Jazz
Recorded at the Black Hawk, San Francisco, September 24, 1959; track 4 recorded September 22
Shelly Manne - drums
Joe Gordon - trumpet
Richie Kamuca - tenor sax
Victor Feldman - piano
Monty Budwig - bass
This fourth volume commemorating Shelly Manne's 1959 odyssey at the Black Hawk includes the surprise of a waltz-time version of Duke Ellington's "Squeeze Me". Pursuing Manne's penchant for swinging treatments of unexpected material, there is a spirited approach to Xavier Cugat's "Nightingale". The group's theme, "A Gem from Tiffany", gets its fastest workout on record. Roland Alexander's "Cabu" is explored in the originally issued take and a longer alternate recently discovered and included as a bonus track. Manne had fine bands in succeeding decades, but the group with Richie Kamuca, Joe Gordon, Victor Feldman, and Monty Budwig has a special place in his long career. |
