Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:51
Size: 155.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz, Swing
Year: 2006
Art: Front
[5:58] 1. Groovin' High
[5:58] 2. Bustin' Suds
[9:10] 3. For Lena And Lennie
[4:02] 4. Up In The Blues
[4:08] 5. Down For Double
[4:25] 6. High Tide
[4:02] 7. Dreamsville
[5:55] 8. Shiny Stockings
[4:41] 9. Centerpiece
[4:28] 10. Corner Pocket
[4:08] 11. All Of Me
[6:30] 12. Sophisticated Swing
[4:20] 13. Lester Leaps In
(Bucky Pizzarelli, electric guitar; Warren Vache, cornet; John Bunch, piano, Jay Leonhart, bass; Mickey Roker, drums)
Thank goodness for Arbors! Their label should be lauded for keeping alive the rhythm and spirit of 1930’s to 1950’s Swing music. They do not buck the trend to release truly “commercial” releases, but stand virtually alone in recognizing older honored genres in jazz music, largely ignored by other labels. Their roster is made up of long established jazz veterans and their tribute albums are cause for celebration.
Such is the case for the super group put together by guitarist, Bucky Pizzarelli, to honor Freddie Green, the rhythm guitarist for the Count Basie band. Green held down the sole guitar chair in the brass heavy Basie band for nearly fifty years! Basie’s rhythm section in the 1930s and 1940s was dubbed “The All American Rhythm Section” for good reason as it featured Basie on piano, Green on guitar, Walter Page on bas, and the incomparable Jo Jones on drums.
This CD features softly swinging versions of Basie classics such as Shiny Stockings, Corner Pocket, and Lester Leaps In, as well as songs written by Green that Basie featured like Bustin’ Suds, Up in the Blues, Down for Double, and High Tide.
Prominently featured is the muted trumpet of Warren Vache, taking up the role of Sweets Edison in the Basie band. Pizzarelli, of course, gets the Freddie Green rhythm lines and quietly swings them with his typical understated class, such as Green gave to Basie. Groovin’ High kicks off the proceedings and Vache is featured prominently and Bucky does this Gillespie/Parker classic proud. Bustin’ Suds is more of the same with quiet Basie-like understated comping by pianist Bunch. For Lena and Lennie, composed by Quincy Jones, was a tribute to Lena Horne and her husband, Lennie Hayton and was recorded by Basie in 1958. Pizzarelli brings the melody to life after a mellow introduction by pianist Bunch. Green’s only LP as a leader – Mr. Rhythm, recorded in 1955 – provides the composition Up in the Blues. Jay Leonhart has an extended solo here, ably supported by Roker, Pizzarelli, and Bunch before Vache’s muted trumpet picks up the pace. Down for Double, which featured the great Buck Clayton in the early 40’s, is here brought to life by Vache and Leonhart. High Tide, co-penned by Basie and Green right after World War II, is another standout and done at a faster pace than most of the laid back but classy tracks on the CD.
Centerpiece, never recorded by Green, was included as it was a favorite of Sweets Edison. No Basie based tribute could be considered with Frank Foster’s Shiny Stockings, and Pizzarelli brings this jazz staple to swinging life with John Bunch’s spare Basie lines- just right as always- recreating the Basie feel. Corner Pocket from Basie’s best selling April in Paris, is a treasure as several band members make this a version that will bring a happy smile to us Basiephiles. Lastly, Lester Young’s Lester Leaps In, one of the longest lasting charts in the Basie book, brings the CD to a satisfying end, with Leonhart and Roker reprising Walter Page and Jo Jones. It has always been a personal favorite.
This CD is a must-have for those that honor the memory of Freddie Green, an invaluable but often unsung hero of the Basie band. Enough ink has been written on Basie’s reedmen and horn section, that a tribute to the rock solid Freddie Green was long overdue! ~Jeff Krow
Bucky's Tribute To Freddie Green
