Jazz
Al Haig - Piano
Alan Bates - Producer
Bronislau Kaper - Composer
Cole Porter - Composer
Doug Raney - Guitar
E. Heyman - Composer
Eddie Harris - Composer
Frank Gant - Drums
Gerry MacDonald - Engineer, Producer
Herbie Hancock - Composer
Ira Gitler - Liner Notes
J.J. Johnson - Composer
Jacques Demy - Composer
Jamil Nasser - Bass
Jimmy Raney - Guitar
John Woram - Engineer
Michel Legrand - Composer
Ray Ross - Photography
Friends since 1944, pianist Al Haig and guitarist Jimmy Raney were group mates in the Stan Getz Quintet of the early 50's and featured on the classic recordings made at the Storyville Club in Boston. Subsequently Getz, Haig and Raney teamed up again in the Choice Studio in March 1975 for this memorable display of talents which made them so revered by jazz lovers worldwide. Also on the date were ex-Ahmad Jamal sidemen bassist Jamel Nasser and drummer Frank Gant.
Al Haig
Active Decades: '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s
Born: Jul 22, 1922 in Newark, NJ
Died: Nov 16, 1982 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Bop, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz
One of the finest pianists of the bop era (and one who learned from Bud Powell's innovations quite early), Al Haig was quite busy during two periods of his career but unfortunately was pretty obscure in the years between. After serving in the Coast Guard (playing in bands during 1942-1944) and freelancing around Boston, Haig worked steadily with Dizzy Gillespie (1945-1946), Charlie Parker (1948-1950), and Stan Getz (1949-1951); and was on many recordings, mostly as a sideman (including some classic Diz and Bird sessions) but also as a leader for Spotlite, Dawn, and Prestige. However (other than little-known dates in 1954 for Esoteric, Swing, and Period), Haig did not lead any more albums until 1974. He played fairly often during the 1951-1973 period, but was generally overlooked. That changed during his last decade, when he was finally recognized as a bop giant and recorded for Spotlite, Choice, SeaBreeze, Interplay, and several Japanese and European labels.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
