Teddy Grace - Teddy Grace 1937-1940

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:25
Size: 65,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:34) 1. I've Taken a Fancy to You
(2:53) 2. I'll Never Let You Cry
(3:01) 3. Goodbye, Jonah
(2:43) 4. Tears in My Heart
(3:09) 5. Love Me or Leave Me
(3:06) 6. Downhearted Blues
(2:44) 7. Crazy Blues
(2:49) 8. Monday Morning
(2:51) 9. Betty and Dupree
(2:53) 10. Arkansas Blues
(3:09) 11. Down Home Blues
(2:53) 12. Gulf Coast Blues
(2:54) 13. Oh Daddy Blues (You Won't Have No Mamma at All)
(2:56) 14. You Don't Know My Mind
(2:59) 15. Low Down Blues
(2:57) 16. Graveyard Blues
(2:55) 17. Hey Lawdy Papa
(2:46) 18. Mama Doo-Shee (Blues)
(2:26) 19. Gee! But I Hate to Go Home Alone
(2:37) 20. Sing (It's Good for Ya!)
(2:17) 21. See What the Boy's in the Back Room Will Have
(2:44) 22. I'm the Lonesomest Gal in Town

Even veteran swing collectors might be unaware of the enjoyable recordings that the unfortunately obscure but very talented Teddy Grace made during her relatively brief career. This valuable CD has 22 of the 30 selections that she made as a leader (leaving off two sessions) and finds Grace very much at ease, whether interpreting swinging, lesser-known material, a series of high-quality blues, or period pieces.

The supporting cast which includes such notables as cornetist Bobby Hackett, trumpeters Charlie Shavers and Max Kaminsky, trombonist Jack Teagarden, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman, and pianist Billy Kyle, among others speaks for the high esteem in which she was held during the era. By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/1937-1940-mw0000628303

Personnel: Vocals – Teddy Grace; Bass – Pete Peterson; Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell; Drums – Morey Feld; Guitar – Eddie Condon; Piano – Dave Bowman; Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman; Trumpet – Max Kaminsky; Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans

Teddy Grace 1937-1940

---

Ruby Braff, Pee Wee Russell, Bud Freeman - Gold Rush

Styles: Jazz Instrumentals
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:36
Size: 157,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:24) 1. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(2:32) 2. Crazy Rhythm
(4:36) 3. Slowly
(7:53) 4. Lulu's Back In Town
(5:09) 5. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(4:47) 6. The Bends Blues
(3:44) 7. Dippermouth Blues
(7:19) 8. Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now
(4:32) 9. Loveless Love
(2:55) 10. Ja-da
(4:32) 11. At The Jazz Band Ball
(5:10) 12. Monday Date
(6:56) 13. Squeeze Me
(4:01) 14. Blue Turning Grey Over You

Ruby Braff began his jazz career as an out-of-time traditionalist playing with veteran jazzmen of an earlier age, and rose to establish his own standing as one of the handful of leading artists playing in traditional and mainstream idioms.

He did so on the back of one of the most beautiful instrumental sounds in jazz, a prodigious gift for phrasing melody, and an acute harmonic sense which revealed his awareness of more modernist developments in jazz. Louis Armstrong remained his touchstone and only avowed master, but his playing also reflected the influence of musicians like Bix Beiderbecke and Bobby Hackett. His musical voice, though, was always very much his own.

He was born Reuben Braff in Boston, and was self-taught on his instrument. He said that he wanted to play saxophone, but his father bought him a cornet instead. His trumpet style, which largely eschewed high-note pyrotechnics in favour of a softer exploration of the middle and bottom registers of the instrument, reflected that original love of reed rather than brass sonorities.

He began working in local clubs in the Forties, and was recruited for the band led by the veteran clarinettist Edmond Hall at the Savoy Cafe in Boston in 1949. He made the move to New York in 1953, and was soon in demand for gigs and recording sessions in a traditional and mainstream vein.

