Search - Earl Hines :: Live at the Village Vanguard

Hines at his best

Let S Listen | TN | 08/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hines attracted my attention early on in my explorations of jazz through his recordings with Louis Armstrong. To me, his conceptions of freedom expressed in 1928 still sound daring and interesting today. Fast forward many, many albums and delights later in my explorations, I am returning to Fatha to see what he had done since. Not disappointed in general, but this album stands out for the wonderful band playing and atmosphere. This is one of those albums that upon first listening you know that it will be with for the rest of your ... (whatever).



As the second reviewer to come out for this recording, the information on the Amazon site is somewhat skimpy, so I am relating the line-up on this disc. Rhythm section: Gene Ramey, bass; Eddie Locke, drums. They add wonderful support and swing to the performance. Guest artist: Budd Johnson, tenor and soprano. While Hines is great solo, he is in stellar form on this night at the Village Vanguard and Johnson completely rises to the occasion. It is a delight to hear them both solo. The song selection alternates between trio and quartet. Moten Swing is a personal favorite of mine but truly all selections are great. Although I prefer a fuller bass sound, the recording quality is quite good, as so many VV recordings have been. Strongly recommended disc!"