Jazz
Al Cohn - Sax (Tenor)
Allan Ganley - Arranger
Andrew MacKintosh - Sax (Alto), Arranger
Chris Laurence - Bass
David Hartley - Piano
Dick Pearce - Arranger, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Godfrey Salmon - Producer
Jack Sharpe - Liner Notes, Sax (Tenor), Sax (Baritone)
Nigel Jopson - Engineer
Pete Beachill - Trombone, Trombone (Valve)
Tony Harris - Producer, Executive Producer
Although a recording with Al Porcino's big band was titled The Final Performance, tenor saxophonist Al Cohn made two later recordings before his death in 1988. Keeper of the Flame, his next-to-last album, is a somewhat obscure set recorded in London with "the Jazz Seven." Although none of the sidemen would qualify as household names, they are quite professional and fine bop players. Cohn, who is the main soloist, stretches out on four group originals, "Mood Indigo" and his own "High on You." His tone had deepened through the years and Al Cohn is actually more distinctive on this recording than he had been in the 1950s. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Al Cohn
Active Decades: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s
Born: Nov 24, 1925 in New York, NY
Died: Feb 15, 1988 in Stroudsburg, PA
Genre: Jazz
An excellent tenor saxophonist and a superior arranger/composer, Al Cohn was greatly admired by his fellow musicians. Early gigs included associations with Joe Marsala (1943), Georgie Auld, Boyd Raeburn (1946), Alvino Rey, and Buddy Rich (1947). But it was when he replaced Herbie Steward as one of the "Four Brothers" with Woody Herman's Second Herd (1948-1949) that Cohn began to make a strong impression. He was actually overshadowed by Stan Getz and Zoot Sims during this period but, unlike the other two tenors, he also contributed arrangements, including "The Goof and I." He was with Artie Shaw's short-lived bop orchestra (1949), and then spent the 1950s quite busy as a recording artist (making his first dates as a leader in 1950), arranger for both jazz and non-jazz settings, and a performer. Starting in 1956, and continuing on an irregular basis for decades, Cohn co-led a quintet with Zoot Sims. The two tenors were so complementary that it was often difficult to tell them apart. Al Cohn continued in this fashion in the 1960s (although playing less), in the 1970s he recorded many gems for Xanadu, and during his last few years, when his tone became darker and more distinctive, Cohn largely gave up writing to concentrate on playing. He made many excellent bop-based records throughout his career for such labels as Prestige, Victor, Xanadu, and Concord; his son Joe Cohn is a talented cool-toned guitarist.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
