Search - James Moody :: 1950-1951

Buy this for the small band tracks with Ernie Royal.

08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James Moody was one of the first tenor players to take up the challenge of playing bebop on an instrument that had otherwise been dominated by swing players. While there were other tenor players who were playing in this style, not many (at first) had the technique to pull off lightning fast runs ala Charlie Parker. On this disc, you can hear this especially on tracks like, "Nath - part 1," and, "Delooney." Moody also has a strong melodic sense which can be heard on pretty much everything here. It's hard to single out tracks; they're all good.This is the third volume for James Moody in the Classics series. All of these tracks were recorded either in Paris or Sweden. Most of what is here can also be found on the Fantasy compilation, "Greatest Hits," which collects all of his recordings in Sweden, and the more recent import compilation, "Americans Swinging in Paris: James Moody," which collects some of his Paris sessions. (Both of these are available through Amazon.com.)So, why buy this collection? For one, the sources used for the Swedish tracks differ from those used for the Fantasy compilation, and these sound a little better. Another reason (and this was the reason I bought this) is tracks 1-6. These were done under trumpeter, Ernie Royal's name. Although he was prolific as a first call section player in big bands, I believe he only did a handful of small band recordings in his whole life. His style is similar to that of Fats Navarro; technical, but with a strong sense of melody. Trombonist Ted Kelly is also amazing. There weren't many bop trombonists around this time - J.J. Johnson, Bennie Green, Kai Winding - I think I would put this guy up there with them. He too, did mostly big band work which is one reason why he isn't better known. Moody plays some nice solos, but for me it is Royal who sticks out. (you can also hear him take a solo on, "Perdido," on the "Americans Swinging in Paris" disc.)Since Classics discs are on the pricey side, I would suggest this disc only to those who are interested in early James Moody and don't plan on getting either of the aforementioned compilations, or to those who are interested in hearing these Ernie Royal tracks. I don't think they are currently available elsewhere."