His loyalty to traditional jazz at a time when the focus had shifted to more modern styles starved him of work for a time in the Fifties, but he returned to prominence with an All-Star touring band created by pianist and jazz impresario George Wein. Wein remained a loyal backer of the cornetist, and featured him regularly on his international tour and festival circuit.

He worked with major band leaders like Buck Clayton, Benny Goodman and Bud Freeman as a young man, and in turn became something of a musical mentor to a new generation of young mainstream musicians in the Seventies, including saxophonist Scott Hamilton and guitarist Howard Alden.

In the Eighties and Nineties he made a series of recordings for the major mainstream jazz labels Concord Jazz and Arbors, and formed highly-regarded duo partnerships with pianists like Mel Powell, Ralph Sutton, Dick Hyman, Ellis Larkins and Roger Kellaway.

Braff worked with singer Tony Bennett for two years from 1971-73, then formed a very popular and artistically successful band with guitarist George Barnes. The relationship ground to a halt in 1975 in characteristic fashion when Braff fell out with his collaborator.

That pattern of alienating those around him was repeated on many occasions. Braff may have made some of the most beautiful music in jazz, but his own character was precisely the opposite. He was notorious for his abrasive and insulting behaviour to other musicians, promoters and even fans, a tendency made all the worse by his failing health over many years (he suffered from emphysema, glaucoma and heart problems).

He was the headline artist at the first Nairn Jazz Festival in northern Scotland in 1990, and his appearance at the 2002 event was to be the last performance of his life. He cancelled a subsequent scheduled concert at the Brecon Jazz Festival in Wales and returned home. He was never fit enough to perform in public again. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/ruby-braff

Gold Rush

---

George Wettling - Jazz Trios

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1956/2000
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 37,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:59) 1. Rose Room
(2:27) 2. Louise
(3:41) 3. Soon
(2:18) 4. Save It Pretty Mama
(3:51) 5. Old Folks
(3:17) 6. Pennies From Heaven
(3:24) 7. Please Be Kind
(2:53) 8. I Would Do Anything For You
(2:50) 9. The Lady's In Love With Me
(2:43) 10. Shine
(3:55) 11. I'm In The Market For You
(3:51) 12. Bye And Bye

George Wettling (November 28, 1907 - June 6, 1968) was an American jazz drummer.

He was one of the young white Chicagoans who fell in love with jazz as a result of hearing King Oliver's band (with Louis Armstrong on second cornet) at the Lincoln Gardens in Chicago in the early 1920s. Oliver's drummer, Baby Dodds, made a particular and lasting impression upon Wettling.

Wettling went on to work with the big bands of Artie Shaw, Bunny Berigan, Red Norvo, Paul Whiteman, and even Harpo Marx: but he was at his best (and will be best remembered) for his work in small 'hot' bands led by Eddie Condon, Muggsy Spanier, and himself. In these small bands, Wettling was able to demonstrate the arts of dynamics and responding to a particular soloist that he had learned from Baby Dodds.

Towards the end of his life, Wettling (like his friend the clarinetist Pee Wee Russell) took up painting, and was much influenced by the American cubist Stuart Davis. He has been quoted as remarking that "jazz drumming and abstract painting seemed different from him only from the point of view of craftsmanship: in both fields he felt rhythm to be decisive".

However, good as Wettling's painting was he will be best remembered for his rattling, cavernous sound at the drums -especially with Eddie Condon's bands. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/george-wettling

Personnel: Drums – George Wettling; Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell; Cornet – "Wild Bill" Funaro; Piano – Gene Schroeder; Trombone – Lou McGarity; trumpet - Wild Bill Davison

Jazz Trios

---

Pee Wee Russell Sextet - Complete Live At Bovi's Town Tavern

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:59
Size: 182,8 MB
Art: Front

