Ben Webster - Meets Bill Coleman (1967)

The U.S. jazz scene of the late '60s was dominated by such disparate artists as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, and others. The swing players from the '30s and '40s were out of vogue in America, but in Europe audiences still flocked to see them; hence this recording session features a British rhythm section backing tenor legend Ben Webster and trumpeter and singer Bill Coleman. While this music has no surprises, it's delightful in its relaxed swing and joyous delivery. Webster and Coleman play well off each other and the band supports the two horn men with real panache. In particular, the Django Reinhardt-esque guitar playing of Jim Douglas adds a European flair to the proceedings. Highlights include the upbeat "But Not For Me" and the delicate ballad, "For All We Know." ~ by Rovi, allmusic.com

Black Lion, BLCD-760141, 1990

Recorded 27th April, 1967 at Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, England

Track Listing:

1. Proud Horn {Bill Coleman, Ben Webster} (4:56)

2. Moonglow {Eddie DeLange, Will Hudson, Irving Mills} (5:06)

3. Satin Doll {Ellington, Mercer, Strayhorn} (4:54)

4. For Max {Bill Coleman, Ben Webster} (6:22)

5. But Not For Me [Take 3] {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (4:23)

6. But Not For Me [Take 4] {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (4:00)

7. For All We Know {Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis} (5:41)

8. Sunday {Chester Conn, Nick Drake, Benny Krueger, Ned Miller, Jule Styne} (4:44)

9. Bill Coleman {Bill Coleman, Ben Webster} (6:13)

Track 2 - Previously Unreleased

Track 6 - Previously Unreleased Alternative Take

Personnel:

Ben Webster - Tenor Saxophone

Bill Coleman - Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Vocals

Jim Douglas - Guitar

Fred Hunt - Piano

Roy Rae - Bass

Lennie Hastings - Drums

This one is for PoppaChubby, he's a great lover of Swing. The music provided here was taken from the Limited Edition CD not available now. Like many Black Lion releases the sound quality can be poor. In this instance the disc was ripped to wav and optimized prior to re-encoding to FLAC for this post. The results speak for themselves. Enjoy!