Various Artists "Blues For Tomorrow"

Various Artists

"Blues For Tomorrow"

( LP Riverside Records, 1957 )

Catalog # RLP 12-243

Personnel & Tracklisting :
01 East Coast All-Stars - Blues For Tomorrow 13:32
Wilbur Ware -Bass
Art Blakey -Drums
Coleman Hawkins , John Coltrane -Tenor Saxophone
Ray Copeland -Trumpet
Gigi Gryce -Alto Saxophone

Reeves Sound Studios, NYC, June 25, 1957

02 Herbie Mann's Californians - A Sad Thing 5:03
Buddy Clark -Bass
Mel Lewis -Drums
Jimmy Rowles -Piano
Jack Sheldon -Trumpet
Herbie Mann - Clarinet [Bass]

Capitol Tower, Los Angeles, CA, July 3, 1957

03 Sonny Rollins Quartet - Funky Hotel Blues 6:00
Paul Chambers - Bass
Roy Haynes - Drums
Sonny Clark - Piano
Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone

Reeves Sound Studios, NYC, June 19, 1957

04 Mundell Lowe Quintet - Let's Blow Some Blues 7:54
Les Grinage -Bass
Ed Thigpen - Drums
Billy Taylor - Piano
Gene Quill - Alto Saxophone
Mundell Lowe - Guitar

Reeves Sound Studios, NYC, April 10, 1957

05 Bobby Jaspar Quartet - The Fuzz 6:15
Wilbur Little - Bass
Elvin Jones - Drums
George Wallington - Piano
Bobby Jaspar - Tenor Saxophone

Reeves Sound Studios, NYC, May 28, 1957

** also issued on Fantasy OJC 030, OJCCD 030-2.

Review :

The success of this project will make listeners wish jazz of this ilk had been more frequently released in nifty compilations such as this. It is like some kind of heat-and-serve DJ set, complete with a cover that looks like a hand-colored landscape shot from a '50s science fiction movie, perhaps "Invasion of the Bluesy Snatchers." A key part of the success of any compilation is to avoid the issue of quality through careful programming or some other inexplicable mojo. Since it is impossible for every track to have the same equal value, a compilation relies on charades, presenting an image of the epic and universal appeal of music as pure enjoyment, song to song, whether it is a genius leading the band or...well, Herbie Mann. It is surely no question of fame, since the latter artist was at least for a time the commercial equal if not the better of tenor saxophone genius Sonny Rollins, whose "Funky Hotel Blues" is the ultimate performance here. In terms of quality, comparing his improvisations with the flute wheezing of Mann is like comparing Chateaubriand with "hot 'em" burgers. Yet few listeners will probably bail out of the flutist's "A Sad Thing," possibly because there is a kind of intense happiness that comes from knowing it is the sole track by this Mann in the collection, but also because it is actually an effective, moody instrumental, and not the only one to be hampered not by the lack of a really good jazz soloist. Guitarist Mundell Lowe, who could always use some more recognition, becomes a champion by suggesting to his quintet "Let's Blow Some Blues." His playing is so strong that one imagines that if this performance had actually followed that of Rollins on a stage, nobody in the audience would have complained. There are many classic jazz players lurking in the wings as this collection of tracks unfolds. The first 13 and a half minutes would make a tremendous first act in a play, a loose jam on a tune by Gigi Gryce that is full of the marvelously happy spirit of hard bop.

By Eugene Chadbourne [AMG]

Note : FLAC (not available on the blog free edition in this format)

By Rob