Showing posts with label Ike Isaacs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ike Isaacs. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Al Grey - Boss Bone (1964) [vinyl]

Soul jazz trombone session, recorded in Chicago, with players like John Young on piano, Leo Blevins on guitar, and Ike Isaacs on bass. The groove is tight and hard, and Grey wrote a lot of catchy originals for the session. Titles include "Tacos & Grits", "Salty Mama", "The Give Off", and "Grey Being Blue". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

This well-loved LP truly demonstrates that Al Grey at the time of recording was the ‘Boss Bone’. He has such a sweet tone that just literally sings along with the music. In addition, Al showcases his writing ability; six out of the nine compositions are his creation, the other three are reliable jazz standards which he plays with great finesse. This is all achievable by the wondrously harmonic playing of the rest of the group. Both the pianist and guitarist in particular blend perfectly with Al’s bone with some marvelous soloing. Considering the condition of the vinyl, with some tweaking the sound comes off well, Enjoy!

Argo Records, LP-731, 1964
Recorded 17th December, 1963 at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago, Illinois

Musicians:
Al Grey - Trombone
John Young - Piano
Leo Blevins - Guitar
Ike Isaacs - Bass
Phil Thomas - Drums

Tracks:
A1. Smile {John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons, Charlie Chaplin} (2:38)
A2. Terrible Cap {Al Grey} (3:01)
A3. Mona Lisa {Jay Livingston, Ray Evans} (3:27)
A4. Tacos And Grits {Al Grey} (3:18)
A5. Can't You Feel It {Al Grey} (3:59)
B1. Salty Mama {Al Grey} (3:24)
B2. The Give Off {Al Grey} (4:06)
B3. Day In Day Out {Robe Bloom, Johnny Mercer} (5:13)
B4. Grey Being Blue {Al Grey} (3:45)

Credits:
Supervision - Esmond Edwards
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover Photo - Don Bronstein
Liner Notes - Daddy-O Daylie

Monday, December 5, 2016

Carmen McRae - Carmen For Cool Ones (1957) [vinyl>flac]

Hip early work from Carmen McCrae - with jazzy arrangements by Fred Katz, featuring mostly west coast players running through some off-kilter backings that give Carmen a different sound than usual. The album's definitely got the "cool" in the title, but Carmen's sophisticated phrasing of the songs brings a lot of warmth to the tracks - in a kind of counterpoint that works really well with the music. Titles include "I Remember Clifford", "What's New", "Weak For The Man", "A Shoulder To Cry On", "Any Old Time", "Without A Word Of Warning", and "The Night We Called It A Day". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Decca Records, DL 8738, 1958
Recorded 1957

Personnel:
Carmen McRae - Vocals
Pete Candoli - Trumpet (#A6)
Ray Lion - Trumpet (#A6)
Milt Bernhart - Trombone (#A6)
Bob Enevoldsen - Trombone (#A6)
Tommy Johnson - Tuba (#A6)
Buddy Collette - Flute, Alto Saxophone (#A2,A4,B4,B6)
George W. Smith - Clarinet (#A1,A2,A4,B1,B3,B4,B6)
Justin Gordon - Bass Clarinet (#A1,A2,A4,B1,B3,B4,B6)
Mahlon Clark - Bass Clarinet (#A1,B1,B3)
Bill Green - Flute (#A1,B1,B3)
Harry Klee - Flute [Solo] (#A1,B1,B3)
Warren Webb - Oboe (#A2,A4,B4,B6)
Larry Bunker - Vibraphone (#A3,A5,B2,B5), Drums (#A6)
Frank Emilio Flynn - Vibraphone, Marimba (#A3,A5,B2,B5)
John T. Williams - Piano (#A3,A5,B2,B5)
Joe Marino - Piano (#A2,A4,B4,B6), Celeste (#A3,A5,B2,B5)
Calvin Jackson - Piano (#A6)
Joseph R. Gibbons - Guitar (#A2,A4,B4,B6)
Billy Bean - Guitar (#A6)
Fred Katz - Cello (#B5)
Ike Isaacs - Bass (#A1-A5,B1-B6)
Red Mitchell - Bass (#A6)
Specs Wright - Drums (#A1-A5,B1-B6)

Tracks:
A1. All The Things You Are {Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II} (2:25)
A2. A Shoulder To Cry On {Chuck Darwin, Paulette Girard} (3:52)
A3. Any Old Time {Artie Shaw} (3:09)
A4. Weak For The Man {Jeanne Burns} (4:08)
A5. What's New {Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke} (2:29)
A6. I Get A Kick Out Of You {Cole Porter} (2:14)
B1. [What Can I Say] After I Say {Walter Donaldson, Abe Lyman} (1:46)
B2. Without A Word Of Warning (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel} (3:19)
B3. You Are Mine {Frank Loesser} (3:26)
B4. If I Were A Bell {Ted Snyder, Sam Lewis, Joe Young} (1:54)
B5. The Night We Called It A Day {Matt Dennis, Tom Adair} (4:28)
B6. I Remember Clifford {Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks} (3:00)

Orchestra Director, Arranger - Fred Katz
Liner Notes - Burt Korall