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AVID Jazz here presents four classic Louis Bellson albums plus including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.
“Just Jazz All Stars”; “Concerto For Drums”; “At the Flamingo”; “The Hawk Talks” plus selections from “Drummers Holiday”
Louis Bellson was born on July 26th in Rock Falls, Illinois. He was one of the great drummers of his era alongside such other greats as Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, Art Blakey and Gene Krupa (who he admits was a huge influence on his playing). His illustrious career saw him playing in the bands of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Duke Ellington. “Concerto For Drums” (a slightly pretentious title perhaps but a good set all the same, being recorded in one take with all titles improvised!) Bellson is joined by a fine line up including Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Zoot Sims on tenor, Don Abney on piano and George Duvivier on bass, as Bellson quotes the musicians “had exactly the same approach to the music we were playing”. A four piece line up for a date recorded in 1957 at the famous Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas gives us our third album “At The Flamingo”. Joining Louis in the band are Don Abney on piano (happy to be able to perform more as a lead instrument rather than as an accompanist!) Charles “Truck” Parham on bass (coming out of recent self- imposed retirement) and the renowned trumpeter Harry Edison. Bellson pays tribute to former bosses Harry James (The Hawk) and Count Basie for “The Hawk Talks” accompanied by among others Lew Stein on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, Charlie Shavers on trumpet and Seldon Powell on tenor. For “Drummers Holiday” Bellson was trying to get a new take on the Big Band sound, he and arranger Frank Camstock came up with the idea of a small band sound within a big band line up! As Bellson states regarding the sound in the original liner notes, “ it’s a good one for the dance set…….I think it’s wise to give our young listening audience the tempo’s they love to dance to and at the same time give them the benefits of a big band musical sound…..”
All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered.
CD1
1-8: ‘Just Jazz All Stars’
1. Eyes
2. Rainbow
3. Sticks
4. Shadows
5. The Jeep Is Jumpin’
6. Passion Flower
7. Punkin’
8. Johnny Come Lately
9-16: ‘Concerto For Drums’
9. Concerto For Drums
10. Basically Speaking, Duvivier, That Is
11. Love For Sale
12. The Man I Love
13. Charlie’s Blues
14. I’ll Remember April
15. Buffalo Joe
16. Stompin’ At The Savoy
17. Blues For Keeps from Drummer’s Holiday
18. For Louie’s Kicks from Drummer’s Holiday
19. I’m Shooting High from Drummer’s Holiday
CD2
1-6: ‘At The Flamingo’
1. Flamingo Blues
2. Driftwood
3. Opus 711
4. Broadway
5. Medley: Love Is Here To Stay / Flamingo / Makin’ Whoopee
6. Sweet Georgia Brown
7-13: ‘The Hawk Talks’
7. Basie
8. Charlie O
9. Jump It, Man!
10. Greetings
11. The Hawk Talks
12. Festivale
13. Mambo A La Louis Bellson
14. T-Bones from Drummer’s Holiday
15. How Many Times from Drummer’s Holiday
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