(0:25)  1. Announcement
(4:17)  2. Oh Baby
(4:01)  3. Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now
(3:53)  4. Sugar
(1:51)  5. Blues
(5:22)  6. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(6:20)  7. Ain't Misbehavin'
(4:23)  8. There'll Be Some Changes Made
(4:49)  9. That's A Plenty
(1:52) 10. Theme & Closing Remarks
(4:26) 11. Sunday
(2:56) 12. I'll Do Anything For You
(8:05) 13. Black And Blue
(5:20) 14. I Found A New Baby
(5:41) 15. Sugar
(6:23) 16. Love Is Just Around The Corner
(4:51) 17. Washington And Lee Swing
(3:54) 18. When It's Sleepy Time Down South

Import-only live archive release from the Jazz great. Contains Pee Wee Russell Sextet's complete 1964 performances at Bovi's Town Tavern, in Rhode Island, never before on CD format. Russell is showcased performing a standard traditional Jazz program, but as was often the case, his solos are unique and not always related to the traditional style. Among the personnel, trombonist Porky Cohen also shines here. Cohen had played with Artie Shaw, Charlie Barnet, and Big Joe Turner, among others. Gambit.~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Live-Bovis-Town-Tavern/dp/B004O2WUYY  

Personnel:  Pee Wee Russell, clarinet;  Tommy Tomasso, trumpet;  Porky Cohen, trombone;  Ed Soares, piano;  John Pell, bass & tuba;  Ray Cerce, drums

Complete Live At Bovi's Town Tavern

---

Pee Wee Russell & Coleman Hawkins - Jazz Reunion

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:36
Size: 105,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:29)  1. If I Could Be With You One Hour
(8:56)  2. Tin Tin Deo
(7:18)  3. Mariooch
(7:33)  4. All Too Soon
(7:26)  5. 28th And 8th
(7:52)  6. What Am I Here For

This LP (whose contents have been reissued on CD) features a reunion between tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and clarinetist Pee Wee Russell; they revisit "If I Could Be with You," a song they had recorded together in a classic version back in 1929. Russell was beginning to perform much more modern material than the Dixieland music associated with the Eddie Condon players and on this set (which also features trumpeter Emmett Berry, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, pianist Nat Pierce, bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Jo Jones), he plays a couple of Duke Ellington tunes, two originals and "Tin Tin Deo." Hawkins is also in fine form and this somewhat surprising program is quite successful. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-reunion-mw0000195279

Personnel: Pee Wee Russell (clarinet); Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Emmett Berry (trumpet); Bob Brookmeyer (trombone); Nat Pierce (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Jo Jones (drums).          

Jazz Reunion

---

Ruby Braff - Hi-Fi Salute To Bunny

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:49
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. Keep Smiling At Trouble
(6:10)  2. I Can't Get Started
(7:23)  3. It's Been So Long
(6:05)  4. I'm Coming Virginia
(4:46)  5. Marie
(6:29)  6. Downhearted Blues
(4:21)  7. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(6:46)  8. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place
(5:16)  9. Did I Remember

Ruby Braff's 1957 tribute to trumpet great Bunny Berigan is only appropriate, as he has long since gone on to establish himself as one of the modern masters of swing. His band includes pianist Nat Pierce, guitarist Steve Jordan, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, trombonist Benny Morton, tenor saxophonist Dick Hafer, bassist Walter Page (in one of his last recordings prior to his death), and drummer Buzzy Drootin. Braff's passionate, always-melodic solos contrast with Russell's rather distinctive approach to the clarinet, while the rhythm section is dominated by Page's fat-toned bass. The leader's approach to "I Can't Get Started," a song forever associated with Berigan, remains fresh decades later. Most of the selections were reissued on the since-deleted Bluebird CD This Is My Lucky Day, so finding a copy of this valuable music remains somewhat challenging. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/hi-fi-salute-to-bunny-mw0000497315

Ruby Braff, trumpet; Benny Morton, trombone; Pee Wee Russell, clarinet; Dick Hafer, tenor sax; Nat Pierce, piano; Steve Jordan, guitar; Walter Page, bass; Buzzy Drootin, drums.

