Tag Archives: Al Grey

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross with Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra: Sing Along With Basie

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In December 1958, “Roulette” label released “Sing Along with Basie”, album by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross with Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was recorded May – October 1958, at “Capitol” in New York City, and was produced by Teddy Reig.

Personnel:

  • Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, Annie Ross, Joe Williams – vocals
  • Count Basie – piano
  • Marshal Royal – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Frank Wess – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute
  • Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell – tenor saxophone
  • Charlie Fowlkes – baritone saxophone
  • Wendell Culley, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Snooky Young – trumpet
  • Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell – trombone
  • Freddie Green – guitar
  • Eddie Jones – bass
  • Sonny Payne – drums

Track listing:

  1. Jumpin’ at the Woodside – Count Basie
  2. Goin’ to Chicago Blues – Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing
  3. Tickle Toe – Lester Young
  4. Let Me See – Count Basie, Harry Edison
  5. Every Tub – Count Basie, Eddie Durham
  6. Shorty George – Count Basie, Andy Gibson
  7. Rusty Dusty Blues – J. Mayo Williams
  8. The King – Count Basie
  9. Swingin’ the Blues – Count Basie, Eddie Durham
  10. Li’l Darlin’ – Neal Hefti

Sarah Vaughn: No Count Sarah

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In December 1958, “EmArcy” label released “No Count Sarah”, the tenth Sarah Vaughan album. It was recorded in August 1957, and was produced by Jack Tracy. The album title refers to the fact that Vaughan was accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, but without Count Basie.

Track listing:                                                                     

  • Sarah Vaughan – vocals

The Count Basie Orchestra

  • Marshal Royal, Frank Wess – alto saxophone
  • Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell – tenor saxophone
  • Charlie Fowlkes – baritone saxophone
  • Wendell Culley, Thad Jones, Snooky Young, Joe Newman – trumpet
  • Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell – trombone
  • Ronnell Bright – piano
  • Freddie Green – guitar
  • Richard Davis – double bass
  • Sonny Payne – drums
  • Johnny Mandel, Luther Henderson, Thad Jones, Frank Foster – arrangements
  • Hal Mooney – recording
  • Emmett McBain – design

Track listing:

  1. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern
  2. Doodlin’ – Horace Silver
  3. Darn That Dream – Eddie DeLange, Jimmy Van Heusen
  4. Just One of Those Things – Cole Porter
  5. Moonlight in Vermont – John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf
  6. No ‘Count Blues – Thad Jones, Sarah Vaughan
  7. Cheek to Cheek – Irving Berlin
  8. Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish
  9. Missing You – Ronnell Bright

Junior Mance

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On January 16, 2021, Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. aka Junior Mance died aged 92. He was musician (piano) and composer, one of the main figures of the Hard bop jazz scene. He recorded and performed with some of the biggest names of jazz, blues and soul music including Gene Amons, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Wynton Kelly, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Nat Adderley, Joe Gordon, Bennie Green, Al Grey, Ernie Andrews, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, Cliford Brown, Benny Carter, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Cleveland, Arnett Cobb, Red Holloway, Jose James, Ray Crawford, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Eddie Jefferson, Aretha Franklin, Etta Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Irene Kral, Jay Leonhart, Les McCann, Paul Gonsalves, Howard McGhee, The Metronomes, Virgil Gonsalves, James Moody, Wild Bill Moore, Barbara Morrison, Sandy Mosse, Leo Parker, Ken Peplowski, Billie Poole, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Alvin Queen, Jimmy Scott, Arnold Sterling, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Frank Vignola, Wilbur Ware, Ben Webster, Joe Williams, Marion Williams, and Leo Wright. As leader, Monce released 56 albums (live and studio). In 2007, Mance and his wife Gloria started their own record label “JunGlo”.

Ray Charles: The Genius Of

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In October 1959, “Atlantic” label released “The Genius of Ray Charles”, the seventh Ray Charles album. It was recorded May – June 1959, at “6 West Recording” in New York City, and was produced by Nesuhi Ertegün and Jerry Wexler.

