Johnny Hodges - Blues A Plenty (1958)

Review by Steve Arloff:

When you listen to this disc you have to keep reminding yourself that these were recorded over 50 years ago and that Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges first recorded together in Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1935! This is a fabulous disc that shows off the talents of both Johnny and Ben to perfection. Johnny Hodges had a beautifully silky smooth singing tone while Ben's tenor was gutsy and raunchy but nevertheless had its soft edge too at times. The record kicks off with a really lovely example of I didn't know about you with Johnny's magic alto exemplifying the phrase `laid back' and Billy Strayhorn's piano framing the whole beautifully and eloquently. Ben joins in on track two together with Roy Eldridge and Vic Dickenson for the bluesy Cool your motor. Johnny solos again in Gone with the wind in a lovely dreamy style. Eldridge's trumpet screams out to kick off Honey Hill and Vic Dickenson's trombone gives us another taste of his mastery of this instrument with Ben's muscular tone on tenor taking the baton from Vic and then passing it to Eldridge; everyone gets his turn in the spotlight here apart from the rhythm section who simply perform sterling support in the background. Track 5 is the album's title number Blues-a-plenty, a Johnny Hodges original. It is a great little song that is a brilliant demonstration of the talents of all these wonderful musicians who have carved their well merited place in jazz history. If you ever want to be lulled to sleep to jazz try the gorgeous Don't take your love from me with Johnny's soporifically breathy blowing sending you happily off to the land of nod. There are no duds on this disc and other highlights include the hugely popular and well covered Ellington, Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer composition Satin Doll which I'm willing to bet you'll never have heard in a more lyrically perfect version with Hodges' singing tone so incredibly voice like. If you tried the suggested sleeping pill in the shape of Don't take your love from me you'll have another chance to drift off again with its alternate take included as track 10 in a slightly longer version. With Reelin' and rockin' you also get two takes and two chances to enjoy Dickenson's beautifully mellow trombone. On the second take you also get some amusing banter from the recording engineer when, the band having decided after a few bars that they'll start again in a different chord, he says he'll release the intro on its own as a single!

Roy Eldridge (t) Vic Dickenson (tb) Johnny Hodges (as) Ben Webster (ts) Billy Strayhorn (p) Jimmy Woode (b) Sam Woodyard (d)
NYC, April 5, 1958

01 - I Didn't Know About You
02 - Cool Your Motor
03 - Gone With The Wind
04 - Honey Hill
05 - Blues-A-Plenty
06 - Don't Take Your Love From Me
07 - Saturday Afternoon Blues
08 - Satin Doll
09 - Reelin' And Rockin'

MGV 8358 also issued on Verve MGVS 6123.