Hi-Fi Salute To Bunny

---

Pee Wee Russell & Henry 'Red' Allen - The College Concert

Styles: Clarinet And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:15
Size: 75,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:04)  1. Blue Monk
(6:12)  2. I Want A Little Girl
(4:26)  3. Body And Soul
(4:28)  4. Pee Wee's Blues
(4:17)  5. 2° East, 3° West
(6:46)  6. Graduation Blues

Although trumpeter Red Allen (heard in his final recording) and Russell had recorded back in 1932, their paths only crossed on an infrequent basis through the years. For this LP, the two veteran modernists (who spent much of their careers in Dixieland settings) are joined by a young rhythm-section pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Marty Morell). The music is generally relaxed with an emphasis on blues and a fine feature for Allen on "Body and Soul." ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/college-concert-of-pee-wee-russell-and-henry-red-mw0000892162

Personnel:  Pee Wee Russell – clarinet;  Red Allen - trumpet, vocals;  Steve Kuhn – piano;  Charlie Haden – bass;  Marty Morell - drums

The College Concert

---

Teddy Wilson - Moments Like This

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:00
Size: 182,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Alone with You
(3:09)  2. Moments Like This
(3:01)  3. I Can't Face the Music
(3:06)  4. Don't Be That Way
(2:57)  5. If I Were You
(3:17)  6. You Go to My Head
(3:12)  7. I'll Dream Tonight
(2:53)  8. Jungle Love
(3:15)  9. Now It Can Be Told
(2:57) 10. Laugh and Call It Love
(2:46) 11. On the Bumpy Road to Love
(2:52) 12. A Tisket A Tasket
(3:06) 13. Everybody's Laughing
(2:48) 14. Here Is Tomorrow Again
(2:42) 15. Say It with a Kiss
(3:12) 16. April in My Heart
(3:03) 17. I'll Never Fail You
(3:11) 18. They Say
(2:56) 19. You're So Desirable
(3:03) 20. You're Gonna See a Lot of Me
(2:48) 21. Hello, My Darling
(2:56) 22. Let's Dream in the Moonlight
(3:09) 23. What Shall I Say
(3:03) 24. It's Easy to Blame the Weather
(3:10) 25. More Than You Know
(2:50) 26. Sugar (That Sugar Baby of Mine

Teddy Wilson had a wonderful gift for musical paraphrase and melodic symmetry. His light-fingered, mellifluous approach to the piano was unparalleled among his peers. Art Tatum was a virtuoso genius, and Earl Hines was a great practitioner of stride piano stylings, but Wilson's subtle and dynamic playing made his brand of swing especially popular among '30s jazz audiences. Moments Like This features classic performances from Chu Berry, Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, and Ben Webster among others, and many fine vocal selections from Nan Wynn and the great Billie Holiday, including gorgeous renditions of "You Go to My Head," "On the Bumpy Road to Love," "Let's Dream in the Moonlight" and other romantic classics. The band swings with elegance, and Wilson supports each vocalist with the kind of charm and musical insight that few before or after have equaled. http://www.allmusic.com/album/moments-like-this-mw0000080097

Personnel: Teddy Wilson (piano); Billie Holiday (vocals, background vocals); Nan Wynn (vocals); Allan Reuss, Al Casey (guitar); Ernie Powell (clarinet, cornet); Pee Wee Russell (clarinet); Benny Carter (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Edgar Sampson, Johnny Hodges, Tab Smith, Nuncio "Toots" Mondello (alto saxophone); Chu Berry, Gene Sedric, Lester Young , Ben Webster, Bud Freeman (tenor saxophone); Harry James, Jonah Jones, Roy Eldridge (trumpet); Bobby Hackett (cornet); Benny Morton, Trummy Young (trombone); Cozy Cole, Jo Jones , Johnny Blowers (drums).

