It
remains remarkable, how fresh James Moody sounds, even when some of
the arrangements show their age. Indeed, some of these tracks have
passed into jazz lore, including "Last Train from Overbrook (the
salute to Moody's return to the scene) with Eddie Jefferson's
ebullient vocal. The leader excels on tenor, but his full-bodied,
soulful and technically sure flute playing deserves special mention.
He shines on a languid "Indian Summer that is far too short, and
"Trouble In De Lowlands finds him appropriately mournful. "Tali
is a bit too precious, but Moody almost salvages it with a
far-too-short swinging segment. On tenor, Moody soulfully explores
"Don't Blame Me, taking his time to build a compelling solo. On
"Woody'N You (aka "Algo Bueno), Dizzy Gillespie's tribute
to Woody Herman, he soars again on tenor, using fragments of the
melody to launch segments of blowing choruses. His tenor playing,
individualised with gruff, acidic traces, is always compelling. This
release is a snapshot of James Moody's output from the late '50s.
Here and there it can sound a bit dated, however Moody's warm,
passionate, focused voice, however, stands out. Whether in the studio
or in the band box, he was then - and remains now - exciting, soulful
and expressive. ~ extracts from review by Andrew Rowan,
allaboutjazz.com
Argo
Records, LP-666, 1960
Recorded
29th December, 1959 at Ter-Mar Recording Studios, Chicago,
Illinois
Musicians:
James
Moody - Tenor Saxophone (#A1,A3-A5,B2,B3), Flute (#A2,B1,B4,B5)
Johnny
Gray - Guitar
Eldee
Young - Bass
Clarence
Johnson - Drums
Eddie
Jefferson - Vocals (#A4,B4)
Track Listing:
A1.
Stella By Starlight {Victor Young, Ned Washington} (3:05)
A2.
Indian Summer {Al Dubin, Victor Herbert} (2:36)
A3.
Don't Blame Me {Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields} (4:28)
A4.
Last Train From Overbrook {James Moody} (2:32)
A5.
Please Say Yes {Tom McIntosh} (3:58)
B1.
Blue Jubilee {Tom McIntosh} (6:15)
B2.
Woody'N You {Dizzy Gillespie} (3:12)
B3.
Trouble In De Lowlands {James Moody} (2:23)
B4.
Summertime {George Gershwin} (2:29)
B5.
Tali {Tom McIntosh} (2:48)
Credits:
Supervision
- Jack Tracy
Recording
Engineer - Ron Malo
Cover
Photo - Chuck Stewart
Cover
Design - Don Bronstein
Liner
Notes - Leonard Feather
