Tell it Often Tell it Well

Paul Gonsalves - Tell It The Way It Is! (1963) {Impulse! 314 547 960-2 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 467 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
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© 1963, 1999 Impulse! / GRP Records | 314 547 960-2
Jazz / Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

When Duke Ellington's sidemen recorded on their own, the Duke's influence often had a way of asserting itself even if he was nowhere near the studio. This was true in the 1930s and 1940s, and it was true on some of Paul Gonsalves' recordings of the 1960s. Nonetheless, Gonsalves was his own man, and this excellent CD points to the fact that the breathy tenor saxophonist wasn't afraid to enter a variety of musical situations.

Erwin Stein, a disciple of Arnold Schoenberg, arranged Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony for a chamber ensemble. The premiere was given in 1921 with Schoenberg conducting at one of his famous Society for Private Musical Performances in Vienna. Stein had known Mahler and gained a deep understanding of his compositional processes. in this arrangement he sought to highlight the symphony’s chamber texture and restore its tone colours.

Trying to shake things up, producer Creed Taylor brought in arranger Marty Sheller from Mongo Santamaria's Afro-Cuban band, reduced the sizes of the servings (no track is longer than 3:50), cranked up the decibels to a raucous level, and presented Benson in what he hoped would be a radio-friendly setting. The wonder is that Benson manages to transcend the blasting Latin-percussion-spiced production, the tight time limits, and all with often brilliantly tasty guitar fills and brief solos in many styles and three reverb-heavy vocals.