Personnel:

  • Ray Charles – vocals, piano
  • Allen Hanlon – guitar
  • Wendell Marshall – bass guitar
  • Ted Sommer – drums
  • Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Ernie Royal – trumpet
  • Joe Newman – trumpet
  • Snooky Young – trumpet
  • Marcus Belgrave – trumpet
  • John Hunt – trumpet
  • Melba Liston – trombone
  • Quentin Jackson – trombone
  • Thomas Mitchell – trombone
  • Al Grey – trombone
  • Frank Wess – flute
  • Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Ernie Royal – trumpet
  • Joe Newman – trumpet
  • Snooky Young – trumpet
  • Marcus Belgrave – trumpet
  • John Hunt – trumpet
  • Melba Liston – trombone
  • Quentin Jackson – trombone
  • Thomas Mitchell – trombone
  • Al Grey – trombone
  • Bob Brookmeyer – valve trombone
  • Frank Wess – flute, alto and tenor saxophone
  • Marshal Royal – alto saxophone
  • Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
  • Zoot Sims – tenor saxophone
  • Billy Mitchell – tenor saxophone
  • David “Fathead” Newman – tenor saxophone
  • Quincy Jones – arranger, conductor
  • Ernie Wilkins – arrangements
  • Ralph Burns – arrangements
  • Ralph Burns – arrangements
  • Johnny Acea – arrangements
  • Al Cohn – arrangements
  • Harry Lookofsky – concertmaster
  • Bill Schwartau, Tom Dowd – recording
  • Marvin Israel – cover design
  • Lee Friedlander – cover photography
  • Nat Hentoff – sleeve notes

Track listing:

  1. Let the Good Times Roll – Sam Theard, Fleecie Moore
  2. It Had to Be You – Gus Kahn, Isham Jones
  3. Alexander’s Ragtime Band – Irving Berlin
  4. Two Years of Torture – Percy Mayfield, Charles Joseph Morris
  5. When Your Lover Has Gone – Einar Aaron Swan
  6. Deed I Do – Walter Hirsch, Fred Rose
  7. Just for a Thrill – Lil Hardin Armstrong, Don Raye
  8. You Won’t Let Me Go – Bud Allen, Buddy Johnson
  9. Tell Me You’ll Wait for Me – Charles Brown, Oscar Moore
  10. Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’ – Joe Greene
  11. Am I Blue? – Grant Clarke, Harry Akst
  12. Come Rain or Come Shine – Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen

Count Basie And His Orchestra: I Told You So

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In June 1976, “Pablo” label released “I Told You So”, album by Count Basie and his Orchestra. It was recorded in January 1976, at “RCA Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Norman Granz.

Personnel:

  • Count Basie- piano
  • Sonny Cohn- trumpet
  • Pete Minger- trumpet
  • Bobby Mitchell – trumpet
  • John Thomas – trumpet
  • Jack Feierman – trumpet
  • Al Grey- trombone
  • Curtis Fuller- trombone
  • Bill Hughes- trombone
  • Mel Wanzo- trombone
  • Bobby Plater- alto saxophone
  • Danny Turner – alto saxophone
  • Jimmy Forrest- tenor saxophone
  • Eric Dixon- tenor saxophone
  • Charlie Fowlkes- baritone saxophone
  • John Duke – double bass
  • Freddie Green- guitar
  • Butch Miles- drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Bill Holman, except where noted.

  1. Tree Frog
  2. Flirt
  3. Blues for Alfy
  4. Something to Live For – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
  5. Plain Brown Wrapper
  6. Swee’Pea
  7. Ticker
  8. Too Close for Comfort – Jerry Bock, George David Weiss, Larry Holofcener
  9. Told You So
  10. The Git

Count Basie and His Orchestra: The Atomic Mr. Basie

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In January 1958, “Roulette” label released “The Atomic Mr. Basie”, album by Count Basie and his Orchestra. It was recorded on October 21 and 22, 1957, at “Capitol Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Teddy Reig. At the 1st “Annual Grammy Awards”, the album won “Best Jazz Performance, Group” and “Best Performance by a Dance Band” awards.

Personnel:

  • Count Basie— piano
  • Wendell Culley, Snooky Young, Thad Jones, Joe Newman— trumpet
  • Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell— trombone
  • Marshal Royal, Frank Wess, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Frank Foster, Charles Fowlkes— reeds
  • Eddie Jones— bass
  • Freddie Green— guitar
  • Sonny Payne— drums
  • Joe Williams— vocals
  • Neal Hefti, Jimmy Mundy— arrangements

Track listing:

All tracks composed and arranged by Neal Hefti, except where noted.

  1. Kid from Red Bank – Count Basie, Neal Hefti
  2. Duet
  3. After Supper
  4. Flight of the Foo Birds
  5. Double-O
  6. Teddy the Toad
  7. Whirlybird
  8. Midnite Blue
  9. Splanky
  10. Fantail
  11. Lil’ Darlin’