Moments Like This

---

Pee Wee Russell - Pee Wee Russell In England

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:29
Size: 165.9 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz
Year: 1965/2006
Art: Front

[ 6:48] 1. There'll Be Some Changes Made
[ 5:23] 2. Sugar
[ 8:41] 3. Rose Room
[ 8:20] 4. Rosetta
[ 8:11] 5. If I Had You
[ 7:58] 6. 'deed I Do
[ 5:47] 7. Pee Wee's Blues
[14:28] 8. Untitled Blues
[ 6:49] 9. Indiana (Back Home...)

Pee Wee Russell with John Armatage (drums), Ray Crane (trumpet), Pete Strange (trombone), Cyril Keepher (tenor sax), Archie Sample (clarinet), Collin Bates (piano), Dave Green (bass), and Sandy Brown (clarinet). Recorded at Manchester Sports Guild, England, October 17th, 1964.

The idiosyncratic jazz clarinetist Pee Wee Russell is heard in a live 1964 performance backed by a band led by the British drummer Johnny Armatage. Recorded in Manchester, U.K., the set includes a variety of traditional jazz favorites, such as "There'll Be Some Changes Made," "Back Home Again in Indiana," and "If I Had You."

Pee Wee Russell In England

---

Coleman Hawkins & Pee Wee Russell - Jam Session In Swingville

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:08
Size: 178.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Swing, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1961/1992
Art: Front

[ 9:30] 1. Jammin' In Swingville
[10:40] 2. Cool Sunrise
[ 7:53] 3. Spring's Swing
[ 7:15] 4. Love Me Or Leave Me
[ 2:43] 5. I Want To Be Happy
[ 7:15] 6. Phoenix
[ 5:31] 7. So Glad
[ 6:47] 8. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[ 6:33] 9. I May Be Wrong
[ 3:54] 10. Vic's Spot
[10:00] 11. Years Ago

This single CD has all of the music reissued in the mid-'70s on a two-LP set. Although sometimes issued under the names of Coleman Hawkins and Pee Wee Russell, the two great jazzmen actually do not appear together. The music, which is performed by two all-star groups with arrangements by either Jimmy Hamilton or Al Sears, is generally modern swing. Hawkins' band is comprised of trumpeter Joe Newman, trombonist J.C. Higginbottham, clarinetist Hamilton, altoist Hilton Jefferson and a four-piece rhythm section. Pianist Cliff Jackson plays "I Want to Be Happy," and clarinetist Russell's outfit also features trumpeter Joe Thomas, trombonist Vic Dickenson and both Al Sears and Buddy Tate on tenors. Nothing all that memorable or innovative occurs, but the performances are enjoyable. ~Scott Yanow

Jam Session In Swingville

---

Pee Wee Russell - Portrait Of Pee Wee

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 87.6 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:16] 1. That Old Feeling
[4:25] 2. World On A String
[3:02] 3. Exactly Like You
[4:00] 4. It All Depends On You
[3:21] 5. If I Had You
[4:50] 6. Out Of Nowhere
[4:22] 7. Pee Wee's Blues
[5:02] 8. I Used To Love You
[4:52] 9. Oh No!

Pee Wee Russell: clarinet; Ruby Braff: trumpet; Bud Freeman: tenor saxophone; Vic Dickenson: Trombone; Karl Kiffe: drums; Charles Potter: bass; Nat Pierce: piano.

Pee Wee Russell was an early pioneer, a Dixieland veteran, and an inspired clarinetist with an unusual voice. No less than Gene Krupa once said that he had "the most fabulous musical mind... I've never run into anybody who had that much musical talent.

During the fifties, long after his style of music had fallen out of favor, he stayed at the top of his game by absorbing the new styles that had come along, recording Coleman tunes with a piano-less quartet for Impulse! and gigging with Thelonious Monk. However, Portrait of Pee Wee, a compilation of recordings from that decade, finds the clarinetist in the company of some of his peers playing the early swing music that they know so well, still with the same fire and verve that made them special in the first place. Fans will be delighted to find Ruby Braff, Bud Freeman, Vic Dickenson and Nat Pierce still at the top of their game, playing solos that are both hot and gentlemanly at the same time.

