Here’s what Fresh Sound Records does best; find a guy you’ve never heard of, and make you wonder why you don’t have more of his material. Case in point…
Christian Chevallier was a French composer and a leader of small bands and orchestras during the ‘50s and 60s. In his home ground, he played with the likes of Don Byas, and his material got the attention and accolades of Kenton, Miles and Mulligan. This two cd set showcases his talents in a variety of settings.
Most impressive are his big band recordings from 55-56 with a Pres-inspired collection of tenor sax players in Bobby Jaspar during hard swinging pieces such as “Nice Joke” and “Bess, You Is My Woman Now.” These guys hit hard!
The small groups include a quintet with famed bassist Pierre Michelot, and Jaspar doing wonders with “Dream Time” while the quartet has Chevallier on piano and “Fats” Sadi on vibes for some symbiotic team work on swinging pieces such as “Dizz Delight” and “Olympia.” Warm toned trumpeter Roger Gueren does some nice work on “Street In Manhattan” and proto-bopper Allen Eager sits in an orchestra for a movie soundtrack. That’s about everything from this guy; better enjoy it! You’ll flip over the big band charts; he had some great ideas and you’ll stump just about everyone you know on a blindfold test, with everyone’s first guess being “Quincy Jones.” Gotta love it.
Fresh Sound Records