Just as Alan Turing broke Germany’s Enigma Code in World War II, British pianists eventually deciphered the language of bop and were able to play it with authority.
This 2 disc set gives samples of the British jazz scene, between 1948-1962, with some fascinating early sessions to show that England did in fact swing like a pendulum.
From just after the war into the early 50s, Ralph Sutton’s Esquire Five with Ronnie Scott on the tenor groove through “Idabop” while Scott is again featured with Tommy Pallard on a rich “Too Marvelous For Word” and his warm tone glows with Ronnie Ball on “The Nearness of You.” Scott’s own quartet features a hip Victor Feldman on “Fools Rush In” and a young George Shearing is sublimely hip and lyrical on “The Man From Mintons.”
Tenor Saxist Tubby Hays gets the spotlight with Dave Lee’s Orchestra on “Cheek to Cheek” and a rollicking “Autumn In Cuba” while his soprano with Gordon Beck in a 1961 “In the Night” is quite modern sounding.
Most enjoyable is hearing a dapper Dudley Moore on “I Get A Kick Out of You” as well as an adventurous Pay Smythe with the stallion Joe Harriott on alto sax for an enticing “Pictures.” This is an excellent intro to an era in England that is sadly overlooked. Good show!