Search - Buddy Banks, Bobby Jaspar :: Jazz De Chambre: Jazz in Paris

Obscure jazz from Paris

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 07/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Buddy Banks is somewhat an obscure figure. A bassist, he did some recording work with James Moody in Europe in 1949, but after the recordings included on this CD were made in 1954, he seems to have disappeared from the scene. The eight quartet sides here come from a 10" LP recorded in Paris and feature mainly Jimmy Gourley on guitar and Bob Dorough on piano (Roy Haynes was the drummer). Gourley is a good modern guitarist, similar in every way to Jimmy Raney, and his solos, especially on LINE FOR LYONS and I LOVE YOU, are fluid and well constructed. Bob Dorough was in Paris with boxer turned tap-dancer Sugar Ray Robinson at the time (he was Robinson's manager) and sat in on the date; his playing is deliberate and somewhat stiff with a heavy left hand. Buddy Banks takes a nice bass solo on YESTERDAYS.



Also included on the CD are four sides by the Bobby Jaspar Quartet, cut in Paris in 1956, with Jaspar playing flute and Blossom Dearie on piano. Compared to Dorough, Dearie's piano is much more melodic and lyrical. Jaspar plays well on OLD DEVIL MOON and THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER YOU, which also has fine brush work by drummer Christian Garros. The sound on these Jaspar sides is rather harsh and cold, which makes his flute sound almost like an oboe at times. This CD is part of the multi-volume "Jazz in Paris" series put out by Gitanes - obscure material long out of print, but not the most interesting things in the series. For collectors only.

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