Search - Shelly Manne :: 2-3-4

SHELLY MANNE IN AN OUTSTANDING ALL-STAR DUO, TRIO AND QUARTE

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 07/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five HUGE Stars!! A great duo, trio, and quartet session that exemplifies why jazz is such a wonderful art form. Master jazz drummer Shelly Manne is renowned for his west-coast jazz exploits and his famous club, "Shelly's Manne Hole", which was used for many famous live recordings by some great artists. On this recording he put together a great group which includes the legendary and highly influential tenor sax man Coleman Hawkins, who is in sensational form. Also included are master pianist Hank Jones and in-demand bassist George Duvivier. Special guest is the talented, starcrossed vibist Eddie Costa on two songs.



The performances on this CD are so uniform that all can be considered 'the best of the best'. An important point here is that Manne's drums are recorded more forward than usual which puts him in the center of the action. And he takes full advantage, showing why he is one of jazz' great and truly musical drummers. Duke Ellington's signature "Take The A Train" is delivered as an unusual ballad with each member getting lots of 'face-time'. Hank Jones' block chords are magnificent and Hawkins is superb. Some have long suspected that Billy Strayhorn wrote "A Train" originally as a ballad and this performance shows that approach is certainly feasible, plus it surges into 4/4 swing in the mid-section. The ballad "Slowly" is as romantic as it is swinging with Hawkins, breathy and fleet, and with Jones in a marvelous solo. Shelly's opening salvo with brushes on "Cherokee" has been reverberating in my mind for years and Hawk is wonderful. Eddie Costa makes two telling appearances on vibes and piano. If you didn't have an appreciation of Shelly Manne, this performance should help cement his place in your pantheon of great jazz drummers. In all, a great jazz CD that many may have missed. My Highest Recommendation. Five WONDERFUL Stars.

(This review is based on an Amazon.com MP3 download.

Trivia: Shelly Manne was one of the early bebop drummers on 52nd St who played with Bird, and he played with the prime-time Stan Kenton Orchestra and Woody Herman Herds. Eddie Costa died in a car accident at age 31: another star who left the bandstand too early.)"

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Joel Rafi Zabor | Brooklyn, NY United States | 03/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Agreed, and think special mention must be made of the cut "Me and Some Drums," a duet that conforms to the "2" of the album title: it's just Coleman Hawkins and Shelley Manne, Hawkins opening on piano in Ellingtonian colors, then switching to tenor saxophone for the remainder. It is superb throughout, and Shelley Manne may never have been heard to better advantage than on this. Also worth pointing out that, technically, this is free jazz: there was no preset composition; they just played as it came. A classic."