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Nice Compilation of Mary Lou Williams work---mostly with And

R. Dixon | Arkansas USA | 05/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a well-thought-out one-disc collection of Mary Lou Williams music, mostly recorded when she was with the (outstanding, but now almost forgotten) Andy Kirk orchestra. This superb one disc set features Mary Lou as pianist, composer and arranger with the Kirk band, along with several of her own small group recordings (which I had never heard before buying this disc). Sound restoration is of above average quality for shellac-era big band material. And the liner notes are thorough. I don't know who wrote them, but they offer you a very interesting introduction to Mary Lou, a lady who continued to work long after these songs were recorded. I bought this on a whim, and I am really glad I did. Because very little Andy Kirk and Mary Lou Williams has been released on CD from the original record label (just one single disc set back in the 90's), this album has some of the best sounding restoration of the music of the Andy Kirk band. Just a few comments on individual songs in the collection: This disc contains the strongest Andy Kirk / Mary Lou Williams performances, including Little Joe From Chicago, Walkin' and Swingin', Scratchin' Gravel, Moten Swing, and Ring Dem Bells. Actually the whole disc is very enjoyable, but these tunes are the standouts."