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CD |
| 5.637 Ft
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| 1. | As Long as I Live
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| 2. | Caught
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| 3. | On the Sunny Side of the Street
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| 4. | Old Fashioned Love
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| 5. | Mission to Moscow
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| 6. | Black Butterfly
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| 7. | You Need to Rock
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| 8. | Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy
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| 9. | It's Been So Long
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| 10. | Avalon
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| 11. | Constantly
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| 12. | Complainin'
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| 13. | Doin' the New Low Down
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| 14. | Polonaise
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| 15. | Hag's Blues
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| 16. | I'm Shooting High
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Jazz
Johnny Varro: Piano, Leader, Arrangements
Randy Sandke: Trumpet, Dan Barrett: Trombone, Ken Peplowski: Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Scott Robinson: Tenor Saxophone, Michael Moore: Bass, Joe Ascione: Drums
"The Johnny Varro Swing Seven has set standards of imaginative repertoire and musical prowess which are high, indeed. The listener new to this band will treasure the eclectic tune list (including composers from Frederic Chopin to Johnny Hodges) as well as the freshness and verve of the players. Those who are already fans of this septet will be thrilled anew as the musical surprises unfold, and will join this writer in replaying this album and savoring each moment." Duncan Schiedt, a veteran jazz photographer, archivist and author since 1939.
Johnny Varro's sixth release for Arbors is a swinging affair with a very strong septet that includes trumpeter Randy Sandke, trombonist Dan Barrett, clarinetist Ken Peplowski (who also makes a rare appearance on alto sax), tenor saxophonist Scott Robinson, bassist Michael Moore, and drummer Joe Ascione, all of whom have worked with Varro on stage during various jazz parties and/or in the studio. With the pianist contributing all the arrangements, the group explores a wide range of swing fare, including the familiar and the forgotten. Peplowski conjures comparisons to the legendary Johnny Hodges with his rich alto sax solo during "On the Sunny Side of the Street." The brisk take of "Old Fashioned Love" features a catchy series of brief solos by the group. Varro's enticing charts of obscure songs such as Fats Waller's "Caught," Johnny Hodges' blues "You Need to Rock," and Jess Stacy's loping "Complainin'" should entice other swing specialists into exploring them as well. Varro also contributed a tasty original to the date, "Hag's Blues," named in memory of bassist Bob Haggart, who died suddenly around the time the piece was written. Throughout the session, the pianist is in the center of things, delivering brief but effective solos as he leads his band through one brilliant take after another. This should be considered an essential CD for swing fans. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Johnny Varro
Active Decades: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Swing
One of the top swing-oriented pianists since the 1950s, Johnny Varro has long been a fixture in the trad jazz circuit even if the greater jazz world does not seem to know that he exists. He considers his influences to be Jess Stacy, Teddy Wilson, and Eddie Miller, as well as the jazz performances he witnessed as a child put on by Jack Crystal. Learning the piano while following Crystal and his friends, Varro's first professional job was with Bobby Hackett for a tour of the East Coast in 1953. In 1957, he replaced Ralph Sutton as the intermission pianist at Eddie Condon's club and was associated with Condon througout the first half of the '60s. He worked with many top trad and swing players during that era before moving to Miami in 1964; in the late '70s he relocated to Southern California. The veteran pianist has kept up a busy schedule playing at clubs, jazz parties, and festivals where his impeccable swing style is appreciated. In the '90s and 2000s, Varro made several recordings for Arbors and continued to tour with the Swing 7, the band he has worked with since relocating to California.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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