This isn't music that will quicken the pulse, but it mixes the New Orleans aesthetic with the grace of the ballroom floor on well known tunes like "Out Of Nowhere and "That Old Feeling. It's great to see these terrific musicians at the top of their game, but it's even better that someone was around to record them when this style of music was no longer fashionable. ~David Rickert

Portrait Of Pee Wee

---

Eddie Condon - Eddie Condon In Japan

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 71:24
Size: 163.5 MB
Styles: Swing, Dixieland
Year: 1964/1977/2002
Art: Front

[1:40] 1. Introduction
[5:15] 2. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[5:25] 3. Pee Wee's Blues
[3:47] 4. Stompin' At The Savoy
[5:20] 5. Rose Room
[3:57] 6. Manhattan
[3:39] 7. Caravan
[6:53] 8. Basin Street Blues
[3:49] 9. Three Little Words
[4:13] 10. I Would Do Anything For You
[3:56] 11. All Of Me
[6:07] 12. Am I Blue
[2:42] 13. When You're Smiling
[6:54] 14. Goin' To Chicago - Every Day - See See Rider
[7:39] 15. Royal Garden Blues

By 1964, Eddie Condon was not recording all that regularly; in fact this CD has his only recording from the 1963-67 period. Condon, who does some announcing and contributes some barely audible rhythm guitar, is joined by a particularly strong group consisting of trumpeter Buck Clayton, trombonist Vic Dickenson, tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, pianist Dick Cary (doubling on alto horn), bassist Jack Lesberg and drummer Cliff Leeman. The band plays Dixieland and swing standards with spirit and enthusiasm while singer Jimmy Rushing takes four vocals including a previously unissued "Blues Medley." The CD reissue also adds "new" versions of "Caravan" and "Basin Street Blues"; other highlights include "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me," "Pee Wee's Blues," "Royal Garden Blues" and Dickenson's charming feature on "Manhattan." Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow

Eddie Condon In Japan

---

Pee Wee Russell With Buck Clayton - Swingin' With Pee Wee

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:50
Size: 88.9 MB
Label: Hallmark
Styles: Clarinet jazz, Mainstream jazz
Year: 1961/1999
Art: Front

[5:00] 1. (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry
[5:37] 2. Midnight Blue
[4:40] 3. The Very Thought Of You
[5:02] 4. Lulu's Back In Town
[5:37] 5. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
[6:06] 6. I Would Do Most Anything For You
[6:44] 7. Englewood

During the last dozen years of his life before passing away in 1969, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell recorded and performed in a variety of surprisingly modern settings. It was not that Russell was not modern himself, for his eccentric style had long been quite distinctive, but he had previously been content to mostly play in freewheeling Dixieland bands. His encounters with valve trombonist Marshall Brown (who provided him with an advanced repertoire and arrangements) and a 1963 Newport Jazz Festival appearance with Thelonious Monk found Russell stretching himself. The two albums that are reissued in full on this 1999 CD are not quite as adventurous, being essentially small-group swing, which was still a bit ahead of Eddie Condon's bands. Russell and trumpeter Buck Clayton make for a perfectly compatible team on the 1960 date, a relaxed and swinging quintet session with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Osie Johnson. The other set has basic arrangements from pianist Nat Pierce, quiet support from bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Karl Kiffe, and Russell is joined by three of his favorite horn players (trumpeter Ruby Braff, trombonist Vic Dickenson, and tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman). A gem. ~ Scott Yanow

Recording information: Nj (03/29/1960).

Pee Wee Russell; Bud Freeman (tenor saxophone); Buck Clayton, Ruby Braff (trumpet); Vic Dickenson (trombone); Tommy Flanagan, Nat Pierce (piano); Wendell Marshall, Tommy Porter (bass); Osie Johnson, Karl Kiffe (drums).

Swingin' With Pee Wee

---