Jazz
Red Norvo & His Orchestra
Red Norvo
Aaron Sachs - Clarinet, Sax (Alto)
Al George - Trombone
Al Hall - Bass
Al Mastren - Trombone
Andy Russo - Trombone
Artie Bernstein - Bass
Artie Shaw - Clarinet
Barney Zudecoff - Trumpet
Bill Hyland - Trumpet
Bunny Berigan - Trumpet
Charlie Barnet - Sax (Tenor)
Chu Berry - Sax (Tenor)
Clyde Lombardi - Bass
Dale Pierce - Trumpet
Dave Barbour - Guitar
Dick McDonough - Guitar
Dick Taylor - Trombone
Eddie Dell - Drums
Eddie Meyers - Trumpet
Eddie Sauter - Arranger, Trumpet
Flip Phillips - Sax (Tenor)
Frank Simeone - Sax (Alto)
Fulton McGrath - Piano
Gene Krupa - Drums
George Berg - Saxophone
George Wettling - Drums
Hank D'Amico - Clarinet, Saxophone
Hank Wayland - Bass
Herbie Haymer - Sax (Tenor)
Jack Jenney - Trombone
Jack Owens - Trumpet
Jack Palmer - Trumpet
Jimmy Dorsey - Clarinet
Joe Liss - Piano
Johnny Blowers - Drums
Leo Moran - Trombone
Maurice Kogan - Saxophone
Mildred Bailey - Vocals
Ralph Burns - Piano
Remo Palmieri - Guitar
Roy Eldridge - Trumpet
Slam Stewart - Bass
Slats Long - Clarinet, Sax (Alto)
Specs Powell - Drums
Stew Pletcher - Trumpet
Teddy Wilson - Piano
Vic Dickenson - Trombone
Xylophonist and vibraphonist Red Norvo (who preferred the term vibraharp) is saluted by the Giants of Jazz label with 18 classic recordings drawn from the first 11 years of his recording career. Any time you see the phrase "Giants of Jazz" you need to envision the music arranged with the latest titles plonked down at or near the beginning, the tracks in the middle of the album scrambled to thwart anyone who likes chronologies, and the earliest material planted at the end of the disc. This Red Norvo package follows that twisted, inverted pattern exactly, if such perverse sequential disruption can be called exact. The first nine titles come from the sublime Keynote recording sessions of July and October 1944 and feature Red Norvo's All Star Sextet, followed by an exciting rendition of "Flying Home" by Red Norvo & His Overseas Spotlight Band, waxed for the Armed Forces V-Disc label at some point during November 1943. Tracks ten through 18 trace a convoluted path from the late to mid-'30s, beginning with two lovely vocals by Mildred Bailey ("A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid" and "Smoke Dreams"), then sampling Norvo's big band, and settling into a fine series of masterworks by his Swing Octet, a magnificently hard-swinging band that included Bunny Berigan, Chu Berry, Teddy Wilson, and Gene Krupa. The album ends with Norvo's first recording as a leader; "Knockin' on Wood" dates from April 8, 1933. A feature for the xylophone, this attractive interlude also featured a young clarinetist by the name of Jimmy Dorsey. This is a very nice selection of Red Norvo's music. An even better way to enjoy his remarkable legacy is to investigate the Classics Chronological Series, where Norvo's saga has been documented with striking thoroughness on more than nine volumes.
---arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide |
