Once upon a time, the most exciting sounds in jazz and popular music was when the jazz artists stopped screaming at the audience and whispered sweet and intricate melodies to their fans. Here are two recent reissues from Fresh Sound Records to show how to make people listen harder by playing softer.
Stan Getz is caught here post Woody Herman and before starting the Bossa Nova craze. He’s replacing Gerry Mulligan in the famous pianoless quartet with James Dean-like star Chet Baker at this LA gig in the tiny club The Haig in 1953. Both Getz and Baker sound wonderfully hip and bop oriented with Carson Smith/b and Larry Bunker, as they bop along on unison lines during “Yardbird Suite” and “Move,” while defining California Cool on “Bernie’s Tune.” Baker sounds like he’s giving Miles Davis a run for his money on “The Way You Look Tonight” and Getz is warm and breezy on “Yesterdays” and “Whispering.” Did jazz ever get better than this?
Before long playing lps, there were things called 10 inch records (the theme made famous by “Bull Moose” Jackson) which featured a handful of songs by artists. Here, we’ve got 3 such beauties by cool toned guitarists that seem to be overlooked these years.
Lou Mecca is caught here in a 1955 session with Jack Hitchcock/vib, Vinnie Burke/b and Jimmy Campbell/dr on a lithely swinging session that includes subtle but fervent reads of “All the Things You Are” and ”You Go to My Head.” Mecca’s got a clean sound, and it works in great contrast to Hitchcock’s chiming work on “Just One of Those Things.” Bill De Arango was deeply influenced by Charlie Christian, and swings up a storm with Johnny Williams/p, Teddy Kotick/b and Art Mardigan on a ’54 studio recording with swift and succinct takes of “All God’s Children Got Rhythm” and lyrical delights on “These Foolish Things” and “Alone Together.” Chuck Wayne made his name with Tony Bennett, and here teams up with tenor saxists Brew Moore or Zoot Sims along with Harvey Leonard/p, George Duvivier/b and Ed Shaughnessey/dr for some easy toe tappers like “You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me” and “Butterfingers.”
These three gents emphasized understatement and class, which is a missing ingredient in this day of button turners and pedal pushers imitating guitarists.
Fresh Sound Records