bebop.
The great bassist Oscar Pettiford spent his last year playing in Europe before his unexpected death on September 8, 1960. Except for four songs cut in August, this CD contains Pettiford's final recordings. Teamed with a young group of Europeans (most impressive is pianist Jan Johansson and trumpeter Allan Botschinsky) who were clearly pleased to be playing with him, Pettiford has a fair amount of solo space on ten numbers with "Willow Weep for Me" being his feature. Five of the tunes are Pettiford originals including the title cut, "Laverne Walk" and his answer to Miles Davis' "So What" which he titled "Why Not? That's What!" This is a fine set of boppish music that makes one wonder what Oscar Pettiford might have accomplished in the 1960s had he lived.